Kamico's Shrine (Snippet Thread)

[Kamico]

So, I have been writing these snippets for less than a year, but there is now a lot of them and I want to show them to people, and thus I am posting it here.

So yeah! Have some snippets to read!

I have no idea what settings these would be about, but stuff like mecha and wargames is unlikely, as is horror.

 

[Kamico]

"Greetings, dreamer."

I woke up… no, I didn't. I came to awareness of this dreamlike place full of flowers, where in front of me a female Merlin was standing.

"Oh, don't be alarmed," her laughter was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. "I'm here for business, after all, not amusement."

Not reassuring in the slightest, I thought. What kind of business can override female Merlin's search for amusement?

"Well, it's not like I don't mix up duty and pleasure," she smiled a hauntingly beautiful smile. Ah, that was more like it. More understandable and familiar. "In any case, I'll be placing your soul within the corpus of Morgan's pet fairy… whatever she is called, and sending you to gather the sins of the inheritors of Seven Sinners."

"Fairy Knight Tristan? Cath Cu Cernriestess? Baobhan Sith?... Where to?" I wondered aloud… what felt like I was wondering aloud.

"You might know that dream as Twisted Wonderland," she giggled like tiny silver bells.

…TWST? What… what kind of connection did it have to Fate, I reeled internally. Why such a crossover?!

"Okay, I think I can do it," outwardly I was all business. "But why not turn me into Castoria, if the problem is an inherited sin?" I spoke aloud.

"Because an existence like a Faerie of Paradise, untouched by sin, would be too radiant for the world I'm sending you to," the white caster replied. "The sinners will loath everything about you if I do so. While that pet of Morgan's is cursed differently, they'll be able to understand her better."

"Wouldn't Morgan be mad at you?" I blurted out. "Or at me?"

"Ahahaha," was the only answer. "Don't worry about that."

And then I blacked out.

***

I woke up to darkness. Or was it 'came to awareness'? Was I free of Merlin's spell? Was I already in TWST?

Ah… my dear beloved…
My noble and beautiful flower of evil…
You are the fairest in the land.
-Mirror, mirror on the wall,
who is the most…​

…whose voice was that? It sounded vaguely familiar… Was it Dire Crowley, perhaps?

I tried to move, but I was trapped somewhere. I couldn't see or sense anything but the words of the mysterious speaker. It was like I was in a void.

-O thee, guided by the Dark Mirror,
Follow thy heart's desire
and take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.​

No change in surroundings. It seemed that the words were not for me. But for whom, then?... Surely not for the MC of the game.

Flames that incinerate even stars,
Ice that imprisons even time,
The great tree that engulfs even the skies…
Fear not the power of darkness.
Now- demonstrate thy power.​

…nothing was happening. How annoying. I tried to move, and failed completely - it was as if my body wasn't there at all.

For me. For them. For you.
We are all running out of time.
No matter what,
never let go of that hand.​

Ugh. I was losing consciousness again…

***

With a jolt, I opened my eyes. Dire Crowley offered me a hand, which I accepted.

"Aria Tristan, please come out of the Gate and proceed to the Dark Mirror," he asked.

I did so, carefully stepping down from the floating coffin, and looked around. My coffin was in front of the Magic… Dark Mirror, with the Headmage standing to my right.

I felt sick, the air around me was like water… no, even thicker.

"State thy name," as I came closer to the mirror, it asked of me.

Uhhh. What did Crowley call me? My head was pounding. It was… bad.

"Aria Tristan," I said the mangled True Name of myself and the body.

"The nature of thy soul…" the Spirit of the Mirror paused. "..."

…Oh fuck. My soul's completely unmagical, wasn't it? It was the body of mine that was magical, not the soul…

"...unclear to me," it finished. Fuck, as I expected…

Whispers among the students rose.

"What?!" the Headmage exclaimed. "How come?!"

"I sense magical power from this one," admitted the mirror. "But their soul is… lacking in everything. Therefore no dorm would be appropriate."

Geez, how 'flattering'. Lacking in everything, am I?

"Not in a hundred years…"

I kind of tuned Crowley out, looking at my front and hands. There were pinkish-red hair, visible breasts under the robes, and my nails were carefully manicured and painted red…

"Aria Tristan!" I flinched from the loud exclamation, the loudness of it ringing in my head like a bell. "Do you have an explanation for this?!'

"Maybe your artifact's broken," I scoffed, then started to lay down my cover story. "Anyway, where am I? Who are you?"

"...oh, you must be confused from the time-space teleportation…" he frowned. "You are in Night Raven College, the most prestigious academy in all of Twisted Wonderland, and I am the Headmage, Dire Crowley…"

"And what Twisted Wonderland is?" I wondered aloud, to his surprise. "Where on Gaea's face is it?"

"Ahem," the crow-masked fairy - and he was a fairy, I could tell now, "You must be really confused. But… we have no time to deal with your case, we need to continue the orientation. Please stand," he pointed to a crowd of other students, "there and wait for the end of the ceremony."

"Hmph," I folded my hands under my (bigger than previous) breasts hidden under the robe, "I'll do that… but you'll owe me an explanation later today!"

"Of course!" he nodded rapidly. "Now go and wait."

I turned on my heel, and went to the location I was told to, stopping at the front of the crowd. I was still feeling nauseous, and so I mostly stayed still, hoping to not throw up…

Suddenly, Headmage Crowley also fled the ceremony, which caused quite a lot of whispering.

"So, you've been rejected even before starting the classes, eh?" a student heckled. "How amu-"

SLAP. The force of it made the bastard spin in place a few times before falling down. The crowd, startled, parted around the two of us.

"Well?" I laughed, in typical ojou fashion, hiding my sickness. "Anyone else have any words for me?"

Someone in student's ceremonial robes strode through the sea of the same.

"Stop right there!" oh, it was Riddle. I recognized that youthful face. "The rules of NRC forbid physical altercations on school grounds!"

"Well, if it's the rules," I giggled. "Ah, but surely those also prevent badmouthing, I hope? Or I cannot promise I won't do this again~"

The Housewarden frowned.

"I can speak for Heartslabyul - I will attempt to squash the badmouthing, but you'll need to promise me…"

I shook my head and folded my hands under my currently almost squashed flat by the robe cut bust, and suppressed a wince - the shaking made me more nauseous.

"This might sound bad, but if you cannot promise me this, if I hear someone talking shit about me, I'll retaliate, no ifs or buts."

"If you keep breaking rules, I'll have to punish you," he stated.

"I'd like to see you try," I smirked. Magic Resistance EX should deal with everything he could throw at me…

Riddle grit his teeth.

"...I am not your Housewarden, so I cannot advocate for your expulsion," he looked thunderous. "But I will be keeping an eye on you, understand?"

"Okay, okay," I waved him off.

He stormed off. At the same time, the Headmage returned with what had to be Yuu and Grim in tow.

"If you must know, I was searching for the new student who'd failed to show for orientation," he deflected the accusation of having a stomachache, then turned to Yuu. "You are yet to be assigned a dorm. Step up to the Dark Mirror, and be quick about it. I'll watch your weasel."

The robed… girl? It seemed like this Yuu was a girl… nodded and went to the Dark Mirror.

"State thy name," the Spirit of the Mirror asked.

"I'm Hiiragi Yuuna," the voice was definitely feminine.

"Hiiragi Yuuna… The nature of your soul is…" the mirror paused. "...unclear to me."

"What?!" exclaimed Crowley. "A second time today?!"

"Hoh, so that artifact is indeed broken," I laughed softly, careful to not aggravate my sickness.

"I sense no magical power from this one. Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant," clarified the mirror, to everyone's shock. "Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate."

"Are you suggesting that the black carriage went to receive a person who cannot even use magic?" The Headmage panicked, his grip going slack. "But that is absurd! The student selection process has not erred… twice in one day in all of its century of existence! How could this have happened?"

"ME! Let ME have this student's seat!" Grim used that to wriggle free, to Crowley's distress. "Unlike that human, I can actually use magic! So let me be a student here!
Look, I'll show you! My spells're the cat's meow-"

"Everyone, get down!" shouted Riddle.

"-Myaaahhh!"

The students all scattered, just in time for the monster to exhale a sea of blue flames. I did so too, not sure if my robes were fireproof…

…everything was aflame. The smell made me feel even worse, and I swooned in place.

"Someone catch that blasted animal before it sets the entire school ablaze!" The Headmage shouted over the sounds of general panic.

Hm. Help or don't help? …Frankly, I should test my powers first, somewhere isolated. Who knows what powers I have in my arsenal?

The Housewardens bickered among themselves, but finally, Riddle and Azul started to run after the monster, flinging spells after it.

I watched the chase, fighting nausea.

"Stand aside, Azul!" shouted the redhead student. "[Off With Your Head]!"

And so a collar materialized on the catlike monster.

"MYAH?! What are you doing?!" exclaimed Grim.

"The Queen of Heart's Rule 23: 'One must never bring a cat to a formal affair.'" replied Riddle smugly. "Your very presence here is a violation of order. You will vacate these premises immediately."

"But I ain't a cat either!" shouted the monster. "Don't try to collar me! I'll burn it right off! Huh...? Wh-what gives? My fire ain't workin'!"

I tuned out the rest of the convo, too busy standing up and dusting off my robes. Hm-hm. So I was probably going to follow the MC into Ramshackle, as I was not sorted into any of the dorms… not the worst possibility, frankly. I could work with that.

Then Grim got hauled out of the Mirror Chamber, meowing forlornly, and the Headmage adjourned the ceremony, with the students all gathering next to their Housewardens, and exiting the room.

"Well, Yuuna Hiiragi, Aria Tristan," after the Mirror Chamber emptied of students, Crowley turned to the two of us. "This is a most unfortunate turn of events. I'm afraid that you will not be attending Night Raven Collage after all. The Dark Mirror is final in its judgment. But worry not, for it will see you safely home. Now, step into the gate, one by one, and visualize the place where you came from."

"You first," I told the mousey girl, who smiled in relief.

"What a long dream this was," she sighed, stepping into a coffin.

"O Dark Mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs!" The Headmage chanted…

…but nothing happened. Crowley coughed.

"L-let us, er...try this again. O Dark Mirror! Return this soul—"

"There is no such place," announced the Dark Mirror.

"Pardon?"

"There is no place in this world where this soul belongs," repeated the Spirit in the Mirror. "None."

"How can that be? My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena!" the crow-masked fey exclaimed. "Aria Tristan, let's try with you?"

I nodded - my head swam - entering the coffin Yuuna vacated, and visualizing my human hometown…

"O Dark Mirror! Return these souls to where they belong!" The Headmage chanted again…

…to no effect whatsoever.

"Your artifact is broken," I scoffed, stepping out. "Either that, or it snatched us from a different world."

"This has never happened throughout my long tenure," Crowley exclaimed in panic. "I must confess that I am at something of a loss. Tell me: From what land do you hail?"

"Lately, I hail from Chaldea," I replied, hopefully regally. "But initially, I was a denizen of Faerie Britain."

"I'm from Japan…" started Yuuna, only to pause and look at me with round eyes. "Wait, you're from Chaldea?! The UN-sanctioned Antarctica station? That Chaldea? That place has fairies?!"

"I served there, yes," I nodded, noting that Yuu…na was from Nasuverse.

"I'm afraid I am not familiar with such a place," coughed Crowley. "I am intimately acquainted with the origins of every student who has ever come here, and yet... This mysterious homeland of yours eludes me. Let us go to the library and look it up, shall we?"

"Don't bother," I replied. "That mirror of yours must've dragged us there from another world, if what I feel of the background magic is right."

"Another world?!" exclaimed Yuuna. "I actually was Isekai'd?!"

You and me, girl. You and me.

The walk to the library was short, with Yuuna visibly digesting the news of her spiriting away. In the library, the Headmage went straight to the geographical section, levitating open multiple books at once.

Out of curiosity, I took one of the books, pleasantly surprised to find it to be in English. Not my first, but a second language I knew well…

"Show me everything that you brought here with you," suddenly demanded the crow-masked Fae. "Do you have some form of identification, a driver's license perhaps? Or even a...shoe? You do seem a tad bit...empty-handed."

The two of us, Isekai protagonists, looked at each other and then shook our heads.

"As you've said, I've got nothing," Yuuna admitted.

I concentrated, and, with some blue sparkles, a small Failnaught materialized in my hands.

"I have this…" with a mental switch, the Priestnunnos Hammer in all its giant red and black glory appeared, head-down. "...and this."

Completely fearlessly, Dire Crowley came closer and inspected Baobhan Sith's weapons.

"Hmmm," he hummed, daring to touch Failnaught's string and failing to produce anything. "These are weapons, which are forbidden on campus. I'll need to confiscate these until we find a way to return you home."

"Yeah, good luck with that," I shrugged, dismissing the weapons. "These are soulbound."

"Well, this is quite the predicament," he sighed. "I cannot have someone with no aptitude for magic bumbling about my magic academy. And yet, as an educator, I am loath to expel a young person without a cent to their name, or any ability to contact their guardian… Truly, my grace is boundless."

"Can't you contact the government?" I asked, blood pounding in my temples. "Surely there is a charity that could've taken us."

"Ah, no," the Headmage shook his head. "The Sage's Island is an autonomous piece of the Land of Dawning, which means it is relatively isolated from the mainland. And there are no such charities on the island."

Well, there went that option.

"Hmmmmm... Ah!" he exclaimed. "There is a vacant building on this campus. It was, in fact, used as a dorm a long time ago. With a proper cleaning, it should be habitable enough. Out of the profound kindness of my heart, I will allow you to live there for the time being…"

"I hope it's not a ruin," I sighed, and noted that Crowley abruptly started to look shifty…

"In the meantime, we will investigate other ways to send you home," he coughed. "Dear me, but I am a gracious man indeed! A model educator, one might say. Well then, I shall take you to your dorm straight away. It is an older building, but it has plenty of… character, one might say."

"It's totally a ruin," I told Yuuna.

"Maybe it's not as bad as you think?..."

Her optimism didn't last.

"Uh, you want us to stay... here?" she asked after seeing the Ramshackle Dorm for the first time.

"As I thought - it's a ruin," I scoffed. "And I do not know any builder or even maid magecraft…"

"Isn't it delightful?" smiled Crowley. "Right, scoot inside now. There you go."

We entered the ratty building.

"This should keep the elements at bay for the time being," nodded the crow-masked fae. "Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to busy yourself.
But don't let me catch you wandering the campus! Ta!"

And he teleported out.

"I don't even see a clean place to sit," Yuuna complained. "Do you know any spells to…"

"I just told you, I am not a maid," I scoffed. "I do not know such magic. Anyway, I am Aria Tristan, a fairy. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, um," she looked admonished. "I'm Hiiragi Yuuna - the family name first - a normal human. Nice to meet you too?"

"At least you have some manners," I nodded. "Anyway, you're Japanese, right? The Master of Chaldea is the same. I wonder if tactician abilities and understanding are common among the people of that land."

"And you're a real fairy!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know my world had fairies! Is it a Statue of Secrecy thing?"

"There is a masquerade going on indeed," I nodded, adopting a Rin Tohsaka Lecture Pose. "The human magi and the Church repress the knowledge of the supernatural among the masses."

"Oh, would I be killed for knowing?" she paled in sudden realization.

"More likely to be mind-wiped… but who knows, maybe the person to find out about this could be bad at that, and thus decide that killing you would be easier," I smiled, but then grimaced - the nausea spiked.

There was a sound of rain from outside.

"Looks like it's started to rain," stated the obvious Yuuna.

"Seems so," I nodded.

"GWAH! It's pouring out there!" came from the entrance.

"Wah!" exclaimed Yuuna.

"Bwahaha! That look on your face is priceless! Like a bat that got blasted by a water gun," laughed Grim, coming in closer. "Hey, you're the other girl from the ceremony! What you're doin in there?"

"Guards! Guaaaaaards!" shouted the sole human there.

"Hey! No! Bad human! BAD HUMAN!" admonished Grim. "Ain't you gonna ask what I'm doin' here? That's what you people do, right? Talk about feelings and stuff? Just what kinda human are ya, anyway? It wouldn't kill ya to listen to me! Right?!"

"I might just kill you and be done with it," I threatened.

"Geez, tough crowd!" he exclaimed. "Anyway, I was born to do this! I'm a magical prodigy who's got the makin's to become one of the greatest mages who ever-"

I shot a quick Gandr at him, which stunned him. Fear the spell that, in Ritsuka's hands, paralyzes even Gods!...

…urk, what's this queasy feeling?

"Isn't that… excessive?" asked Yuuna.

"It was being a nuisance," I blew on the tip of my pointer finger that was the focus for the Gandr. "It should be happy I didn't use my Priestnunnos Hammer to squash it like whack-a-mole!"

"Priestnunnos?..." mouthed to herself Yuuna, gathering Grim into her hands. "Anyway, we should do something about the holes in the ceiling. Do you… no, you've mentioned that you have no such magic… Yikes, the leaks are really getting bad."

"I might try to get some magic to work on this," I sighed, suppressing any hins I felt less than 100%. "You go and find some buckets in the meanwhile."

The other girl nodded and went deeper into the building, and I swooned onto the dusty couch, clasping palms over my mouth to not retch. Right. Magecraft. Could I use something like Alternation to close the holes in the roof?...

Unbidden, a memory not my own appeared in my mind's eye, how to use Reinforcement, Alternation and Gradation Air. Morgan was, as usual, cold in that memory, but her eyes shone with pride over Baobhan Sith getting the spells right the first time…

An endless fall… the Magic Circuits- no, the Divine Patterns in this body activated, and I Projected a tall stepladder - the queasy feeling was still there, dammit, - checked it for any flaws, finding none, set it, then ascended it to the ceiling and started to use Alternation to change the shape of the wood overhead.

"Aaaah!" came a muffled shout from deeper in the dorm, and I paused in my casting. Right, the ghosts… it's not like Yuuna was in any real danger with those, right?

Shrugging, I continued using my magecraft despite the feeling of wrongness…

…then, belatedly, I realized that Grim was currently paralyzed.

Fuck!

I jumped down the stepladder, and ran to the sound of screaming.

"To the left!" ordered Yuuna, as I came to a halt in the corridor of the Ramshackle Dorm. "Now, to your back!"

I used three rapid-fire Gandrs to the ghosts' faces.

Everyone froze. Yuuna's wide and attentive eyes darted around, taking in the scenario. Finally, she seemed to snap out of it between deep breaths, and smiled in relief.

"...Aria!" finally cried the other girl. "I was so frightened! Waaa!"

"H-huh? Does that mean we won?" asked Grim, surprisingly unparalyzed. Did my Gandr wear off that quickly? I needed to step up my game with it, then.

I kicked the nearest ghost and, to my surprise, my leg actually connected to the ghostly existence, sending it flying through the wall.

"Aw, geez, I was scared outta my-" the monster caught himself. "I mean, they didn't faze me one bit! Just a walk in the park for a mage of my caliber! Whaddaya got to say now, ghosties? That's right!"

I felt the teleportation before Crowley actually appeared.

"Good evening. In another gesture of my immense kindness, I have brought you two dinner," cheered Crowley, then noticed Grim. "Wait. That's the creature we ejected for causing trouble at orientation! What is it doing here?!"

"Takin' care of yer ghost problem, that's what. You're welcome, by the way!"

"What is the meaning of this, Aria, Yuuna?" the Headmage frowned. "But you know, on that topic, I do seem to recall that this dorm had a mischievous ghost problem. Ah, yes... That's why it was abandoned, in fact. The ghosts scared away all the students. And you're saying that you two joined forces to drive them away?"

"Well, I came after Yuuna and the cat were kicking their asses," I admitted. "Yuuna? What happened there?"

"Imma not a cat- 'Joined forces' ain't exactly how I'd describe it," scoffed Grim. "More like I drove 'em away, and the human watched. And I only did it 'cause I wanted some tuna… Hey... Wait a minute! I never got those cans of tuna ya promised!"

"Would you two be so kind as to demonstrate your ghost-eradication methods for me?" asked Dire Crowley, turning to Yuuna and Grim.

"One, no, 'cause I already wiped 'em all out. And two, no, 'cause where's my tuna?!"

"I will play the part of the ghosts," smiled the crow-masked fae. "As for the tuna, you'll receive it when you defeat me. Oh, what generosity, Crowley… Now, to chug this transmutation potion!"

And so the two demonstrated their ghostbusting ways… I stood back, noting that Yuuna actually had a good tactical head on her shoulders. She ordered Grim around only when Crowley was in the blind zone, letting the monster attack mostly on his own.

Finally, Crowley returned to his faerie form.

"...Well?" panted Grim.

"Incredible... I've never seen anyone bend a monster to their will quite the way you have," admitted the Headmage. "I must confess, my educator's intuition did sense something about you after the brouhaha at orientation, Yuuna. I could tell you had a certain animal trainer-y, beast master-ish quality to you. Oh, yes. That said, I…"

"Grim would really like to go to this school," she mentioned.

"WHAT? A monster, stay HERE?" was the knee-jerk reaction of the crow-masked man.

"Whoa, did you just...?" Grim's mouth hung open.

"Please, sir!" pleaded Yuuna.

"Hmmm... I suppose I cannot deny your plea," Crowley sighed. "Very well."

"Myah?! Really?"

"Let me be clear!" the Headmage put his hands on his hips. "Under no circumstances would I admit anyone to Night Raven College who has not been selected by the Dark Mirror - especially not a monster! Nor do I intend to allow you, Yuuna, to freeload until you're able to return home…"

"What about me?" I piped up.

"Let me continue," he waved me off. "It was the Dark Mirror that transported you here. Therefore this school does bear some responsibility for your well-being. So I will allow you to remain in this dorm, free of charge… However, you will need to pay for your own food, clothing, and incidentals. As to how you will do so, penniless as you are... Ah. Ah ha. Yes, a fine plan."

"What exactly are you planning to make me do?" asked Yuuna, looking frightened.

"You needn't seem so alarmed. I'm simply going to ask you to do a few odd jobs around campus," he smiled. "From what you've done here, Yuuna, I can tell you know your way around a broom. So what do you say to you two working together as a janitorial team? If you agree to that, I will make a special exception and allow you to remain on campus. I'll also allow you to use the library, so that you may study, and research ways to return home. How soundlessly charitable I am. Ah, but only when your work is over, of course!"

"Whaaat? What kinda deal is that?!" complained Grim. "I wanna put on one of those sweet uniforms and be a student, not sweep up people's junk!"

"If you're not satisfied with my offer, I can arrange to have you thrown out again," deadpanned Crowley.

"Myah?! ... All right, fine! Let's do it," the monster huffed.

"Fair enough," Yuuna shrugged.

"Now, Aria," the crow-masked faerie nodded. "As you have some magic, unlike Yuuna, I can arrange for you to be enrolled in NRC on a scholarship…"

"Isn't that unfair?" Yuuna asked. "I have to work, and she gets a scholarship?"

"Perhaps," Crowley shrugged. "But I can sell enrolling Aria, a magical faerie, to the Parent Union a lot easier than you, a magicless human. In any case, Aria, you'll be expected to keep your grades up, so that your scholarship would not be revoked."

"Might be a problem, but I actually never had any trouble learning," I told him. "As long as this world's air doesn't make me too sick, that is."

"Wonderful. Then I beseech you three… To work hard!" he smiled and clapped his hands. A stack of two tupperware containers appeared in his grasp. "Now, you are probably hungry. Bon appetit."

 

[Kamico]

I came to consciousness because I felt a foreign presence in the same room as me.

Yuuna and I decided to not share a bed yesterday, so there should have been anyone in there, so I sat straight, and pointed a Gandr-sparkling finger at…

"Headmaster!" I exclaimed, gathering the covers I was provided yesterday to my chest. "You're!"

"Ah, I apologize, young lady," he turned away. "I arrived with the school uniforms, books and the stationery."

He set the boxes on the floor and walked to the door.

"It's mostly second-hand stuff, but it's the best I got on short notice," he stood with his back to me, while I stood up and opened the boxes, finding a set of NRC uniforms roughly of my measurements. "I'll go deliver the uniforms to Yuuna now. You'll find the schedule in the stationery, with your Magical Pen.."

And he teleported away.

The queasy feeling did not fully subside after the night's rest, and so I sighed, buttoning up the male-cut dress shirt. Well, Aria, your first day in a new and magical school was there! Cheer up!

The jacket was slightly too big for my shoulders, which was to be expected - it was made for a male, after all. At least the pants fit nicely.

With a sigh, I opened the other box - there was a booklet and a sleek velvet box on the top, the latter of which I opened - inside was a black pen tipped with a pink gem. Spinel, perhaps? I supposed the jewel was appropriate…

The booklet contained a map of the campus and had a schedule stapled to it. I looked at it - I was in Class 1-D, and they had Potionology, Practical Magic, Defensive Magic and Magical History today.

Fully dressed, I took out the required books and some notebooks, and put them in the provided bag, then went to the bathroom - to wash my face.

Thank God Crowley had made water run yesterday…

…I felt something reply to me, like patting on my head…

…Baobhan Sith was also the Cait Cu Cernpriestess! I completely forgot about that… despite calling upon her hammer yesterday. I'm a dumbass.

"Uh, my lord, Cernunnos?" I called out. "I'm currently… I'm not exactly Baobhan Sith, and I'm in another world. Have you been summoned together with me?"

An answer! It was a wave of reassurance. It was so moving, I felt my eyes water… I wasn't alone in this world…

…I had no time to ruminate on this, I had classes.

I washed my face, wiped it with a provided old towel, and went back to my room, where I set the Magical Pen in the front jacket pocket, slung the bag over my shoulder and went to the lounge, where Crowley, Grim and Yuuna were waiting.

"Hrmph. I ain't cleanin' nothin'!" Grim boasted. "I'm here to study magic so I can be blastin' off spells left and right! Like BAM! POW! FWOOM! Can't I be a student like Aria?"

"I'm afraid not," the Headmage shook his head. "Anyway, you have your tasks for today, so ta-ta!"

And he teleported away.

"After we clean, we can study in the library," Yuuna reminded Grim, who only harrumphed.

And thus we, together, exited the Ramshackle Dorm.

"I need to go," I told Yuuna. "I don't want to be late."

"Ah, go ahead," she nodded. "We'll be on the Main Street. Let's meet at lunch."

I smiled and hurried to the main campus building, leaving the two behind, to their destined course of action.

***

The classes weren't all that bad, even if I had to look up the terminology in the books. There were weird looks in my direction, at my Magical Pen and chest, but it seemed that no one wanted to repeat the Mirror Chamber incident, so they kept to themselves.

Finally, there was the cafeteria. I had been reassured that I could eat anything there for free, but…

"I wonder where's Yuuna and Grim," I wondered aloud, not sitting at any of the tables, carefully eating a croissant. "Didn't we decide to meet up here?"

I felt someone try to teleport near me, and allowed that, just turning my head to that place.

"Ah, sharp magical senses," nodded a pink-and-black haired faerie. "Greetings, my name is Lilia Vanrouge. You're Aria Tristan, right?"

"Yes, that's me," I nodded, curious as to why he approached me. "What's the matter?"

"I saw you eating by yourself, and thought of inviting you to our table," he smiled. It was a suspicious offer, but knowing him from the game, I thought that he might've been honest.

"...sure, why not," I nodded. "But if it's a trap, I won't hesitate to punch a bastard."

He beamed.

"After me," he started to walk towards the far tables, and I followed him, careful to not spill my cappuccino.

I noted that Malleus wasn't there, instead some nobodies in Diasomnia vests were.

"Master Lilia!" exclaimed he who must've been Sebek. "I see you've decided to approach her!"

I tilted my head slightly, then looked at Lilia.

"Ah, I was wondering about you for a bit there," he admitted. "You're a faerie, right?"

"...yes, I am," I nodded. "What of it?"

"I know most of the faerie types, but never met one quite like you," he admitted. "What kind of fae are you?"

Abruptly, I remembered the discrimination all incarnations of Baobhan Sith faced in their lives…

…mutilation, degradation, humiliation… all kinds of gruesomeness…

…it took me entirely too much focus to not get dragged into the abyss of memories.

"You don't need to answer," Lilia said in a grave, quiet voice. "It was an idle curiosity, that's all."

I nodded, feeling my heartbeat in my throat. That was… what was that? Ancestral memory? Didn't think it was a thing with Faeries…

"...where can I sit?" I asked instead of acknowledging the episode. Thankfully, I haven't lost my grip on my coffee while remembering… that.

Diasomnia students moved a bit to the side, opening a seat for me to take. It was a bit of a tight fit, my thigh touching that of a teenage boy to his visible embarrassment, but I decided to channel Baobhan Sith's shamelessness and continued eating my croissant.

"Do you mind answering some school-related questions?" Lilia asked carefully.

"Ask away," I nodded, sipping my coffee.

"The Dark Mirror refused to sort you into any of the Dorms," he started. "Why so?"

The Diasomnia kids all focused on me. Ugh, being the center of attention…

"I… have only speculation," I sighed, setting my cup on the table. "But it might be related to my Magic Resistance of highest grade. The Mirror might've been unable to pierce it to observe… what, my soul?"

"Magic… resistance?!" exclaimed (he who must've been) Sebek.

"Yeah, by… I won't be going into details, but most spells just wash over me," I nodded. "It's not something I can teach, though."

The spellcasters at the table visibly digested that.

"I won't lie, that's fascinating," Lilia looked at the rest of the Diasomnia students, then turned to me. "But we did agree on only the school-related questions. Anyway, what is your Dorm, then? Your Magical Pen's gem is pink, so we're curious."

I paused to consider the question.

"Not one of the seven normal ones," I replied. "Me and the other unsorted student stayed in the unused building on campus tonight… actually, we decided to meet up there, but she hasn't turned up?..."

"The magicless human," nodded Sebek. Silver, who was eating his casserole, shot him a warning glance.

"Yeah, her," I admitted. "She is a good person, very tactical-minded. Reminds me of the Master of Chaldea back home…"

"So, you're going to be staying in that ramshackle building?" asked… not one of the known Diasomnia students.

"Yeah, seems so," I nodded, then sipped my sweet, milky coffee.

"I've seen that monster from the Entrance Ceremony in the other unsorted student's vicinity," another extra piped up. "What's the deal with that?"

"Ah, that's… he snuck back on campus, and he and Yuuna became friends," I waved my hand. "Then she begged the Headmaster to allow him to stay, and, to my surprise, he allowed that."

"You two are girls, why are you here?" asked Sebek… rude!

"Ah," I set my cup on the table. "That's a bit of a long story, but short? The Dark Mirror couldn't return us back home, so we're stuck here without any support."

"Huh," he nodded. "Why so?"

"The Dark Mirror can reach every corner of the Twisted Wonderland, and if it couldn't reach your homeland, you could get there by mundane means?" Lilia tilted his head thoughtfully, folding his hands.

"Well…" I paused. "It's gonna sound a bit unbelievable… but the two of us, Yuuna and I, are from another world entirely."

"HUH?!" exclaimed Sebek, jumping to his feet. "YOU'RE-"

"Don't shout," Silver admonished him, then turned to me. "That does sound a bit unbelievable, true."

"You're free to disbelieve," I shrugged, finishing my croissant and cappuccino both, then standing up. "Anyway, I probably should find Yuuna and Grim. It was nice to meet you."

And so I went to return the dishes to the serving ghosts, feeling the stares of Diasomnia students on my back.

***

"Really, Grim? Really?" I sighed after the Isekai protagonist finished her story. "You got baited! Bamboozled! So easily!"

"Myah! He was…" the catlike monster tried to defend himself.

"While I understand the desire to put a bastard in their rightful place, you should be swift and precise in your retribution!" I chided. "Not this sloppy!"

"Should you be encouraging this?" Yuuna wondered aloud.

"The art of retribution is vast and glorious!" I huffed, folding my hands under my chest. "Anyway, I've got homework already, so I'm going to go to the library. Good luck with washing the windows…"

"Ya not gonna help us?" asked Grim.

"Duh," I huffed. "Go find the other kid and serve your punishment swiftly. See ya."

"Okay," nodded Yuuna. "Bye!"

I nodded and went away from the duo, out of the main building and to the library. No one tried to stop me, but there were some stares from students on my way there…

There were a lot of people in the library, including Dire Crowley in the historical section. I nodded to him, and went to a table, opening my schoolbooks and starting to do my homework.

…history, as always, was boring. I had to remind myself that this was actually valuable lore of a world I liked, not…

Several chapters later, I remembered I needed to do the rest of the homework. Whoops. I got too distracted with the whole Disney Villains Victorious backstory…

Potionology had me memorize the lab safety protocols, which weren't all that different from the mundane variant of the same.

Practical Magic and Defensive Magic both were harder than the two previous assignments, as they both had practical parts, which… I wasn't sure I'd be able to even do it? Baobhan Sith's Divine Patterns were top-notch compared to no-bell Castoria, which told me precisely nothing in terms of magical capacity…

What I wanted to say, would a Nasu Fairy's Divine Patterns be compatible with the local magic? And would I be in danger of Overblot by overusing local magic?

I sighed, setting aside the book I was reading ahead, and rubbed my eyes. The experiments on local magic usage… I needed to do these somewhere else - for example, in the Ramshackle Dorm. Yes, that was the logical way of action!

With a nod to myself, I gathered my books and stationery into my bag, stood up and went to the Ramshackle Dorm. With me going away from the usually-used places, the student crowds went away, coming to a complete lack of them next to the Dorm itself.

The inside of the dorm was still dirty. I grimaced, and sat on the dusty couch in the lounge, then pulled out my Magical Pen and stared at it. The pink gem was completely clear, but I also didn't use any magic today…

I sighed, pulled out a textbook, and opened it on the 'Cleaning Spells' part. Let's try this, I guess…

I stood up, the book and the Magical Pen in different hands, and looked around. Well, I suppose cleaning the damn couch would be the easiest thing to try…

According to the book, I needed a clean image of what I wanted to accomplish, and the process thereof, so I imagined the dust untangling from the fabric of the furniture and gathering on the floor before it, then put that image into my mana and channeled the resulting spell through the Magical Pen.

A glittering spark shot off the gem, and impacted the couch, suffusing it with its glow - then the aura lifted, and I moved the dust-impregnated spell to the side. One clean couch, done!

I smiled, internally full of glee. I could do magic! Proper magic, and not just Baobhan Sith's abilities! Whoo!!!

What else could I do? I looked around. Yesterday, we tried to get the lounge to at least somewhat roughly liveable form, so the furniture was mostly in their rightful places, but…

…maybe I should wash the floors while I was at it - with magic! Okay, so that spell needed me to materialize water and soap, or use the already-existing ones, and use them to telekinetically scrub the floor… Create/Destroy Water, huh. Like in DnD.

Using magic to do what I could do with a mop was… actually quite enjoyable, as I didn't need to touch the dirty water, which was the main thing I hated in washing the floors. Magic FTW!

I was so absorbed in my newfound magical cleaning prowess, I missed the warning signs of someone teleporting to the Ramshackle.

"Ahem!" The Headmage coughed. "Miss Aria Tristan, can I have a moment of your time?"

I flinched, only now realizing someone was in the same room as me, and used what must've been the [Blessed Scion EX] skill on him, dominating the mana of my surroundings and stopping the other from accessing it in a shower of red sparkles.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, seeing the crow-masked faerie grimace, and dismissed the skill, the red glow of my surroundings fading. "Sorry, I got startled…"

"What an interesting ability you have," he noted, experimentally flexing his magic. "But I'm here not to interrogate you, despite my curiosity."

"Why are you here, then?" I tilted my head a bit, dismissing the magicked water.

"I'm here to tell you that you'll be the sole occupant of the Ramshackle Dorm coming tomorrow," he replied. "I am generous, but even my generosity has limits!"

"What happened to Yuuna?" I asked, aware that fate probably took the beaten road and thus her, Grim, and Adeuce broke the very expensive chandelier.

"I'm going to expel her," he shook his head. "She couldn't control that beast of hers, getting the Queen of Hearts statue charred first, and then got the very expensive chandelier broken!"

"Huh," I nodded. "And you're telling me this because?"

"Because renovating a dorm for a single student is wasteful, I'm going to give you a choice of which Dorm to enter," he finally cut to the chase. "Choose carefully!"

"..." I stared. This wasn't in the script! Abort! Abort! "Can I think about it until tomorrow at least?"

"Hmm…" he frowned. "I suppose springing the choice on you so suddenly is unfair. Very well! You shall have until tomorrow morning. Now, I'm going to finalize the expulsion of everyone involved in that incident. Adieu!"

And he teleported away.

I sighed, going to and sitting down on the clean couch. Welp. Now I needed to pray that Yuuna, Grim and Adeuce were successful in their expedition to get a magestone… which, given Baobhan Sith's position as Cernunnos's priestess, could actually tip the scales to their benefit?

"O Enshrined God, I beseech thee," I clasped my hands and prayed. "I wish my friend would return victorious and hale from her expedition…"

I felt the attention of the horned God on me, then he seemingly looked through my memories to see who my friend was, then I got an affirmative feeling - something like 'I got it!' in emotional format.

…huh, was this the [Priestess of Enshrined Deity] passive skill in action? I ask, and God tries his best to do it? Neat!

I nodded, then pulled another book from my bag, this time on Defencive Magic. I still had homework, so I'd better do it…

***

Meanwhile, in the Dwarf's Mine…

"Is it me, or did we get stronger in the middle of the fighting?" wondered aloud Ace, as he dispatched the ghosts with his wind spells.

"Myah? Oh, yeah, I felt that!" nodded Grim. "Like a power-up in the middle of my spell!"

"Come to think of it, my Cauldron Summoning got easier for some reason," nodded Deuce. "But we shouldn't dally. We need that magestone!"

"Who voted you team leader?" scoffed Ace. "Cuz the only reason we're here cuz of your stupid stunt!"

"Oh? I'm pretty sure this all started because you tried to shirk your window-cleaning punishment!" Deuce folded his hands.

"So, we're bringing up ancient history now? Then if you wanna get down to brass tacks, this all started when the furball torched that statue!"

"Myah?! Maybe you shouldn'ta made fun of me, then!" Grim got all indignant.

"Guys! We're in real hot water, remember?!" Deuce reminded them. "If we don't come back with a magestone by morning, we're all being expelled!"

"Yeah, which is why we don't need you ordering the rest of us around. It gets old real fast," Ace folded his hands.

"Wait... I think I heard a voice just now," Yuuna shushed them.

"...iiivvv... ...oooouuu…" came a guttural moan from deeper in the cave.

"HUH?!" the trip of males started to look around, spooked.

"Wh-where's that comin' from?" Ace exclaimed.

"...neeevvvaaa... ...iiivvv... ...ooouuu…"

"Sounds like... it's getting closer…" Deuce frowned, holding his Magical Pen in ready position.

From the depths of the mine, a shambling, barely-put together Overblot Phantom came, brandishing his giant pickaxe.

"Stooonesss... STOOONESSS AAARE MIIIIINE!" it roared, making the walls of the mineshaft shake.

"What is that?!" Deuce was frightened.

"Myaaah!" Grim panicked. "No one said there'd be monsters! Let's get outta here!"

"That thing's super creepy! But didn't it just say something about 'stones'?!" noticed Ace.

"Wait, what?!" Grim exclaimed.

"STOOONESSS... ...NEVVVA GIVE STOOONESSS...!"

"Ah!" the three exclaimed. "So there ARE still magestones here!"

"Myaaah…" Grim wilted. "Even as a master sorcerer, I... I don't think I can take that thing down!"

"But we need a magestone or we'll get expelled! I'm going in!" Deuce decided.

"Are you outta your mind?!" Ace wondered aloud.

"I won't be expelled! No matter what!" the brunette declared, and shot a spell at the monster.

"BEGONE! BEGONE! BEGOOONE!" the inkjar-headed monster roared, swinging its pickaxe and deflecting the spell back at the caster.

"Bwaaah!" Deuce screamed.

"Aw, crap! He's got Loosey-Deucey on the ropes! Not on my watch! Heeyah!" Ace shot a wind spell at the Overblot Phantom, who in turn made the earth shake with a hit of its weapon.

"RRROOOARRRGH!"

"Ooof!" Ace fell because of the mini-earthquake.

"Myaaah! Stay away from me!" shouted Grim, sending fire spells everywhere.

"Grrraaawrrr!"

"It's like nothin's even hurtin' it!" the catlike monster exclaimed.

Frozen in fright, Yuuna suddenly noticed something sparkle in the darkness of the mineshaft.

"Behind the monster! There's something sparkling!" shouted Ace.

"Could that have been a magestone?!" Deuce stated the obvious.

"GWAAAAAAAH! NOOO GIIIVE YOOOUUU STOOOOOOONE!"

"Yuuna, we need to book it, and fast!" Grim cried out. "That thing's gonna pound us into tuna paste!"

"Retreat! Retreat!" she managed to squeeze out, and the quartet ran away.

In the woods next to the mine, they stopped to take a breath.

"This should be far enough, I think?" Grim wondered aloud.

"Owww... What was that thing? No one said there'd be anything like that!" Ace complained.

"That was no normal ghost, that's for sure," Deuce nodded.

"Let's just give up and go home," the ginger sighed. "I'll happily take the expulsion if it means never having to fight that thing again."

"What?! Nuh-uh, not happenin'!" the brunette frowned. "I'd rather die than get expelled from Night Raven! How can you give up when the stone is right there?"

"Pfft. Big talk from someone who's not even half the mage I am," Ace scoffed. "You want that stone so bad, go get it yourself. I'm out."

"Oh YEAH?!" shouted Deuce. "Fine, go back to your coop, you big chicken!"

"Whaaaaat?! Who're you callin' chicken, huh?!"

"Whoa, Deuce…" Grim's eyes went wide. Is it just me, or did you, like, turn into a totally different person just now?"

"Huh?!" the brunet coughed. "Sorry... Lost my cool for a second there."

"Can't you do something with your magic?" asked Yuuna.

"The headmage said it himself... magic has limits," shook his head Deuce. "If you can't strongly visualize your magic, it isn't going to happen. Using magic at a greater scale, or using different types of magic - those things require training."

"Yeah, that's why magic academies exist," Ace nodded. "It takes a lot of training before you can snap your fingers and turn your thoughts into magic. And the more flustered you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes."

"So that's why Grim can only summon fire," she nodded.

"Hey! I'm gonna learn how to use WAY cooler magic than that, for the record!" the catlike monster pouted. "I'm just hittin' my stride here!"

"Anyway, we need to find some way to defeat that creature and get the magestone," nodded Deuce.

"Yeaaaaah. Just like the time with the chandelier, right? You "found some way," and now here we are," Ace folded his hands. "We just fought that thing and it creamed us. So what exactly is your plan here, genius? Because I sure don't trust you to improvise!"

"What?! You're the one who-"

"Aaand they're at it again," Grim sighed.

"Would the two of you know it off already?!" Yuuna shouted, a bit fed up with the endless bickering.

"Whoa, that was loud. Where'd that come from?" wondered aloud Grim.

"You said it yourself - we can't hurt that thing," she continued.

"M-myah…"

"Urk... But... But what are we going to do then?!" Deuce gulped.

"What if we came up with a proper plan first?" the magicless human proposed.

"A proper plan? Like some kinda buddy move?" Ace scoffed. "Is that a joke? You always say the lamest things with the straightest face, Yuuna."

"Agreed. No way could I work together with him," nodded Deuce.

"Yeah, but…" sighed Grim. "Gettin' expelled on the first day... That's pretty lame too. Maybe even lamer."

"W-well…" Ace looked away.

"..." Deuce did so too.

"I did have one idea…" Yuuna smiled.

"Gah... Fine. Let's just get this over with, then," the ginger raised his hands in defeat. "All right. What's the plan?"

Yuuna explained.

***

 

[Kamico]

In the late evening, Grim and Yuuna returned to Ramshackle. I noted a pink gem on Grim's collar and a bulky old-fashioned camera hanging off Yuuna's neck…

"Huh, the lounge looks… cleaner," Grim noted.

"Hi," I waved to them. "So, expulsion?"

"Hah!" the catlike monster laughed. "No one's gonna expel the Great Grim! In fact, I'm a student in NRC now!"

"I'm now a prefect, apparently," Yuuna smiled. "Uh, is it OK with you?"

"Eh," I waved my hand dismissively. "Being a prefect is too much trouble, in my opinion, so I won't be challenging you to a battle for it… yet."

"Battle?" the other girl sounded alarmed. "But even with Grim, I'm…"

"Anyway, I prayed for your success," I interrupted her. "I hope my prayers reached you and helped in whatever you did to earn a place here. For I am a Priestess of the Enshrined Deity Cernunnos, a Priestunnos☆Cerpriestess if you may!"

Looking at the baffled duo, I thought that maybe the magical girl pose and the wink were unnecessary…

"Damn, are ya in yer right mind?" Grim wondered aloud. "This was so weird."

I pouted, folding my hands under my breasts and looking away.

"Anyway," I sighed. "What class are you gonna be in? I'm in 1-D."

"We're in 1-A," replied Yuuna. "So we probably won't see you all that much during the school hours."

I nodded - as per canon there.

"Well, I guess I'm not gonna have to choose a Dorm by morning, then," I smiled. "And good that you'll stay there - it'd be too sad if you've been thrown out onto the streets with nothing. I'd hate to be the sole otherworlder there… anyway, why did Crowley change his mind 180 degrees?"

"Ah," the other girl sighed. "It's a long story… but in short, we had to go to the mines where Magestones were found, and fight off a monster in there for the replacement for the chandelier's one."

"I've been the most important part in the plan!" boasted Grim. "My fire-"

Yuuna took Grim by the back of the neck.

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, patting his head. "You were magnificent there."

The catlike monster preened. Idly, I wondered if he was based on a Grimalkin, a cat faerie one of my skills shared name with, Cait Sith, or perhaps even Cath Palug…

…ah, a pang of sheer loathing. I wonder what it was about?

"Hey, whatcha starin' at?" he frowned.

"Nothing, just thoughtful… It's late," I noted, setting a bookmark in my slightly scuffed textbook and closing it. "Let's go to sleep."

As if answering, Yuuna yawned.

"Yeah, let's," nodded Grim. "I'm beat!"

We went to our rooms, then. Mine was more or less fixed up, but the wallpaper was barely holding on and spotty…

Frankly, as Baobhan Sith, Archer/Pretender-class Servant, I might've not needed to sleep or eat, but I had no desire to check that, so I set my books and stationery on the desk, undressed and hopped under the covers, falling asleep soon.

I dreamed of… the beach?

Yep. The beach. The breeze was light and salty on my face, the sun shone down from the nearly cloudless blue sky, and the bright white sand met the clear sea under my bare feet.

…I was still Baobhan Sith. I was also dressed in a plain white swimsuit. My red hair and my ridiculously pretty reflection attested to that.

Huh. What was this all about?... This is definitely not a normal dream - the smells and sensations usually aren't present in such…

The sea bulged, a great figure appearing from underwater. Horned and round and fluffy, I immediately recognized the Enshrined Deity, Cernunnos!

"Greetings, my newest Priestunnos☆Cerpriestess," he said in a gravely, deep voice. How did it pronounce the star in that silly name?... "I see that thou're confused. Worry not! I shall explainunnos."

…Pfft. Did he really just pun at me? Hopefully I kept my face straight…

"I see that thou like mine way of speaking!" he exclaimed, sounding pleased. Ah, so I didn't keep the smile off my face, huh. "But we have more important things to discussunnos, young Aria."

Cernunnos smiled, which looked like the pattern on his face changed slightly.

"I was surprised when I felt thou praying, but then I thought: 'Why nunnos?' And then I blessed you as my Priestunnos☆Cerpriestess. Though I am concernunnos over the curse that is permeating this world," he admitted.

I nodded. Close-up, he wasn't the size of the Calamity of Curses, and more like four meters tall - still towered over me, but not the way that Cernunnos would've been.

"The curse?" I blinked. "Like… Mors curse?"

"No, not Mors," he shook his head, which was really freaking adorable. "It's more like… this world punishes magic users for unrestrained magic usage?"

"Ah, the Blot thing," I nodded.

"Thou're immune to that," he told me. After a second of incomprehension, I realized that it must be either my otherwolder nature, or…

"It's my possession of your Priestess's corpus, right?" I asked. "It's not something I did on my own - female Merlin… Lady Avalon did that."

"I know," he nodded, which looked like he rocked forth and back. "But now you're mine Cait Cu Cernpriestess - and thus we have duties towards each other. Also, while I'm a carefree Cernunnos, I cannot overlook your circumstances."

I nodded. sitting down on the warm sand in a lotus position.

"Thou've been thrown into an unfamiliar world, in an unfamiliar body - how could I not answer your sincere plea to help your friend?" he continued. "I've also seen your memories - I find you an agreeable person. Thus, I extended my blessings and protection upon thou!"

"Thank you!" I smiled. This was a good thing, right? Right?

"Thou shall be able to summon my visage as your Noble Phantasm," he nodded again. "Do not use it lightly, for everyone's sake."

I nodded rapidly. Summoning a God… quick way to become an international problem!

There was a booming sound.

"Ah, but thou are waking up," Cernunnos said. "I shall not keep thou here."

And so I opened my eyes, despite my new cleaning expertise, in a dirty and dusty room. The booming sound was still present, so I stood up, threw on my dress shirt and pants, then exited the room.

Yuuna and Grim were already at the door, having opened it and let Ace, in a black-red collar, in, and moved to the lounge.

"Myah?! Come again?!" exclaimed the catlike monster. "I'd recognize that collar anywhere - it's the same one that psycho stuck on me at orientation! What'd you do to get shackled with that?"

"I ate a tart," sighed the ginger student.

"Are you serious?" Yuuna deadpanned.

"Yeah, that's it! That's all I did! I was a little hungry, see, so I went down to the dorm kitchen and found some tarts in the fridge," explained Ace. "Three whole tarts! Big ones, too!"

"Maybe there is a rule against eating past 6PM or something," I said, standing at the entrance to the lounge. "I looked into the dorms to… yesterday, and Heartslabyul has these weird 810 rules that they're supposed to follow."

"Yeah, there is - number 89, apparently," nodded Ace. "So, here I am."

Grim and Yuuna both looked at him in disapproval.

"So... The point is you're both terrible?" the cat monster deadpanned.

"You don't think that it's insane for my magic to get sealed away for eating ONE slice of tart?!" the ginger exploded. "For a mage, that's like having your arms and legs bound and shackled! And there were three whole tarts! THREE! It's not like he could eat 'em all himself! C'mon, you KNOW this is messed up!"

"I guess...?" Yuuna offered.

"What kinda wishy-washy answer is that?!"

"Yeah, but… I mean, if there were three of 'em, they were probably for a party," Grim pointed out. "Maybe it was someone's birthday or somethin'? Lookit that! I'm, like, a master detective too!"

"A birthday party, huh...?" Ace frowned.

"Did you even apologize?" Yuuna wondered.

"Man... I thought you'd be more sympathetic! I'm a victim of the housewarden's tyranny here!" the Heartslabyul student sighed.

"Stealing food is a serious offense," piped up Yuuna.

"Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" the ginger bemoaned.

"Tomorrow, go and apologize," the other girl ordered.

"You don't go messin' with another man's meal…" Grim nodded sagely. "Hey, wait a minute! I just realized I never got those cans of tuna the headmage promised me!"

"All right, all right. Fine. I get that I should apologize," Ace sighed, defeated. "But you're coming with me, Yuuna, Grim. This was your idea, after all."

"Fair enough," nodded Yuuna.

"Anyway, who's that other girl?" Ace changed his tune completely. "She's kinda hot…"

"I'm Aria Tristan," I introduced myself, coming closer. "And if you're gonna ogle me like this, I'll start demanding money for the show."

"You have your shirt half-open!" he exclaimed. "I can't help but look!"

"And if you try something, my Priestnunnos Hammer will meet your most tender places," I smiled, summoning the hammer in question and resting it on the floor with an audible dull bang.

Ace loudly gulped.

"Okay, message received," he nodded. "Anyway, Yuuna, do you have somewhere to…"

I unsummoned my weapon, turned around and went back to my room.

***

Someone was banging on the door. Again.

Groggily, I stretched and sat up, took my clothes from the chair and threw them on, then went to the lounge, where the ginger guest was.

"Duuude... Who is pounding on the door at this hour?!" wondered Ace, completely obvious to his hypocrisy. "Bleah! I'm coming, I'm coming!"

We all, the ginger, Yuuna, Grim and I, went to the entrance hall then. Ace opened the door…

"I figured I'd find you… here…" Deuce's eyes went wide as he registered my state of half-dress. "Oh no! I'm sorry!"

And so he closed his eyes with his hands.

"Geez, Losey-Deucey, cannot stand such a beautiful view?" Ace heckled. "Are you a man or?..."

"I'm gonna be a model student!" the brunet exclaimed, palms on his eyes. "P-please cover yourself!"

I sighed, and buttoned up my dress shirt completely.

"I'm decent now," I told them. "You can now look."

The lobster-red Deuce slowly lowered his hands, sighing in relief when he saw me fully dressed.

"I… ugh, I came here to find Ace," the brunet admitted. "Figured I'd find him there."

"Couldn't withstand Aria's beauty, eh?" continued heckling Ace. Deuce shot him a warning look.

"You really are an idiot, Ace," he sighed. "So, you've eaten the housewarden's tart?"

"Oh, shut up! Like you're one to talk!" scoffed the ginger. "Anyway, uh... Is he still mad?"

"Not at all. Maybe a touch irritated, if anything" replied the other Heartslabyul student. "A few of our dormmates overslept this morning… But only three of 'em got your treatment."

"You call that "not at all" mad?!" Ace exclaimed. "Sounds like he's still on the rampage, to me."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Uh… almost time to get to class," replied Deuce. "We have like half an hour until the first period."

I returned to my room to finish getting ready for the day, then returned to the lounge.

"My name is Aria Tristan," I looked at the brunette, offering him my hand which he kissed to my amusement. "I am pleased to see that you have some manners."

Deuce blushed heavily.

"I… I am going to be a model student!" he exclaimed. "Of course I have manners!"

"I think she wanted ya ta shake 'er hand…" deadpanned Grim.

"...let's go," sighed Yuuna. "We need to have Ace apologize to his Housewarden so that the collar would be removed before classes."

And so we exited the Ramshackle Building and went to the main building.

"Move it! Outta the way! Night Raven College student comin' through!" Grim grinned, walking on Main Street. "Oh? Did my collar catch your eye? It is way better than the one you're stuck with! You know, the one that makes it so you can't use magic? But hey, the school could always use another janitor! Bwahahaha!"

"I think he's suffered enough, Grim," sighed Yuuna.

"Grrrrr! Trust me Grim, when I get my magic back, your hide is first up on the chopping block!" growled Ace.

I sighed, tuning them out. I had PE, Ancient Curses, and Alchemy today…

"Will you come with us, Aria?" asked Yuuna, and I blinked in surprise. "To see Ace apologize?"

"..." I thought about it. "...nah, there is likely to be some rule about trespassers needing to, I dunno, play chess with the Housewarden. I'll pass."

"My brother didn't mention anything like that to me…" Ace frowned. "But then again, the Housewarden's insane, so he might have such a rule?...
We reached the main building, and then I waved goodbye to the quartet, heading to the first classroom - it was Alchemy, so I needed to change into labwear…

I felt something weird was approaching and looked around, only to see Ortho Shroud fly closer.

"Greetings, Aria Tristan," he greeted me. "My name is Ortho Shroud. May I have a moment of your time?"

"...sure," I nodded, feeling on edge. Ortho was one of the more friendly NRC inhabitants, but he also had ties to the serial kidnapper slash mad scientist organization STYX, which made him dangerous. "Not too long, though - I have Alchemy soon."

"Thank you! I just wanted to ask some questions about your circumstances," he said. "It won't take too long."

"Okay, ask away," I nodded.

"You're staying in the old dorm building on the campus grounds, right?" He started with easy questions.

"Yes, I, Yuuna and Grim too," I nodded. "Today we were joined by Ace and Deuce, too."

"Accessing databases… Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade, right?"

"Yeah, them."

We walked leisurely, the students giving us a wide berth.

"The four of them were supposed to have been expelled yesterday, for breaking an expensive chandelier," he told me. "Do you know why they weren't?"

"Ah, yeah. Apparently they got an agreement with the Headmaster to replace the magestone in the chandelier in exchange of him not expelling them, then ventured to the Dwarf's Mine for one," I explained. "They apparently ran into a monster there, but I don't know what kind of monster it was."

"I see…" he nodded. "And you're a fairy, right?"

"Yeah?" I nodded. Well, I wasn't a fairy all my life, but…

"That's all, thank you," he smiled with his visible eyes, and flew away. What was that about, I wonder?...

Anyway, I was near the Alchemy lab, waiting to enter with my classmates. I've changed into the lab coat without a dorm-identifying crest or ribbon bars, plus took the pink safety glasses I was provided with.

"Well, puppies," Divus Crewel smiled, clapping his dog collar-adorned pointer to his palm. "I hope everyone reviewed the lab safety guidelines you had as homework?"

***

We agreed to meet up in the cafeteria, so I went there as soon as my Ancient Curses safety lecture finished, only to see Ace, Deuce and Grim decimate some Heartslabyul students under Yuuna's command.

The punks fled before I could do anything, so I shrugged, and went closer to the quartet.

"Coming into your position as tactician?" I smiled at the other girl. "You definitely have a talent for it, so keep it up!"

Yuuna grimaced.

"Can we just get some lunch already?" complained Ace. "I missed breakfast, and I'm about to collapse."

I went to the serving tables, and got myself some light soup, a cutlet, some potato wedges, and cappuccino, then returned to the table where Yuuna, Grim, Ace and Deuce sat.

I noticed another Heartslabyul ginger and a greenet come close to our table…

"Aw, get over it already. It's time to chow like the wind!" Grim was already munching on his food. "This omelet is as fluffy as a cloud, and practically burstin' with cheese! So, I saw your guys' dorm, but what are the other ones like?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with the statues of the Great Seven?" Cater Diamond piped up, having sat down at our table. "Night Raven College has a dorm themed after each one."

"Bwah! You're that guy from this morning!" exclaimed Ace.

"You tricked us into paintin' those dumb roses!" stomped his tiny paw Grim.

"'Tricked' is such an ugly word. Do you think I wanted to spend MY morning painting roses?" Cater smiled. "It's dorm policy! I was just following orders."

I sighed, and tuned out the talking… the food was great. I wondered how it compared to Beni-enma's food or at least EMIYA's…

"Ah, I should introduce myself. The name's Trey. Trey Clover. I'm a junior at Heartslabyul, like Cater here," the other uninvited guest introduced himself. "And you must be Yuuna, the new prefect from that dump of a- ah, I mean, the 'rustic' dorm. I heard the whole story from Cater. Thanks for looking out for our boys yesterday… and you must be Aria, the other student in that dorm?"

"I don't recall inviting you to sit with us…" frowned Ace.

"Hey now, we're all from the same dorm, right? Let's try to get along. Here, gimme your digits," I heard Cater attempt to get the numbers of our phones.

"We aren't from Heartslabyul, last I checked," I deadpanned. "And you could at least get us something before asking for our phone numbers…"

"Ah, sorry-sorry," he waved his hands. "Can't blame me for trying, though! You're really pretty."

I blushed, then sipped my coffee to conceal my reaction. Baobhan's body was pretty, not me…

"Cater. Maybe take it down a notch?" frowned Trey.

"Ha! Sorry! I can get a little extra sometimes. What were we talking about... The dorms, yeah?" the ginger upperclassman smiled sunnily. "Ah, what fun to mentor new students! Go ahead, A-M-A."

"Before you get into the other dorms, I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about ours," admitted Ace. "Like, what's the deal with all this 'Queen of Hearts rule number whatever' junk?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts already?" smiled Trey. "She had to rule over a kingdom of weirdos, and did it by emphasizing order and making strict rules."

I nodded, tuning them out again. Yum, chicken soup! Potato wedges! Cappuccino!

"...And finally… Diasomnia, based on the noble spirit of the Thorn Fairy." I heard Trey finish.

"Oh, I ate with the Diasomnia students yesterday," I mentioned. "Nice people."

"That's a lot to take in," frowned Yuuna.

"It's actually in the booklet you should've been provided," I told her. "In the stationery?"

She shook her head.

"All those names are way too long!" exclaimed Grim. "How's anyone supposed to remember 'em?"

"Ah ha ha!" laughed Cater. "Well, you get the idea. Want to or not, you'll learn them soon enough."

Then they started to talk about the 'flavors' of people in the different dorms.

"Whoa! The girl with the potion books, I really like her!" exclaimed Grim.

"What's she doing in a boys' school?!" wondered Deuce.

"You two are such morons. There aren't girls officially enrolled here… present company notwithstanding," scoffed Ace.

"Wha-" the two morons gaped.

I sighed, then lightly slapped the two of them.

"Hey!" Grim tried to retaliate via scratching. "Keep ya hands off me!"

Instead of answering, I finished my food.

"Anyway, they take vanity pretty seriously at Pomefiore. It's basically a dorm full of models," Cater continued. "Their housewarden has 5,000,000 followers on Magicam!"

"Hey now, they're not all just pretty faces," added Trey. "The students at Pomefiore are among the best at potions and casting curses."

I sighed and sipped my coffee. Ah, the intermixing of bitter and sweet notes was soooo good…

"Ah, we do get some child prodigies here," Trey shook his head. "But that guy there is no kid. He's a junior like us. Name's-"

"Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge," the Vice-Housewarden of Diasomnia jumpscared everyone sans me, hanging over us upside-down, then righted himself. "I understand my apparent age interests you? As this bespectacled fellow accurately noted… Despite my fresh-faced, boyish good looks, it would be inaccurate to call me a 'child'."

"Yeah, faeries are like that," I nodded. "I'm over a hundred years old, you know?"

"Wha-" gasped the present company. "For reals?!"

"Can't give my exact age, though, lost count," I shrugged, and sipped my coffee. "Hi, Lilia."

"Greetings, Aria," he smiled. "I was wondering why you've been sitting with Heartslabyul students this time. The invitation to join us at lunch is a standing one, you know?"

"I was following Yuuna, and she was following Ace and Deuce," I shrugged. "I might join you tomorrow."

"Good!" the old faerie smiled. "In any case, let me extend the invitation to your friends, Aria. You all may feel free to speak with us directly. We are schoolmates, are we not? All of us at Diasomnia House welcome you without reservation."

My table neighbors looked at the special seating area where the Diasomnia students were. Sebek and Silver glared back from there.

"And yet, those guys over there aren't exactly rolling out the red carpet in terms of approachability…" muttered Deuce.

"Forgive me for appearing above you during your meal," Lilia chuckled. "I do hope we can speak again."

And he teleported away. Damn, I want this too…

"Their table has got to be over twenty yards away from ours. And they overheard our conversation?" exclaimed Ace. "That's WAY creepy!"

"Well... Diasomnia House does have a bit of a reputation for having lots of special students," admitted Trey. "Some of them are extremely talented at magic. Their housewarden, Malleus Draconia, is considered to be one of the five best mages in the world."

"Malleus is reeeeeal bad news," nodded Cater. "Though I suppose the same could be said of our own dear housewarden."

I felt someone come closer, and looked at them. It was Riddle Rosehearts.

"No kidding!" Ace exclaimed, not noticing where I was looking. "He collared me for eating one slice of tart! All his rule obsession is outta control!"

"Didn't we agree that you were in the wrong there, too?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, but it's still way too-"

"My "rule obsession" is "outta control," is it?" Riddle let himself be noticed.

I sighed. Well, I tried.

"You bet it is. Riddle's just a petty tyrant who leans into the whole "rules" schtick as a pretext to keep everyone under his puny thumb!" the younger ginger continued to dig his own grave.

"Ace! Behind you!" pointed out Deuce.

The collared student did so.

"Bwah?! Housewarden!" he jumped to his feet.

"Hey, Riddle! What's shakin', pal? You're lookin' adorbs, as always!" attempted to diffuse the situation Cater.

"Hmph. Cater, keep running that mouth and you'll lose it - along with the rest of your head," frowned Riddle.

I sighed, and continued eating my now-cold food. It was still tasty, just cold now…

The Heartslabyul students continued to talk around me, but I tuned them out.

"Hey, Yuuna," I turned to my fellow girl. "Good thing we aren't Heartslabyul, right?"

"That's… yeah," she nodded. "Entirely too many rules."

In the meanwhile, the talks turned to the tart Ace stole.

"A whole tart has gotta be pretty expensive," frowned Deuce.

"Think there is a rule about tarts among the 810 of them?" I wondered aloud, trying to diffuse that plotline. "Hey, Cater, where can I look at the full list of rules?"

"On the NRC site?" the older ginger offered. "Or in the library, if you're old-fashioned. Anyway, maybe you should make the tart yourselves - after all Trey did the stolen one!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" clapped her hands Yuuna.

"You made those tarts, Trey? That's incredible!" exclaimed Ace. "That was like something you'd find at a bakery!"

I sighed, and stood up.

"It's getting late," I told them. "I need to head to class."

"Oh, right, you guys in 1-D still have PE," nodded Ace. "Well, can't stop you."

I nodded, and went to return the dishes to the service ghosts.

***

 

[Kamico]

PE was easy - Servant status or Fairy bullshit, it allowed me, a former NEET, to succeed in all the sport challenges Vargas threw at us.

Having to change my clothes in an unused classroom was a bit annoying, if understandable. Can't have a naked girl among hormonal teenegers, after all. And while I didn't need the showers, it was still a bit annoying to not have access to them…

"Hey! You! Aria Tristan!" a… beastman called out to me. "Wait a minute!"

"Yes?" I stopped, allowing the horned and gazelle-eared boy to catch up with me. "What do you want?"

"Ah… Please join the Track & Field club!" he asked. "You're very athletic, so you'll be a great addition!"

"Huh?"

I blinked, then tilted my head. I… haven't given a lot of thoughts about the clubs, but NRC was based on Japanese schools, so joining one was probably mandatory?...

"Please!" the upperclassman bowed. "You haven't even started to sweat during Coach Vargas's attempts to gauge your physical abilities! You'll be a great addition!"

"...But I'm a girl," I deadpanned. "I won't be able to join stuff like competitions, you know?"

"Ah…" he looked like that was news to him. "I… I'll ask the Club Leader about that. Don't join the other clubs in the meanwhile!"

And he ran off.

I shrugged, and continued to the main building, thinking about changing the course of destiny - about telling Yuu and Co about the chestnut tart rule. On one hand, it was what a good friend did, on the other - my foreknowledge would be nullified by that simple thing, and Riddle's character development was necessary, too… and then there were Merlin's words about 'seven sinners'...

…yeah, put like this, the Overblot was too important to happen. Not telling it is.

With a nod to myself, I walked to the main building and to the kitchens. I wanted a piece of that freshly-baked chestnut tart…

"Hello, Aria," Trey Clover nodded, fixing his glasses. "Yuuna and her friends are currently gathering chestnuts for the tarts. Will you go help them?"

"Nah. I wanted to hang around, not actually work," I shrugged. "Maybe get a bite of the leftover cream, too?"

"Hah," the greenet smiled. "You're fitting with the spirit of the campus well!... Anyway, I wanted to ask you something - if you don't mind?"

"Sure, shoot away," I nodded.

"You're a girl, so… how did you get accepted here, to an all-boys college?" he asked.

"Ah," I sighed. "That's… well. The Dark Mirror might've summoned me and Yuuna from another world and the Headmage doesn't have any ideas as to how to send us back, so we're staying on campus in the meanwhile? And are attending class, so that we won't be loafing around."

"Huh?" Trey blinked. "A… another world?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Not my first rodeo in world-hopping, though it never was facilitated by me."

"I see," he nodded, glasses gleaming. Did he think I was insane or something? "Where are you from, then?"

"Well, I'm originally from Fairy Britain, near Darlington," I replied, telling him Baobhan Sith's history. "But I have no good memories of that place. Then, I served in Chaldea for some time… and then I got summoned here. And you?"

"Oh, I'm from Queendom of Roses," he smiled. "I'm actually childhood friends with Housewarden Riddle, so we get along well."

"I have no idea where this is," I deadpanned. "But I guess that's fair, as you would have no frame of reference about Fairy Britain or Chaldea either."

"Heh, that's true," he smiled. "So tell me about this Chaldea place, then?"

"...ah," I looked away and grimaced. "I might not be allowed to speak about it. Security organization, after all… I didn't sign any binding contracts sans that of answering their call, though?..."

"Huh," he nodded. "What kind of organization Chaldea is?"

"An United Nations-sanctioned secret one," I sighed. "So I'm really not sure what I am allowed to say…"

"United Nations?" he cocked his brow.

"The… uh, the organization to regulate inter-country relationships," I replied. "They didn't meddle much except way before my time, they once sent a 'cease and desist' to the amount of the contractors Chaldea gathered. Not that it helped, as the Master of Chaldea continued sending out summons while I was there… Anyway, tell me about the Queendom of Roses! I'm curious - is it really ruled by a Queen?"

Trey blinked, seemingly surprised.

"Well, yeah?" he nodded. "The royal lineage goes back as far as the Queen of Hearts!"

"Huh, and how far is that?" I asked. "A few thousand years?"

"A thousand and three hundred sixty… not a long amount of time for a Fairy," he smiled.

"Not all fairies are created equal, unlike humans," I sighed. "Some are akin to mayflies, you know?"

"Really?" he looked at me.

At the same time, the idiot trio and Yuuna arrived at the kitchen, carrying a basket of chestnuts.

"Aria!" exclaimed Grim. "You're here!"

"Yeah, yeah," I smiled and waved. "There is going to be sweets, so I decided to drop by."

"You'll have to help if you want some," Trey told me, then turned to the quartet. "Looks like you got plenty!"

"Yeah, sure," I nodded, rolling the sleeves of the school uniform. "And maybe eat some cream while at it."

"Now you can make us some massive tarts!" Grim grinned.

"Well, the bigger the tarts, the harder it'll be to peel all these nuts, so…" Trey also grinned. "Good luck with that!"

"We have to peel all of these...? Suddenly the whole room is spinning…" Deuce groaned.

"Preparation is the key to good baking," the upperclassman told him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We've come this far. We're not giving up now!" Ace said… likely to pump himself up.

"Well, first the chestnuts need to be soaked in water for an hour, so we have some time to prepare," Trey told us. "So, let's talk about something, perhaps?"

"How about we talk about things that need to be known about the NRC?" I proposed. "Like, there was chatter about someone called Malleus Draconia back at the Sorting Ceremony. Who's that?"

"You don't know?!" The boys all goggled.

"Different world people, remember?" I deadpanned. "So, who's that? What did he do to get such a reputation?"

I noted that Yuuna looked very interested…

"Well…" Deuce trailed off. "He didn't actually do much, but…"

"He's seriously bad news, believe me," Ace exclaimed. "He's like, fourth or fifth strongest Magician in the world!"

"He's a Housewarden of Diasomnia," Trey said. "But I agree with Ace, he's 'bad news'."

"...so I'm not gonna get a straight answer out of you guys," I slumped in defeat. "Okay then, what's the deal with this 'Housewarden' position, and how is it different from Yuuna's 'Prefect' status?"

"How are you not afraid? Fifth or fourth strongest, in your proximity!" Ace wondered aloud.

"Magic Resistance," I deadpanned. "I'm not afraid of some magic spells."

"What's that?" Yuuna asked.

"Well, stuff that is weaker than Grand Rituals just slides off me," I boasted, folding my hands under my… Baobhan Sith's chest. "That's most combat spells - stuff like buffs I can accept to affect me, but most debuffs would slide too."

"Bullshit," Ace looked thunderous. "That's a lie! There is nothing that resists magic like this!"

"That's… hard to believe," Deuce added.

"Try me," I taunted. The redhead student raised his Magic Pen… but then remembered about his magic-suppression collar.

"...right, I forgot" Ace sheepishly smiled, but then turned to me. "Don't think I've forgotten, though! I'll definitely check your claims!"

"Sure," I shrugged, unfolding my hands. "Okay, with this out of the way, can you guys tell me about the Housewardens?"

"Well, you've met Riddle already," the greenet said. "He's fairly strict…"

"'Fairly'? More like the complete opposite!" Ace exclaimed. "Too damn strict!"

"You've never met Her Majesty Morgan, huh," I deadpanned.

"What about Savanaclaw?" Deuce asked, then looked at me. "We've met an upperclassman from there while gathering chestnuts."

"More like Yuuna tripped over the tail of his," Grim groused.

"Savanaclaw, huh," Trey folded his hands. "Well, the Housewarden of Savanaclaw is Leona Kingscholar, the second prince of the Sunset Savannah, a lion beastman. He is very smart and athletic, but also very lazy…"

"Think the lion guy Yuuna stepped on was him?" Grim wondered aloud.

"...I sure hope not," Yuuna sighed.

"The Octavinelle Housewarden is Azul Ashengrotto, an octopus merman. Stay away from him and don't agree to anything he offers you - he's infamous for his shady and unfair deals," the greenet warned us. I hoped this didn't butterfly the Book 3 events… "Scarabia's Housewarden is Kalim Al-Asim, a human, he's pretty relaxed and carefree, throwing a lot of parties for his housemates - he's a scion of a very rich household, so he has money to spare…"

"I wonder if we could get an invitation to a party," I noted.

"Nyah, I'll be the star of the party!" Grim grinned,

"...Pomefiore is led by Vil Schoenheit, a very popular influencer, but don't let his beauty make you think he's brainless or anything - he earned his position as a Housewarden by outbrewing the previous one in a poison-making contest," Trey continued. "Ignyhide… the Housewarden there is Idia Shroud, but I don't know much about him besides his extreme introversion…"

"I've met a robot that called himself Ortho Shroud, any relation?" I asked.

"A ROBOT?!" Yuuna exclaimed, eyes shining.

"Ah, that's his younger brother… apparently…" the vice-housewarden trailed off. "I'm not sure what's the deal with the two of them, but they're a single student like Yuuna and Grim."

"A robot," Yuuna repeated, looking dazed. "Wow. Aria, have you ever met a bonafide robot before? Because I didn't, and I want to."

"I've met Katou Danzo, and she's a karakuri robot," I deadpanned. "And the Troian Horse is a mecha. Mechas are surprisingly common, from the City of Mexico to the Golden Huge Bear armor of Sakata Kintoki and the entirety of the Greek Pantheon."

"Okay, now you're just pulling my leg," Yuuna laughed. "No way the Greek gods were mechas."

"Shows what you know," I huffed.

"And, well, Malleus Draconia is the Diasomnia Housewarden," Trey finished with a smile. "Now, thirty minutes have passed, so we should be starting the dough!"

***

The dough done and formed into crusts, meringues made, and chestnuts crushed into paste, the time to crush Deuce's worldview arrived.

We went down Main Street, and to Mr. S's Mystery Shop. Inside was… someone's Territory, told me Archer's instinct. I was immediately on guard.

"Hello, can I get some he-" Deuce froze in shock. "Whoa. This shop is wild. They have crystal skulls, grimoires, taxidermied... Uh, I don't even know what animal that is!"

The inside was… eclectic. Full of various stuff that blended into an eccentric backdrop.

…Was that a Lamp of Demon-Sealing?...

I did a double-take, but couldn't find that item on the second look. Huh. Must've been my imagination…

"Greetings, my stray imps, How fare you today?" I flinched in surprise. Was this the owner of the territory? "Welcome to Mr. Sam's Mystery Shop. What among my humble selection interests you? A charm from a secluded land? The mummified remains of an ancient king? A cursed tarot card?"

"Myah! I wasn't expectin' this kinda selection," Grim breathed.

I eyed the owner of the shop warily. What kind of a Caster was this? Fighting him here would be… I had Magic Resistance, meaning I could probably take him on…

…what the hell was I thinking? This was just the shop owner. And even if he was hostile, I needed to run and complain to the Headmage, not try to murder the suspicious bastard…

"Um, we wanted to buy all the items on this list.." Deuce handed off a piece of paper.

"Ring up two cans of tuna while you're at it!" Grim piped up.

"No, Grim! We're not here for tuna!" the brunet frowned.

"What's this? Cream and eggs and... Quite the sacchariferous list!" exclaimed the dark-skinned man. "I'll get everything for you."

And he disappeared in the back of the shop.

"Whoa... He really does stock that stuff, huh?" Deuce wondered aloud.

The shop owner reappeared from the backrooms.

"Here you go. It's pretty heavy… Are you sure you can carry this?" he asked, then grinned. "Luckily for you, our 1/100th size flying saucers are 30% off today. Perfect for carrying groceries!"

"Ooh, lemme see! That sounds awesome!" Grim's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"We're fine, thank you. Let's go, Grim," Deuce had to physically grab the catlike monster by the back of neck.

"Myah!" Grim wiggled in the other student's grasp. "I didn't realize today was National No Fun Allowed Day!"

"Very well. Then until next time, my little imps. Do come again! Ciao!"

And so we exited the Caster's territory, to my relief.

"That store was amazing," sighed Deuce, releasing Grim from his grasp.

"Yeah, and you're amazingly cheap," the catlike monster pouted.

"Who are you calling cheap?!" was the instant answer. "Hmph. Yuuna, looks like you got the bag with all the cans. That must be heavy. Let me take that one. I've got a little trick for carrying heavy bags."

"There's a trick for that?" she wondered aloud.

I tuned them out, thinking back on the Caster's Territory back in the shop. What the hell?! There shouldn't have been anyone capable of Territory Creation in this world! It's a… a… a confusing thing!!!

Being deep in thought, I ran into someone.

"Ouch! Why don't you watch where you're-" the Heartslabyul student did a double-take. "Hey! You're the jerks who broke the egg yolk on my carbonara!"

"Look where you are going, bastard," I replied, feeling annoyed as all hell.

"I've had about enough of you punks. You need to learn your place!" the other one than the one I ran into exclaimed, brandishing his red-gem Magical Pen.

"..." Deuce glared. "You're the ones who darted out at us from around a corner! And you picked a fight with us at lunch over an egg that you were still totally able to eat! And now you've destroyed six of OUR eggs!"

"Yeah! He's right!" nodded Grim.

"So what? You sayin' that was our fault?" the… Delinquent 1 said.

"I am," the brunet friend of ours nodded. "Please reimburse us for the eggs. And then apologize to the chickens!"

"Ooh, look who's got his big boy pants on," heckled… Delinquent 2. "You sure are makin' a big deal outta some stupid eggs."

"What?" Deuce frowned.

"They haven't even touched the ground, so they're still edible. Quit whinin'." heckled Delinquent 1.

"You should thank us for savin' ya the trouble of crackin' 'em!" nodded Delinquent 2.

Then both laughed, stupidly.

"Yeah, I'm done with them," I sighed…

"What are you gonna do, girlie?" one managed to ask, before I punched them both in the stupid faces with both hands.

The two Heartslabyul students fell, unconscious. Fucking satisfying, to see grown-up bastards just drop dead like that…

"Aria, that was unnecessary," frowned Deuce. "You're not a delinquent, right?"

"Whoah, you're actually one vicious gal, huh?" gaped Grim. "That was downright beautiful!"

"I won't suffer stupidity in my vicinity," I folded my hands. "Anyway, let's loot them!"

"Let's not, Aria," Yuuna shook her head. "No need to get in trouble."

…On second thought, I grudgingly agreed with my fellow girl. I didn't need anything these jerks had, either…

"You wouldn't become an honor student if you keep beating up people, Aria," Deuce shook his head as we turned around to get back to that damn shop. "I would know, I was a complete punk in middle school!"

"Huh?" Yuuna blinked in surprise. "You were?"

Oh, that piece of exposition. Good thing I didn't butterfly it away…

"I was pretty wild," the Heartslabyul student nodded. "I cut school all the time and got in fights. I called my teachers names, hung out with bullies, bleached my hair… I blasted around tight curves on my Magic Wheel… I'd show off my magic to kids who couldn't use it yet..."

"Huh," I nodded, thinking of Baobhan Sith… Fairy Knight Tristan's escapades with murdering fairies. Deuce's sins compared to that were a lot less bad…

"I did notice you had that vibe…" Yuuna frowned thoughtfully.

"But one night, I saw my mom talking on the phone to my grandma," Deuce continued. "She was trying to hide from me, but I saw her, and I could tell she was in tears. She was saying how she must have been a horrible mom, and that maybe she never should have tried to raise me by herself."

"Huh, heavy topic," I said, remembering my own mom. She… wasn't the best mom around, but I loved her all the same.

"That had nothin' to do with it! She hadn't done anything wrong. It was all me," Deuce's voice sounded like he wanted to cry. "When the carriage came to take me to Night Raven College, she was so happy for me. I decided then and there that this time, I wouldn't do anything to make her cry. This time, I'd become an honor student - someone she could be proud of."

"Is putting up with jerks what honor students do?" asked Grim.

"Huh...?" The brunet looked at the monster.

"Even I, Grim the Magnanimous, was ready to pound those losers into tuna paste!" Grim continued. "She just got to 'em first."

"Yeah, my mother," meaning both my mom and Queen Morgan, actually, "taught me to never let a slight unanswered."

"Just make sure you don't overdo it," Yuuna nodded. "Even honor students get angry sometimes, after all."

"Heh heh... I guess you're right! I just hope those chicks can rest in peace," Deuce smiled.

An awkward silence fell upon Main Street. I could've sworn a bird flew by, crying 'Aho! Aho!'

"Deuce…" Yuuna sighed. "Those eggs weren't the type that hatch."

"Wha- WHAAAAAT?!" Deuce's green eyes flew wide. "Are you kidding me?!"

***

Trey sprinkled some sugar on top of the tarts. The smell… was heavenly.

"Finished!" Ace and Grim shouted.

"Fin...ished…" Deuce groaned, zombie-like.

"Did something happen to him while you were shopping?" Ace asked, looking suspiciously at… me?

"Better let him work through this one himself," Yuuna deadpanned.

Someone entered the kitchen - it was Cater Diamond.

"For sixteen years, I was so sure…" the brunet sighed…

"...Yeah, whatever. I'm pretty beat," Ace decided not to dwell on it. "Making tarts sure takes it outta you."

"Hey fam! You look wrecked. Are the tarts done? Ooh, those look sooo cute!" the ginger upperclassman chirped. "Lemme snap a quick pic for Magicam!"

And so he did so.

"What, NOW you decide to show up?" Ace complained. "At least Aria had the decency to help out!"

"I just came to see how hard my little newbs were working~" the other ginger actually dared to wink. Damn local pretty bastard…

"It's tough work if you're not used to it. But there's no better cure for the ails of fatigue than something sweet!" Trey smiled, pulling out one of the tarts out of the oven. "Help yourself to some of this!"

"YAY!" Cater, Grim and Ace cheered. I saw Yuuna smile…

"Pretty funny how you managed to show right when it was ready to eat, Cater," Ace heckled.

"Heh heh," Cater grinned. "Someone's gotta be the official taster!"

"Let's not gatekeep the food, it's bad mojo," I told them, helping Trey to cut up the tart and set it on plates.

"Mmmm... That smells so good…" Grim actually visibly drooled. "Glossy chestnuts on top, fluffy cream below... I can't wait another second, I'm going in!"

And so he dug into his portion.

"Oh, dang…" Ace groaned, after swallowing his bite.

"Yuuum!" Cater cheered. Didn't he actually dislike sweet stuff, or was I misremembering? "Liked and subscriiibed!"

"This is like something from a fancy bakery," Deuce actually got resurrected from his zombie status by the taste.

Looking at Yuuna's shining face, I tried it myself - it was pretty nice, I supposed… it smelled better than it tasted.

"Rich in flavor, yet not too sweet…" Grim sang the tart praises. "It's like chestnuts are dancing across my tongue!"

"Is that... a good thing?" Trey looked a bit confused.

"Probably," I replied. "Look at him, Grim's smiling!"

"Oh, Trey! You gotta do the thing," Cater remembered.

"The thing? Oh... That," Trey sighed.

"Uh, wanna fill me in here?" Ace asked.

"What's everyone's favorite food?" the greenet asked.

"Me? Probably cherry pie. Or hamburgers," the first-year ginger responded.

"Canned tuna's at the top of my list," Grim listed. "Then maybe cheese omelets, roast meat, pudding…"

"If I had to pick, I guess I'd say... omelet rice?" Deuce said, uncertainly.

"I like a nice lamb chop with diablo sauce," Cater grinned.

"A salty ramen with octopus for me," Yuuna asked.

…actually, what the hell. I needed to check somehow, right?

"...blood, lol," I answered, internally completely serious. Baobhan Sith was a bloodsucker fairy, so I had to check if I had the taste for it.

"All right, you've got it…" Trey side-eyed me. "Let's [Paint the Roses]!"

"Huh? What does that mean?" Deuce asked, suspicious.

"Take another bite of your tart and see," Trey smiled, looking at… me?

I did so, and an explosion of flavor greeted me: it was salty and metallic yet sweet… and I had to suppress my reaction to it, because Trey was watching, damn it.

…fuck, but it tasted so good…

With a titanic force of will, I set aside the rest of my tart, looking at the greenet intently. His face showed precisely nothing.

"Neat trick, eh?" I turned to look at the speaker, Cater. "That's gotta be a hit when Trey's having tea with the ladies."

"It's very impressive. Is changing flavors your signature spell, Trey?" asked Deuce.

"Technically, it's "overwriting characteristics." I can change taste, color, smell, whatever," Trey smiled. "It only lasts for a little while. But it is kinda like covering up the real thing hence, 'painting'."

"...can you inflict conceptual changes via your magic?" I asked, still a bit dazed from the taste of blood. "Change a [branch] to a [spear] for example?"

"If I had magic like that, I could be eatin' canned tuna every meal of every day!" Grim exclaimed. "That's way better than Riddle's stupid collar magic!"

"I…" he frowned. "Oh, that's in a whole other league. His signature spell is a weapon. Mine's just childish prestidigitation. Speaking of Riddle - it's too late to give him these now. Let's call it a day and do it tomorrow. Don't forget that tomorrow's the unbirthday party. You don't want to be late."

…did he ignore my question, or did he answer it?...

"Yuuna, Aria, can I crash with you gals again?" Ace pleaded. "It doesn't sound like I'll be allowed back in my own dorm tonight."

"Again, seriously?" Cater laughed. "Resting in a dorm full of pretty girls isn't a bad thing, though!"

"...It isn't right to keep mooching off of them, Ace," Deuce blushed.

"Yeah, it ain't! " Grim grinned. "If you wanna stay tonight, you gotta pay for the privilege! Ten cans of tuna!"

"What?! Guess I'm sleeping outside, then," Ace complained.

"Why don't you go and stay at Yuuna's dorm too, Deuce, so you can keep an eye on them?" Trey proposed… glancing at me? "As vice housewarden, I can issue you a sleepover pass."

"That's our Trey, always spoiling the newbs," Cater smiled. "What fun for you. Ooh, maybe I'll come too! What do you say, Yuuna, Aria?"

"Hm… sure, go with them," the greenet… allowed that?

"Aww, really? Whee!" the older ginger raised his hands in victory.

Huh. Didn't Trey shoot down his proposal in canon? What happened…

…fuck, it was my blood-loving thing, wasn't it. He is sending Cater there to protect them, maybe?...

"You'll have to clean up your own room to sleep somewhere," Yuuna nodded. "But sure, we'll be happy to have you."

"Tomorrow's the unbirthday party. Finally, I'm gonna get rid of this stupid collar! Just you wait, Riddle!" Ace resolved.

"You have a fridge in your Dorm, right?" Trey asked. "These don't need to be refrigerated, but it's preferable."

"Yeah, Crowley's turned on the lights," I nodded. "The fridge is ancient, but it works."

And so we gathered the tarts and started to walk towards the Ramshackle Dorm…

"Don't think I forgot about your claims of Magic Resistance!" as we entered the grounds of Yuuna and mine house, Ace exclaimed. "Let's see if you lied!"

"Oh, that," Deuce frowned, looking down at the tart in his hands. "Must we? I'm tired."

"Hmhm? What is that about Magic Resistance?" Cater asked, folding his hands.

"Aria here claims to be impervious to magic," Ace grinned. "We're gonna see if she's gonna put her money where her mouth is!"

"...I don't have any money, though," I deadpanned. "And neither does Yuuna. Feel sad… but feel free casting magic at me, as long as it isn't Deuce's Cauldron summoning."

"Hah, afraid?" Ace heckled.

"No, because conjured items are a physical attack, not a magical one," I shot back.

"Well, Acey, it's not like you can check it yourself," Cater smiled. "So let's postpone it for tomorrow, after you get the collar off, kay?"

"...sure," Ace grimaced, then turned to me. "Don't think I'll forget about this! No way!"

And so we entered the Ramshackle Dorm.

 

[Kamico]

The taste of blood is so sweet on my tongue… the weight of sin is so heavy upon my chest…

"Hahahaha!" the Lord is laughing, the corpses are moving. It's all my fault. "Again! Again!"

I drink even more. The taste makes me forget the sins for a bit… but then it fades, and I am crushed again, tasting rot and ash.

"You're so funny, Baobhan Sith," my Lord… the lord of… commands. "More! More!"

I obey, because I am weak. I obey, because I am worthless.

"Drink more! Kill more!" the Lord of.. of Darlingron dances among pale corpses, her legs barely touching them, her iridescent wings fluttering along the gasps of the dying.

"Priestess," a voice of… of… "Wake up. This is a nightmare."

Ah… so this is a dream.

I smile, and bite down on the Lord's pale neck.

…I woke with a choked gasp, the taste of blood on my tongue, and realized that I was feeling thirsty.

"Goddamn it," I whispered, and felt Cernunnos's attention figuratively perk up. "No, no. Sorry, bad wording…"

I sat up in my bed. It was dark outside my window, the crescent moon shining from the inky skies - it seemed that it was the dead of the night.

I licked my dry lips, thinking back on the… nightmare I saw. It felt so real, it really frightened me. What the hell was it?! I never had such vivid dreams!!!

I shivered, swallowing saliva through my dry throat. A wave of reassurance came from my connection to Cernunnos, which I was grateful for.

"I'm parched," I spoke for no one in particular. "I should… drink something."

I stood up, changing into Pretender Second Ascension instead of throwing something on, and exited my room. The giant heels that came with the outfit… they felt just like flats, which I was grateful for, as I, myself, never wore any kind of heels for any amount of time.

I headed to the kitchen, mind cycling back to that nightmare. It was so clear, I could even smell and taste there, which… was impossible for a human, right - I had no real frame of reference for LB6 fairies or Servants. Still, it was too vivid - it was like I traveled back in time to experience it instead of dreaming. What the hell was that?

Moreover, I couldn't even say it was Faerie Knight Tristan's memories leaking through. The Darlington Massacre was perpetuated by one of her predecessors, right?...

I reached the kitchen, turned on the lights, rummaged through the dusty shelves for a glass, and then, after finding one, washed it in the sink and filled it with the same running water.

…the water tasted too plain. I remembered the sweet, metallic taste of blood back at the main campus's kitchen, and couldn't help but feel disappointed. The water was with a faint metallic aftertaste, but it had nothing on the ambrosia that was blood…

"At least I'm not parched anymore," I sighed, setting the glass on the counter with perhaps too much force.

"Hmhm?" a voice came from behind me. "Not thirsty anymore, huh?"

I whirled around, and saw Cater Diamond leaning on the doorframe, still in his school uniform.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I deadpanned, folding my hands under my chest.

"Shouldn't you?" he tilted his orange head. "And I am asleep. The real me, that is."

"What, are you a thought projection or something?" I huffed. "Or are you like that damn mage who keeps manifesting around?"

"...no, it's just my Unique Magic, [Split Card]," he said, looking somewhat confused. "What was it about manifesting?..."

"...nevermind," I sighed, feeling my throat dry again. Should I drink another glass? "What are you doing here, watching me?"

"Ehehehe," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, kinda. You're dangerous, aren't you? We, the upperclassmen, were a bit worried about our cute little juniors."

"What, is it the blood taste thing?" I asked. "How suspicious of you."

"Hm, maybe," he smiled. "But it's not like I, as a good upperclassman, can leave my little juniors defenseless next to a vampire, can't I?"

I rolled Baobhan Sith's gray eyes.

"Bloodsucker - I can't turn people into my familiars by sucking their blood like a real-deal vampire," I deadpanned. "So don't worry about having to deal with a zombie outbreak."

I think I stunned the Cater clone into wordlessness - he grew silent and his jaw hung open.

I drank another glass of water in the meanwhile. Ugh, too plain…

"You're joking, right?" he finally spoke up, looking all too pale. "Those kinds of vampires aren't real. Right?"

"Eh," I grinned, probably flashing my fangs at him. "Are they?"

And so I sauntered past him, and back to my room. There, I dismissed my Spiritron Dress, returning to being naked sans for panties, locked my room with a spell, and flopped back on the bed.

I slept a lot better afterwards.

***

In the morning, I woke up to knocking on my door.

"Aria, it's morning!" Yuuna's voice came from the door. "We'll be going to Hearslabyul's Unbirthday Party, wanna come with us?"

I stretched in the creaky bed, then replied.

"Nah, go ahead!" Then I cocooned myself in the blanket and turned to my side, closing my eyes…

"Okay!" my dormmate called through the door, and I heard steps going away.

With a sigh, I set aside the blanket and sat up, blinking awake, then stood up and headed to the bathroom.

Yesterday… What the hell was happening? I mean, I was a bloodsucker fairy, but… wasn't it just a 'liking' for blood, and not a craving, like the True Ancestors get?

…I supposed I could turn down a glass of fresh blood if my life depended on it. It was just a very tasty thing, after all! My life didn't depend on regular intake of blood, right?!

Just the thought about blood made saliva gather in my mouth. Dammit.

I patted my face dry, exited the bathroom and went to the chair I left my clothes hanging on. I had a few changes of the uniform, but… this one seemed to be still fresh? How frequently does one send the clothes to the wash, anyway?

I sniffed the dress shirt. It didn't smell of anything, despite PE yesterday…

Anyway, I dressed up, unlocked the door and exited the room, then the dorm altogether, heading to the main building and to the History classroom.

The walk there was uneventful - thank God… I actually got a smiling feeling from Cernunnos at that?

In the classroom, only a few people were present, like… oh, Sebek.

"Hi," I sat next to him. "I don't believe I heard your name yet?"

"Oh, miss Aria!" he exclaimed, very loudly. "My name's Sebek Zigvolt!"

"Sebek, then," I nodded. "Anyway, I wanted to ask a couple of questions about the campus - if you don't mind?"

"Of course!" he barked. Said? Loud nonetheless. "What do you want to know?"

"Well…" I considered my words, then braced myself for an outburst of sound. "You're Diasomnia, right? What's the deal with people fearing your Housewarden so much? What did he do?"

"YOUNG MASTER DID NOTHING TO WARRANT SUCH A BAD REPUTATION!" the greenet shouted. "Master Malleus is the greatest magician there is! His every action…"

"Okay, okay, I get it, you love him," I waved my hands placatingly. "But why are people so afraid? I've talked to the Heartslabyul upperclassmen yesterday, and they all warned me off."

"L-LOVE?!" Sebek turned a shade of red almost as vivid as my hair. "No! I cannot- No! I shall be a knight to Young Master! Not anything like this!!!"

"...I meant in an admiring way, but… yeah, bad choice of words." I deadpanned. Wow, his heart was really that of a maiden, huh? "Okay, let's… move on. How many fairies are there on campus, do you know?"

"O-okay," he coughed in his fist. "Uh, there aren't a lot of fae in NRC, and most of them are in Diasomnia, but there are some in Pomefiore? It's not like there are meetings among us or something…"

"Pity, I wanted to ask about local dos and don'ts," I sighed. "Traditions, and so on."

"I c-could tell you?" Sebek proposed, looking away, still red in the cheeks. "We're in the same classes, so I could tutor you in the mornings before the classes?"

"I'll appreciate that," I smiled.

Sebek blushed even more. Huh, did he…

Mozus Trein chose that time to enter the classroom, his cat following suit.

"Meoww…" Lucius yowled, jumping to the teacher's deck, and so I pulled out the books and the stationery…

***

"Huh, where's Yuuna and Grim?" I wondered aloud, looking through the cafeteria, knowing perfectly that the next stage of the Book's progression must've started.

"Does it matter?! Young Master is there, so let's hurry up!" Sebek exclaimed, beelining to the Diasomnia tables, where, indeed, I could spy Malleus Draconia.

I stopped the loudmouth half-fairy, by physically catching his hand and stopping him. Servant strength, for the win!

"First we get some food," I reminded him.

"We need to greet the Young Master!" he looked mulish.

"Would he want you to delay your lunch for this?" I asked, and he visibly struggled with the thought.

"...fine," he nodded. "BUT WE'RE DOING SO, FAST!"

And so we went to the self-service food stations. Mmm, let's go with this burger without ketchup… some fries as a side-dish and nuggets…

…am I in McDonalds or something?...

"Have you chosen?!" Sebek asked, still entirely too loud. "Let's go greet Young Master, then!"

I nodded, taking a cup of cranberry drink, and following the marching Sebek to the Diasomnia special seating area, where Silver, Lilia and Malleus were already.

Coming closer, I could feel a lot of power in the air… I did my best to keep a straight face.

"GREETINGS, YOUNG MASTER!" Sebek saluted as soon as we were next to the table, then deposited his food tray to the flat surface.

"Ah, Sebek," Malleus nodded, then looked at me. "And who is your friend?"

"I'm Aria Tristan," I set my own tray at the table. "Nice to meet you…"

"Ah, where are my manners," he stood up. Damn, he was freakishly tall! "My name is Malleus Draconia, crown prince of the Briar Valley and Housewarden of Diasomnia. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Same," I nodded, then smiled. "I hope there is no etiquette to be observed during this meeting - I'm really bad at following such rules."

"Hah, no," Lilia grinned. "We're all just students there."

Introductions done, I sat down at the table, and looked around. Besides the now-five of us, even the other Diasomnia students were giving this table a wide berth…

"So, what's the deal with the horns?" I asked bluntly, looking at Malleus. "I don't suppose you're a gazelle fairy?"

Sebek boggled at me, but I saw Malleus grin.

"Housewarden Malleus is a dragon fae," Silver deadpanned.

"How dare you not recognise Young Master's greatness!" the loudmouth halfling unpetrified and shouted, deafening me.

"Huh," I nodded, my ears ringing. "Can't say I never met a dragon fairy, but Melusine… Fairy Knight Lancelot was a REALLY special case."

"Oh?" Malleus tilted his head slightly. "Who is this Melusine, or is it Fairy Knight Lancelot?"

I ate a few fries, considering what to say.

"Hey, don't make the Young Master wait!" Damn it Sebek, can you shut up for a bit?

"My mother's coworker under Her Majesty Morgan," I finally decided to say. "She was born from a corpse of a great dragon, hence really special circumstances."

The Diasomnia crew exchanged glances, the older two looking unreadable, Silver - confused and Sebek - astonished.

"Huh, a first-generation fairy?" Lilia said, sounding surprised. "Those are really rare…"

"Oh, so it happens there too?" I asked. "Maybe our worlds aren't too different…"

"Would you mind telling us what kind of a world you lived in?" Malleus asked.

And then I took my burger, bit into it and chewed…

Immediately after that I grimaced, swallowed, set the burger down, opened it, removed the tomato slice, closed it back and bit again.

Better!

Lilia nodded. "I am also interested in hearing more about your world. Were there a lot of fairies?"

I swallowed my piece of burger and frowned.

"That world was erased from existence," I dropped the proverbial nuke. The Diasomnia crew looked astonished. "And it's a fairly long and depressing story so… Maybe I could visit your Dorm and tell you guys sometime?"

I nodded, and finished my burger, then dug into the nuggets and fries. Malleus and Lilia exchanged a look.

"Of course," the Dragon Fairy nodded. "You're in the same class as Sebek, right? He can escort you to our Dorm any time."

"O-of course!" the astonished greenet nodded. "But, Young Master, should we listen to the likely to be fake-"

"Fake or not, the story might be interesting, no?" the Vice-Housewarden of Diasomnia smiled.

I sighed, but did not deign that with a response.

***

"Hi, Yuuna, Grim, Ace, Deuce." I greeted the quartet as I found them in the library. "...why are most of you collared? Didn't you go to apologize and get Ace's off? Did you fuck up somehow?"

"That damn Housewarden!" Ace exclaimed. "He rejected our mont blanc because of some rule!"

"Number 562, apparently," Deuce sighed. "And Ace, be quiet. We're in a library."

"...it was completely unfair!" Grim groaned. "Damn Riddle, damn collar…"

I looked at the only one to not be collared, Yuuna, who only hung her head in defeat.

"...I see," I nodded. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"We're waiting for Trey to get here to return his cookbook," the ginger answered, folding his hands on his chest. "Then we talk to him and determine our next course of action."

"Surprisingly mature of you guys," I smiled. "Anyway, I wanted to review my homework. Wanna join me after you talk to Trey?"

"Myah, what does that mean, 'surprisingly'?!" Grim yowled. "I am the image of matureness! I shall become the Greatest Mage!"

"Do you even know what 'mature' means," Deuce wondered. "Oh, here's Trey. We should get him."

And so we moved to greet the greenet.

"Hello, Trey," the brunet spoke up to the Vice-Housewarden, after the latter returned the book to the librarian.

"You four!" Trey exclaimed. "And Aria?"

I waved lazily.

"We figured that if we waited at the library, you'd show up to return your tart cookbook eventually," Deuce said.

"We still have a problem with the way Housewarden Riddle is handling all of this," Ace added.

"Yeah, I thought you might say that," the greenet sighed.

"Come clean with us. What's your take on Riddle?" the ginger demanded. "Is it true you've been pandering to him since the two of you were kids?"

"What?! Who told you that?" Trey exclaimed.

"A guy who called himself Chenya," Deuce replied.

"Chenya…" Vice-Housewarden of Heartslabyul grew thoughtful. "Huh. That explains it."

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Some guy that told us some info about Riddle and Trey," Ace waved me off.

"What I don't get is, aren't you older than Riddle?" Grim spoke up. "Why haven't ya told him off already?"

"I do when I need to," the greenet said, glasses gleaming. "I don't think the situation calls for it, though."

"Why not?" Ace frowned.

I tuned out the rest of the explanation, instead studying the faces of everyone involved. The idiot trio got deeply into the discussion, the upperclassman was too busy explaining, but Yuuna noticed my gaze and looked back…

"So why don't you say something? Are you just afraid you'll "lose your head" too?
That's pathetic!" Ace's voice grew in volume. "You guys are supposed to be childhood friends?! Then act like it."

I sensed the Headmage walking to us, turning to face him.

"You there! Be quiet! You are in a library!" the crow-masked fae shouted.

"You're yellin' louder 'n any of us, though!" Grim pointed out.

"Oh!" Crowley coughed. "Yes, my apologies. But let us strive to maintain the library as a quiet place for reading."

"I'm sorry, Headmage," Yuuna bowed slightly.

"Well, at least you know better now. Incidentally, what are you all discussing with such grim faces?" the adult asked.

The other students explained. Then, Crowley proposed to fight Riddle for the Housewardenship, to the first-years' surprise.

"So what do you say, Mr. Trappola? Will you challenge Mr. Rosehearts?"

"Sure, I'll give it a shot!" Ace grinned.

"Then I will too," Deuce nodded.

"Me three!" Grim declared.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Grim. You cannot challenge a housewarden of a dorm to which you do not belong," Crowley shook his head.

"Hah," I laughed, as the other students spoke among themselves. "So that means I can challenge Yuuna for… what, the Prefect role?"

"Miss Hiiragi and Grim, as they're a single student," the Headmage corrected me, then turned to Ace and Deuce. "Okay, I'll start the paperwork."

"We need to come up with some sort of plan," Yuuna pointed out to the Adeuce duo.

"For sure. Anyone got any good ideas?" Ace asked.

"Don't get hit, meaning - dodge his Unique Magic," I deadpanned. If it was me, I'd use the [Grimalkin] skill to dodge and Alpha Strike him, but… "See where he's pointing and don't be there."

"Easier said tha' done!" Grim sighed.

"Hmm. Hard to imagine we can beat Riddle with straightforward magic," Deuce looked thoughtful. "A solid left hook, on the other hand…"

"Ah, did I forget to mention that detail?" Crowley spoke up. "These duels are to be fought solely with magic."

I sighed, and wondered if my Skills and Noble Phantasm counted as Magic here.

"Aight, let's do this!" Ace pumped his fist in the air. "I may not be the world's greatest mage, but… I'll figure something out!"

"That's the spirit!" Deuce mirrored him.

"My head's on the line here, so don't mess this up!" Grim thirded the motion.

"You guys…" Trey looked disbelieving.

"When I'm housewarden, I'm gonna make Riddle fess up to bein' wrong. I'll make him apologize, too!" Ace grinned. "And no one in the dorm is gonna have to live by any crazy rules ever again!"

"Win first," I deadpanned.

***

I stood on the front lawn of the Ramshackle Dorm across Ace and Deuce, ready to explode into motion.

"One… Two…" Yuuna counted down from the side. "Go!"

I immediately stepped aside, throwing up my hand with the pointer fingertip already glowing with the dark light of Gandr, and let the curse bullets loose in the direction of the two who might as well have been frozen in time.

The Gandr burst flew… Well, in the right direction, but most of the shots missed Ace and Deuce both. I shouldn't have fired in an arc…

The Adeuce duo dropped, paralyzed.

"Winner - Aria!" Yuuna threw up her arm in my direction, and I breathed out. Wow, that was.. kinda easy?

The boys only groaned in response.

I walked to the two of them, dispelling the effects of the Gandr curse, and they shot up, looking mulish.

"Again!" Ace demanded, Deuce nodding in agreement.

"How cute that you think that a second time would change anything," I snorted. "But okay, I'll indulge you~"

Then, I strode back to my position, making a twirl when I reached it.

"Brandish your Magical Pens beforehand, at least!" I called out. "Not that it matters much!"

The two boys visibly grit their teeth, affected by my taunting.

"On my mark!" Yuuna raised her hand. "One… Two… Go!"

This time, I jumped up, unleashing a barrage of Gandr at Deuce, then, as he was impacted by quite a few, switched targets to Ace, who actually managed to point his Magical Pen at me.

This was my win, again.

"Match!" Yuuna barked, as the dust from my Gandrs fell to reveal paralyzed Adeuce. "Winner - Aria!"

The next few spars ended the same way, but I saw the two improve their starting tactics a bit while I was kicking their asses.

"Huf… uf… you're… a monster…" Ace declared in-between breaths.

"Uf… agreed…" Deuce nodded, both of them on the ground.

"I could do a good impression of a curse machinegun, you know," I bragged, standing above them. "I'm going lightly on you guys with the single-point barrage!"

"Guh…" the two collared students groaned.

"Anyway, your dodging skill approaches an acceptable level," I nodded. It was getting late. "Let's stop here. Any more would only impact your performance tomorrow."

"Thank Heavens!" the two clowns exclaimed.

"Feh," Grim scoffed. "If it were me, I'd do so much better! I've already dodged quite a few spells from Riddle!"

"Yeah, yeah," Yuuna picked him up. "Let's get back to the dorm and have dinner."

"I want tuna," the monster immediately demanded.

"I… can't stand…" Ace groaned.

"Me… neither…" Deuce followed.

I sighed, considering my options. I could haul them myself, as Baobhan Sith had high Strength, but… that was so unladylike! And I didn't want to do that.

"Get up," I deadpanned. "Or we'll leave you two lying here."

They groaned in unison, but managed to rise and start shambling to the Ramshackle Dorm. There, we pulled out the food we've gotten from the kitchens, then Yuuna proceeded to reheat it via the microwave, and I made tea.

"Do you guys have any rules about drinking tea?" I asked, faintly remembering something of that type.

"Does it matter?!" Ace growled. "We aren't in Heartslabyul, and, if the duel goes well, we won't need to follow rules there either!"

"...Number 153 is that the only tea in the evenings is herbal," Deuce sipped his black tea with an unreadable expression.

"Yeah!" Grim nodded. "Ace's right - here's not Heartslablahl! Drink whatever."

"It's Heartslabyul," I corrected him, then set the mismatched mugs on the table. "Well, it's not like we are gonna snitch, so yeah. Here's your black tea."

"I'm parched!" Ace exclaimed, snatching a red mug.

"Thanks," Deuce nodded at me, taking another. Grim was already drinking his tea, and so it left me and Yuuna for the last.

The tea was thoroughly unsatisfying - I never studied the art of making drinks, after all.

"Well, that's a lot worse than even cafeteria's tea," the ginger complained. "You suck at this, Aria!"

"Well, you can cease drinking if it is so," I deadpanned.

"Ace, you're being rude," Yuuna scolded him.

"Yeah, that was uncalled for," Grim nodded. "Even if food sucks, you should be thankful for it!"

"Geez, is this a Dorm solidarity thing, to gang up on me?" Ace complained.

"You really were being insensitive," Deuce agreed with us. "And didn't your bull-headedness get us into this trouble, anyway, both this and the last time?"

"Geez, is this 'Gang on Ace' day?" the ginger frowned. "But fine, fine - maybe I shouldn't have said that to Aria. Sorry, my bad."

"I don't think I'll get any better from you, so fine, I'll graciously accept," I sighed.

The rest of the tea party was filled with last-minute revisions to their plan to take down Riddle. I, having contributed my part, mostly tuned them out, thinking about the incoming Overblot.

The words of the Female Merlin came to the forefront - 'redeem the sins of the Inheritors of the Great Seven'. Overblots, likely, were connected to that, but… I didn't know how. Lady Avalon didn't exactly tell me anything straightforward, after all.

"So, Aria, think we're gonna win?" Deuce's voice cut through the fog of my worries.

"...If you can alpha strike Riddle, maybe," I responded. "I did everything to give you a fighting chance, beyond granting you a blessing of my God, so I hope you can do it."

"Priestunnos Cerpriestess," Yuuna deadpanned.

I huffed, and stood up.

"Anyway, I'm tired. We all are tired," I declared in my best royal voice. "You two guys, in particular, need your rest. I'm off to sleep, and recommend you do the same."

And so I washed my mug, then went to my room, where I locked my door, undressed, and fell on the bed, drifting off to sleep almost instantly.

 

[Kamico]

"So, you also have zero idea what the whole 'redeem the sins of the Seven Inheritors' mean?" I sighed.

"I have no knowledge of this world, my Priestunnos☆Cerpriestess," Cernunnos shook his head, which looked almost comical on his round, fluffy body. "In short - I dunnunnos."

Well, there went that. And it was not like I could contact the Merlin that sent me here…

"Well, there is the whole Blot thing," I started to think aloud. "Back in Nasuverse, the only byproduct of burning mana is heat, but here, it's an ink-like substance that is likely to contain the dregs of consciousness of the originator… Perhaps I'll need to get a Blotstone to study to find more answers?"

"It seems like you have an idea what to do," the God noted, spinning idly in the sea underneath me.

"I will have to get the Blotstone from after Riddle's and the rest of Housewardens' Overblots," I nodded. "And maybe join the expedition to the Shrouds' Overblot Phantom jail…"

"Sounds like a plannunnos," he punned. "Good luck, Aria. It's a big day today. It's almost time for you to wake up."

I sighed. The sky of this dream of Cernunnos was nice, but the lack of any kind of land was… unfortunate. I had to either swim in the ocean on the floatie Cait Cu Cernpriestess had in some of her attacks, which I did, or use my God as an island, which felt really weird. He didn't mind me sitting on his head, though - he said it was 'nostalgic'. Did his previous priestesses also ride on him like that?

"...I really want to learn Morgan's Thought Copies…" I mused. "Maybe researching Cater Diamond's Unique Magic would help?"

"I shall help, should you provide the foundation," Cernunnos rumbled.

I hummed, taking it as a promise.

A distant wake-up call rang across the dream. I stretched, and bid Cernunnos farewell, then made myself wake up.

The rays of the sun were shining through the holes in the curtains on the window. I squinted, as one fell almost directly on my face, sat up, and pawed for the ringing clock on the nightstand.

"Well, today's gonna be hectic," I sighed. "Let's wash up and get dressed."

After that was done, I exited my room, making sure the spell on it still locked the door shut, and descended to the lounge - both Heartslabyul freshmen were there.

"Good morning," I greeted them. "Ready for your big day?"

They both nodded, seeming pumped up.

"Yeah!" Ace grinned. "And when I'm Housewarden, I'll-"

"Well, hopefully my teachings will help you," I interrupted him. "Now, I'm gonna help a bit more… stay quiet about it, OK? The magical words are… [Priestunnos☆Cerpriestess]! Let's make an effort so it happens~"

I struck a cute pose, summoning Cath Cu Cernpriestess's cute headwear. A wave of red sparkles left me and were absorbed by Ace and Deuce, the blessing settling over them.

"Wha-" they started, but I interrupted them again.

"Have a blessing from my God," I explained, returning to idleness and dismissing the hat. "A little something to stack the deck in your favor."

"But that's cheating," Deuce frowned.

"Is it?" Ace grinned. "No more than Riddle's collars are, in my opinion!... anyway, I'm gonna go wake up Yuuna and Grim. See ya!"

And so he went upstairs.

Deuce looked at me.

"I wanted to prove my own power in this battle," he said, folding his hands. "But I suppose your… blessing?... would be a great help. Just, next time, ask us before you do something like this?"

"...sure," I nodded. "Next time you need a blessing, ask away."

He nodded, and we grew silent, waiting for Ace, Yuuna and Grim to descend. The three of them didn't make us wait too long, and…

"You're gonna watch us kick Riddle's ass?" Ace blinked.

"Just, don't interfere in the duel," Deuce sighed.

"Of course I won't, my interference isn't subtle enough," I deadpanned at that last remark.

And so we exited the Ramshackle Dorm.

***

Headmage Dire Crowley coughed, then addressed everyone at the Heartslabyul Dorm.

"We are about to commence two challenges for the housewarden position at Heartslabyul House. The first challenger is Ace Trappola. The second challenger is Deuce Spade," he announced. "The current housewarden they have challenged is Riddle Rosehearts. Now, in accordance with the duel rules, please remove the magic-sealing collars as they would provide an unfair disadvantage."

I stood at the side of the Rose Maze's clearing, watching Riddle and the Adeuce arrive at their positions, bantering all the while. The rest of Heartslabyul students cheered for their current Housewarden. The Headmage then…

"When the mirror I've thrown shatters upon the ground, that is your signal to begin," the crow-masked fairy announced. "Ready... Go!"

"[Off with your Head!]" Riddle attempted to end the battle here and then, but the training paid off and both Ace and Deuce dodged, retaliating with a smokescreen and a summoned cauldron respectively.

"Think they have a chance?" Yuuna asked me, holding Grim to her chest.

"...eh," I waved my hand. No use to expect anything, after all. "Too early to say. One hit from Riddle would end this, but they know that too, so…"

"I've got a bad feeling 'bout that," Grim sighed.

Riddle used a wind spell to dispel the smokescreen, but that cost him, as it allowed Deuce to summon more cauldrons above Riddle, forcing the crimson-haired tyrant to dodge those together with Ace's spells.

Everyone else was watching, enraptured.

"I could do better," I sighed. "I would've used homing Finn Shot."

"...you have homing spells?" Yuuna asked.

"Yeah, it's a simple modification," I nodded.

In the meanwhile, Riddle visibly decided 'screw it' and started to fire valleys of his Unique Magic into the thinned smoke. With an audible sound of locking, Adeuce were defeated.

"Well, they gave him a bit of trouble," I sighed. "A lot better than I thought they would be able to."

"Didn't you just say it could go either way?" Grim reminded me.

"They had a chance, however slim," I responded, watching closely. "It COULD go either way… wait, what is Ace doing?"

Ace punched Riddle. The crowd gasped, but then someone agreed with Ace, throwing an egg.

The crimson-haired ty… kid promptly lost his shit. Trey and Cater tried to stop him, but…

"Mighty roses, tear this brute to pieces!"

"Cease and desist at once!" Crowley… tried, but it did diddly-squat.

"Run for your life!" Yuuna gasped.

Ace gaped his mouth, but managed to dodge the first attack, then Trey turned the rest of the rose bushes into playing cards.

"Riddle, stop this right now!" the greenet shouted.

"Wait, is that Trey's [Paint the Roses]?!" Cater gaped. "But... how?!"

"What did I tell you? My magic can overwrite characteristics for a short time," Trey gasped, "So I used it to make 'Riddle's magic' into 'my magic'."

"[Off with your Head]- no, how is it not working?!" Riddle tried to use his Unique Magic, but to no avail. "I SAID, [Off with their Heads]!"

"Riddle, stop. Can't you see how you look right now?" Clover pleaded.

The peanut gallery were whispering among themselves. How unsightly. I had a flashback to Fairy Britain, again. What a disgusting bunch.

"What? Was my magic overwritten by yours? Does that mean your signature spell is stronger than mine?!" Rosehearts demanded, eyes wild.

"Of course it doesn't," Trey, bless his heart, attempted to deescalate. "Riddle, take a deep breath and listen to us…"

"Are YOU going to tell me that I'm wrong too? After all I've done to protect the rule of law?!" …but the crimson-haired boy only got more agitated. "Do you know how much I've suffered for this?! I... I refuse to believe this!"

"Cease immediately, Mr. Rosehearts!" was Crowley… less than stellar advice. "Any further attempt to use magic will leave your magestone completely tainted with blot!"

"But... I'm right! I'M the one who's right! There is NO! POSSIBLE! ALTERNATIVE!"

Blot… smelled and looked just like ink.

"Riddle, stop!" Trey shouted… but it was too late. The dark curse consumed the Heartslabyul Housewarden, a dark aura flowing from him into a cocoon that burst soon, the very world seeming to bend under its malice, leaving a corpse-pallor Riddle in a black-and-red dress, the Phantom of the Queen of Hearts behind him.

"So, this is a manifestation of the curse," I frowned. When did I summon my weapon?...

"Did his whole body just change?!"

"Yuuna, what are you still doing here?!" I whirled around to face her. "Get away! You have no power to help here, run!"

"I can order Ace and Deuce around!" she looked defiant.

Overblotted Riddle, in the meanwhile, only laughed maniacally.

"You are fools to defy me! You are not welcome in my world," he grinned, sending dark waves off himself. "In my world, I am the law. I am order made manifest! The only response I will accept from you is 'Yes, Housewarden Riddle'. All who defy me will lose their heads! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

"Dear me, what have I done?" Crowley lamented. "I've allowed a student to overblot in my presence!"

"'Overblot'? What does that mean?!" Grim, on the ground, exclaimed. Yuuna must've dropped him at some point…

I looked down at the bow in my hands, then stepped forward, and saw Deuce and Ace do the same.

"What do you fools think you're doing?" Riddle frowned.

"Saving you!" I declared. "...hopefully."

"You DID hear that part about how reeeal bad things are happenin' with him, right?!" Grim shouted.

"That's why we need to stop him now! I don't want that on my conscience!" Deuce said.

"And I'm not givin' up till I hear him say 'I was wrong and I'm sorry'." Ace added.

"All right, let's do this," Trey's voice sounded steely. "I can overwrite his magic for a little longer. In the meantime, do what you can! Headmage, please evacuate the other students!"

"Wait! This is dangerous!" Crowley shouted… already retreating.

"Are you S-R-S, Trey?" Cater looked aghast. "You can't beat Riddle!"

"So what, you're not even gonna fight unless you KNOW you can win?" Ace scoffed.

"Yeah, he's right. That's weak," Grim nodded… Uh. But wasn't that just… common sense?

"Well, whatever! Let's not waste anymore time and attack him while Trey is keeping him from retaliating!" I shouted, using Reinforcement and the rest of the buffs I could cast, the red aura of my spells settling upon the party. "[Priestunnos☆Cerpriestess]! [Priestnunnos Hammer]! [Grimalkin]!"

"I summon thee, cauldron!" Deuce backed me up, the cooking vessel he summoned over the Phantom bigger and heavier-looking than his usual ones.

"Agh, you are all insane!!!" Cater cried out, withdrawing his own Magical Pen. "[Split Card]!"

"O wind!" Ace's spell battered both Riddle and the Phantom.

"Such defiance, from every last one of you!" the Overblotted boy roared. "I shall take all of your heads!"

The Phantom lunged at us. I dodged the clumsy attack easily.

"Ace, Deuce, Aria, fall back!" Yuuna shouted as Trey's Unique Magic failed, the cards turning back to rose bushes and attacking!

I only grinned… then used my bow to send a volley of cutting spells towards the attacking shrubbery.

"Buff me!" I shouted, red sparks outlining the Mana Ruling Circle. "I'll take point! [Blessed Scion]!"

"Grace of Wind!" Cater cast. "Sturdiness of Earth!"

"Why… Why is my magic cut off?!" Riddle demanded, turning to me. "You… you must be the reason! DIE!"

But the Overblot Phantom's physical attacks were nothing compared to a Servant. I dodged the clumsy lunge by jumping up and summoned Priestnunnos Hammer in midair to swing it at the inkpot-like head.

It was super effective, too - the glass shattered, making the Phantom roar and lash out in pain at me. Still dodging, I graciously weaved between its attacks, jumping clear away as the students unleashed their magics on it.

"I am absolutely, positively right - beyond any possible shadow of a doubt!" Riddle bemoaned. "I have to be! Otherwise, what was any of it for...?!"

"Riddle…" Trey called out.

"Trey, focus! Any distraction now will be giving him an extra advantage!" Cater reminded.

My Mana Ruling Circle failed, but the greenet had a few minutes of breathing time, recasting his [Paint the Roses]. The rest of the party continued attacking. I summoned Failnaught and took a shooting position.

"Fantasia of Lamentation…" I intoned, feeling the magical thread come to life and entangle the Phantom. "[Failnaught]!"

The recoil of the curse that shot out of the bow made me fall on my butt, but the force of it actually blew a hole in the torso of the Queen of Hearts Overblot Phantom. It roared one last time, and then started to dissipate…

"RIDDLE!" Trey shouted, as the Housewarden's dark dress started to disappear.

"I...was wrong?! But that's… impossible…" Riddle weakly protested. "Isn't it… Mother?"

The Vice-Housewarden managed to reach him in time to catch him.

I dismissed Failnaught, standing up and inspecting my only set of not-Baobhan Sith clothes. It was seemingly whole…

The rest of the combatants surrounded the unconscious Rosehearts, and I strode to where the Phantom was felled - to search for the Blot Stone. I found it, no problem - it was very distinct in my perception, stinking of cursed ink.

{Let me take this,} came from Cernunnos. {I'll keep it safe.}

The crystal disappeared from my hand, taking the stench with it. The running to me Grim abruptly stopped, standing at his hindlegs to sniff the air.

"Myah? Where did it go?" he wondered aloud.

"What?" I looked at him, then strode to the rest of those who fought.

I saw that Trey and Crowley went away, carrying Riddle - presumably to the infirmary.

"Whoah, Aria!" Yuuna skipped to me. "You really were… wow."

"Magnificent, huh," I grinned. "You may now sing praises about my combat form."

"Yeah, 'specially as you fell on yer butt as you shot that bow," Grim deadpanned.

I glared at the damn cat monster. Way to make me feel like a failure…

"Yeah, you'd be really cool without that fall," Ace nodded. "But with it, you're just lame!"

I pouted, stomping my foot.

"Do you want a Priestnunnos Hammer to your heads, Grim, Ace?" I asked, summoning it. "Because I can arrange for that, easy!"

"And what with all those silly names? Priestnunnos, Cernpriestess…" Ace heckled.

"Ace, you're getting too cruel," Deuce lightly hit his ginger friend, then looked at me, rubbing the back of his head. "Aria, uh… thank you for your support! You were really cool with both the hammer and the bow! Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

…whoops. What to say, what to say here…

"I inherited these skills from my mother, Fairy Knight Tristan," I allowed, folding my hands under my breasts… yeah, 'mine'. Better get used to that. "The weapons are hers originally, too."

"Whoah, an actual knight?" Deuce's eyes sparkled. "Did she…"

"Her life was not glamorous, and she died an ignoble death by being torn apart and thrown into a pit," I cut him off. "And that's all I shall speak about her right now."

The brunet looked… I couldn't quite place his expression. Was it pity, perhaps?...

In any case, I decided it was enough excitement for today, and retreated to Ramshackle.

***

I had been waiting for Merlin to come up in my dreams, but she didn't deign to appear, so Cernunnos kept the Crystallized Blot safe.

I studied it in my room, as much as I could, and determined that it really did contain Riddle's dregs of consciousness, as well as his stagnant mana. I had to hide the inkstone again soon, though, as Grim was like a bloodhound for the thing… I really needed to establish a Territory, a Workshop of my own.

The next Unbirthday Party day came, and Yuuna, Grim and I were all invited.

While Ace complained about being roped into preparing the garden, I saw Yuuna take photos of the restored garden with an ancient bulky camera…

A snapshot in my direction, and I felt a strange sensation of something connecting to me.

"No photos of me, please," I asked, frowning. "I don't like that."

"Oh, sorry," Yuuna apologized. "Ah, but you looked picturesque in this red rose garden… Here's the photo."

She gave me the Polaroid card that… had a piece of my soul on it?!

FUCK. I completely forgot about that ability of Ghost Camera! How could I do that?! It was such a cheat!!!

"Aria? You look pale," Yuuna noted. "Are you alright?"

"…it's nothing," I waved her off, steeling my expression. "Anyway, it looks like the Heartslabyul people finished painting the roses. Let's go taste the apology tart of Riddle's."

…I needed to either control or neutralize this, my instincts screamed as I went to the Heartslabyul group. I, or any other Nasuverse magus could do so much with this Mystic Code, it wasn't even funny. Curses were the first thing that came to mind, and then any other types of Sympathetic Magecraft. Hell, I could probably take over anyone I had a Ghost Photo of, and I had only the bits and pieces of actual education…

"Maybe I could join the Photography Club," I hummed, looking at the photo. Ah, Baobhan Sith was truly beautiful… long pinkish-red hair and fair skin, lovely heart-shaped face and wide gray eyes… even my clumsy demeanor looked adorable with this body.

"...A fine job indeed, especially considering it was your first!" Trey smiled at Riddle, and my dirty mind imagined a scene of Riddle giving head to Trey… though body worship between the two would be more likely?... Hmmm… they would have a good chemistry together, wouldn't they?

"Oh, puh-leeze. How about we actually TRY it before you start fawning all over him, Trey?" Ace scoffed, breaking me from my fujoshi thoughts.

"Hold it!" Cater's exclamation stopped everyone in their tracks. "Don't you start cutting that before I get my Magicam snap! ...Okay, got it!"

"Tch. I see Cater hasn't changed a bit either," Ace continued grousing. "All right, let's dig in!"

And so we all dug in.

…it wasn't too bad, all things considered: I could tolerate the saltiness, and the mixture of the oyster sauce and the strawberries reminded me of blood…

I slowly swallowed, and took another bite.

"How are you eating this, Aria?!" Yuuna's eyes were round, her bite of the tart spit back on the platter. "This is…"

"Not too bad," I shrugged, idly observing the Heartslabyul quintet bicker. "Not a human, remember?"

"...right," she nodded, glaring at Riddle, who was looking very lost.

"Wait... did you actually use that Walrus-brand oyster sauce Trey jokes about?" Deuce shouted.

"But Trey said that oyster sauce is an unlisted secret ingredient in all tarts!" Riddle defended himself. "He said all the finest bakers use it…"

"And you actually believed him?!" Ace exclaimed. "How could you not tell that he was joking?!"

"You fell for it too, Ace!" Yuuna reminded.

"Even if you believed the joke, it was only supposed to be a splash," Cater sighed, exasperated. "How much did you put in?"

"It's an unlisted ingredient!" Riddle had a mini-meltdown. "How could I measure it if he wouldn't tell me how much to put in?!"

I took another forkful as Trey laughed his guts out.

"Ha ha ha... Yes. Quite humorous indeed. I truly am a fool," Riddle admitted.

"It really is so disgusting that it's actually kind of funny!" Deuce smiled.

"Yeah, what else can we do but laugh?" Ace nodded.

"You know, in its own weird way, I think it's actually kinda good!" Grim, already through his slice, said.

"Right? It really isn't half as bad as you'd think," Cater added.

"Reminds me a bit of…" I trailed off. "Nevermind. It's not too bad."

"Seriously? You're agreeing with Grim, Cater, Aria?" Deuce frowned. "He literally eats garbage off the ground!"

"Look, I'm not saying it's amazing or anything!" Cater defended himself. "Aria even likes it, right?!"

"That's because Aria is a bloodsucker," et tu, Trey? "Must be similar enough to blood in taste."

"WHA-" Adeuce jumped back, eyes wide, Riddle mirroring them.

I rolled my eyes, calmly finishing my piece and setting aside the platter.

"That's a serious accusation," I folded my hands under my breasts. "I will have to ask for proof."

The mood plummeted. I glared at the greenet, who looked sheepish.

"...ah, I don't have anything but your reaction to a blood-tasting tart," he admitted. "But I must ask - is it true?"

"Like I'd admit anything," I scoffed. "Speaking straight - no, I do not need to drink blood. I just recently discovered I liked the taste, even."

Our Mexican standoff was interrupted by someone munching loudly.

"Your baked goods are always so delightful, Trey," Alchemi Alchemievich Pinkaa - Che'nya - said, as he became the focus of attention instead of me.

"...Che'nya?! What are you doing here?!" Riddle exclaimed.

"Hm? I came to celebrate my unbirthday with all of you," the cat beastman grinned. "A very merry unbirthday to you, Riddle."

"The unbirthday party is a Heartslabyul House tradition," Riddle frowned. "It does not pertain to you."

"And those three? What about them?" Che'nya asked, tilting his head almost 270 degrees.

"Hey! You're that weird semi-invisible cat guy from before!" Grim pointed out. "So you never told us - what dorm are you from?"

"Che'nya isn't even a Night Raven student," Trey sighed, still eyeing me warily. "He's a student at our long-time rival school, the Royal Sword Academy."

I stared directly at Trey in defiance.

"So there are other magic academies?" Yuuna asked.

"I'm really interested in this topic, too," I smiled… but we got interrupted by the Heartslabyul mob characters deciding to attack Che'nya.

"Well, now that I've tasted some tart, perhaps I should see myself out," the cat beastman grinned and disappeared.

"Whoa, everyone turned bloodthirsty real quick." Grim gaped.

"The vast majority of Night Raven College students perceive the Royal Sword Academy as the enemy," Riddle sighed.

"No surprise, given that they've kicked our butts every year for a hundred years straight…" Trey admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hey, stop harshin' the vibe!" Cater pouted. "This is supposed to be a day of celebration. Can't we all just enjoy our unbirthdays?"

"Myah! Merry unbirthday or whatever!" Grim nodded. "I'm gonna eat till my stomach explodes!"

And so the tart was left to me and Grim - mostly Grim, as I had a small stomach.

"Oh!" as we ate, Ace suddenly exclaimed and turned to me. "Magic Resistance! Don't think I forgot!!!"

"You totally forgot until now," Deuce deadpanned.

"Yeah?" I set aside the remainder of my third slice of tart. "Wanna check?"

And that's how I became target practice for Heartslabyul students.

I was standing in the middle of the rose maze clearing, and everyone was throwing their best spells at me. The other students started disbelieving, then annoyed, then determined to find a spell that would go through my defenses.

"Remember - no summoning- or manifesting-types of magic!" I shouted at them. "Deuce, that's a reminder for you! I don't want to dodge another cauldron!"

"This is totally unfair!" some rabbit beastman bemoaned. "Nothing I try works!"

"If you have time to bemoan this, you have time to shoot spells!" Riddle admonished everyone. "But keep an eye on your Blot levels!"

After like fifteen minutes of unending barrage of spells, some students started to flag, withdrawing in shame.

"I'm done," Ace lowered his Magical Pen among the last ones to give up. "You really do have this… Magic Resistance."

I only smiled smugly, completely unscathed - despite some unsavory types' attempts to set me aflame or cut my uniform to pieces.

"It's like the spells got snuffed when targeting her or her clothes," Riddle noted, having abstained from the exercise himself, but having been ordering things to the rest of the students.

I just strode to the food table and poured myself a cup of tea with five sugar cubes.

 

[Kamico]

Masquerade woke up.

Immediately, he noticed that he was not… non-existent, instead possessing a body and a will of his own.

But how, he wondered. He was supposed to fade into Alice, not… whatever this was.

He tried to switch with Alice, to no avail. With growing horror, he realized that he was alone in the body - not a trace of Alice, his original, was there. Reaching for the Transporter Card or his mask was also fruitless.

'Right, let's… let's focus on survival now,' he thought. 'This mystery can wait until I determine where I am.'

Masquerade looked around - he was sitting on a dirt road next to a small town. There were two… mutant birds harassing something green and cat-like nearby. He would've ignored that, but there was some Darkus to the thing underneath the overgrown starlings, so he decided to do what Alice would've done and help the thing.

He strode to the monsters, and the two birds, after eyeing him, decided to fly away.

"Spriii?" The green kitten - sized like an adult cat - looked at him with wide pink eyes. Was it… grateful?

"Well?" Masquerade spoke up, annoyed at the feminine sound of his voice and the lack of Darkus in the air - did he imagine that? "Shouldn't you run now?"

"Meow," the battered kitten came to his heel-clad foot, and he was suddenly aware of the… very not-Alice-esque yet feminine outfit he was in: a light purple pleated skirt with black blouse, thigh-high black stockings with red diamond pattern at the sides, plus a red hat with a black and purple Darkus pin and a bag in the same colors… the last one immediately caught his attention.

Inside the entirely too big on the inside thing were a laptop, something with wheels, three spray bottles with 'Potion' written on them, six red-and-white spheres, two different strange handheld console-like things, his mask - which he immediately put on his face, - a wallet with fifteen unfamiliar-looking 10k bills, and…

'Oh, an ID,' he nodded, looking at it. It said he was 'Alex Gehabich, female, 15' - he supposed it was fine to be listed as female - a 'Pokemon Trainer' of 'Sinnoh Region'.

"Mrow?" The kitten purred, kneading at his feet, a scent of grass permeating the air. Through the mask's lenses he saw a pop-up of [Sprigatito, female, Grass, lvl 5, HP 4/19].

"I don't suppose you can tell me where I am," Masquerade sighed, dismissing the mask into aether. "Onwards to the nearest settlement, then."

And so he started to walk towards the nearby town.

There were two kids of roughly twelve running in the opposite direction, a blonde boy and a dark blue haired girl.

"Ah, Barry, look out-"

BAM! The boy actually managed to swerve, somehow, to run into Masquerade causing both of them to fall on the ground.

"OW!" the kid - Barry? - exclaimed. "Watch where you're going!"

Mood soured immensely, Masquerade snarled, forcing the damn kid off his body. To his surprise, the kitten thing hissed in turn, looking at the annoyance.

"YOU should look where you run," Masquerade stood up and spoke, still sounding like a girl - the annoyance spiked because of that. "I was walking, and YOU ran into me."

"She's right, Barry," the girl nodded. "I tried to warn you, but you somehow dodged into her…"

The blond kid looked from Masquerade, to his companion, then at the 'Sprigatito', the last of which made his eyes light up.

"Hey, is this your Pokemon?" he pointed at the kitten monster, which made the latter hide behind Masquerade. "I never saw such a Pokemon! What is it?"

"...it's hurt," the girl frowned. "You should heal it."

"She's just following me around," Masquerade denied. "I met her a bit earlier."

"Oh, so I can catch it?" the kitten hissed at that, seemingly insulted. The annoyance pouted. "No? But I would…"

…someone was walking towards them. Masquerade turned to face the old and the young men that were coming closer.

"Greetings!" the old man spoke up as soon as the two came next to them. "I see that you're heading to the tall grass with only this hurt Sprigatito to your name? What are you three thinking?!"

"Professor Rowan, we…" the annoyance trailed off.

"I never met these kids before today," Masquerade deadpanned. "And I was going to the town."

"Ah, so you've been through a few scruffles in the tall grass," the old man nodded. "I see! Still, you should heal your Pokemon soon, it looks hurt."

'Pokemon… that's the name for this creature?' Masquerade wondered.

"Now, you two…" the old man continued, looking at the two kids. "I don't see any Pokemon on you! Why are you outside the town without any?!"

"We wanted to see you!" The girl spoke up, afraid. "And we thought you'd be in Sandgem Town…"

"..." the professor looked thoughtful.

"Professor Rowan?" The third kid looked at the old man. "I hope you aren't thinking of giving these Pokemon to these people."

"..." the professor looked at the two kids. "You two… truly love Pokemon, are you not?"

"I do!" the annoyance cheered.

"I really do," the girl nodded.

"Professor…" the boy groaned.

"Sprii?" the kitten pawed at his leg, and he picked her up, absently scratching her ears.

"...a pair of reckless kids who foolishly try to go outside the town without Pokemon of their own…" the old man sighed. "It worries me what people like this would do with Pokemon."

"Well, uh…" the annoyance spoke up. "Well, I. uh… Well, then forget about me and give my friend Dawn here a Pokemon! I mean, it was me whose idea it was to…"

How audacious!... but the professor looked moved.

"How big of you!" the latter exclaimed. "Very well! I shall entrust the two of you with Pokemon! I apologize for putting you through this exercise."

"You would, huh…" The helper kid looked annoyed.

'Me and you, kid, me and you,' Masquerade thought.

"However!" the old man frowned. "You must promise me that you will never endanger yourself and your Pokemon like this ever again. Now, then… Lucas, my briefcase?"

Masquerade observed the exchange with a critical eye. This felt, somehow, momentous…

The girl went first, releasing a blue and white penguin from a white and red sphere. The annoyance took a green - but not Ventus, more like plant - large turtle.

"Very good! Both of you have chosen a good Pokemon, it seems," the professor nodded. "Now, listen well! The Pokemon you've been entrusted with are unfamiliar with the world. In that regard, they're much like you. As fellow newcomers, I hope you'll do well together. If you have any troubles, please see me at my lab in Sandgem Town. And now…"

He turned to Masquerade.

"Your Pokemon is hurt. You must've been traveling through tall grass for a while. Would you allow us to heal it?"

Masquerade curtly nodded, and observed the assistant kid fish out a familiar purple bottle out of his bag, kneel next to the kitten and spray her with the contents, the scratches and bruises on her disappearing immediately. So, [Potion] was a curative medicine? Was it for Pokemon only, or could it help humans?

"Thank you," he nodded at the two, thinking fast. "Is Sandgem Town far away?"

"No, it's just through the route," Professor Rowan shook his head. "Want to visit my lab, too?"

Masquerade nodded. He wanted to get to know more about this world, and a laboratory likely had a library…

"I think I'll visit soon," he smiled an Alice-esque gentle smile. "There must be a lot of information on Pokemon there!"

"Of course!" The professor nodded. "I am always ready to impart knowledge on the next generation! I would love to receive you in my lab, young miss!"

"Professor, we're going to be late," the boy reminded the old man. It was like seeing Alice wrangle Doctor Michael from outside…

"I'm going to visit the closest town first, I think," Masquerade told the two. "Until we meet again."

And so the two went away.

"Dawn!" the annoyance shouted from nearby. "There's only one thing to do, right?! Are you ready for this?"

"Yes!" the girl exclaimed.

"I've always wanted to say this…" the blond cheered. "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

And the two released their creatures out of the spheres, shouting orders.

'Hoh. So these creatures are used in brawls, like Bakugan?' Masquerade thought. The cat's value in his eyes grew.

He observed the battle with a critical eye. There were no Ability or Gate Cards used, the brawlers instead shouting directions and warnings from the sidelines. Still… Bakugan brawling was his purpose in life, and this was close enough.

'The girl would win,' he thought. She was simply better, getting her penguin run circled around the withdrawing turtle. Through his mask, he saw that HP - Health? Hit Points? - of the turtle decreased with each hit… but less so with every [Withdraw] ordered.

[Piplup, male, Water, lvl 5, HP 21/21]

[Turtwig, male, Grass, lvl 5, HP 7/21, DEF_UP(4)]

"And now, for a comeback!" the annoyance shouted. "Tackle 'im!"

"Dodge and Pound!"

The penguin looked at his brawler questioningly, which cost it a chance to dodge the charge of the turtle, sending it flying.

'Hm. Maybe the annoyance has a chance,' Masquerade thought.

[Piplup, male, lvl 5, Water, HP 17/21]

[Turtwig, male, lvl 5, Grass, HP 7/21, DEF_UP(4)]

"Piplup, get up and Growl!"

"Keep it up, Turtwig!"

The penguin was ready for the next charge of the turtle, letting out a visible discharge of energy within a sound wave, which impacted its foe… to no effect?

[Piplup, male, lvl 5, Water, HP 17/21]

[Turtwig, male, lvl 5, Grass, HP 7/21, DEF_UP(3)]

'Hm, the DEF value lowered…' he noted. Not without any effect, it seemed.

This… Pokemon brawling was seemingly more tactical and dynamic than the Bakugan brawling, which was more on the strategic side. There were a lot more split-second decisions, and a lot more values to keep track of than just G-power. A worthy challenge, he supposed.

While he was thinking, the penguin made the turtle… faint?

"What are you saying?!" the annoyance shouted. "We ended up losing?!"

Some money exchanged hands, from loser to victor. Masquerade dismissed his mask - just in time, as the annoyance then turned to him.

"Hey, miss!" the blond shouted. "Wanna have a go with my friend?"

"Thank you, but not right now," despite how it rankled, he didn't know the full rules of engagement, which was unacceptable - how else was he going to take advantage of them? "Aren't both your Pokemon hurt?"

"Aww…" both kids looked disappointed for some reason.

"Well, I guess it's for the best," the girl nodded. "Piplup's been really hurt by Turtwig, I don't think I'll win without him at his best."

And so the two went away, both in the direction of the nearby town.

As soon as they did, Masquerade fished out his own red and white spheres, opening them one at a time, but no Pokemon emerged.

"Figures," he sighed, but then the kitten started to meow, indicating the sphere, and so he offered it one.

In a blue flash, the kitten was sucked inside.

"Huh," he nodded, opening the occupied sphere, and the kitten, Sprigatito, emerged in a red flash, seeming to be entirely too smug. "So this is how these are used."

"Gat!" The Pokemon nodded.

How did these work, Masquerade wondered. Was it some kind of digitisation, perhaps? Was it limited to these creatures, and if not, how big of a thing could be digitized?

Well, it was likely he'd find out in the laboratory, he thought. Now he needed to get to civilization to regroup.

And so he strode to the town, the kitten at his heels.

***

The people in Twinleaf Town were… entirely too welcoming. Still, that worked in his favor, and so he didn't look in the gift horse's mouth.

"Alex, do you want eggs with bacon or pancakes for breakfast?" Miss Berlitz, who yesterday welcomed him to stay the night, asked.

He idly wondered if the eggs were of the overgrown starlings that he saw.

"Whatever is fine with you," he said 'shyly'. "I'm not picky."

"It's not a burden," the woman said. "I could do both, perhaps?… ah, if only Dawn was there…"

The woman's different cat Pokémon, gray with a spiral tail, glared at his Sprigatito as she ate from a bowl on the floor.

"I'm sure your daughter would be fine," he told the woman. "After all, Professor Rowan gave her a Pokémon of her own."

The blue-haired girl departed for Sandgem Town yesterday, barely stopping to rest at home - which Masquerade shamelessly used to spend a night in the girl's room, browsing the local Internet through his own magically-connected laptop until late in the night.

"Ah, but I still worry," the homeowner sighed over the stove. "That's a mother's prerogative, after all."

"I wouldn't know, my mother… my parents died when I was young," well, when Alice was young, but still. Pity points.

"Poor thing!" Miss Berlitz exclaimed, eggs momentarily forgotten. "Is that why you are on the road with just a bag and a Pokemon?"

"Yes," sure, let's go with that. "Is the food ready?"

The woman oh-ed, and returned her attention to cooking.

"Sorry for asking, dear," the woman fussed. "I hope you aren't offended?"

"How could I, when you fed me and let me rest in your house?" He offered platitudes.

"Well said," the homeowner nodded. "Still, I want to help you…"

'Bless these suckers,' he thought while walking the Route 201 to Sandgem Town with Sprigatito, after the woman gave him a Town Map and some supplies then bid him farewell, stopping in front of the tall grass - as the [Tips for Trainers] site said, these were dens of wild Pokemon, and he was interested in honing his Sprigatito's claws and fangs on them…

The black and purple [Pokedex] in hand, he stepped through the knee-high grass, his Pokemon tucked away in a [Pokeball]. How hard it was, to cross a few kilometers?

…ordering Sprigatito to Scratch away at the fifth Starly and Leafage at the fourth Bidoof, he understood the worry Professor Rowan had over the two kids going there without Pokemon of their own…

[Sprigatito, female, lvl 8, Grass, HP 26/26]

Down a Potion, he reached Sandgem Town in less than six hours of walk.

The town was small, almost as small as the previous one. The [ROWAN LABS] sign indicated that Masquerade's destination was on the side of the town he approached.

He dismissed his mask and hid the Pokedex, then approached the lab building's entrance and politely knocked on the door.

A middle-aged man in a white lab coat greeted him.

"Welcome to Rowan Labs, the finest place of Pokemon research in Sinnoh," he smiled at Masquerade. "Come in, we are always happy to provide young trainers with anything they might need!"

'Suckers, all of them,' the blond thought, following the aide into the building.

The inside… was quite reminiscent of Doctor Michael Gehabich's laboratory - the atmosphere was similar, at least, and the bookshelves, and the way the lab assistants were skittering around the lab and Professor.

"AND- oh, it's you," Rowan noticed Masquerade. "Welcome, welcome! Come here, would you? How is your Sprigatito?"

He begrudgingly obeyed, releasing his slightly battered cat Pokemon, who, after ensuring there were no dangers, went to his feet and started to rub her large head on his leg.

"Ah, I see!" the professor exclaimed. "You seem to get along very well. Very well, I suppose I could- Ah, I haven't even asked your name! I'm sorry, it completely slipped my mind. How are you called, young miss?"

"...I'm Alex Gehabich," Masquerade introduced himself demurely by the ID's fake(?) name.

"I see, so you're miss Gehabich," the old man nodded personably. "And does your Sprigatito have a nickname?"

The blonde brawler looked down at the kitten, who was looking at him with shining eyes.

"Arii!" it demanded.

"...Alice," he decided, privately admitting that he missed his entirely too gentle and kind original.

"A fine name!" the man nodded. "As you know, I am Professor Rowan - I study Pokemon. First of all, I want to know what exact kinds of Pokemon live in the Sinnoh region. To do so, it is necessary to collect data using the wondrous invention that is Pokedex - I shall provide one for you, and you'll scan and capture all Pokemon in this region."

Masquerade considered telling him he had one already, but held his tongue. There would be no advantage in doing so, after all.

"Of course," he nodded instead. "So, I am to scan and capture all the Pokemon I see, right?"

"Indeed!" the Professor beamed, and an aide came close to them, holding… a pink - with purple details - Pokedex.

…Masquerade realized he didn't manage to conceal his disgust, as both faces of the scientists fell.

"The color scheme is not…" Rowan trailed off. "Leon, get all the pokedexes, let Miss Gehabich choose the color scheme."

…he needed to salvage this.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, waving his hands. "It's just… it clashes with my color scheme so badly! I'll be very thankful for a chance to choose the color scheme of the casing!"

"Ah, girl priorities," the Professor laughed. "I don't mind letting you choose, don't worry."

Despite being offended because of comparison to Julie-like girls, this time Masquerade kept his face beaming.

The aide returned with a box of colorful Pokedexes, and, after some consideration, he fished out one a purple base with black details - an inversion of his other Pokedex.

"Well, I suppose it fits your color scheme better," the aide snarked.

'If I could, I would've crushed you and sent all your Pokemon to the Doom Dimension,' Masquerade thought.

"Thank you!" he said instead, facing the Professor. "I'll do my best!"

"Now, go and catch them all!" Rowan smiled.

"...ah, I wanted to, maybe, hang around and maybe read books about Pokemon?" Masquerade smiled sheepishly.

"Hrm," the Professor rubbed his beard-covered chin. "Of course, of course! However, the books there are all pretty heavily on the scientific side - if you need a refresher about elemental things, you're better suited to visit the Trainer's School in Jubilife City across Route 202."

'Jubilife City… that's relatively nearby, right?' he thought, remembering the Town Map.

"I would, thank you," he nodded. "Can you point me to the texts you think I'll need?"

***

After a day spent in the Rowan Labs and a night - in the Sandgem Town Pokecenter Hostel, Masquerade decided he was ready to move on.

His research bore fruit - he discovered that, in a faraway region of [Alola], there were scientists researching parallel worlds. He also discovered that, to travel outside Sinnoh, he needed either three Gym Badges, or a special permission, which led him to research the Sinnoh Gym Circuit on the computer in the lab.

The thought of dominating other Trainers made his blood boil with anticipation. This wasn't quite what he was born to do, but it was close enough, so there was no real question of 'what to do'.

His plans for the foreseeable future made, he bid farewell to the laboratory staff and Professor, crossed the Sandgem Town, and entered Route 202.

"Ah! It's you!" The kid aide of the Professor greeted him there. "Wait a minute!"

Masquerade never held back from a challenge, and thus he complied.

"Phew!" the kid smiled. "I'm glad I met you! I'm Lucas - and you?"

'Huh, so not a battle,' Masquerade felt disappointed. "My name is Alex Gehabich. Nice to meet you."

"You've got a Pokedex now, right?" he asked. "I'll show you how to catch a Pokemon!"

And so Masquerade followed the kid into the tall grass, a Bidoof soon jumping out.

"Go, Chimchar!" the boy let out his Pokemon. "Watch closely, or, better yet, scan the Pokemon with your Pokedex!"

Masquerade did so, careful to use the gifted Pokedex and not the one he arrived with, receiving blurbs about Bidoof and Chimchar.

The lab assistant used his Pokemon to batter the Bidoof some, then… threw the Pokeball? It impacted the hurt Bidoof, enveloping it in a blue light and sucking it in, then it closed and shook, before stilling.

"Yes! Bidoof was caught!" Lucas announced, walking to the fallen Pokeball and pocketing it. "And that's how you catch Pokemon! But not the Trainer's Pokemon - that's theft!"

"Thank you for the demonstration, but…" Masquerade smirked, brandishing Alice's Pokeball. "I wanted to fight you and your Pokemon more."

"Oh! You want a battle!" the kid exclaimed. "Of course, I'll oblige you! Pokemon Trainer Lucas wants to battle!"

The two Pokemon Trainers stood across from each other. Masquerade felt his blood boil with anticipation - this was what he lived for.

"Go, Alice!" He threw out the Pokeball, releasing his Sprigatito.

"Go, Chimchar!" his opponent released his own Pokemon, a fire monkey.

Despite the type disadvantage - and wasn't that an annoying thing to keep in mind? - Masquerade felt he would be able to win this.

"Close the distance and Bite," he ordered the Darkus-feeling attack.

"Scratch at it!" Lucas ordered.

The green kitten did as ordered, running across the battlefield and Biting the Pyrus monkey with spectral maw, causing the latter to flinch.

"Again," Masquerade simply ordered.

"Snap out of it and Scratch!" shouted his opponent, and the blonde Brawler reveled in desperation tinging his voice.

Alice bit down again, but this time the monkey Scratched with glowing claws at her round face, causing her to let go, which the opponent used to get some distance.

"Again."

"Let's switch it out! Growl at it!"

The battered Chimchar let out an Attack-lowering cry, but Alice, eyes blazing, ran through it and Bit again, this time making the opponent faint.

"You're good!" Lucas exclaimed. "But I still have another Pokemon! Go, Bidoof!"

The brown Pokemon, slightly battered from its capture, emerged from a Pokeball.

"Leafage," there was no reason to waste Darkus energy on this.

Alice obeyed, leaping close to the disoriented beaver Pokemon and attacking with a point-blank leaves.

The Bidoof promptly fainted.

"Wow!" the opponent clapped, retrieving his Pokemon. "You're a natural!"

"Hmph!" Masquerade smirked, holding back the poisonous words - that could jepoardise his precarious position. "That, I am."

Money exchanged hands, the blond getting 500 Poke richer. The lab trainer didn't seem to be crestfallen or crushed, which made the victory a little less than perfect, but Masquerade supposed he could live with that.

"Have these as well," Lucas handed over five Pokeballs. "Make sure to catch a lot of Pokemon to fill the Pokedex!"

And so he was off.

Masquerade looked at the Pokeballs, shrugged - the generosity of these people, frankly, astonished him, - and tucked the gift next to the other Pokeballs, then strode to the tall grass.

A few Starlys and Bidoofs and new cat-like Pokemon that his mask identified as [Shinx], he stumbled upon a young boy, who immediately challenged him to a battle.

Crushing [Youngster] Tristan was not as satisfying as it was fighting Lucas, and more like the daily brawls he did back home to keep up his #1 position in the ranks. Lass Natalie and Youngster Logan, similarly, didn't prove to be any more of a challenge.

"Some Pokemon come out only in the morning," another Youngster told him. "Some come out only at night. I'm going to keep waiting right here till I've seen every last one of them!"

Hm. Were Darkus-aligned Pokemon more likely to appear at night?

With that thought, Masquerade decided to wait a bit at Route 202. Maybe a Pokemon would catch his eye?

***

 

[Kamico]

[Sprigatito, female, lvl 13, Grass, HP 13/37]

[Learn Magical_Leaf Y/N?]

[Choose a move to replace]

'It's a pity a Pokemon can learn only four moves a time,' he thought, making a decision to overwrite Tail Whip in order for Alice to learn Magical Leaf. She had Hone Claws, she'd be fine.

The night fell, and the lights of the Jubilife City were seen in the distance. Masquerade and Alice, both quite tired from a day of beating up Bidoofs, Starlys, Shinxes and the occasional Kricketot, walked towards the city gates, both tired yet feeling relatively satisfied with their progress.

He supposed he could have caught a few Pokemon, but so far not a single one caught his eye. The Shinxes they fought were maybe acceptable, but… he didn't quite like them, and so they became fodder for Alice's growth.

The two of them reached the Pokecenter, where Alice was healed, and Masquerade booked a bed in the attached hostel, and used the shower.

'I really need a change of clothes and undergarments,' he thought, drifting off to sleep on the top bunk of the hostel bed in his clothes sans skirt. 'This is uncomfortable.'

He dreamed of his final battle against Kuso, of the clash between his Alpha Hydranoid and the other's Drago.

Masquerade woke up at dawn, feeling oddly content.

'Ah, right,' he thought. 'Spirited away to another, stranger world.'

Checking out of the Pokecenter's hostel, he inquired where the best clothing stores were, and received the answer… in Veilstone City.

"I don't need some fancy clothes, I need necessities," he grumbled. "Mine got lost."

"Ah," Nurse Joy nodded. "Well, while the Jubilife Department Store is lesser to Veilstone's, it is perfectly suitable for a starting trainer…"

Following the directions on the paper Nurse Joy gave him (and wondering about the similarities between the Sandgem Town and Jubilife City nurses), he…

"Wait!" a man in an expensive suit stopped him before he could get to the northern part of the city. "You're a new Pokemon Trainer, right? Then, a Poketch is a must!"

"What's that?" Masquerade asked.

"It's a Sinnoh League-sponsored Pokemon Watch!" the man boasted. "I invented and now manufacture them. And now I am promoting them! Young Trainer, if you get three coupons from three clowns in this city, I'll give you a free Poketch!"

'Sounds sketchy,' Masquerade thought. 'But if it's League-sponsored… maybe I should get one.'

"Sure, I'll give it a try," he nodded to the Clown #0. "Do you have any in purple?"

"Ah, I thought…" The man looked at Masquerade with an appraising eye. "Maybe a red and purple one?"

"Deal," and so the blond Brawler set out to find the clowns on the streets.

The first one was not too far from the Pokecenter, next to the Pokemart.

"Does a Pokemon grow by defeating others and earning EXP?" was the sudden question of the visibly-perky clown.

"...yes?" Masquerade offered.

"Ding-ding! Have a Coupon," and he got the Coupon #1. "Some Pokemon even change into a different form, through a process known as Evolution! Now run along and find my fellow clowns!"

The blond Brawler nodded, noting the information, and went further north.

"The clowns? There's one by the Pokemart, one - at the Poketch Company building, and the last is next to the fountain," a green-haired strong-looking Trainer with a belt full of Pokeballs smiled. "Good luck!"

The fountain was nearby, but the clown had strayed from the position, standing in front of the… Jubilife TV?

"Hi! Let's 'rollout' my question!" the clown smiled. "Can a Pokemon hold an item?"

"...yes?" there… there was nothing to prevent that, right?

"Ding-ding! Correct!" the clown cheered. "A Pokemon may hold a single item. Some items become effective as soon as they're held, like Leftovers or Flame Orb… and Berries can be consumed by Pokemon on their own! But Pokemon don't know what to do with human-manufactured items. Here's your Coupon."

Coupon… #3?

Masquerade nodded to the surprisingly helpful clown, and headed west, to the Poketch Company building. There, he found the last one.

"Just like Pokemon, can Moves have types?" the last question was.

"Yes," after all, Alice had a Dark move while not a Dark Pokemon.

"Ding-ding! Correct! A Pokemon using a matching by type move would make it more powerful, even! Here's your Coupon."

Masquerade internally breathed in relief seeing the #2 printed on the coupon. It wasn't a #1, #3 and #4 items prank, after all… he returned to the place he left the business man, and got applause.

'I'm not a child, so shut it with the praises,' he thought.

"Anyway, it'll take some time to make a Poketch casing for you, so please go to the Poketch Company building in the evening," the man asked.

And so Masquerade reached the Jubilife Department Store, and got a pack of panties, two sets of sleepwear and another bra - as well as a sleeping bag, in another store - all the while withstanding the chatter of the service ladies with a neutral smile.

"You're so cute!"

"What's your skincare routine?"

"Your hair is sooo glossy…"

The three fussy women might have not actually manhandled him, but it sure felt like that.

After he escaped with his dignity barely intact, he headed to the next point of interest, the Pokemon Trainer School.

"Welcome, Trainer!" a sandy-blonde female teacher greeted him. "Are you here to study anything?"

"I am, yes," Masquerade nodded demurely. "I wanted to look through anything I might've missed - if that's not too much trouble?"

"Of course not!" the woman exclaimed. "We are always happy to provide trainers with information. Anything in particular you wanted to know?"

"Ah, I don't even know," he lowered his eyes 'shyly'. "Maybe start with the beginning?... My knowledge might be spotty in some areas - but most of all about the League regulations…"

"The recordings of that course are available on our site for all applicants - let me enter your Trainer ID into the system, and then you'll be able to use any computer in Sinnoh to access our archive!"

"How handy!" Masquerade smiled, withdrawing his wallet with ID. "I would appreciate this very much."

The woman beamed.

"No need to thank me, we do it for everyone who asks," she waved him off. "Let's get you in the system."

Masquerade followed her to one of the rooms, an office, and carefully watched her handle his ID. She did as she told him, making a profile of him on the school's site and walking him through accessing the site from the Pokecenter computers.

This sheer welcoming warmth was getting on his nerves. How could people here be so… open? What did they get for it?... Still, he swallowed his unease and made use of the people's kindness - it was the only thing he could do, after all, being thrown into an unfamiliar world…

"Miss! Hey, Miss Trainer!" a kid in large glasses called out to him while he was (resting from absorbing all the information) observing the practice brawls at the Trainer School's field. "Wanna battle me? I'm top of my class!"

"...sure," he set aside a book. "I could do a bout."

A teacher referee was quickly informed, and a field was provided. There, he missed the convenience of requiring just the two Gate cards to open a field…

Standing across the kid on the field, Masquerade felt alive in a way that wasn't describable. He was going to crush a kid in a brawl- in a battle, and that anticipation made him feel good.

Smirking, he put on his mask and withdrew Alice's Pokeball, brandishing it, the kid across fixing his glasses and doing the same with his own Pokemon.

"Alice, go."

"Get'im, Abra!"

[Sprigatito, female, lvl 14, Grass, HP 39/39]

[Abra, male, lvl 6, Psychic, HP 19/19]

'Easy prey,' Masquerade thought and ordered Alice to close the distance and Bite.

"Don't let it, use Teleport to evade!"

The… lizard, Masquerade supposed, tried to concentrate its energy to do something, but Alice was faster and skipped to it, the spectral maw closing on Abra and causing it to cry out in pain.

Another chomp - and it was over.

"Winner - Alex Gehabich!" the referee announced.

"Awww…" the kid withdrew his Abra. "I lost!"

"That you did, kid," the thrill of sending a Bakugan to the Doom Dimension wasn't there, but he'd settle for the pleasure of collecting money from the loser. "Care to own it up?"

"I…" his opponent looked like he wanted to cry, which only made Masquerade's smirk wider. "I-it was so… cool!"

Huh? Was this kid a masochist or something?

"Your Pokemon shut down my tactics so easily!" the kid passionately continued, tearing up. "I see that I still have things to learn! Thank you very much for showing me, miss Alex!"

"...You're welcome?" feeling off-put, Masquerade nodded and took off his mask.

"Your battle prowess is only second to your beauty, miss Alex!" The kid continued singing praises.

"...if that's an attempt to weasel out of payment, it isn't working," Masquerade deadpanned, thoroughly weirded out.

"I wouldn't presume!!!" the weirdo exclaimed. "Only the best…"

"Yeah, yeah, Ronaldo, you've lost - now let miss Gehabich go," the referee teacher sighed. "Pay up."

Money changed hands, and Masquerade, now a bit richer yet also a bit off-kilter, said his goodbyes to the entirely too welcoming staff and the entirely too pumped up kids, and ran… strategically retreated.

'What's with the people here?' he thought once again. 'They're so… fucking nice, it's creepy.'

After stocking up on Potions, he exited Jubilife City through the eastern gates at dusk, and consulted with the Town Map.

'Route 203, huh,' he thought. It was a fairly long road to Oreburgh City, through the Route and the Oreburgh Gate cave.

The first leg of the journey was on a dirt road, but after the stairs, there was tall grass and a Youngster.

"Go, Kricketot!" he sent out a bug, and Masquerade sighed, not even bothering to summon his mask.

"Crush it, Alice," he threw out her Pokeball, and she emerged with a ready yowl. "Bite!"

There wasn't even a battle - one attack from the cat Pokemon was enough.

Money changed hands, and, after wading out of the tall grass and ascending more stairs, a female trainer ran to him from further down the road.

Bidoof was easy, Starly was, as always, a pain in the ass to battle as a flier, and for the last Pokemon he actually summoned his mask to see…

[Sprigatito, female, lvl 14, Grass, HP 39/39]

[Budew, male, lvl 4, Grass/Poison, HP 17/17, WARNING! Poison_Point!]

'Never had a warning pop up before…' he frowned, mentally pulling up the pop-up. 'A chance of poison infliction on contact?'

"Alice, Hone Claws into Bite," he decided to gamble, and the kitten obeyed, first boosing her attack - the Budew doing the same - and then attacking.

[Sprigatito, female, lvl 14, Grass, HP 39/39, ATK_UP(1), ACC_UP(1)]

[Budew, male, lvl 4, Grass/Poison, HP 0/17, ATK_UP(1), SP.ATK_UP(1), WARNING! Poison_Point!]

'Phew,' he thought. Alice didn't get poisoned, to his relief.

"Wow, you're pretty strong!" the girl exclaimed. "Ah, want to come to my campsite? It's pretty late, and…"

'This welcomingness to strangers is really getting on my nerves,' Masquerade thought irritably, but outwardly he only smiled and agreed.

***

In the morning, Masquerade bid farewell to the girl, and went further east, through the tall grass.

"Gimme a battle so that I can see if I'm ready for the Gym Challenge!" a Youngster greeted him first thing out of the tall grass, a gray humanoid Pokemon at his side.

'Might be a Fighting-type,' Masquerade thought, summoning his mask.

[Machop, male, lvl 7, Fighting, HP 27/27]

'Yep, a Fighting-type,' he thought with derision.

"Whoah!" the opponent exclaimed. "What's with the mask, miss?!"

"Are we going to battle or not?" Masquerade asked irritably.

"Ah, right!" the kid immediately perked up. "Go, Machop!"

"Alice, battle," he threw her Pokeball out, and she emerged, meowing in challenge.

[Sprigatito, female, lvl 14, Grass, HP 39/39]

"Magical Leaf," he ordered.

"Focus Energy!" the kid shouted, punching the air.

The Machop standing across the clearing from Alice, grunted under the onslaught of the supernaturally accurate leaves, but withstood, all the while pumping himself up.

[Sprigatito, female, lvl 14, Grass, HP 39/39]

[Machop, male, lvl 7, Fighting, HP 1/27, CRIT(2)]

"Another," Masquerade quickly ordered, and Alice released more magical leaves, which KO'd the Fighting-type.

"I guess it means I'm not yet ready for the Gym Challenge…" the Youngster shook his head.

Money changed hands, and Masquerade entered the Oreburgh Gate cave. It was a spacious, well-lit tunnel, and he spied a potential Trainer next to a giant boulder…

"Lookie here, we've got a newbie Trainer!" the man in hiking clothes exclaimed, jumping closer. "And you've got a Poketch!"

"Wanna battle me?" Masquerade offered with a smirk.

"Ahahaha!" the man laughed. "No, but I'm a fellow friend of Pokemon! So, c'mere, Imma gonna help ya! Have these Technical Machines and Poketch Chip!"

Reluctantly, the blond brawler allowed the man to fiddle with his Poketch.

"FYI, each of these contains Rock Smash," the Hiker explained. "Usin' one to teach a Pokemon that woulda break it! But with a Gym Badge from Oreburgh ya would be able to ask the local Pokemon to use it for ya via the Hidden Moves app I added!"

Thanking the Hiker and waving goodbye to him, Masquerade headed deeper.

"Hiya!" a… boy in green clothes jumped from behind a breakable boulder. "We, Trainers, accept all challenges! It's what we do!"

The kid, and the next green girl - apparently, a Camper and a Picknicker respectively, but he didn't see any reason to distinguish the two of them, - were more or less defeated handily, and so, feeling pretty good about himself, Masquerade stepped into the Oreburgh City in the evening.

Still, he beelined to the Pokemon Center, to refresh Alice's energy stores - Power Points - as well as eat and wash up.

To his surprise, he found the blue-haired girl he met when he woke up in this world in the Pokemon Center.

"Oh, hi," she smiled and waved at him. "You're here for the Gym, right? I already got my Badge there. Do you want to get some pointers?"

"...sure," he nodded, deciding that getting first-hand information on one of the more powerful Pokemon Trainers in the region would be a good idea.

"So, the Gym Trainers are all using Geodude and Onix, which was and would be easy with my Grotle and your Sprigatito," she smiled. "But be wary of Roark's last first-badge challenge - it's currently a Cranidos, fast and strikes very hard. If you feel you aren't ready, you also can go to the Coal Mine to train."

Taking note of that, he thanked her and went to eat and feed Alice. Good thing the chow was free for beginner trainers…

"Myamr!" Alice purred, kneading on his stocking-clad leg, and the aroma she extruded somehow soothed him, making him feel mellow and relaxed. He idly wondered if that's what 'smoking weed' felt like, and, letting Alice the Original's instincts take over, rubbed the ears of Alice the Kitten, all the while researching the Gym Leader via his Laptop.

It rankled that he wasn't going to be met with the best the other Trainer could bring on, but he knew he wasn't anywhere ready for that.

'Three Pokemon, most likely a Geodude, an Onix and a Cranidos…' he considered Alice's chances. 'We can take him on.'

After a brief rest, Masquerade marched to the Gym, entering it.

"How many Badges?" asked a man at the entrance.

"None," he replied.

"Give the Gym Trainers and Leader fifteen minutes to prepare."

After the wait, Masqurade cut through the both Gym Trainers easily, Alice reaching Level 15 in the meanwhile, and declining learning Quick Attack.

"I saw your Sprigatito in action!" the red-helmeted young man in a gray jumpsuit clapped as the blond reached him. "It's a very well trained young Pokemon! But don't think I'll be as easy to beat as my employees!"

"Let's battle," Masquerade smirked, brandishing Alice's Pokeball.

The referee raised and swung the flags, and the two threw in their Pokemon.

"Stealth Rock!"

"Magical Leaf."

Somehow, despite Alice being faster in her attack, the Geodude withstood the barrage of leaves, if visibly scruffed, and set sharp shards of stone float all over the battlefield.

"Rock Throw!"

"Again."

This time, the other Pokemon fainted, not managing to fire off its attack.

"Go, Onix! Screech!" The Gym Leader didn't look worried, which worried Masquerade a bit.

"Again," was his response, but once again the other Pokemon avoided an OHKO and then let out an ear-splitting screech.

"Screech again!"

"Again," Masquerade frowned, and thought that maybe he should've worn his mask at this battle.

This time, Alice managed to knock out the Onix before its attack started, and a bright light overtook her.

'She's evolving!' Masquerade thought triumphantly, sensing the familiar from Hydranoid's own evolution metamorphosis of energy. The silhouette in the light turned from a quadruped to a biped, and faded, Alice loudly proclaiming she was a Floragato now.

"Congratulations!" the Gym Leader clapped. "But don't think this would help you in this battle! Go, Cranidos, Headbutt!"

"Magical Leaf," Masquerade quickly ordered, and Alice managed to fire off the attack, which targeted the other Pokemon, but it withstood the onslaught and rammed into her, making her lose her footing and fall on her back… "Again, quick!"

"Headbutt again!"

…the Cranidos was quicker, being in her close quarters already, and the force of the attack knocked out Alice.

"Any other Pokemon?" the Gym Leader asked, and Masquerade grit his teeth, shaking his head. "Well, you put up a very good fight, but it seems you still need to train!"

Withdrawing the fainted Alice, Masquerade paid the Gym Leader a hefty fee, and retreated to the Pokemon Center.

 

[Kamico]

After fighting through droves of Zubat, Geodude and Onix, Masquerade's heart was soothed from his defeat at the Gym, and he was able to think in a productive way. Alice was… he supposed the change in body plan was distracting mid-battle, and thus her loss was understandable - thus he wasn't going to blame her for that loss despite her bad showing against the Cranidos.

Alice yowled, slamming a Leafage into the face of the last Onix, then landed in a crouch, observing the Rock/Ground Pokemon fall.

[Floragato, Grass, lvl 17, HP 26/53]

"Enough," he decided. "We're ready to re-challenge the Gym."

"Gaaato," Alice agreed, after making a few acrobatic tricks in place, showing off, then came to him to…

"What?" he blinked, as she pushed her head against his hand. "You want pets, huh?"

"Myeh," she opened a pink eye as if to ask 'why are you not petting me?', and he scoffed. "Mrowww…"

"It's unnecessary," he told her. She glared from under his hand, her paws kneading his palm. "Let's go-"

He started to move to the exit, but…

"FLORRRR," …Alice physically stopped him, then put his hand on her head. "GAT!"

'Hydranoid never challenged me like this,' Masquerade thought, frowning. "I don't get your desire for scritches. Do you wish to be praised?"

"Muyah!" she nodded.

'Well, I suppose I could work with that,' he sighed internally, deciding to let this slide and giving Alice her desired scritches. He really missed Hydranoid… his attitude in battle, their shared desire to be the strongest, the taciturn yet bloodthirsty personality… Alice was almost as good, but she had these… idiosyncrasies, like wanting affection.

'Wait, that's not an idiosyncrasy at all,' his Original-given memories told him. 'She is just a living being. For a cat, she is fantastically well-behaved, even.'

'I don't need a companion or a friend,' he thought. 'I need…'

Needed what? A tool to bring Master Naga's dominance upon Earth? But he betrayed Master Naga… and he wasn't on Earth anymore…

Now with a headache, he grimaced, and put his hands on his mask, which was the seat of his consciousness… before whatever spirited him away gave him this disappointingly Alice-like body.

"Floooo?" Alice the Floragato put her paws on his stocking-clad knee, looking at him questioningly.

"It's nothing," he responded, dismissing his mask and returning Alice. "Let's go."

Walking out the mine to the Pokecenter, he thought about his new circumstances. He… having lost all purpose, he planned to fade away into his Original back then, so why was he here now? Why in such a body, too, female and reminiscent of Alice, the Original?

"Miss? MISS! Please tone down your Aura, you're spooking the patients!"

He looked up at the local Nurse Joy - and wasn't it a surprise, to there be a Pokemon-like human subspecies? - and, with a grimace, reigned in his energy.

"I apologize," he frowned. "I don't feel all that well."

"I can feel that from your Aura," Nurse Joy nodded. "It's pretty turbulent. Come in, let me get you a cup of cocoa. Any preferences in flavor?"

"...I suppose I don't mind sweet," his Original had a sweet tooth, and he might've inherited that.

The nurse led him to a table and into a chair, then hurried away.

Alice was watching him with wide pink eyes. Was she… worried? Why? They met not that long ago.

'Still, I led her to an evolution in that short time,' Masquerade thought. 'That… that probably was it. She wants me to be in the best condition to continue winning battles.'

This thought felt wrong somehow, but he could not find a fault in it, so he accepted this as truth.

"Here's some cocoa," Nurse Joy returned with a tray and a pink round Pokemon in a white apron. "I'm sorry to presume, but you have a headache, right? Any allergies to medicine?"

"...none, as far I know?" he responded. His Original didn't have any, but…

"I sense some uncertainty," the Nurse frowned. "Did you ever check?"

"...no," he admitted.

"Then, you should check," the pinkette withdrew a notepad and a pen from her pocket, then started writing. "Oreburgh General Hospital is fully equipped with the required specialists, so you should drop by here. It's free of charge once per year, as long as you have a Trainer Card."

'A free health check-up…' Masquerade kept his face neutral. 'I suppose I need this. Otherwise I might get blindsided with something like… degrading because of lack of negative energy?...'

That, back when he was just Masquerade, and not also Alex Gehabich, was a real possibility. Now, however, he didn't feel the telltale fading of awareness that came with low negative energy stores, so tentatively he decided it didn't affect him anymore.

"After…" a pang of headache. "...no, before I get my rematch with Roark."

The nurse smiled.

"Health is important," she told him, the pink pokemon running away. "Drink your cocoa. Do you need a painkiller in the meanwhile?"

He shook his head, the headache returning, and causing him to grimace.

"You should intake medicine if you have any symptoms of illness," Joy lectured him, "No need to withstand it. But do consult at least one of my cousins before doing so."

"Cousins?" he blinked, sipping at the cocoa and deciding that he really didn't have any strong feelings towards sweets.

"The other cities' Joys," she told him, the pink egg Pokemon returning with a blister of pills. "Have one, it'll help with your headache."

Masquerade obeyed, feeling oddly exhausted. After all, it was highly unlikely a known nurse was going to poison him in broad daylight.

"It'll start acting in three minutes," she told him. "Anyway, do you want to heal your Pokemon? You still have just the one, I see. Going for a Dark specialist path?"

"Yes?" was his reply. Were his intentions that easy to read?

"Don't be so surprised," she giggled, and handed him the piece of paper with directions to the clinic. "With your Aura, it's an easy assumption. Anyway, I need to return to my duties. Have a good day!"

And Nurse Joy and her Pokemon went away.

Finishing his cocoa, Masquerade felt the pill kick in. He then stood up, and got Alice healed, and then got the two of them some food.

"Change of plans."

"Myah?" she looked at him questioningly.

"First, I get a medical check-up, THEN we go to rematch Roark."

It rankled him to postpone a battle, but health was important - otherwise, he wouldn't be able to fight further.

"Myah," she nodded and smiled cattily, her ears twitching in an accent.

***

The check-up went well, even if it took entirely too long, because, apparently, he didn't have any medical records in the system - except for a vaccination card, because of course whoever threw him in there didn't want him to keel over because of a common illness - and thus the doctors went kinda… nuts with all kinds of tests.

Still, it was finally over, and so he exited the hospital to see that the night already came.

"So, not today," he frowned, and went to the Pokecenter's attached hostel for the night.

His clothes… they were fairly dusty and sweaty from all the time training in the mine, and so he paid for them to be washed, showering and changing into pajamas in the meanwhile.

"Flooor?" Alice, upon being released from her Pokeball, was ready for battle, but seeing no Pokemon to fight, turned to Masquerade questioningly.

"Tomorrow, the check-up got too long," he told her, yawning.

"What's that Pokemon?" a female redhead Trainer in a blue jumpsuit came closer - too close. "It looks like it'd be very good in a Contest!"

"...a Floragato," Masquerade answered, remembering the other type of trainers. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Oh, where's my manners!" she smiled and waved. "I'm Christine! And you?"

"Alex," he introduced himself by the local name.

"You're on a Gym Circuit, right?" the nosey girl asked. "You should at least try the Contests in Hearthome City! They're fun!"

"I'm not there to have fun," he shot back, then immediately regretted that, as the girl's face turned horrified, so he remedied. "...well, not just that. I'm in this for far more down-to-earth reasons… that are NOT your problem in the slightest."

"Mean!" the girl sniffed. "What are you, a jerk?"

"So what if I am?" he sneered. "And I do not appreciate your attempt to manipulate me into being nicer to you."

"I just pointed that you're being a jerk!" she stomped her foot.

"And I don't want to talk to you," he shot back. "You intruded into my personal space first, anyway. I was as polite as it gets to strangers."

"This is a Pokecenter hostel!" she shouted, attracting the attention of the other occupants. "There is NO personal space!"

"That we are in the same room of a hostel does not mean that you can get into another's close quarters," another female trainer with bright green hair pointed out. "Cut it out, Red, she doesn't want to talk, so let her stay away. And blondie, maybe you should return your Pokemon to its Pokeball. It looks like it's gonna attack Red."

"That's!" Both Trainers turned to Alice, who really looked like she was ready to pounce. "Control your Pokemon!"

"That she didn't attack is her own prodigious self-control," Masquerade scoffed, but withdrew Alice. "If I were a Pokemon, I'd already scratch your face off."

"Girls, if you want to fight, the training field is outside," the greenette said.

"I'd like a battle," Masquerade smiled - it was not a nice smile - thinking that he would love to put this upstart in her place.

"I… I won't back down from a challenge!" Christine boasted. "Let's go!"

They went to the Pokecenter's battle area, facing each other across the battlefield, and the greenette, Ace Trainer Linden, stood as referee.

Masquerade summoned his mask inside his bag, pulled it out, and donned it.

"It's the first time I saw such a model of Hypervisor," Linden whistled. "Girl, where'd you get it?"

"Gramps was a scientist," Masquerade deflected, then turned to his opponent, holding Alice's Pokeball in his outstretched hand. "Let's start already."

"Yeah, let's!" the redhead nodded, oddly pumped up. "I'll go easy on you, no-Badge newbie!"

'You'll pay dearly for underestimating me,' he thought.

"This is a one-on-one battle," Linden raised her hands. "Trainers, release your Pokemon."

"Go, Natu!" Christine threw in a Pokeball, revealing a green orb-like bird. At least this Ventus creature was of proper coloration… and a very shiny plumage, as well as a haughty expression in its eyes.

[Natu, male, Psychic/Flying, HP 36/36]

"Alice, battle," Masquerade threw in his own Pokeball, and his Floragato emerged in a three-point crouch before standing up and yowling, then taking a ready to launch pose.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 53/53]

"Everyone ready?" the referee asked. "Then - GO!"

"Alice, close the distance and Bite."

"Natu, Peck! - oh no, dodge!"

The bird's beak shone with energy, him doing an aborted motion to fly in and attack, but then he took into the air, the Floragato jumping after him and scoring a hit with a spectral maw.

[Natu, male, Psychic/Flying, HP 5/36]

"Oh no, Natu!" the red-haired girl looked astonished. "How did this… Grass-type get the better of you? Fly high and Leer!"

"...Magical Leaf," was Masquerade's simple order.

Alice let out a torrent of mystically shimmering leaves that impacted the flying high scruffed green bird, and, after the onslaught, it fell, unconscious.

"Christine's Natu has fainted!" Linden raised her hand in Masquerade's direction. "Winner - Alex!"

"Whaaaat?!" the redhead shouted, withdrawing her bird Pokemon. "No! This can't be real! I refuse to lose to a Grass-type!"

"I won," Masquerade withdrew Alice and started to walk towards the redhead. "Pay up."

"If only I used Staravia…" the bird keeper groaned. "Fine! Standard rate!"

Money changed hands.

"Damn it, all my friends would be laughing at me…" Christine hung her head. "To lose to a Grass-type…"

Masquerade was tempted to say something derogatory, but held his tongue. He wasn't the strongest there, after all, and he felt that Ace Trainer Linden won't tolerate any more distractions from her beauty sleep…

"Alex, was it?" speak of the devil. "You and your Pokemon have potential. Keep at it. Now, goodnight."

The three girls retreated to the hostel room, and then the greenette went to her bunk bed and hid under the covers.

"...goodnight," the redhead also bid him goodnight, and went to sleep.

'She's angry at her loss,' he thought, 'I'd better hide my stuff. Who knows what this dissatisfaction might cause her to do.'

And so he put his Bag in the security box, and only then went to sleep.

***

In the morning, he woke up early, to see the Ace Trainer already gone, and the Bird Keeper - still asleep.

Counting his blessings, he withdrew his Bag from the security box and went to get his clothes back.

After getting the annoyingly girly outfit back from the smiling older lady and her Poliwag, he retreated to the communal changing room, and switched to the outdoors clothing, folding the pajamas back into the bag, then went to the cafe, getting himself some food and some chow for Alice.

"Myaaah," as she finished her bowl of food, she yawned and went to sit next to him, lifting and putting his hand on her head. "Gat!"

"Fine," he scritched her ears, and she purred. "I really don't get it, but fine."

Somehow, he thought her eyes were sad as he said that.

After breakfast, he went to the Gym, and was allowed to battle Roark immediately.

"There is no point in getting the kids' Pokemon hurt, and they lost already," the helmeted Gym Leader explained, walking towards the Gym Stadium. "So, I'll test your power again. Are you ready?"

Masquerade nodded, they approached the Trainer Pedestals across the battlefield, and the referee raised two flags and announced.

"This is a battle between up to six of Challenger's Pokemon against Gym Leader's three. The Gym Leader is not allowed to make switches. Now, begin!"

The flags were swung, and the blond Brawler released Alice. Across, Roark released his Geodude.

"Magical Leaf," he ordered. "Then, close the distance."

"Sandstorm!" Roark… sacrificed his Geodude to set up this?

The Magical Leaf impacted the Geodude, but it withstood the attack barely, and then the battlefield was filled with flying, swirling sand.

"Bite!" Masquerade shouted across the battlefield and through the wall of sand. The visibility was really bad, so he put his hand in his Bag, summoned his mask, and put it on.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 50/53, WARNING! Sandstorm!]

"Go, Onix!" At least the giant stone snake was hard to not see.

[Onix, female, Rock/Ground, HP 31/31]

'Chip damage from being in a sandstorm?' Masquerade frowned, then ordered. "Leafage!"

"Rock Throw!" came from the other side of the battlefield.

"Dodge those!" Masquerade shouted, but the HP counter of Alice trickled down to 42/53. "Leafage again!"

The Onix was defeated, but not without Alice being hurt. Her trainer cursed inwardly, but did not bow out.

"Well, you got to this point again," Roark's words came through the PA system. "Let's see if you can overcome us! Go, Cranidos! Headbutt!"

"Dodge and Magical Leaf!" Masquerade shouted through the sandstorm. "Keep your distance!"

[Cranidos, male, Rock, HP 12/43]

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 39/53, WARNING! Sandstorm!]

"You won't be able to just dodge everything, the Sandstorm would knock out your Pokemon!" the Gym Leader taunted. "Headbutt!"

"Magical Leaf while dodging!" c'mon, do it…

He couldn't see through the sandstorm, but his mask showed that the Cranidos's HP went to zero, while Alice's HP went only to 36, and so he grinned in victory. Alice did it!

"Gym Leader Roark's Cranidos is unable to battle! The match is concluded!" the referee announced a few moments after. "Winner - Alex Gehabich!"

The sandstorm stopped, and the two trainers exited their pedestals and went to the middle of the battlefield, where Roark outstretched his hand towards Masquerade. Abruptly overcome with memories of Dan doing the same, the blond touched his mask in reassurance that this was real…

"Congratulations!" Roark didn't seem to mind that Masquerade didn't shake his hand, starting to clap instead. "You earned the Coal Badge! Do you have a case to place or pin it?"

"..no," Masquerade admitted.

"Let's move to my office, then, I have a few spares," the miner Gym Leader smiled. "I hope you don't mind Oreburgh-print cases! Oh, and I noticed a few things during our battle, we should talk about them."

The brawler nodded, following the red-headed Rock user to the back of the Gym.

Roark's office was as normal of a boss's office room as it could be - blue faded wallpaper, some photos and certificates in frames on the walls, a desk overflowing with paperwork, a leather swivel chair.

"This was my Father's office before he relocated to Canalave," the redhead sheepishly admitted, looking at a photo of a small himself and a gruff man, both in helmets and with shovels, with a backdrop of a pile of dirt. "He uses Steel-types, and you'll probably need to face him. But, I wanted to talk not about him. Tell me - are you going to be some kind of a Type specialist?"

"Yes," Masquerade nodded.

"And I guess it's not Grass, otherwise you'd catch a Budew to also use against me," Roark continued. "The last evolution of your Starter must have a secondary type. Though, I suppose, it's not my problem anymore - unless you want to share?"

"...Dark," the blond admitted, and the redhead hummed thoughtfully.

"Not a Type for beginners, but I have a feeling you'd excel," the Gym Leader nodded. "I have a Tyranitar I caught as a Larvitar in the Grand Underground, which is a Rock/Dark type… I'm not going to trade it to you, but you definitely should look into the Grand Underground for more Pokemon. I met quite a few Murkrow here, and a few Houndoom, for example… An old man in Eterna City gives the Explorer Kits for free."

He then rummaged through the desk drawers, withdrawing a brown flat plastic case, then opened it and set a silver and brown Badge inside.

"Thank you," Masquerade nodded, hiding the case in his Bag. "Anything else?"

"Get more Pokemon," was Roark's blunt advice. "It doesn't matter if they're not your favorite Type, they'll help you in situations like Gym battles. You're likely to challenge Gardenia, a Grass-type specialist, next, and your Floragato won't be enough. And, if anything else fails, you could hunt for rare Pokemon to trade."

Masquerade nodded, internally categorizing the advice. So, he could get more Dark-types via either the Grand Underground or trading, huh…

"Also, have these," Roark handed him a stack of TMs. "These are Stealth Rock. They hurt switching-in Pokemon. I'm sure you'll find a use for these."

After thanking the Gym Leader, Masquerade hurried to the Pokemon Center, a plan forming in his head…

 

[Kamico]

Having been pointed to Eterna City, Masquerade unfolded his Bicycle - and wasn't that a strange thing, to lug around a whole transportation device - and went to Route 207, where he ascended the steep slope and headed towards Route 206, where he entered the Cycling Road.

The battles there… he and Alice were quickly defeated by a cyclist with a Zubat - that Poison Fang attack was too strong - after fighting another with a Pikachu, so he returned in a hurry to Oreburgh.

"We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy returned Alice's Pokeball to him and he nodded in thanks, and then headed to Route 207 again.

"Let's try to capture another Pokemon," he told Alice. "Preferably something strong against Grass, so you're going to train against them too."

And so the two of them went to beat up Ponytas, Machops and Geodudes.

The night fell, but they continued battling the local Pokemon, Masquerade's energy leaking and intermixing with Alice's. She fought and fought, withstanding Flame Charges, and then reached Level 19.

Then, a particularly strong Zubat challenged them.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 58/58]

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 41/41]

"Get him, Bite," he ordered.

Alice obeyed, springing into action, but the Zubat dodged and used Supersonic - only to miss.

"Again," Masquerade stated, and his Pokemon attempted to attack once more, but then got a faceful of Poison Fang.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 49/58]

'Not bad,' the brawler thought, then ordered. "Get him another way, Magical Leaf!"

Alice made a three-point landing, and released the mystically-shimmering leaves that impacted the Zubat, but in turn it got a clear shot at her with Supersonic.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 49/58, WARNING! Confused!]

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 28/41]

"Continue."

But Alice swayed in place, dodging a Poison Fang, and her attack hit herself.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 38/58, WARNING! Confused!]

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 28/41]

"Again," Masquerade grit his teeth.

"Myehh," Alice meowed, swayed again, but this time the Magical Leaf attack successfully impacted the Zubat, who once again bit her with poison-seeping teeth.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 29/58, WARNING! Confused! Badly Poisoned!]

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 15/41]

'This is getting bad,' the blond trainer thought. 'I need to end this quickly.'

In the meanwhile, the bipedal cat Pokemon visibly snapped out of confusion, then used Magical Leaf on her own accord, pinning the Zubat to the ground.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 26/58, WARNING! Badly Poisoned!]

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 2/41]

'Good girl,' Masquerade smiled, then pulled out a Pokeball out of his bag and threw it at the felled Pokemon. It shook once, twice, thrice - and stilled.

"Tooooga…" Alice hobbled to her trainer, obviously pained. "Tooooga…"

At that, Masquerade returned her to the Pokeball, and, after retrieving his new Pokemon, hurried back to the Oreburgh City Pokecenter.

"...and that's why you should have a few anti-affliction medicines always at hand!" finished her lecture the Nurse Joy. "Honestly, such a rookie mistake… Pokemon are hardy creatures, but it might've cost her a lot!"

"I understand," Masquerade nodded, internally cursing. "I'll get the medicine as soon as Alice gets better."

"She was badly poisoned by your new Zubat," the nurse nodded, handing over a Pokeball. "Nasty stuff, but she'll be back in two hours - you'll have to wait until I make sure all traces of poison are gone from her system. I'm returning the Zubat to you, so get to know your new Pokemon in the meanwhile, perhaps?"

"Right in the Pokecenter?"

"Yes, just return him if he misbehaves," she nodded, and hurried back to her duties.

Not sure but trusting Nurse Joy's advice - she didn't lead him astray yet, after all - he released the Zubat from his Pokeball.

"Zuuuu?" The Pokemon was sent out while sitting on the floor. "Uuu."

"Hello," Masquerade loomed over the Pokemon. "You are my newest Pokemon. I shall guide you to greatness, and in exchange you shall obey me. Is this clear?"

"Uuu," Zubat huddled into himself.

'Easily intimidated, huh…' Masquerade thought. 'He fought very well, though. I can work with this.'

"You fought well against Alice, so I decided to capture you," he continued. "You have potential."

"Zuu?" the Pokemon's ears perked up slightly, but then dropped in sadness. "Baaat…"

Like that, the Pokemon resembled his grandfather's alter-ego a bit…

"You'll be Hal-G," Masquerade suddenly decided.

"Bat?" the Zubat looked thoughtful.

"It's my former coworker's name. He was…" Masquerade reminisced, but then caught himself. "It doesn't matter. Return."

The Pokemon was sucked back into his Pokeball, and the blond then waited for Alice to be healed while surfing the Pokenet on the corner PC.

After an hour and a half of battle theory, Elite Trainer battles - it rankled him a lot that his Pokemon were not up to challenge yet - and Legendary speculation videos, Nurse Joy called him to the front desk and returned Alice's pokeball.

"Thank you," he nodded to the nurse, and she smiled.

"We hope to see you again!"

'It's pretty late,' he thought, returning to Route 207 and releasing both his Pokemon.

Alice materialized, and immediately folded her front paws on her chest, looking away.

"Alice," she didn't look at him. "You did very well in battle against our new teammate. Good job."

"Mroww…" she looked at him, eyes narrowed. He had a feeling she was annoyed at him for some reason…

Ah.

"I didn't praise you back then because time was of the essence," he explained. "You were badly poisoned, and thus I needed to get you to the Pokecenter as quickly as possible."

She looked at him askew, but then continued pouting.

"I am not going to bend and start asking what to do to get in your good graces again," he frowned. "I did nothing wrong."

"Raflo," Alice's ears flattened, and she looked… still mad, but now considering. "Gaato."

After nodding, she unfolded her paws and Returned herself, leaving Masquerade with Hal-G alone.

'What was that about?' he wondered, then decided to let her sulk, and withdrew his Pokedex.

"You have… Mean Look, Poison Fang, Astonish and Supersonic," the blond Brawler looked up his new Pokemon's attacks. "Not bad. Let's train you here."

But first, he went to the Pokemart, stocking on five of each of the anti-affliction medicines plus some Potions.

At Route 207, they fought against more Ponytas, Geodudes and Machops until morning, when the Kriketots started appearing.

The battle style of Hal-G was very different from that of Alice - he relied on his aerial superiority to confuse the other Pokemon, before using Poison Fang to badly poison the foe and then waited for the toxin to do its work, periodically using Astonish to snipe away attacks like Rock Throw and preventing the foe from running with Mean Look.

And the Ponytas, at least, tried.

It was a good battle style, but it took up the entirety of Hal-G's repertoire, making him a one-trick pony, so Masquerade decided to break him out of the bad habit of relying on this single strategy.

"Continue using Poison Fang," the blond ordered while fighting a Ponyta. "Dodge the attacks."

The Ponytas used Tackle, but Hal-G fluttered away from the charge, and bit into the flank of the horse-like foe.

The Ponyta fainted, and Masquerade idly checked the HP of his Pokemon.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 31/45]

'No need to heal him,' he thought.

The tall grass rustled, and he turned to the new Pokemon…

'Huh?' he blinked, then urgently ordered. "Hal-G, Mean Look!"

The Larvitar that emerged from the tall grass roared in challenge, then used Rock Throw at his Zubat.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 28/45]

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 25/25]

'Strong?...' Masquerade wondered, and ordered: "Dodge the rocks into Astonish."

Hal-G weaved around the next Rock Throw and attacked Larvitar from behind, spooking it and making it flinch.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 28/45]

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 17/25]

"Again," the blond quickly ordered, and Hal-G got a free hit of Astonish before Larvitar attempted to retaliate with Tackle… to no avail.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 28/45]

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 9/25]

Masquerade lobbed a Pokeball at the rock Pokemon, and it flew true, impacting the larval creature and sucking it inside, then rocking once…

Twice…

Thrice…

Ding! Larvitar was caught!

The blond then walked to the Pokeball and picked it up.

'A Rock/Ground-type and a female…' he thought, looking at the Pokeball, then considering: 'I already have an Alice and a Hal-G, so…'

He released his new Pokemon, the Larvitar looking at him with a considering expression.

"You'll be… Julie," he decided, pulling off the occupied Pokeball off his belt. "Alice, come out, meet our new capture."

"Flor?" she emerged from the Pokeball, looked at Larvitar, and then saluted at him. "Gato!"

'She is no longer sulking,' he noted with a slightly smug smile. "Alice, this is Julie, our new recruit. Julie, this is Alice, my strongest Pokemon."

"Tar!" Julie scoffed, folding her tiny paws.

"Toflaa?" Alice looked at the Rock Pokemon, and smiled smugly at her, also folding her paws. "Floragato!"

"Larvaaa?!" Julie's hackles were raised.

"Stop," Masquerade ordered. "I am not going to make you apologize to each other, but I do ask you three to respect each other… yes, three."

Alice and Julie both glanced at the fluttering uncertainly Hal-G, then looked at their Trainer, unimpressed. Masquerade internally sighed - this was the consequence of having several Darkus-aligned beings on one team, he supposed, and he was going to collect even more…

"Let's heal you lot and return."

A few Potions later, he mounted his Bicycle and attempted to brave the Cycling Road again.

"Hey, it's you!" the cyclist with the Zubat grinned. "Wanna try again?"

"Sure," Masquerade grinned in anticipation, and the two faced off.

"Zubat, go!"
"Go, Julie."

"A Larvitar! Rather rare out there," The cyclist whistled. "I see you came prepared. But don't think I'll be defeated easily! Zubat, Mean Look!"

"Rock Throw."

The opposing bat glared, pinning Julie in place, but she ignored that and threw a magically-conjured rock, clipping her foe in the wing

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 25/43]

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 25/25]

"Poison Fang!"

"Repeat."

The Zubat swooped low, biting Julie with a poison-filled maw, but then it got another conjured rock directly to the back, sniping it.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 0/43]

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 13/25, WARNING! Badly poisoned!]

"Congratulations!" the cyclist clapped, returning his Pokemon. "You won. Here's your money back."

Masquerade curtly nodded, collecting the money, then rummaged through his bag for an Antidote and a Potion.

"Laar-vi?" Julie looked at Masquerade consideringly as he applied medicine to his newest Pokemon. "Tatar."

'I wish Pokemon could talk, like Bakugan,' Masquerade thought. 'This Poke-speak is hard to parse.'

Next was another cyclist, this time leading with a Shinx.

"Go, Julie," he sent her again, and the other trainer loudly cursed.

"Damn it, a Ground-type… we can do it! Shinx, use Bite!"

"Rock Throw."

The lion kitten Pokemon was quicker, jumping to Julie and Biting her, but she then threw a conjured rock at its back.

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 5/27]

[Shinx, female, Electric, HP 32/40]

"Julie, return," Masquerade decided. "Alice, finish it."

"Bite!"

The green bipedal cat was Bitten on arrival.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 50/58]

[Shinx, female, Electric, HP 32/40]

"Bite back."

"Bite!"

The two cats manifested spectral maws and used them on each other - one with a lot more effect than the other.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 42/58]

[Shinx, female, Electric, HP 2/40]

"Wha- strong!" the cyclist exclaimed. "But we won't go gown without a battle! Bite again!"

"Leafage."

Alice yowled, and striked first, KO-ing the other cat.

[Learn Seed_Bomb Y/N?]

[Choose a move to replace: Leafage, Hone Claws, Bite, Magical Leaf]

[Leafage shall be forgotten]

[Learn Bite Y/N?]

[Choose a move to replace: Tackle, Leer, Payback, Rock Throw]

[Tackle shall be forgotten]

"Well, I spoke too soon," the other trainer sighed. "Avenge your sister, Shinx!"

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 44/60]

[Shinx, female, Electric, HP 39/39]

"Seed Bomb," Masquerade ordered, curious what the attack did.

"Bite- wait, what?!"

Alice, in turn, used her new attack by withdrawing the bud from her collar and swinging it like a flail at the Shinx, the bud exploding on contact and knocking the opposing Pokemon instantly.

"Whoah," the cyclist's mouth gaped. "So strong!"

Money changed hands, and Masquerade, after restoring the health of his Pokemon, rode north, running into yet another Cyclist.

'Go, Julie," he released her, and the other threw out a Starly.

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 30/30]

[Starly, male, Normal/Flying, HP 38/38]

"Larvitar, huh…" the other trainer looked pensive. "Damn, that's not good… Wing Attack!"

"Rock Throw."

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 1/30]

[Starly, male, Normal/Flying, HP 20/38]

"Julie, return," Masquerade hurried to retrieve his Pokemon. "Go, Hal-G."

"Wing Attack that bat!"

But Hal-G, despite just having emerged from the Pokeball, dodged Starly's attack.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, 43/43]

[Starly, male, Normal/Flying, HP 20/38]

"Poison Fang," the blond ordered.

"Wing Attack!"

The flying Pokemon exchanged attacks, but the Starly looked more hurt than the Zubat in the end, seemingly barely hanging on.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, 39/43]

[Starly, male, Normal/Flying, HP 3/38]

"Again,"

"Quick Attack!"

The bird blurred into action, impacting Hal-G, who in turn bit the Starly again, causing it to fall.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, 17/43]

[Starly, male, Normal/Flying, HP 0/38]

"I see that I won't get you that easily!" the Cyclist exclaimed. "Go, Staravia!"

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 17/43]

[Staravia, male, Normal/Flying, HP 41/41]

"Poison Fang."

"Wing Attack!"

The bird struck fast and hard, but the bat managed to get a bite in before being knocked out.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 0/43]

[Staravia, male, Normal/Flying, HP 30/41, WARNING! Badly Poisoned!]

Masquerade grit his teeth.

"Go, Alice," he threw in his last Pokemon. "Bite!"

"Wing Attack!" The other trainer looked entirely too smug.

Alice's spectral maws of Bite visibly mauled the second bird, but its glowing wing strike visibly hit hard.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 36/60]

[Staravia, male, Normal/Flying, HP 4/41, WARNING! Badly Poisoned!]

"Wing Attack again!"

"It's going to faint soon, dodge the attack."

Alice heeded him, and dodged the wing strike, and the Staravia succumbed to poison.

"Well, damn," the cyclist swore and clapped. "This was a hell of a fight."

Money exchanged hands, Masquerade healed his Pokemon, and considered what to do next. On one hand, the trainers there were entirely too strong, on the other - he wanted to get to Eterna City already…

'One last Trainer between the next city and me,' he thought and rode on. 'I can't give up here!'

"Hallo, Trainer!" the last Cyclist greeted him. "Let's battle! Go, Ponyta! Flame Charge!"

"Go, Julie," he threw out his Larvitar. 'Rock Throw."

The horse Pokemon was quicker, attacking with full-body wreathed in fire charge, Julie throwing a rock after it.

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 17/32]

[Ponyta, female, Fire, HP 30/44, Spe_UP(1)]

'Julie won't win this,' Masquerade thought, yet ordered: "Again."

"Flame Charge again!"

The second bout happened the same as the last one, but with the Ponyta accelerating even more.

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 3/32]

[Ponyta, female, Fire, HP 15/44, Spe_UP(2)]

"Julie, return," the blond returned his Pokemon. "Alice, finish this!"

The opponent actually laughed, seeing Floragato emerge, missing an opportunity to attack.

"Flame Charge this grass-type!" she ordered after stopping.

"Bite!"

The Bite attack was enough, to Masquerade's relief - but not before the entirely too fast horse landed a hit on Alice.

"Dammit, shouldn't have gotten relaxed…" the other trainer cursed. "Oh well."

And so, after collecting money, Masquerade reached Eterna City through the Cycling Road, and hurried to the Pokecenter.

'That… was exhilarating,' he thought afterwards, in the Pokecenter's lobby. Strong trainers keeping him at the edge of defeat every time he fought… it was almost like the times when he fought Dan… 'I hope the local Gym trainers will be as good as the Cycling Road ones.'

After getting his Pokemon back, and asking the nurse about Roark's advice about the Grand Underground, he was pointed to a nondescript house next to the Pokecenter.

"I am the first to have started digging out the Grand Underground, I am!" the old man in there greeted him with these words. "You can call me Underground Man. Everyone else does. I'll make it a gift to you, and you'll go and dig up lots of things!"

And so Masquerade received an Explorer Kit.

"Just use it on the outside to get to the Grand Underground," the man told him. "I hope you'll use it well!"

Masquerade, once again weirded out by the sheer generosity the locals possessed, thanked the man and exited the house.

'Now, to try this Underground exploring, or to challenge the Gym,' he thought.

Now, he wasn't sure he was ready for the Gym. He really struggled with the Cycling Road trainers, and he thought that maybe getting a few more Pokemon would do hm good…

'Well, that's it, then,' And so he opened the Explorer Kit.

Immediately, he was transported underground. There, he immediately saw… Roark?

"Oh, Alex," the Gym Leader greeted him. "Good to see you here - following my advice?"

Masquerade nodded curtly, a bit disoriented from the sudden transportation that was quite unlike and alike the Transport Card.

"Welcome to the Sinnoh's Grand Underground!" the redhead cheered, hands outstretched. "A network of tunnels, caves and caverns beneath Sinnoh. You can use the Explorer Kit's Return function to get back."

And so Roark pulled his own Explorer Kit and demonstrated.

'Well, I suppose this was handy,' the blond thought and opened his own, pulling out a map of the Grand Underground. 'The Pokemon there are in caves, right? Let's get to the nearest one.'

And so the blond went to the nearest cave.

It was a tranquil watery space, lit by… somewhere up high. A few Flying and Water Pokemon were there, and he went to challenge a white and blue bird that his filled Pokedex identified as a Swablu.

"Hal-G, Poison Fang!" he ordered, and the bat Pokemon, emerging, flew to the other flier Pokemon and bit with a glowing purple mouth.

The Swablu retaliated with a an… attempt to sing?

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 43/43]

[Swablu, female, Normal/Flying, HP 19/38, WARNING! Badly Poisoned!]

"Again."

Hal-G obeyed, getting a peck in return - the foe fainting afterwards, as the poison did its work.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 36/45]

"Return," the blond retrieved the Zubat and switched Pokeballs. "Alice, attack the pink slug - Seed Bomb!"

The slug - Shellos - did not stand a chance.

After clearing the cavern of Pokemon, Masquerade exited it, and headed to the next one, which was the same as the previous, if differing a bit in layout. In there, the only surprise was a small green and white Pokemon that attacked on sight.

"Tch," Masquerade scoffed, dodging the purple-pink beam. To think some Pokemon would actually be ruthless enough to attack him! "Go, Alice. Seed Bomb."

Alice emerged with a yowl, then slammed an exploding flower bud into the attacker.

[Ralts, male, Psychic/Fairy, HP 5/42]

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 60/60]

"Raaaa?" the opposing Pokemon cried, knocked prone.

'That's a chance to catch it,' Masquerade noted, and, before he could talk himself out of it, threw in a Pokeball.

It rocked once…

Twice…

Thrice…

…and clicked shut.

"Alice, continue taking on local Pokemon," he ordered, stepping closer to the Pokeball and scanning it via Pokedex.

[Ralts, lvl 20, male, Psychic/Fairy, Trace, HP 5/42, Moves: Psybeam, Confuse Ray, Draining Kiss, Hypnosis]

He breathed out, tension leaving him.

'That was entirely too close,' he frowned at the occupied Pokeball in his hand. 'It actually aimed at me. I thought Pokemon wouldn't do that unless badly provoked?'

Alice, in the meanwhile, took out a Gastrodon, then moved on to a Swablu.

"Hal-G, Julie," Masquerade released his Pokemon. "Observe Alice."

The green cat Pokemon in the meanwhile used Bite to defeat a Bidoof.

The levels of his Pokemon, tracked by the HP value with his mask, rose somewhat as Alice tore through the Pokemon in this cave. Soon, there were no more Pokemon, and Masquerade moved on.

The next cave was different - pretty spacious, in his opinion. And he saw a Dark crow-like Pokemon there, so he ran to it, and released Hal-G.

"Poison Fang."

The Murkrow got wreathed in a titanic amount of power and attempted to crash into Hal-G, who barely dodged, and bit into the other flier.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 45/45]

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 38/47]

'What was that?!' Masquerade wondered. He felt that the force behind that attack was immense. "Again!"

That attack again, this time landing and knocking out Hal-G instantly.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 21/47]

'He took damage too?' Masquerade wondered. "Go, Julie! Rock Throw!"

Julie emerged, ready to fight, but that attack… it hit her head-on and left her on the verge of fainting.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 11/47]

[Larvitar, female, Rock/Ground, HP 1/32]

"Hang on," and so Masquerade threw in a Pokeball.

It shook once…

Twice…

…and exploded.

'Darn it,' Masquerade thought, as the Murkrow used a standard Wing Attack to knock out Julie. "Alice, focus on dodging."

Floragato emerged from the Pokeball, and immediately had to dodge that attack - but his instruction allowed her to avoid the attack.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 11/47]

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 63/63]

The blond threw in another Pokeball. It shook once…

Twice…

Thrice…

…and clicked shut.

Masquerade breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, then grinned. This powerhouse of a Pokemon was now his!

"Mryeh?" Alice looked at him, seemingly waiting for something. It took him entirely too long to remember to praise her.

"Good job dodging that attack. Now, we should return to the surface, I think - heal, Hal-G, Julie, and our new acquisitions, then get some food."

 

[Kamico]

"It attacked you directly?" back in the Pokecenter, the local Eterna City Nurse Joy gasped. "And you still decided to catch it? What were you thinking?!"

"I didn't," Masquerade deadpanned. "I just threw the Pokeball."

"..." the pinkette stared, then rubbed her forehead. "I suppose that would be a Trainer's instinct… In any case! You'll first talk to that Ralts under my supervision only, for your own safety!"

'That's a sensible precaution,' he thought, mildly irritated at the lack of asking, and voiced aloud: "Sure."

"I'll have a break in an hour, please wait a bit," she smiled at him. "You can get to know your other new teammate during that time."

The blond nodded, and the pinkette hurried away.

'Well, I suppose I have some time to kill,' he thought, going to the Pokecenter's cafeteria and getting himself and his Pokemon - sans the Ralts - some food.

"A Floragato, a Zubat, a Larvitar and a Murkrow, right?" the food lady asked, mixing the Pokechow for each. "Have a good meal!"

"Thank you," Masquerade picked the tray with the food bowls and went to a table in the mostly-empty cafeteria, deposited his own noodle bowl to the table, and set the Pokemon bowls on the floor.

"Come out," he released his team and the Murkrow, the Ralts's Pokeball secured in his bag. "Let's eat."

Alice, Hal-G and Julie looked at the carefully observing everyone and everything else Murkrow, then went to their bowls and started to eat.

"Krow?" The bird Pokemon flapped his wings and landed on the table, looking in Masquerade's eyes with his entirely too serious red ones. "Mor?"

"I am your new Trainer," Masquerade introduced himself. "You'll be…"

'I have a Julie and an Alice already,' he thought. 'So…'

"...Shun," he finished.

"Kro?" the newly-named Shun tilted his head.

"Now eat, we'll have a stressful confrontation later," Masquerade ordered, and the crow Pokemon obeyed, jumping off the table and… "Julie, that's not your bowl. Get to your own."

"Vi-la!" his Larvitar only giggled, sending another piece of seed mix Pokechow into her mouth.

"I will Return you and then give your food to Shun if you continue doing this," Masquerade threatened, and Julie froze, before reluctantly toddling to her own bowl and eating from there.

"Mur," Shun nodded at Masquerade and then started to peck at his food.

The blond then started to eat his beef noodles, idly wondering how meat was sourced for it…

'I can just look it up later,' he thought, then caught a glimpse of a blue-haired girl entering the cafeteria. 'Oh, that's her… whatever her name is.'

She also caught sight of him, and waved, then headed to his table.

"Hi," she smiled. "I realized I never introduced myself. I'm Dawn, and you?"

"Alex," he introduced himself. "You wanted something from me?"

She sat across from him, studying his face intently.

"Actually, yeah," she nodded after a while. "Have you heard of Team Galactic?"

"Can't say I have," he tilted his head slightly. "What is it?"

"A band of criminals, basically," she frowned. "They steal Pokemon. There is a HQ in this city, too."

'So it's actually possible,' he thought, but outwardly he frowned.

"I see. So, you want backup in case you confront them?"

"Yes… but I don't know anyone there," she sighed. "So I'm glad I ran into you. I'd be immensely glad to have someone helping."

"What do I get from that?" he asked instead of agreeing.

Dawn frowned.

"I… you'll get the money from the defeated Trainers?" she offered. "And experience? And I'll owe you?"

'She'll owe me?' he thought, incredulous. 'Who does she think she is, an Ace trainer?'

'She is desperate, I should help her,' came inherited from the original thought. 'Or she might get in trouble alone. She's ten, she shouldn't be taking on criminals! And her mother was nice to me…'

'What the hell am I thinking? I need to see if she'd be a burden, AND I want a battle.'

"Battle me," he spoke aloud.

"Sure," she nodded. "Now?"

He looked at his Pokemon.

"I have an appointment in…" he checked his Poketch. "...an hour, so we'd better do it fast. Let's go."

And so the two of them went to the Pokecenter's battlefield.

"This is a four-on-four battle," the nurse, not Joy, announced. "Ready? Start!"

"Go, Blueberry!" she led with a Shinx evolution. "Charge!"

"Julie, go," he sent out his Larvitar. "Rock Throw!"

***

He and his Pokemon lost.

"You're a lot stronger than any Trainers I've met so far," Dawn's words helped… slightly. "You managed to bring down Apple, Carrot and Blueberry. That Murkrow of yours is a beast."

"He is," Masquerade nodded, giving up his Pokemon to be healed. "You're probably the strongest Trainer I met, too. Now, I'll have to confront a Pokemon that tried to attack me directly - I caught it, so I need to see if I can work with it. Nurse Joy said to not confront it without her, though."

"Wow," Dawn looked boggled. "I thought that only happened when the Pokemon was really provoked? What did you do?"

"I just entered the cave, and it attacked," Masquerade shook his blonde head. "I barely managed to release one of my own Pokemon to fight it."

"What kinda Pokemon was it, a Mightyena?" she still looked disbelieving.

"A Ralts."

"A Ralts?" Dawn looked incredulous. "But they're all timid and shy! Something must be wrong with it."

"Well, we'll see," Masquerade told the busybody. "In the meantime, wanna watch champion battles?"

"...sure," she nodded and they spent the time their Pokemon were healed researching Gardenia.

The dinner break time came, and Nurse Joy exited her place behind the counter and approached the two Trainers.

"Alex, are you ready?" she asked, returning them their Pokemon and releasing her Chansey, who started to cast some sort of barriers around the humans. "Release a loyal Pokemon, but not all of them - no use spooking it. Miss, I'm going to ask you to get clear."

"I am," he nodded, opening Alice's Pokeball, the Floragato emerging with a flourish of the bud vine.

"Okay," Dawn went to the other side of the Pokecenter.

"Ready," the pinkette told him, and the blond threw out the Pokeball with the Ralts.

"Raaa!" the Pokemon was still battered from its battle against Alice. It spotted Nurse Joy and Chansey, and tried to hide behind them, only to run into a barrier.

"...it's just frightened out of its mind," the Nurse breathed in relief as the pink egg-shaped Pokemon talked to the green and white humanoid. "It… mistook you for some Pokemon? I think."

"Awww," Dawn approached them. "I really want a Ralts of my own…"

Masquerade frowned. The energy of this Pokemon was completely incompatible with his own…

"I think I'll still trade him away," he said. "Psychic and Fairy are… not my types."

"Ralts are mildly rare," Nurse Joy pointed out as her Chancey healed the Ralts. "There is a demand for them. You can go to Jubilife and trade this handsome guy!"

"Ralts?" The green-headed Pokemon looked at Masquerade and shuddered, folding his hand and looking away. "Ats!"

"It seems to agree to be traded," the pinkette nodded. "The Global Trade Station is in Jubilife City, so you could backtrack there. In the meanwhile, I recommend storing this guy in a Pokemon Storage System box."

"I will," Masquerade nodded and Returned the Ralts, then went to the PC, logging in the Trainer's PC… "How do I log into the Pokemon Storage System?"

"I'll explain," Dawn told Nurse Joy. "Please don't stay on our behalf, and have your dinner."

The pinkette looked at the blond for confirmation, and he nodded, so she and her Chancey went to the cafeteria.

Dawn explained, and Masquerade successfully stored the Ralts in the Pokemon Box.

"Let's go now," and then Dawn took his hand and tugged him to the exit.

Squashing a flash of irritation - how dare she manhandle him - he allowed her to lead him to the Gym.

The Gym Leader was waiting in the first room.

"At my Gym, no one gets to battle with the Gym Leader - me - until they've beaten all the other Trainers," she told them. "Out of you two, who would be first? How many Badges?"

"Me, one," Dawn raised her hand. "Can Alex watch?"

"No," was the immediate answer. "Unless she has a different amount of Badges."

"...also one," he shook his blond head. "Okay, I'll wait for you here, Dawn."

And so Dawn and Gardenia went deeper to the Gym, leaving him to wait, so he pulled out his laptop and did what he should've done earlier - research his newly-caught Pokemon. He knew from the Pokedex that the monstrously powerful attack Shun had was called Brave Bird, but… why does a young Pokemon have it?

And that's why he got neck-deep into the Pokemon Breeder forums, fascinated by the whole 'make the best Pokemon' idea.

"Alex?" Dawn's voice made him flinch in surprise, and he looked up from the food supplement effect spreadsheet. "I got the badge! Gardenia is going to receive you in ten minutes."

She showed off the badge in her blue case, nested next to the Coal on, and he nodded, turning off the laptop and hiding it in the entirely-too-big-on-the-inside bag, then standing up from the chair and mentally going through the plan of the next gauntlet of battles - it mostly boiled to 'use Hal-G at everything and keep Shun as a trump card'.

The Gym Leader herself went to fetch him.

"You're up, challenger," he dodged her attempt to pat his shoulder. "You'll have to find and battle all the Gym Trainers before you fight me. Good luck!"

And so she disappeared in the artificial woods of the Gym.

Masquerade smirked, summoned his mask, and released Hal-G.

"We need to find a trainer in these woods - fly high and search for them."

The Zubat nodded, and flew up high, circling the small woods above. Then, he descended, and made an 'after me' little dance.

The blond trainer followed his Pokemon to a young girl in a dead end.

"You cheated!" she accused him. "I saw your Zubat flying around!"

"It was never said I couldn't use my Pokemon to help," Masquerade smirked, brandishing his Pokeball. "Are you going to battle me or not?"

"I'll defend the Gym!" the girl shouted and released… a Roselia?

'Change of plans,' he thought, throwing in Shun's Pokeball. "Wing Attack."

That one attack was enough to KO the opposing Pokemon.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 47/47]

[Roselia, female, Grass/Poison, HP 0/41]

"You… you must be cheating!" the annoying girl exclaimed, releasing a Cherubi. "My Roselia never fell this fast!"

"Cry me a river about it," Masquerade scoffed. "Shun, again."

The cherry-like Pokemon did not stand a chance, either

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 47/47]

[Cherubi, female, Grass, HP 0/45]

'Haven't seen anyone cry in a while,' he thought, relishing in the tears of his felled opponent.

"T-the next Trainer… hic… I won't tell you!" the girl managed to say in-between the hiccups.

Masquerade shrugged - he was a bit relieved to see that there were people who reacted normally to a loss - then got Hal-G to find the next Gym Trainer, a lady in a green skirt.

"Your smell…" she frowned. "...no, I won't say. Go, Budew! Stun Spore!"

"Shun, Wing Attack."

The opposing Pokemon tried, but Shun was just faster.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 47/47]

[Budew, female, Grass/Poison, HP 0/38]

The next two Budew met the same fate.

"Next Trainer is in the middle of three trees," she told him, but he once again followed Hal-G until the aforementioned three trees, different from the rest.

"You…" the Aroma Lady frowned, squeezing her Pokeball. "Why do you smell of death and ash?"

"Battle me," he only brandished his own.

"..." she looked at him intently. "...go, Turtwig. Curse!"

"Go, Hal-G," Masquerade ordered the bat, and he flew in. "Poison Fang."

The purple bat was faster, biting into the turtle's flank with a poisonous maw. The turtle, in turn, concentrated its energy somehow…

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 45/45]

[Turtwig, male, Grass, HP 25/49, ATK_UP(1), DEF_UP(1), SPD_DW(1), WARNING! Badly Poisoned!]

"Again," he ordered.

"Tackle!" was the other's shout.

Hal-G bit again, but the other Pokemon retaliated this time with a full-body attack.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 31/45]

[Turtwig, male, Grass, HP 5/49, ATK_UP(1), DEF_UP(1), SPD_DW(1), WARNING! Badly Poisoned!]

"Again," Masquerade nodded - this was the end.

"Tackle again!"

But the turtle did not manage to get a last attack in, being felled by Hal-G.

[Zubat, male, Poison/Flying, HP 33/47]

[Turtwig, male, Grass, HP 0/49]

"...your next opponent is beside four flowers," the Aroma Lady told him.

Once again not bothering with the hint, he healed Hal-G and sent him to seek the next Gym trainer.

"Hiya!" the admittingly beautiful woman smiled and giggled. "You've found me! Now we battle! Go, Roselia! Stun Spore!"

"Shun, Wing Attack."

But despite the bravado, the other Pokemon was felled in a single hit of shining wing.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 49/49]

[Roselia, female, Grass/Poison, HP 0/44]

"Aww," she pouted. "You've beaten me!... girl, wanna have your Trainer Class changed to Beauty? You have the looks for it."

"No, thank you," Masquerade deadpanned. "Where to next?"

"Next is the Gym Leader at the back of the Gym!" the beauty giggled. "Good luck!"

And so the blond went there, to face his second Gym Leader.

"I had a feeling you'd get to me," the brown-haired woman smiled after he went through the door to the arena. "Don't think anyone ever used a Pokemon to pass the test, but I suppose I'll allow it. Now, battle me!"

The referee waited until the two Trainers reached the battle pedestals, then raised the flags.

"This is a battle between up to six of Challenger's Pokemon against Gym Leader's three. The Gym Leader is not allowed to make switches. Now, begin!"

"Go, Cherubi!" the Gym Leader sent out. "Sunny Day!"

"Go, Shun - Wing Attack."

But the crow Pokemon was faster, KO'ing the cherry Pokemon before it could do anything.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 49/49]

[Cherubi, female, Grass, HP 0/41]

"Cherubi is unable to battle - winner, challenger's Murkrow!" was announced.

"Well-trained," the Gym Leader whistled. "You're someone to watch out for, huh? Go, Turtwig - Grass Knot!"

"Again," the blond smiled. This was going a lot better than the Oreburgh Gym.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 49/49]

[Turtwig, male, Grass, HP 0/51]

"Turtwig is unable to battle - winner, Murkrow!"

"Not bad!" his opponent announced. "But this is not the end! Go, Roserade! Grass Knot!"

'This one looks strong,' Masquerade thought and made a snap decision. "Brave Bird."

"Wait, did you say-"

The Murkrow, clad in an aura of power, broke through the tangle of grass that threatened to overtake it, and slammed into the rose-themed Pokemon.

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 21/52]

[Roselia, female, Grass/Poison, HP 0/56]

"Roserade is unable to battle!" the referee raised his flag. "The challenger is the winner of this battle!"

"..." the Gym Leader seemed to be struck speechless, but quickly recovered, jumping off her platform and walking to the center of the arena. "...oh wow, haven't thought I'd get a Brave Bird attack from a single-badge challenger. In any case, congratulations! You earned the Forest Badge!"

Masquerade stepped off his platform, taking off the mask, and also walked to the center of the arena.

"Oreburgh Gym was harder," he taunted, but Gardenia only laughed.

"Oh, you must be the challenger with a sole Floragato," she smiled. "Yeah, Gyms aren't usually brought down by a single Pokemon. Though, that Murkrow of yours is a complete beast of a Pokemon! Got him from the Grand Underground, didn't you?"

"...How did you know?" he asked carefully.

She laughed.

"While Murkrow are found in Eterna Forest, Pokemon with Egg Moves are usually from Grand Underground - and yours knows Brave Bird, which is usually a Starly line attack. Ah, if only I knew of it, I'd use my Grotle with Protect… here's your Badge, and these are on me!"

He received the Badge and the TMs, putting the former into the case and the latter into a special pocket of his Bag.

"Anyway, wanna hear my feedback?" she smiled.

"...sure," he closed his Bag and prepared to listen attentively.

"Your Pokemon are strong, but the Pokemon in the Grand Underground are going to be even stronger - so, train aboveground in the meanwhile, OK?" she told him seriously. "Especially as you got a new Badge now. Somehow, Pokemon feel that, and so more powerful Pokemon shall challenge you there. Besides that, maybe get your Zubat another attack? It seems to be a Special-leaning one."

"Sure," taking note of that, he nodded. "Goodbye."

"Bye-bye!" she waved as he returned to the lobby.

Dawn was waiting there, standing up to greet him as he exited the main rooms of the Gym.

"Did you win?" she asked, and he grinned.

"Of course. Oreburgh was harder."

"Let's go to the Pokemon Center," she smiled. "And then we'll storm the Galactic Building."

 

[Kamico]

The Galactic HQ was a tall building to the north of the city. Dawn shared with him the Cut command to his Poketch, and, one small tree later, they entered the criminal den.

Two weirdly-dressed people - Masquerade saw one such in the city proper - one male and one female, hurried to Masquerade and Dawn, another running upstairs.

"We're gathering Pokemon for an astonishing undertaking!" the male grunt exclaimed. "Go, Zubat! Mean Look!"

"Dearies, the Team Galactic doesn't accept children as members," the female one crooned. "Come, Wurmple! Poison Sting!"

"Go, Blueberry!" Dawn sent out her Luxio. "Spark on Zubat!"

"Go, Shun - Wing Attack on Wurmple."

The opposing Pokemon didn't stand a chance, Luxio and Murkrow easily knocking them out.

"Grr…" the male grunt growled. "Go, Glameow! Fake Out on that Murkrow!"

"You'll pay for this! Cascoon, Tackle on Luxio!"

"Again on Cascoon."

"Spark on Glameow!"

The gray cat-like Pokemon moved too fast for Masquerade to see, slapping out of the air and stunning Shun. Dawn's Luxio, in the meanwhile, whirled in place, clad in electric sparks, and attacked the other cat - then was thrown back with the cocoon's ram.

Masquerade tsk-ed, and ordered.

"Wing Attack on Cascoon."

"Spark on Glameow!"

"Tackle on Luxio!"

"Scratch on Luxio!"

Shun was the first to act, slamming a shining wing at the purplish cocoon and causing it to faint. Luxio was next, his Spark attack knocking out the other cat.

"B-but dearies, you're just kids!" the female grunt exclaimed.

"I feel like I got meddled with…" the male sighed, the two retrieving their Pokemon.

Dawn nodded… and returned her Luxio?

"Shouldn't we try to," Masquerade frowned, not retrieving Shun, "I don't know, tie them up or take away their Pokemon?"

"M-my Cascoon?!" the male exclaimed, holding the Pokeball defensively to his chest. The other grunt was also watching the two intruders with wide eyes.

"I'm not a thief," Dawn also frowned.

"Not what I meant," the blond shook his head, rapidly thinking how to sell his idea to the heroic dumbass. "These criminals are likely to use stolen Pokemon, so maybe we could liberate them… or give to, say, Nurse Joy to return to their trainers?"

"T-that's my Cascoon!" the man squeaked. "Don't take him from me!"

"Or, we should make sure they won't escape as soon as we go away," Masquerade smoothly continued. "Make sure they'll be taken by the authorities."

"We have no time," Dawn sighed. "If you can knock them out, sure, but we need to move on."

The blond brawler smiled - the two grunts stepped back - and then stepped closer to the losers and put his hands, clad in Negative energy, on their faces - and both of the opponents fell on the ground, as if they were puppets with strings cut.

Dawn tilted her head as Masquerade went through their pockets, retrieving Pokeballs and money.

"That's stealing," she frowned.

"I'm not going to use or keep them," Masquerade told her. "I'm confiscating these to give to the police."

"I suppose," and then they ascended the stairs.

The second floor was full of desks with computer-bound Grunts everywhere. They mostly didn't look up from the screens.

"H-huh? Intruders?!" one squeaked, and then the Grunts all looked at them.

"Bwuh, I don't have any Pokemon…"

"I have that stolen Pokemon! Go, Silcoon! String Shot them!"

"Me too - go, Wurmple!"

"Go, Bethany, Akira! I'm gonna cheer you on!"

Masquerade didn't even need to dodge, as the both Pokemon, after emerging from the Pokeball, refused to attack.

"Go, Velvet - Flame Charge!" Dawn took initiative, and the cocoon was run over by the flame-clad horse Pokemon, knocking the former out.

"Shun, Wing Attack."

Neither bug stood a chance.

"Agh," the grunt who released the Pokemon grimaced. "Should've known it'd be ineffective…"

"I still have a Pokemon! Go, Zubat!" the other threw in a bat.

"Wing Attack."

"Flame Charge!"

The poor Zubat was assaulted by two attacks, making it faint instantly.

"Ehehehe… whoops?" the last grunt standing laughed. "...No hard feelings?"

"Alex, knock them out," Dawn commanded.

"Hear, hear," Masquerade grinned, and then had a few very pleasurable minutes hunting down and knocking out the running Grunts.

Ah, to crush people underneath his feet… even if the enemies were pathetic, he loved every second of this.

"You're really athletic," Dawn noted with a slight smile as they ascended to the third floor. "Are you, perhaps, a Pokemon in disguise?"

"No?" he shook his blond head, then smiled smugly. "I'm just that good."

They - Dawn joined him this time - went through the pockets of the Grunts and pocketed a lot of stuff.

"This is… kinda lucrative," the bluenette hummed, putting bills into her wallet. "Maybe… no, I'm not a thief… neither of us should do such to the normal trainers… right, Alex?"

"Hm? Sure," he agreed absentmindedly, shelving his plans to maybe mug another Trainer in a remote Route…

The next floor had just two Grunts…

"I'm gonna warn the Commander, please stall them," …one of whom immediately ran away.

The left behind Grunt looked at the runaway's back with a despairing face.

"...can I ask you to go away?" turning back to the intruders, the Grunt spoke, withdrawing her Pokeballs. "Or to donate your Pokemon to Team Galactic?"

"Not gonna happen," Dawn deadpanned. "Go, Velvet! Flame Charge"

"Go, Wurmple, Zubat! Poison Sting, Astonish!"

"Julie, Rock Throw at the bat," Masquerade decided to mix things up.

The horse was the fastest to act, hitting the Wurmple with a fiery tackle. Then, to Masquerade's surprise, Julie outsped the Zubat and hit it with a rock, knocking it out instantly.

"Uhh…" the grunt looked at her felled Pokemon, then turned around and shouted. "Oi, scientist! Gonna help me out?"

Masquerade watched the proceedings with a critical eye. A frazzled man in a white coat peeked from behind a wall.

"G-go, Kadabra!" He threw in a Pokemon. "Psybeam!!!"

"Go, Silcoon!" the grunt smiled. "Poison Sting that Ponyta!"

"Flame Charge!" Dawn ordered.

"Julie - dodge and Bite," the blond said.

The Psybeam missed both their Pokemon, and Julie crossed the distance between herself and the Kadabra, the spectral maw's Bite causing it to faint. Immediately after the cocoon impacted the back wall, clearly knocked out from the Ponyta's fiery charge.

"Uh, congratulations?" the grunt withdrew a few bills from her wallet. "Here's your prize money. Can I go now?"

"S-stay and defend me!!!" the scientist shouted, pulling out a… golden star-shaped something out of his coat pocket?

"Alex, knock him out NOW!" Dawn pointed at the man, and Masquerade jumped to him, an energy-clad fist impacting the abdomen of the scientist.

"Wha-" the grunt's mouth gaped, as her coworker sagged to the floor. "What the hell, is this girl actually a Zoroark?"

Without a word, the blond trainer knocked her out too.

The two of them looted the felled Galactic underlings, and ascended the stairs again.

"That's them!" the grunt standing next to a purple-haired woman pointed at them. "That's the intruders!"

"Hoh, so you two somehow reached me," the woman assumed a contemplative position over the body of an old man. "I am Commander Jupiter of Team Galactic - your raid stops there. Grunt, assist me. Go, Zubat! Poison Fang!"

"R-right! Go, Wurmple - Poison Sting!"

"Julie, Rock Throw on Zubat."

"Velvet, Flame Charge on Wurmple!"

Zubat's lunge for the trainers was interrupted by the newly-sent out Larvitar's rock hitting it; the similarly emerging Ponyta quickly ran over the worm Pokemon with a fiery charge.

"Tch. Go, Skuntank - Bite!"

"G-go, Zubat - Poison Fang!"

"Julie, again on Zubat."

"Flame Charge on Skuntank!"

The skunk Pokemon moved fast, its spectral maw closing on Julie, but she managed to withstand it, and the Ponyta bodily threw it off the Larvitar, who in turn lobbed a rock at the Zubat, knocking the last out.

"I-I'm sorry, I have no more Pokemon…" the grunt retrieved his Zubat.

"Tsk. Skuntank, Bite again," Commander ordered.

"Julie, Bite back."

"Flame Charge, Velvet!"

The Flame Charge attack impacted first…

…and the Skuntank body exploded with a flash of energy, sending the Ponyta flying, before returning to the Pokeball.

"Velvet, return," Dawn retrieved her Pokemon. "Alex?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grinned, and moved to knock out Jupiter.

To his surprise, she dodged his first blow, and even hit him back, but he withstood, and, by holding onto her hand and flooding her body with Dark aura, he made her flinch and fall on the ground.

Straddling her, he put his hands on her neck and face, knocking her out, then winced - that blow was to the ribs, and hurt badly.

"Wow, she knows Kung-Fu," Dawn deadpanned, her Luxio growling at the last Grunt. "Alex, you alright?"

"Yeah…" he grimaced, and stood up, then lightly kicked the prone Jupiter. "Let me knock out the last one."

"Uh… mercy?" The grunt raised his hands in capitulation, but Masquerade knocked him out all the same.

Dawn, in the meanwhile, walked to the old man, a pink Pokemon trying to wake him up.

"We're here to help," the bluenette spoke to it, kneeling next to the man. "Let's call the police. Alex, do you have a phone?"

Wordlessly, Masquerade pulled out his Pokegear.

***

The two of them were brought to a dark interrogation room and left to stew.

"We're so in trouble," Dawn giggled, hugging her Luxio.

"If we were really in trouble, they'd confiscate our Pokemon," Masquerade pointed out, feeling oddly calm.

"I suppose," the bluenette nodded, but didn't let go of her Pokemon.

They waited for a while in an uneasy silence, Dawn grooming her Pokemon and Masquerade was on his laptop, watching out for the news on the internet - so far, beyond a few threads on /sinnoh/eterna/, nothing.

In an hour and a half…

"Ch-champion Cynthia!" Dawn jumped to her feet. "I… We…"

"I can't say I didn't expect something like this when I gave you the Cut command," the woman clad in an aura of power smiled. "Relax, you aren't in trouble. It's a bit of a legal quagmire, but it isn't your fault, and the League lawyers are dealing with it. Still, we need your statement, for completion's sake. After that, I'll treat you to ice cream, OK?"

"O-okay," Dawn nodded and sat down. "What do you want to know?"

"Well," the cyan-haired female cop next to the Champion spoke up. "We'll appreciate you telling us everything."

"Well, the idea to storm the headquarters was mine," the bluenette admitted. "But Alex was the one who had the idea and the ability to knock out the defeated Grunts and Commander."

"Miss Gehabich?" the Champion blinked and turned her gaze upon him, her silver eyes boring into his purple ones. Masquerade bristled, and flared his energy to clash with the Champions'. "Are you-"

"Champion, please do not provoke her," the policewoman said, and the Champion looked away first, to Masquerade's inner triumph. "Miss Gehabich, this question is not going to affect your standing in the society - are you a Zoroark?"

Masquerade blinked in surprise, turning to the cyan-haired woman.

"What?" he asked. "No?... Why would you think so?"

"Your aura type and the amount of control you have over it," was the reply, the woman not meeting his eyes. "Humans have a hard time consciously using Aura, let alone Ghost and Dark-typed - and you just flared your Aura in response to Champion Cynthia's approach."

…huh.

"Well, I am not a Pokemon," he shook his head. "You may even check."

"Let's check," the policewoman nodded, and then pulled out a Pokeball and lightly threw it at him.

Obviously, upon impact, nothing happened. The atmosphere in the room somehow eased up.

"Okay, what was this about?" Masquerade demanded, picking up the Pokeball. "Are there Pokemon that look like humans or what?"

"Yes, Ditto and Zoroark, the latter of which are either Dark or Ghost and Normal," the Champion smiled. "Of the latter very little is known, however. I'm a bit disappointed you aren't one!"

"Only you, Champion, might say that you want to meet a Baneful Fox with a straight face," the policewoman shook her head, then turned to the two Trainers. "Anyway! As Champion Cynthia said, you two are not in trouble. Still, we'll appreciate it if you give us your statements."

The whole statement-giving was another hour, the questions going from 'what did you do' to 'why did you do this'. It was a lot more exhausting than any battle, and Masquerade felt that his mask of Alice's goodwill slipped, revealing his true self.

"Well, I think that would be all," the policewoman, Jenny, nodded seriously, setting aside the sheaf of papers she was writing on. "Alex, may I have a moment of your time one-on-one?"

"Sure?" he nodded, head swimming.

"We'll wait outside, right, Dawn?" the Champion smiled.

"Ah, sure," Dawn nodded, and the two exited the interrogation room.

The policewoman then sat across Masquerade, her hands on the table and fingers forming a tent, hiding her lower face.

"So, you're not a Baneful Fox," she started. "Good. Still, I must tell you that breaking the laws would invite repercussions such as being stripped of your Trainer License or Pokemon - and, with your Aura, I have a reason to believe you have a predisposition to crime."

"I won't be breaking the laws," or at least be caught doing so, "as I have no reason to."

Officer Jenny's eyes narrowed.

"I'll pretend to believe you - but a warning: you're now on a shortlist of People of Interest, and so my family is going to be on lookout for you. Not just because you have Aura Control of a Pokemon, which would've already been a justification, but also for Dark/Ghost typing, which usually indicates a disturbed psyche. Your mask of sanity is good, and what I've glimpsed of your real self is only mildly concerning, however, so I'm going to give you a benefit of doubt - but do remember about the surveillance."

"Thank you," he nodded, internally cursing. Just what he needed, being watched by the authorities… "Am I free to go?"

"Yes. Good luck in your Gym Challenge."

And so Masquerade exited the dark interrogation room and to the brightly lit corridor.

"You're there!" the Champion smiled. "Let's go, I am craving some ice cream-"

"Battle me," he grinned. "I might be crushed, but I want to battle you."

She tilted her head, then also grinned.

"After the ice cream. I have just the Pokemon to test you with."

"Okay."

***
Masquerade decided he didn't care for ice cream much, despite his original's fondness for it.

More importantly, he noted that one of the Champions' Pokemon, a mostly-blue bipedal canine, seemed to dislike him on sight, glaring and not letting him out of its field of vision. It didn't attack, but it seemed to have a hard time calming down.

"Lucario, I understand that Alex's aura disturbs you, but she is a nice girl," the older blonde chided her Pokemon. "Here, have your favorite Nanab-Razz Parfait!"

"Caaar," the Pokemon reluctantly took the treat and used a spoon to eat it, still not looking away from Masquerade. "Lu-rio!"

Alice bristled and started to rapid-fire speak, his other Pokemon also piping up. Once again, he wished Pokemon were more like Bakugan, and talked English.

"Your Pokemon are pretty feisty, hm?" the Champion smiled at him, and he curtly nodded, hiding his anticipation of a battle. Who would he and his team face? The Roserade that looked a lot stronger than the Gym one? The malevolent mass of spirits? The elegant eel? The shark-like dragon???

…most likely the small big-scale dragon, he thought. It looked strong, but not overwhelmingly so, unlike the rest of the team. It seemed to be a new addition to the team.

He bit into his Bluk ice-cream, turning his eyes to the Champion herself. She was visibly enjoying her large assorted ice-cream platter, carefully devouring it. He wondered, what was she thinking? Was she, perhaps, mentally planning the upcoming battle?

He should do so too. This looked like a Dragon-type Pokemon, which he had no counters to and resisted Alice's strongest attack, but there was always leading with Hal-G to badly poison it, and then dodge like crazy…

…How nostalgic. Back home, he carefully preyed on the insecurities and weaknesses of the other brawlers, exploiting the Doom Card's presence to psychologically pressure his opponents, but now, ever since that battle against Kuso, he understood that facing someone on fair ground was, perhaps, even more…

"Alex, your icecream is melting," Dawn's voice brought him out of his reminiscing.

"Ah, right," he blinked and licked the sweet and dry dark liquid off the cone.

"Thinking how you'd try to defeat my Pokemon?" the Champion smiled knowingly. "An admirable mindset, but, even going easy on you, I'll still win. You have just the two Badges, after all."

"Well, we'll see about that," he smirked. As long as the little lizard didn't have a resistant type, Brave Bird was still on the table, after all.

"Wow, arrogant much," Dawn, over her Pecha smoothie, muttered.

He looked at the bluenette, then raised an eyebrow, unamused.

"I mean, this is the Champion," the other beginner trainer told him. "Even if she uses her newest acquisition, it's unlikely she'll lose."

Shaking his head, Masquerade licked his ice cream. He was the former #1 of Bakugan brawls, and winning a battle against a single Champion's Pokemon would be merely a step to becoming a Champion himself…

…did he want to become Champion, though?

"So, how is it, being a Champion?" he asked instead of dwelling on it.

"Too much paperwork," was the other blonde's immediate reply. "If it didn't bring the strongest Trainers to me, I would've given up the role already."

He nodded, then bit into his ice cream, swallowing the glob of dark cream without tasting it. Not worth it, it seemed.

 

[Kamico]

The first thing I was aware of was someone's rage-filled animalistic roar.

I jerked awake, looking around for whatever was roaring, but… a) I was in a forest, b) I was looking at a translucent Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's maw centimeters from my head.

"Fuck," I gasped. It was totally going to kill me!!!

I shut my eyes… but no pain of death came.

"GRRRR," I dared to open my eyes and saw… purple threads tying the SVFD?

A droplet of saliva dropped next to my white-pant leg, the dirt hissing at the contact. The horns of SVFD, completely tied up with strings, struggled to close up and decapitate… crush my head between them.

"Eeek," I whined, my hands flying to my mouth.

…those were not my hands. I looked down at them - they were fucking tiny! Make it c) not in my own body. Something shield-shaped was strapped to my left hand…

"What the fuck," I whispered. I was starting to tremble badly.

"GRAAAAH!" the bound dragon roared again.

"Ah, Summoner. You've woken up," a smooth male voice came from somewhere. I turned to it, and saw… Aleister, from the Toaru series?

"GRRRR…" Starve Venom Fusion Dragon reminded me of itself by growling at the hooded man.

"Uh," I looked at SVFD, then at Aleister-lookalike, then back at SVFD. "What is going on?!"

"...I hoped you'd tell us," the white-haired translucent man spoke, fixing his glasses. "It seems that you're useless. Oh well."

"Ah, don't be so fast in judging, Invoker," a wispy voice came from somewhere… then the fucking El Shaddoll Construct came floating from behind the Starve Venom Fusion Dragon. "After all, any Summoner is a great treasure, no?"

"He's young and untried," Invoker… Aleister the Invoker(?) looked away. "Perhaps letting the rabid thing kill him would be a mercy compared to being forced to wield you, Shaddolls, and this Starving Venom Fusion Dragon."

"Don't kill me please," I squeaked.

"Oh, nobody's going to kill you, sweet thing," El Shaddoll Construct crooned, reaching to cup my face. "You have a grand future in front of you, after all."

Creepy! Creepy! I need an adult!!!

"Huh, so you have some survival instincts," the most human of the three Duel Monsters noted, sounding bored. "Construct, don't touch our Summoner. If we have to work together as a Deck, we'll need one, after all."

The doll-like hand withdrew.

"GRAAAH!" the Fusion Dragon roared, more acidic drool leaking from its maw.

"Someone's coming," noted Aleister, looking to the side of the clearing I had been lying in.

"Let them," the Construct said dismissively. I let out a quiet whine. This situation… wasn't it ridiculously bad?!

A man in a black suit came into the clearing, a phone… walkie-talkie(?) in his hand.

"On the place of the anomaly," he spoke into whatever he had in his hand, a sort of gray brick akin to the first phones. "I see only a kid in purple clothes lying on the ground… a puddle of acid next to his leg?"

"Oh, a new doll to join our army," Construct whispered.

"DON'T COME CLOSE!" I shouted, suddenly afraid for him too. "OR YOU'LL GET WORSE THAN DEAD!"

"Kid, who are you?" The guy ignored my warning and started to move towards me. "What are you doing at the Duelist Kingdom Island? It's private property!"

"GET AWAY!" I warned him again…

"The kid is trying to scare me," he laughed into the phone, unwittingly walking into the mesh of Shaddoll threads that immediately entangled him. "Wha-"

"And so our army gets its first recruit, Summoner," Construct sang, like the wind in a chimney pipe.

"Ah, nothing, I thought…" the possessed guard spoke, the threads jerking him upright. "I'm going to detain the kid. Wait for me."

The strings, with a great effort, pulled the SVFD from me and I scuttled away from it… only to run into the El Shaddoll Construct's armored skirt, flinch and jump to my feet.

"GRRRR," Starve Venom growled, struggling against the threads to, undoubtedly, eat me. "SKREEEE!"

"Well, kiddo, let's go," the Shaddoll-as-unfortunate-man spoke, taking my tiny hand by force. "To the Pegasus Castle, until we find out what's the deal with you."

And so we moved to the castle at the top of the hill.

The walk was long and nerve-wracking, Starve Venom Fusion Dragon struggling against its restraints, El Shaddoll Construct entangling anything that caught her eye with her strings, and Aleister the Invoker looking thoughtfully at me.

Still, we were waved through the side door to the castle, Construct capturing more black-suited guys, and then to some kind of a dining room, where Maximilian Pegasus was waiting for us over some sort of fish dish.

"Hm?" he tilted his head so the bangs hiding his Millenium Eye would reveal the golden artifact. "Ah, how naughty… Construct, is it?"

And then he deflected the threads that reached out to him with some kind of an expanding forcefield, that dispelled the threads it passed, and then the spirits.

"Wha- Master Pegasus!" the black-suited goons exclaimed, then turned to me. "Halt, trespasser!"

My legs failed me and I sagged to the floor. Fuck. I was on enemy territory without even the dubious help that Duel Spirits were…

"Ah, little boy, don't worry! I won't hurt you," Pegasus smiled at me. "I'm a friend to all children!"

…yeah, tell that to Mokuba Kaiba when he was in your tender mercies.

"Hm? Mokuba-boy?" shit, he read minds, how could I forget?! "Oh, you know even that? How interesting. Tell me more."

I gulped. Fuck, I was going to derail so much…

"Sit down, little boy," he told me, and I wanted to deny that - I was a girl before, after all. "Or girl, it doesn't matter much."

I did so, sitting across the local creator of Duel Monsters.

"Hm. 'Local' creator. A different world with them?"

Well, my own had Konami, and who knows what allowed Duel Monsters to be created in ARC-V, VRAINS or RUSH. And then there were the Duel Monster worlds…

"Fascinating," Pegasus smiled. "But let's move away from the cosmological implications. What do you know about my plan for Kaiba Corp?"

"Uh," I very eloquently said. Beyond trying to buy it off from Big Five after Kaiba lost to Yuugi and got mind-crushed by the Spirit of the Millenium Puzzle? "Very little."

"Kaiba-boy will lose to a Millenium Item user?" He cocked his head to reveal the Millennium Eye. Suddenly, I remembered the entirely too horny QQ fic where Mokuba Kaiba SI used it as a… "No, return to the Millenium Puzzle."

"Well, it's going to be completed by a boy named Mutou Yuugi, releasing the Pharaoh's nameless spirit," Atem, but speaking that name aloud might result in an end of the world as we know it by unsealing Zorc Necrophades, "and then the two of them would fight Kaiba because that guy is too obsessed with Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

Well, it's a bit more complicated, because a) Kaiba will destroy the 4th BEWD and hold the Grandpa Mutou hostage and b) the win condition of the first Yuugi/Atem victory over Kaiba is Exodia, which is butterflyable.

"How do you know it?" Pegasus asked, leaning on the table to loom over me.

"...cartoons?" Anime, actually, but close enough.

"Tut-tut-tut, cartoons and anime are very different things, little one!" he shook his head. "But to think there would be an anime about this world! Anyway… what's your name?"

I opened my mouth to speak… only to draw a blank. What?...

My name was… was…

…fuck, I lost it, didn't I. Or is it sealed? Sold? Taken?!

"Ah, nameless one," Pegasus's smile was pitying. "It's okay. What about the Duelist Kingdom?"

I lost my name… what was I now, but a collection of memories stuffed in the body of a child? A fragment of a soul? This world worked on Egyptian rules, and the Name was one of the five… or was it seven parts of the soul? So, was I, perhaps, just a Shard of one?

"Girl," Pegasus's firm voice broke me out of the worry spiral. "Duelist Kingdom."

…right. I need to distract myself. Duelist Kingdom… Pegasus stole Grandpa Mutou's soul as an invitation, then Yuugi and Atem and the recovered Kaiba reached Pegasus…

…it was the Pharaoh who fought Pegasus, not Kaiba, right? Via Mind Shuffle technique. The last hit was with a… Kuriboh+Multiply? I don't remember, but the loss left the man across me open for the Spirit of the Millenium Ring to take away the Eye.

"Who hosts the Millenium Ring?"

Bakura Ryou. The Spirit of the Ring is malicious, and wishes destruction upon the world… an apocalypse it is capable of bringing.

Hah. As if I don't have a Deck with another potential apocalypse in the making.

"Hm," the white-haired man frowned. "Give me your Deck."

I fumbled with the Duel Disc strapped to my childlike hand. How do I remove it?.. oh, there is a button for it.

It was an Academia Duel Disc, meaning compatible with Real Solid Vision. I wondered if it was more interesting than the deck I had… it was a piece of advanced future tech, after all.

Fuck! The carding functionality! The dimensional movement! And didn't Pegasus want Kaiba Corp for the Solid Vision tech?!

"With the… Duel Disc, yes," Pegasus nodded.

I gave it up. He pulled out the deck and extra deck from their slots, set aside his dish, and started to put the cards on the table.

As I thought - Shaddolls, Aleister, Invoked, SVFD.

"Hm," he gathered the cards and turned to me. "Jim, get our little guest to a guest room. I'll talk to her again tomorrow."

***

Completely wrung out because of the Millenium Eye-assisted interrogation, I was escorted to a bedroom in the castle - thank God not a prison cell - but the door to outside was locked behind me.

So, that was the Creator of the Duel Monsters game, seemingly still in his villainous phase. Never thought I'd meet him, let alone get Isekai'd…

On one hand, I was still alive and healthy, on the other - I was a kid in a deathworld where everything was decided by a magical card game I was only passingly familiar with, and also a prisoner to an insane millionaire, and then there were the apocalypses in my deck.

…I was fucked. I was so fucked, it wasn't even funny. The best thing I could think of was to seal that deck of several armageddons somewhere, like the Three Beasts - whatever they were called collectively, the ones that fuse into Armityle - were.

I groaned, hiding my face in the childish purple sleeve-covered hands. I… what should I do?

Well, get to the toilet first. My now-childish bladder was signaling it needed to be emptied.

I sighed, dropping my hands and went to the other door that I hoped contained the bathroom.

My hopes, in that particular case, were proven right: the bathroom was in turquoise and white, with sea decals. I spied a sink, a shower cabin and, most importantly, a toilet.

The deed done, I went to the sink that I barely reached, then blanched - from the mirror, a little Yuuri from ARC-V looked at me with wide eyes.

Fuuuuuuck. Add 'potential Z-ARC possession' to the bucket list, won't you, ROB?

Face and hands washed from snot and tears, I considered what to do next. I felt filthy, all too sweaty and dirty, so maybe I should take a shower?...

…put it like that, I should. Maybe it would lift my mood, too.

There were a few tiny hotel-sized bottles with shampoo, shower gel and hair conditioner, but no sponge. I stood under the warm shower, feeling the streams of water flow on my skin. And it was now my skin, wasn't it? Despite how I hated being in this situation, I had to look at the bright side - I was now male, and thus could fulfill some of my fantasies!

…okay, those were pretty far away from happening, unless I ran into a pedophile… and I needed to survive to adulthood first!!!

Mood brought down again, I finished washing myself, exited the shower cabin, patted myself with and wrapped around myself a big and fluffy towel and then another - over my head. Then, I washed the unfamiliar underthings with the provided soap and hung them to dry on the dryer - to wear tomorrow.

The bed in the pastel-colored guest room was pretty comfy. It didn't take me long to drift to sleep…

***

I woke up at the dead of the night, breathing heavily and completely drenched in cold sweat - from a nightmare I did not remember the details of.

I sat up, pawing at my smartphone, but it was not at my bedside - hell, the bed was different from my usual couch.

It took me entirely too long to remember I was Isekai'd - away from home, away from family, away from friends.

I sat on the unfamiliar bed, hugging my knees, and sobbed. I had a good life back home! Why, just why, did anyone think I was going to be a good option to throw into this insane world, let alone with all these insane drawbacks instead of a cheat skill?!

Like, I vaguely understood why the Deck was as it was - I played that one when I tried out YGO… but I also tried out Melffys, so what the hell, ROB? Did ROB take the most fucked-up option out of multiple for shits and giggles?!

Was there a ROB?... there must have been, or my situation wouldn't have been this fucked. Nothing but intelligent malice could explain this situation. So, why?... What did I do to have this thrust upon me?!

And as Yuuri out of all people - the insane, sadistic part of Z-ARC. Look, liking a character is completely different from wanting to meet them or becoming them! And why the fuck at the Duelist Kingdom island?!

Did… did that ROB use me as a vehicle to give Pegasus cheats in the form of future tech, cards and knowledge?!

I lied down, feeling faint and stunned by that realization. No, it couldn't possibly be that, a small voice within me pleaded. I wasn't some disposable tool…

…but the logic checked out.

"Fuck," I breathed out, tears falling uncontrollably. "W-what kinda shitty Isekai is this?!"

I cried myself to sleep, and dreamed nightmares.

***

 

[Kamico]

Yuuya was panicking. Not only Sora was whisked away to somewhere, not only Yuuto revealed the whole 'dimensional war' thing, but yet another doppelganger of his arrived on a bike, and he and Yuuto got into a spat and then a Duel.

And now, his body was feeling oddly hot and painful, Yuuto and the other one shouting about destroying everything-

Suddenly, there was a purple flash, the sensation going away, all three of them whirling in place to face the newcomer. Was it yet another boy who shared his face, this time from Fusion, perhaps?

To his surprise, no. A girl with Yuzu's face, in a white nightgown, stood in the middle of the battlefield, an inset in a silver bracelet amethyst's glow fading. She had long, blonde hair she was in the middle of brushing, and her purple eyes were darting around, clearly accessing the situation.

"RIN!" the white counterpart broke the uneasy silence, jumping off his motorcycle, abandoning his cards and all, and running to her…

"Get away from Ruri, Pawn of Fusion!" Yuuto barked, running to the girl too…

…but she, as soon as the boy in white reached her, quickly restrained him by sweeping his feet from under him and, as he fell, stepped on his back.

"Halt!" she shouted. "Cease and desist! By Authority of Array Corps, I order you to turn off your Duel Discs and discard them!"

Yuuto froze in his step, and Yuuya wasn't any better. This was… a fast and efficient subjugation of someone with their face. Yuzu sometimes hit him with a harisen, but this was a lot more…

"What is this place?" she demanded. "How dare you have His Highness Yuuki's face? Who are your creators?"

What?...

"Ruri…" Yuuto turned off his Duel Disc and raised his hands in capitulation. "Please calm down. We're in Standard Dimension. Let's go home, to Xyz."

"Xyz? Standard?" she frowned. "Dimensions?..."

"R-rin?" the white one gasped. "I'm so happy! You're back!"

"...call me Hoshie," she told him. "If I let you go, would you attack anyone?"

"Only that bastard that stole you… stole Rin!" was the immediate reply.

"I stole no one!" Yuuto bristled. "It was you who-"

"Silence!" the Yuzu lookalike demanded, then stepped off the motorcyclist duelist and helped him to his feet. "Was it established that the other kidnapped your… Rin?"

"He has my face!" the white one pointed at Yuuto. "It must have been him!"

Wordlessly, Hoshie pointed at Yuuya.

"Wha- ANOTHER?!" the Synchro user reacted in a manner that would've been funny if the situation wasn't this serious. "What the hell is going on?!"

"If there are four, there might be five," the girl shook her head. "Let's say there is a Fusion-using clone. Could such a person steal both of your girls?"

Yuuto looked contemplative.

"...are you from Fusion?" he asked.

"No?" she shook her head. "I use only Ritual… ah, I am here without my Deck."

Huh? It sounded like…

"Are there more than four dimensions?" Yuuya asked, and everyone turned to him. "I mean, there are four, so what's one more?"

"What is this 'dimension' nonsense?!" the white one exclaimed. "Where's Rin?!"

"Probably stolen by Fusion," Yuuto frowned. "But, if you don't know that there's four… or five dimensions, each characterized by a summoning method. You're from Synchro, I'm from Xyz, Yuuya's local to Standard, Hoshie might be from Fusion or some Ritual dimension…"

"Agh! Who do I fight to get Rin back?! And it's Yuugo, dammit!"

Noting the name, Yuuya spoke up.

"Uh, maybe we should talk this out? It seems like a really big misunderstanding was going on."

Yuuto, Yuugo and Hoshie exchanged glances.

"YUUYA!" it was Yuzu's-

A flash of pink light.

After he blinked away the glare, both Yuuto and Yuugo were nowhere to be seen, but Hoshie was still there?

"Over there!" he shouted, and his friend came to the two of them.

"What is… is this… Ruri?" Yuzu asked as she came closer. "What's going on?!"

"Query class array ors ethes exiv reiya pa tegjen fa addr exec enw."

"What?" his friend looked weirded out, and he wasn't any different. "I don't… are you a foreigner or something?"

Hoshie visibly wilted.

***

Yuzu stared at the girl who shared her face.

The other was dressed in a white nightgown, and had long blonde hair. Her dark eyes were tracking both Yuzu and Yuuya, and, judging by her stance, she was ready to spring into action.

"...no, I can speak Common," the other girl quietly said. "I had to check, though."

"Check what?" Yuuya asked.

"Classified."

Yuzu looked at Yuuya, feeling helpless and confused.

"Uhhh," her friend looked between her and the other girl. "Yuzu, this is Hoshie, she got teleported here while Yuuto and Yuugo fought. Hoshie, this is Yuzu, my childhood friend."

"Yuuya, where's Sora?" The pinkette decided to set aside the fact that her doppelganger was there and focused on her friend's absence. "What's going on?"

"Sora was… he was recalled to Fusion Dimension," Yuuya told her. "I think against his will. Then, Yuuto told me about the Dimensional War, and apparently Sora's friends did something really bad to Yuuto and Kurosaki's hometown? I don't know the details, but it sounded really bad. Then, Yuugo appeared on a motorcycle, he also had my face, and then Yuuto and Yuugo dueled, screaming about how the other stole someone, and then Hoshie appeared!"

"I appeared, and then they stopped dueling, both apparently mistaking me for either 'Ruri' or 'Rin'," the blonde spoke up. "Then, while we were untangling the misunderstanding, there was a flash of light like the one that transported me here, and you arrived, while the two other clones of… Yuuya… disappeared."

"It must've been my bracelet again," Yuzu groaned. "It shines in presence of Yuuya's counterparts and teleports them away."

…actually, she spied a bracelet similar to hers on Hoshie's wrist, also silver and with a gemstone inset in it. Was it what teleported her there?..

"Uh," Yuuya raised his hand. "What do we do now?"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a while.

"I'll need to find shelter," Hoshie spoke up. "That, and I would need to find my way back to my home… dimension, I suppose. I shall need to warn them about the existence and possible hostilities from other dimensions, after all."

"You could live with us for a while," Yuzu said before she realized what she was saying. "I'm sure Dad would be happy to welcome you."

"I shall be in your care… Yuzu, was it?" the blonde bowed deeply.

"Hiiragi Yuzu - you don't need to bow!" she got flustered slightly, waving her hands.

"My name is Hoshie," the girl with her face straightened up and smiled. "I hope we'll get along."

"And I'm Sakaki Yuuya!" her friend cheered. "You mentioned that you knew someone else with my face? Who is he?"

"You possess an unlikely likeness to His Highness Yuuki," the blonde nodded, stepping from one bare foot to the other. "Still, can we talk somewhere else? I'm getting cold and hungry."

***

"TWO YUZUS?!"

He, Shuzou, was immediately slapped by his daughter's harisen.

"..." the other girl looked at the father-daughter bonding with wide eyes, then turned to Yuuya and silently pointed at them.

"Uh, Yuzu does the same to me sometimes?..." Yushou's boy sheepishly admitted, and the Yuzu lookalike's expression grew displeased. "Uh, I… we don't mind! It's how she expresses her affection!"

"I DO NOT!" his darling daughter shrieked, the paper fan flying in the direction of Yuuya's face…

…but it was caught by the doppelganger. Good reaction, Shuzou thought.

"I do not appreciate observing such barbaric actions from someone who looks like me," the other girl's voice was icy. "Moreover, towards His Highness's doppelganger. Back home it could've gotten you harshly punished or worse."

…what kinda place she lived in, he thought, feeling concerned.

"Ah, anyway, Mom's probably waiting for me to get home," Yuuya piped up. "I'm gonna go home. Hoshie, are you gonna be alright?"

"As long as our agreement of the Hiiragi family providing sanctuary to me is still in power, yes," the other girl, Hoshie, nodded, looking intently at Yuzu. "And as long as my bracelet does not transport me anywhere else."

Bracelet?...

Yuzu glanced at the girl's silver with amethyst bracelet, then at her own, silver with spinel. His daughter had that bracelet ever since she was an infant-

"Where are you from, Miss Hoshie?" he asked instead, feeling his head ache for some reason. "Why do you look like my daughter?"

"Uh," it was his daughter who spoke up. "Dad, we still don't know a lot, but… apparently there are other dimensions, and some people from them look the same as me and Yuuya?"

"Yeah! I met Yuuto and Yuugo just today, and they looked exactly like me!" Yuuya nodded. "But they disappeared as Yuzu approached…"

"There were, indeed, two more doppelgangers of His Highness Yuuki beyond Yuuya," Hoshie nodded. "They were dueling at the time of my sudden teleportation, and mistook me for someone called, respectively, Ruri and Rin."

"Apparently, the dimensions are divided by Summoning Methods, and Fusion invaded Xyz?" Yuzu continued. "That's why Sora was so hostile to Kurosaki!"

"Sora got recalled to Fusion, according to Yuuto," Yuuya added.

…Shuzou felt like disbelieving them, but then he remembered that a copy of his daughter stood in front of him.

"And from which one Hoshie is?" he asked instead of voicing his doubts.

"...Ritual, perhaps?" the girl said after a long pause. "The whole 'dimension' thing is new to me too, but the Duelists back home are allowed to use Ritual, Normal and Tribute Summonings?"

Not Xyz or Fusion, the ones apparently at odds, which was probably good?

"Hoshie needs a place to sleep," Yuzu said, looking at him pleadingly. "Can she stay with us until we find a way to get her home?"

"Of course! I can't let a young girl go homeless, after all!" he nodded rapidly. "I'll prepare a guest room for you, Hoshie!"

"Thank you, I appreciate this very much," the doppelganger of his daughter… curtsied?

"Anyway, I'm off to home," Yuuya yawned. "It's late and Mom is likely worried sick!"

"We should meet tomorrow to discuss this situation," Yuzu said. "But yeah, you should go. Bye."

"Goodbye, Mister Yuuya," the other girl curtsied again.

"Ah, bye, Yuuya!" he himself waved at the retreating back of his student and got a wave in return.

As the door closed behind the boy, he turned to his daughter and her doppelganger.

"Yuzu, change the sheets in the guest room for Hoshie?"

"Sure thing, Dad."

And so his darling daughter went upstairs, leaving him with Hoshie.

"Are you hungry?" being a good host, he asked her. "Do you need a bath?"

"...a shower would be appreciated, as well as a change of clothes," she nodded. "As long as I don't intrude?"

"Nonsense!" he grinned. "I'll be happy to help any way I can!"

***

 

[Kamico]

Yuuto wasn't sure what to think.

He was forcibly returned to Xyz again, to Allen and Sayaka's hopeful faces, but the only news he had were that there was a possibility of yet another dimension and that the Pawn of Fusion might not actually be affiliated with Fusion after all.

He was so hopeful when Hoshie appeared in that violet flash of light. He was so sure Ruri must've escaped Academia's clutches. That the appearing girl wasn't his friend broke his heart a little.

"So, you're saying that… Yuugo… is searching for someone called Rin and that, apparently, there are two or three more girls with Ruri's face," Sayaka tried to wrap her head around the data he provided. "And there is yet another boy with your face in Standard, called Yuuya?"

"Must be real confusing," Allen nodded. "But, you're saying that Yuugo guy might not be a pawn of Fusion? How good is this intel?"

"It's his own words and my observations," Yuuto admitted, taking a flask of water from Sayaka with a grateful smile, taking a sip afterwards. "Still, I got teleported away before I got confirmation. I'll need to return to Standard, too - Shun somehow entered the local championship and ousted a Fusion spy from there. He needs help."

"Get some non-perishables while you're at it," Allen huffed. "Still, it's good to know that the salvaged Dimension Movers work as intended. I was worried about you two ending up in Fusion by accident."

"Yeah, that would've…" Yuuto shuddered at the thought, then stood up and handed the flask back to Sayaka. "Anyway, I'm off - tell others that I dropped by."

"Without you two, it's harder to defend the civilians," Sayaka sighed. "But your mission is too important, and Kurosaki is probably already searching for you. Go."

Yuuto nodded, standing up and activating his Dimension Mover to get to Standard. In a flash of light, he was in an alleyway of Miami City, and hurried to see where exactly got transported to.

Not too far from the LDS building, it seemed. He found a hidden nook and called Shun.

"YUUTO!" his friend was, as always, impatient. "Are you alright?! Was it the Pawn of Fusion that arrived to help that bastard?!"

"Shun, we need to talk," he said instead of answering any of the questions. "Can we meet somewhere?"

"You can go to the LDS tower," huh? "I've checked, and the Professor's kid actually isn't in cahoots with his bastard father, on the contrary actually…"

"Shun, are you under duress?" Yuuto's breath hitched. Not Shun too…

"No, no," …and he unclenched his hands. "The younger Akaba could've carded me easily, but he instead brought me into his plans. He might be…come an ally."

"I have some news too," he told his friend. "But I'll tell you in person. Can you get away from Akaba and talk to me?"

"I can," Yuuto breathed out in relief. "Let's meet wherever you want to."

***

Yuzu woke up at the brink of dawn to suspicious sounds from downstairs. Slipping her bracelet on, she stood up from her bed and, harisen ready, carefully descended the stairs.

While going down the stairs, she registered the, frankly, divine smell. Confused, she went to the kitchen and, instead of a weird burglar, she found her father and her doppelganger engaged in some kind of a cooking lesson.

"...and then rub the outside with some oil," Hoshie instructed Shuzou, showing how to on a whole freaking baked chicken, for some reason surrounded by piles of salt on the baking tray.

"Dad? Is this… breakfast?" she asked from the kitchen door frame, hiding her harisen.

"Yes, my darling daughter!" Shuzou grinned. "Hoshie here couldn't sleep and thus offered to help with cooking!"

"But… a whole chicken?" She indicated the food in question with both hands. "Why?"

"You had one in your freezer," Hoshie deadpanned.

Feeling weirded out, Yuzu thought that, judging by the blank expression of the other girl, this was as much explanation as she could get.

"Okay," she decided to drop that line of questioning. "But why cook for us? You're a guest!"

"It helps me calm down," the blonde admitted. "And at home, either father or sisters are always hungry, so it's my go-to routine. I apologize if I overstepped-"

"I already told you it's fine," Shuzou interrupted her. "Anyway, I'm hungry! Let's dig in!"

A rumble of her stomach told Yuzu that she agreed with the notion.

The other girl was a deft hand with a knife, dissecting the cooked chicken with dispassionate professionalism and very fast. Soon, there were wings, breast, legs and back meat on different platters, the skin carefully removed from them. Then, she served the pre-prepared vegetables around the platter, from green onions to baked potato slices…

"That's… honey mustard?" Yuzu blinked. "We had some?"

"Hoshie made it in a few minutes!" Shuzou told her. "Though, she decided to not add any pepper."

"I loath any spice in my food," the other girl nodded. "You can, of course, add some to your portions."

"I'm more surprised that we had any honey left after… Sora…" Yuzu trailed off, suddenly remembering yesterday's events.

"I'm sure he's alright," Shuzou was quick to reassure her. "You said that Yuuto boy said he was recalled home, right?"

"He might be punished for failing to keep secrecy or failing his mission, whatever it is," Hoshie noted over the sound of the boiling kettle. "It sounded like Fusion Dimension is militaristic, so I wouldn't be sure of his wellbeing."

Yuzu felt sick, with worry and disgust both.

"But Sora is young," Shuzou voiced her thoughts. "Surely his people wouldn't do anything bad to him?"

"Depends on the organization that attacked Xyz that recruits children like him," the blonde poured three cups of tea. "Do you want milk in your black tea?"

"Milk?" Yuzu echoed, momentarily distracted from Sora's plight from sheer bewilderment. "Who drinks tea with milk?"

"...I do?" The other girl looked equally bewildered. "Does no one drink milk tea in your dimension?"

"Green tea with milk and tapioca pearls, yes, but that's a completely different thing!" She explained, then turned to Shuzou. "Right, dad?"

"I'll try this 'milk tea'!" but he betrayed her expectations by being his usual boisterous self. "Wuoooh! I'm fired up to try!"

Yuzu's hand itched to smack him with her harisen, but she remembered that their guest reacted negatively to that, and so stayed her hand, instead allowing herself to be seated and served food.

The baked chicken was delicious, but she couldn't help but only nibble on the chicken and side dishes, worried about Sora.

"Thank you!" Shuzou smiled at the other girl as he finished his portion. "This was a really tasty breakfast!"

"Thank you," Yuzu echoed him, sipping her tea (without any milk).

"Hoshie… you need some daily clothes, right?" her dad then spoke up. "Yuzu, you should loan her some, then we'll go shopping for an outfit."

"As long as it is not a burden upon you," the other girl bowed her head, then…

"We have a dishwasher," Shuzou hurried to tell the blonde. "Just leave the plates on the table, I'll deal with them later."

"Okay," the blonde nodded, then sat back on her chair. "What now?"

"Well…" Shuzou looked thoughtful. "We should call Yuuya, he did say we need to meet up to discuss all these 'dimension' things."

***

Yoko wasn't sure she believed everything, but some proof was right in her face, so she listened to her son and his childhood friend stumblingly explain the Fusion-Xyz conflict to her.

Sora… she could tell that he came from a harsh environment, and so she allowed him to stay at her house. She, herself, had an ignoble past, having been saved from it by Yushou, and hoped to do the same to the blue-haired kid, but… but, if what her son was saying was true…

…she was afraid, she freely admitted that. Wars, even just the turf ones she participated in, were hell, and what Kurosaki's and Sora's duel implied went far beyond her understanding.

Did she, by sheltering Sora, endanger her son? Her… whole dimension?

She wanted… no, needed answers. And she knew where to get them - from the Akabas.

But first, there was another girl suddenly torn away from her home, who was unlikely to be a spy and shared Yuzu's face, who was in need of some clothes.

And so they were at the clothes store, her noting the conservative choice of clothes the newcomer picked: a long-sleeved, high-collared white blouse and a long purple corset-skirt, with dark tights underneath.

…Hoshie chose among only vintage-looking body-covering things, without a single miniskirt or t-shirt. Even the outfit she borrowed from Yuzu had tights and a jacket. Was it a consequence of her dimension's culture, or was there a more sinister reason?...

She decided to ask.

"...I prefer elegant, covering clothes of casual lolita style," Hoshie told her, looking in Yoko's eyes with her own emotionless violet ones. "It's merely my preference."

…not reassuring in the slightest, Yoko thought, but didn't push any further. If the girl wanted help, she'd tell her, right?..

Passing by a card shop, her kids dragged a fascinated-looking blonde doppelganger inside.

"Back home, Duel Monster cards cannot just be bought like this," she said, browsing the catalog, pausing on an entry. "Oh, I know these monsters. They're nice."

"Starry Knights? A good choice!" the owner of the shop, an old man going by Kondo, smiled. "Your name's Hoshie, right? They fit you!"

"They're expensive, and I would loathe to impose upon Hiiragis like that," the blonde shook her head, and Shuzou breathed in relief. Those cards were, indeed, really pricey. "I merely wanted to ascertain the presence of them."

"Yuuya, there's a Performapal card on display!" Yuzu called out to her son.

…Performapal Sky Pupil, huh. It brought back memories…

"Performapal cards are currently highly-sought over!" the owner of the shop said. "But I know you, so I propose a trade to you - a Pendulum card for this, and I'll throw in a few more cards!"

Yuuya looked troubled, as did she. On one hand, this was one of her husband's favorite cards, on the other, the offer was blatantly exploitative…

"Uh… I'll think about it," her son said, rubbing the back of his head. "Mom, Shuzou, let's go. I feel hungry! Can we get some WcDonald's?"

"Sure!" Shuzou nodded. "I'm fired up to eat some burgers!"

"I'll hold on to the card for you," the owner nodded. "Please come again!"

And so they went to the food court.

"Are Golden Eggwiches sold there?" Hoshie's eyes darted over the food stalls, stopping at the sandwich one.

"...what's a Golden Eggwich?" Yuuya asked.

"It's the most delicious food ever… according to Father, anyway," the blonde strode to the SubWoofer shop, the rest of them following her. "I never had one, but I really want to try."

Unfortunately for the other girl, there were no Golden Eggwiches in the sandwich shop, so she lost interest in the stall, instead opting for Pho Bo.

After they ate, they decided to retreat to the You Show, but…

"Sakaki Yuuya, Hiiragi Yuzu," a squad of men in black suits and glasses greeted them at the exit of the shopping mall. "And the other girl with the bracelet - you are invited by Akaba Reiji to the LDS tower."

"What do you want from Yuzu?" Shuzou frowned, folding his hands, Yoko echoing him, but with Yuuya's name.

"The parents may accompany the children," the man in the front said instead.

"...we did want to meet with Akabas," Yoko bit the nail on her big finger. "I suppose we will do so earlier than we thought. Let's go."

 

[Kamico]

Masquerade and his team were beaten, handily. Not only the attempt to poison failed due to quick usage of Iron Defence, not only the Hail Mary Brave Bird was taken on a Protect, but all of his Pokemon couldn't even keep up with the little dragon, despite its sole attack being Headbutt.

He supposed this was the gulf between Number One Trainer and a newbie - no matter how it stung, he was one - like him. Still, he couldn't wait to return the favor…

"It was a good battle. You have potential," the Champion smiled at him. "Your Pokemon, while not yet strong enough to withstand my newest's onslaught, have been holding on admirably, and your tactics were solid. I think you just need to train more, so challenge the rest of the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and then me, at my finest!"

He nodded, his grip on Alice's Pokeball relaxing slightly. The Champion was right - he just needed to train and take on escalating challenges, then he'll be ready for the rematch.

'Eyes on the prize,' he thought. 'No distractions.'

'But the prize is to get back to Alice?' an original's thought replied.

"Alex," as the Champion returned her dragon, Dawn came to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he responded with a gentle Alice smile. "I just need to visit the Pokemon Center to get my Pokemon back to fighting shape, and then everything shall be alright."

The bluenette frowned.

"Let me accompany you," she said firmly. "It would do you no good if someone took advantage of the state of your Pokemon."

"Hmmm," the Champion smiled. "I'll leave you to this. See you!"

And she went away.

Watching the blonde woman's retreating back, Masquerade couldn't help but feel a dark desire to destroy her…

'One day, I will crush you,' he vowed, and then followed Dawn to the Pokecenter.

Nurse Joy accepted his Pokemon to be healed, and he went to the lounge zone, ready to spend time by watching Champion's battle videos, but saw Dawn continue to follow him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"You're going to Hearthome next, right? Me too, so…" she then smiled shyly. "I kind of wanted to see if you wanted to travel together for a while!"

Masquerade stared.

'I don't make friends,' he wanted to say.

'But there is no reason not to,' his Inner Alice pointed out. 'Also, allies are useful.'

Considering that he did not have a power base in this world, they would indeed. He was shown that not everything was sunshine and rainbows in this world, despite the initial impression, and so being prepared would likely pay off…

"...Sure," he nodded, and the girl beamed. "You're strong, and unlikely to hold me back, anyway. This might prove to be worthwhile."

"You just sounded like a complete jerk!" Dawn giggled.

"Are you sure I am not one?" he huffed.

"Well, maybe, but you're also not a bad person," she replied. "A bad person wouldn't have helped me!"

She wouldn't have been this friendly if she knew his past, he thought. After all, he DID send a lot of living, thinking creatures to Doom Dimension, without any remorse even now.

'Oh well. No need for her to know.'

"Still, we should visit the Bicycle Shop owner," Dawn said, and he tilted his head in question. "Maybe he'll be grateful and give us something!"

"I see," he nodded. So she was not without a selfish streak, huh.

"We'll need to wait until your Pokemon are healed," she nodded, then smiled. "Until then, let's get to know each other! What's your favorite Pokemon?"

"...Anything Dark-type?" he evaded the question. "And you?"

"I like Ralts-"

A trainer coughed from behind them.

"Oh, but we're standing in the way. Let's take a seat!" and so the bluenette took his hand and dragged him to one of the couches.

Her hand was warm and firm. Somehow, that small amount of warmth was like the hottest attacks of Dan's Dragonoid, almost like a brand, a complete opposite of the all-encompassing coldness that was Negative Energy infusion that birthed him.

It felt like his brain short-circuited. He… didn't hate that? Maybe???

"So, I like Ralts!" Dawn let go of his hand and continued to talk as they settled. "They're just so cute! Ah, but I also really like Stufful, Hatenna, and Deerling… they're not native to Sinnoh, though, and not found even in the Grand Underground… I hope one day to trade for them!"

"I see," Masquerade nodded, still distracted by that feeling of warmth. "Going to catch a lot of Pokemon?"

"Yeah!" she nodded. "Professor Rowan DID ask for Pokedex completion, after all! By the way, any Pokemon you'd want to get via trade?"

"Something Dark-type," he again gave a nebulous answer. "Hopefully strong."

"You're really devoted to that type, huh," Dawn nodded. He turned to her, and she immediately added. "It's not a bad thing! Most high-tier Trainers do this!"

"What about you?" he asked. "You don't specialize in any Types, as far as I saw."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I like a lot of different Pokemon! Specializing for me would mean giving up a chance to get to train them, so I don't."

"I see," Masquerade nodded. Back home specializing in more than one Attribute was a folly, as the Ability Cards usually boosted a single Attribute and needed to be interchangeable for strategy, but here, with the rock-paper-scissors nature of Pokemon Types, it was a lot more viable. Still, he had his preferences, and he would stick to them. "What's your plans for Hearthome City?"

"I want to try Contests!" the bluenette grinned. "My mom is a former World Contest Master, you know?"

"No," he admitted, and, at Dawn's disbelieving look, lied. "I grew up in a very sheltered environment."

"Ah," she nodded. "I see! You family was one of those 'close to nature' people?"

"No - in fact, my grandfather is a scientist."

For some reason, Dawn's eyes hardened.

"What was his field of study?" she asked.

"Why does that matter?" he asked defensively. "It was wormholes. He had some successful tests, too."

Dawn blinked, then her eyes widened.

"Are you-" then she looked around. "Uh, I'll ask you later. Let's talk about something else."

What was she-

Oh. Was Dr. Gehabich's research the reason he was there? That… was a real possibility.

"Okay," Masquerade nodded, feeling stupid over having overlooked that very logical conclusion. "Want to watch Champion's battle videos?"

"Sure."

***

"Thanks, but I have a Bicycle already," he told the owner of the Bicycle shop, who was very grateful that he and Dawn stopped by.

"Eh?" the man exclaimed. "But my shop is the only one in Sinnoh! Where did you get it?"

"Grandfather bought it somewhere?" Masquerade lied.

"May I see it? Maybe mine will be an upgrade," the seller did not look pacified.

Feeling trapped in the situation, there was nothing he could do but begrudgingly obey.

As he withdrew and unfolded his bicycle, a tense silence fell upon the shop.

"...I never sold bicycles in this color, but it looks like one of mine," the man frowned, running his hands on the purple varnish of the frame metal. "The serial number is also absent… hm…"

Dawn looked askance at Masquerade.

"...oh well," the owner of the bike shop sighed, standing up. "It's a fine bike! I guess I'll have to think of another way to thank you. How does a million Poke sound?"

The bluenette choked on thin air.

"Sure," he nodded, and thus soon was one million richer.

After that detour, they mounted their bicycles and rode to the Eterna City southern entrance, where they met a scientist working for Professor Rowan, who checked their Pokedexes…

…it was not until he handed over the wrong one, he remembered he had two.

"You've met…" the scientist's mouth went slack.

'Blyat,' Masquerade thought. 'I fucked up.'

The aide then started to rapidly mash the buttons on the Pokedex, getting visibly more and more excited with every entry shown.

Masquerade snatched the Pokedex out of the scientist's hands and rode to the exit, cursing his lack of Teleportation Card.

"Alex, wait for me!" Dawn ran after him, mounting her bicycle and following him.

He rode down the bridge as if there was a hapless brawler to be defeated waiting at the other side of it, the already-beaten local trainers thankfully ignoring him, stopping only after he was a whole route away from the scientist…

"Oh! Alex!" The kid aide to Professor Rowan greeted him there. "Wait, wait for a bit-"

But he ignored the kid and swerved left, to the before-unexplored part of the route.

After about a kilometer, he was stopped by two green-suited kids, who he wasn't sure weren't in a different cult from the one he and Dawn busted-

Ah. He agreed to travel with that girl…

He frowned, pulling out Shun's and Alice's Pokeballs and sent the Pokemon in, ignoring the bravado of the campers.

The Pachirisu and the Ponyta, however, made him pay attention. Perhaps he should have worn his mask all the time instead of only in battles?

Oh well. The opponent's Pokemon did not look stronger than his own.

"Alice, Seed Bomb on the Pachirisu; Shun, Brave Bird the Ponyta."

"Pachirisu, Spark on Murkrow!"

"Ponyta, Flame Wheel on that cat!"

His Pokemon moved faster than the Campers', and, even as they all converged in the middle of the battlefield, their attacks landed first…

…but the squirrel wasn't knocked out and, after recovering from Alice's attack, pounced on Shun while wreathed in electricity.

His Pokemon, disoriented and hurt from the powerful attack, went down.

"Oh no, my Ponyta!" the girl exclaimed, returning her Pokemon as Masquerade did the same with Shun.

"I'll avenge her! Pachirisu, Quick Attack!" the boy shouted.

"Again," the blond simply ordered.

Alice yowled, as the electric squirrel bounced off her, and then drove her vine's flower bud into the foe's face, an explosion occurring immediately after.

The opposing Pachirisu fainted.

"Oh…" the Campers wilted. "We lost."

Now a thousand Poke richer and a single looted Max Revive poorer, Masquerade considered what to do next.

'We should wait for that girl to catch up,' his original would've said - but he had no obligation, sans verbal, to actually travel with the bluenette. Moreover, the scientist could've given chase, so getting away as fast as possible was only prudent…

'Forward it is.'

And so he mounted his bike again and rode in the direction of the looming over the entire Region mountain range.

On the way to there he was briefly stopped by a Hiker, whose Pokemon - a Geodude and a Bronzor - Alice handily defeated with a Seed Bomb and a Bite respectively.

[Floragato, female, lvl 28, Grass, HP 88/88]

[Learn Worry_Seed Y/N?]

[Did not learn Worry_Seed]

Mt Coronet was looming over him as he rode to the cave entrance. For some reason, it felt like he was trespassing upon a sacred site, as if he was about to confront Excedra again.

Not that it stopped him, before or now, so he entered the Mt Coronet's Route 207 entrance.

…there was a presence to the large cave, akin to that of the Cores of Vestroia but a lot more multifaceted… and plain?..

It all was very faint, though, and Masquerade wondered if he, perhaps, imagined it.

In the cave, he was met with more Zubats, whom he had Julie deal with, with Geodudes - Alice dealt with those - and with some Fighting-types, who went down to Hal-G.

[Zubat, male, lvl 25, Poison/Flying, HP 59/59]

[Learn Air_Cutter Y/N?]

[Choose a move to replace.]

[Larvitar, female, lvl 24, Rock/Ground, HP 63/63]

[Learn Smack_Down Y/N?]

[Did not learn Smack_Down.]

As the blond finally exited the cave system, the presence of something unfathomable and ancient faded.

'So, I wasn't imagining it,' he thought. 'Perhaps the legend of the world's creation starting at Sinnoh is true and the Core of this world is actually hidden somewhere in this mountain?..'

The two Hikers' Pokemon were not a problem, and so, after getting through a giant patch of tall grass, he finally reached Hearthome City.

The city was… big and airy. The atmosphere was festive, and there were a lot of children and Pokemon on the streets, playing. A lot of people were dressed in beautiful outfits, and were commanding Pokemon in complex, eye-catching routines.

Masquerade strode through the crowds, in search of the Pokecenter, heedless of all of this…

…only for the local Nurse Joy to apologetically say that their hostel was overfilled.

"It's because it's the Contest Spectacular season," she explained. "Every prospective Coordinator gathered in this city to try and become the Sinnoh Contest Master of this year… you're here for a Gym Badge, you say?"

Masquerade nodded, internally annoyed.

"Our Gym Leader, Fantina, is currently on leave," the pinkette sighed. "So maybe you should move on to the next Gym? As a Dark specialist, you probably should tackle the Fighting Gym early on."

"Ah," he nodded, not letting his irritation show up on his face. "So, what do I do now? I'm tired and need some rest."

"Well… your Pokemon aren't hurt, so they'll be back in half an hour. After that, you can eat here, and…" she hummed, "perhaps, go to the Pokemon Hotel - they are a bit pricey, but they should have a room?.."

The blond nodded and went to the waiting room, where he opened his laptop and started to research his next designation - Veilstone City and its Fighting-type Gym.

Immediately, the 'Veilstone Galactic Inc. HQ' attracted his attention…

Half an hour later, as his newer name was called by the nurse, he was newly knowledgeable about the legitimate front of the Team Galactic, as well as that his and Dawn's Eterna HQ storming was being suppressed from the general public's knowledge.

'I had a wrong impression of this world being quiet and safe,' he thought, taking his Pokeballs from Nurse Joy with a fake grateful smile. 'I really should have researched it more.'

He and his Pokemon ate, Alice demanding headpats and him indulging her, after which he exited the Pokecenter and went to the other side of the city, to the hotel.

Thankfully, the cheapest room was just 5k a night.

He took the keys, took the fresh linen, and retreated to the small rented space that, despite everything, had a bed, a desk, a strongbox, a wardrobe, and a separate shower-toilet cubicle.

Masquerade put the linen on the bed, and then went to shower, which didn't take too long. Now, in his pajamas, he sat at the deck and continued browsing the PokeNet…

"Meowww," about 3AM, Alice, who previously let herself out and was napping on the bed, woke up and started to insistently meow while kneading the sheets. "Meowwww!"

The smell she let out was nice, he admitted. And he did need rest.

"Okay, okay," before he got this body, he'd just let Alice deal with exhaustion, but now he had to take care of himself. "I'm going to sleep."

"Gaato."

He stretched, then put his laptop back in the bag, then the bag - in the strongbox, then went to the bed and, after returning Alice, climbed under the blanket and fell asleep instantly.

He dreamed of the last brawl against Dan and Dragonoid.

 

[Kamico]

The road to the LDS tower was spent by the adults planning their questions to the Akabas in the front of the limousine's passenger compartment, leaving Yuzu, Yuuya and Hoshie to stare awkwardly at each other at the back.

"So, who are these 'Akabas'? The rulers of this city?" the blonde asked.

Her friend laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"...They might as well be," Yuzu admitted. "Leo Corporation does control most of Miami City, and has a lot of sway in the world."

"I see," Hoshie nodded, her posture somehow getting even more rigid. "So, we're being summoned for an audience with the city's rulers. I should think about this carefully."

"Do you think it's about your arrival to our dimension?" Yuzu asked her doppelganger.

"If the control of Leo Corporation is akin to that of the Church, they'll know of my arrival," the other girl nodded. "From surveillance cameras if nothing else. Now excuse me, I need to think of a first contact package."

And then she closed her eyes, folded her hands and leaned back in her seat.

Yuzu and Yuuya looked at each other, then Yuuya shrugged.

Yuzu supposed they couldn't do anything but also think about what they're gonna do when faced with Akabas. After all, simply demanding the CEO and his mother to reveal everything would likely be unsuccessful?

Like that, the ride to the Leo Duel School was spent in everyone trying to think about the upcoming talks.

Soon, they arrived at the hourglass-shaped skyscraper, and the men in suits exited both the driver's side of the limousine and the accompanying cars. Wordlessly, they were escorted inside, and, through several elevators, the topmost floor.

The high-ceiling office had a fantastic view of Miami City. Yuzu couldn't help but admire the skyline.

"Greetings, You Show Duel School contingent," the CEO himself greeted them from his seat at the deck. She noted that Kurosaki Shun was also there, staying apart from the LDS people and observing everyone with hawk-like eyes. "And… Hoshie, was it?"

"Indeed," the girl in question stepped forward and curtsied. "I am Hoshie, of the Array Corps. May our meeting bring prosperity upon both our worlds."

It seemed that her words made Reiji pause. And he wasn't alone in that notion, the rest of their group also astonished.

"...I hope so too," the young CEO finally nodded. "Still, if I may ask some questions?..."

"First, answer our questions… please," Sakaki Yoko spoke up, folding her hands. "First one: what is going on with the whole 'dimensions' thing?!"

The gray-haired teen looked over them, then fixed his glasses.

"I suppose I do owe you an explanation," he nodded. "There exist, as far as I knew until very recently, four dimensions, each of them characterized by an Extra Deck summoning method. The equivalent institution in Fusion, Academia, for some reason, invaded Xyz Dimension to turn its inhabitants into cards…"

"...cards?" Yoko interrupted him. "As in, Duel Monster cards?"

"Akin to Duel Monster cards, yes," Reiji rummaged through his drawer, withdrawing a card, stood up and walked closer to them, showing the…

…oh God. In the otherwise blank Normal Monster card's image part, a twisted, fearful man's face was pictured.

Yuzu felt sick.

"...so it's sealing humans in Monster cards," Hoshie hummed, seemingly unaffected. "Do you know if it's reversible? Have you tried playing the card?"

"As far as we know, it's permanent," Reiji's glasses reflected the light, hiding his expression. "And yes, we tried - it merely replays the moment of capture."

"What the hell?!" Shuzou chose that moment to shout. "You cannot be serious! You can't turn a person into…"

"Well, Academia does that," Shun interrupted him, hands clenched, "does to my comrades! To civilians and duelists alike! Like it's a damn game!"

"...this is wrong!" Yuuya exclaimed. "Duels should make people smile, not… not…"

Yoko put her hand on Shuzou's and Yuuya's shoulders.

"So, you're claiming that whoever Sora associates with is attempting… genocide…" the woman spoke in a deceptively calm tone, "and uses children like Sora for that?"

"Those Fusion dogs are not-"

"Indeed," Reiji nodded. "And it is not 'whoever' - it is my father, Akaba Leo, at the helm of the atrocities perpetuated by Fusion Dimension Academia."

What?...

"What," echoed her thoughts Yoko and Shuzou.

The young CEO fixed his glasses and started to explain: how he stumbled upon the teleporter to Fusion in an attempt to find his father, how he got transported to Academia and met Serena, and how they attempted to escape together.

How Serena looked just like Yuzu and Hoshie, except her bracelet had a blue stone.

How they got caught and separated, with Leo dispassionately ordering Academia's grunts to throw Reiji back to the Standard Dimension.

How…

"That was your fault?!" Yoko gasped as Reiji explained how he and his mother asked Yushou to talk sense into Leo. "You…"

"I freely admit that I asked Yushou to go to Fusion," the gray-haired teen looked away. "But, according to Kurosaki, he landed in Xyz instead."

"He was a teacher in one of the schools in Heartland, until he disappeared during the Fusion Invasion," Shun nodded as the You Show people whirled to look at him. "We don't know if he was carded or if he ran away."

"That's…" Yuuya's fists were clenched.

"We need time to think," Shuzou frowned - and wasn't that a strange thing, to see her father do that? "Can we talk among each other?"

"Of course," the CEO nodded. "Nakajima, accompany our guests to conference room C-804, and see to their needs. Hoshie, may I ask you to remain? I wanted to ask you some questions."

"Of course," the other girl nodded, and the You Show members were ushered out of the office.

***

His father wasn't a coward. He didn't abandon them. He was, until recently, in Xyz Dimension.

Yuuya hid his watering eyes behind his goggles.

His head swam. The emotions in his chest threatened to burst out from behind his smile. His heart's beat was resounding harshly. He was feeling both elated and sick: elated at the thought that his father, his hero, didn't run away from a Duel, and sick at the thought that he was possibly a card somewhere in a foreign dimension.

"Yuuya? Are you alright? YUUYA!" someone shook him by the shoulders, and he realized it was Yuzu. "Don't ignore me!"

"Yoko, Yuuya, are you alright?" Shuzou asked, coming closer with two cups of water from the cooler. "This went a lot differently than we thought, eh?"

"I- yeah," his mother nodded, taking a cup and gulping down the entire content of it, Yuuya following suit. "I thought we'd have to demand an explanation from Akabas, not…"

"Well, we got it," the other adult joked grimly. "Just, not the one we wanted."

His mom only giggled hysterically.

"Yuuya…" Yuzu's voice was like a balm on the soul. "It must be very strange to hear about your father after all that time."

"...you don't say," he mumbled.

What was he supposed to feel? He didn't know. The pendulum on his chest, his father's gift, felt heavy.

"...maybe we shouldn't have left Hoshie alone back there," Shuzou frowned. "It's unlikely that those two boys would do anything bad, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Maybe…" Yoko nodded. "Still, we need to talk. What do we do now?"

"I hate to say this, but Yushou's fate is currently less relevant than the possible war," the man said. "We need to know if this… Academia… would attack our home. With Leo leading it, it might not?"

"Sora was from Fusion," Yoko frowned. "We all know he was attracted to us because of the Pendulum Summoning. I also hate to contemplate this, but was he, perhaps, a forerunner to invasion of our dimension?"

"He taught me how to Fusion Summon," Yuzu said. "And he liked the kids. Was it all a lie?"

"...I believe in Sora," Yuuya looked over at his family. "I don't believe he'd bring disaster upon us. He's my, our friend! He wouldn't…"

"Oh, Yuuya," his mother looked at him with a sad expression. "If he was a mole from the start, then he wasn't a friend. Sometimes, life is unfair like that."

"But…"

She hugged him, and a hiccup forced itself from his throat. His eyes were wet, but he couldn't, shouldn't show these to his family…

"Shhh," his mother rubbed his back. "It's alright. This day was hard on everyone."

He cried in his mother's arms.

***

While Sakaki Yuuya was crying, Nakajima's communicator rang - it was his boss.

"Yes?" he immediately picked up.

"Nakajima, change of plans - bring the You Show contingent to Fifth Duel Arena as soon as they're ready," Akaba Reiji was short and to the point.

"Yes, sir," he answered.

The line went dead.

"Hiiragi Shuzou, Hiiragi Yuzu, Sakaki Yoko, Sakaki Yuuya - the CEO is inviting you to the indoors Duel Arena number five," he relayed.

The small party's members startled, as if just remembering he was in the room.

"...right, we're coming," Hiiragi Shuzou nodded after a small pause. "Where to?"

"I'll lead you there."

Sakaki Yuuya wiped his tears, and the quartet stood up from the table.

Wordlessly, Nakajima went to the elevator.

The ride to the Indoors Arena Five was short, as it was the topmost Duel Monster arena, near the top of the building. It was usually used by the CEO himself, as well as his younger sibling, to test the new cards.

When they arrived there, they were met with the sight of the CEO and the Hoshie girl seated across from each other, both looking over some cards, a few metal suitcases on the floor next to them, Kurosaki Shun standing over them, frowning.

"... once again, I'm sorry we cannot provide the cards you are used to," the CEO fixed his glasses. "Still, your descriptions of them shall help us immensely."

"It's nothing," the girl gathered the cards between them into a deck. "I thank you again for providing me with these Duel Monster cards. I hope to repay your trust in me."

"Are you done apologizing with each other?" Kurosaki Shun scoffed. "Let's duel already."

"Duel? Who's dueling?" Hiiragi Shuzou exclaimed.

"We, the LDS, are loaning Miss Hoshie a deck and a Duel Disc, and she wants to try them out," the young CEO explained. "So it's her against Kurosaki."

The You Show contingent exchanged glances.

"No offense, but," Sakaki Yoko frowned, "his methods of Dueling are highly destructive. I don't want Hoshie to suffer injuries."

"She isn't Fusion, and I'm able to hold back," Kurosaki Shun looked offended.

"...this indoors arena isn't the best of places for your Raid Raptors, true," the CEO nodded. "Perhaps one of you shall be her opponent?"

"I don't care who I am against," the girl in question said. "I can take care of myself. Even with the possibility of the girls with my face being kidnapped by Fusion."

"I have an idea - have Hiiragi Yuzu duel Hoshie," the CEO proposed. "That way we'll gauge both their abilities."

"Wait, what was it about the girls with my daughter's face being kidnapped?!" Hiiragi Shuzou shouted.

This was news to Nakajima, too.

"Once would've been a curiosity, two - a strange occurrence, but we have three cases of girls with the same face that are of interest to the Professor," Akaba Reiji explained. "Serena, Ruri, Rin - they all were either confined or captured by my father for some reason. Thus, I must conclude that both Hoshie and Yuzu are also people of interest and act accordingly."

Hm. Did that mean they needed to arrange for bodyguards for both of those girls?

"...I will duel Hoshie," the Hiiragi girl nodded, strapping her pink Duel Disc to her forearm.

The other girl merely stood up, picking a white Duel Disc and copying the motions to strap it to the forearm, succeeding only at the second try.

[DUEL: Hiiragi Yuzu vs Hoshie]

[LP: 4000 vs 4000]

 

[Luckyplucky21]

Well well, melodius(which funny enough last year got new support) vs rituals, it will be very interesting to see this in action. Bet is on Hoshi cause while Yuzu is decent she ain't good enough most of the time in the anime.

 

[Kamico]

Still groggy, at 10AM, Masquerade returned the room keys to the reception, and went back to the Pokecenter.

"Have the Gym Leader returned?" he asked Nurse Joy, who only shook her head. "I see."

Moving on to the cafeteria, he took the free meal for him and his Pokemon.

"Unfortunate news," he told them, his team looking up to him from their bowls. "The local Gym Leader is not present, so we can't challenge the Gym. The Nurse proposed that I challenge the Veilstone Gym, which is Fighting-type - meaning Shun and Hal-G will be getting most of my attention in training. Obviously, I will not be neglecting Alice and Julie, but-"

"Lar! Tar!" his Rock/Ground-type scoffed, sending a pellet of food into her mouth. "Vitarr!"

"Well-trained Fighting-types," he pointed out. "Rock-typed you."

The little lizard glowered, but visibly conceded her point, turning to her bowl and munching on her mineral-rich food.

The rest of the breakfast passed without any problems so, after dispensing some headparts to Alice, he returned them all to their Pokeballs and rode his bicycle through the city to Route 209.

It wasn't until half an hour of riding through the countryside that he was stopped by a man in a green apron and bandanna.

"Let me see how much you've raised your Pokemon!"

"Well, if you're asking," Masquerade grinned, dismounted his bike, and sent out Hal-G.

The other Trainer's Pokemon looked vaguely Grass-typed…

"Hal-G, Air Cutter," he ordered, and his Pokemon obeyed, sending blades of air to the little bonsai-looking foe.

"Hah! Bonsly, Rock Throw!" the other trainer ordered, and his Pokemon materialized a few rocks to send flying at his Pokemon, visibly hurting him badly.

'This looks bad…' Masquerade thought. 'But the opponent's Pokemon does not look strong enough to wound mine so badly?...'

"Hal-G, Poison Fang," he ordered, suspecting a trick and hoping to poison that Bonsly.

"Rock Slide!"

Hal-G dutifully obeyed, biting into the brown Pokemon with a purple-filled maw; the rocks impacted hei body, and he fainted.

"You're a newbie Trainer, aren't ya?" the green-clad opponent called out. "That's fine! Everyone was one once!"

"Alice, finish this," Masquerade scoffed, releasing his starter and ordering. "Bite."

Alice swiftly did so.

"Your Floragato looks very strong!" the opponent exclaimed, returning his Bonsly and smiling. "And seeing her in action confirmed that she's very well-bred!"

"Are you out of Pokemon?" Masquerade asked coldly.

"Hah, no! Go, Pichu!"

The small mouse-like Pokemon landed next to its Trainer and then, as it caught sight of Alice, stiffened and hid behind its human.

"Flor?" his cat-like Pokemon tilted her head.

"Ah, Pichu, it's a battle…" his opponent tried to soothe the Pichu, but it climbed at the Trainer's hands and refused to fight. "Okay, back to Pokeball you go."

Masquerade folded his hands.

"Are we going to battle or not?" he narrowed his eyes at the hapless Trainer.

"Sorry, sorry," the brunet young man chuckled. "These are my babies, so I'm a bit lax with them, you know?"

The blond did not smile back.

"Uh, anyway…" the Breeder - and he must've been one because of the whole 'my babies' remark - pulled out another Pokeball. "Go, Budew! Cotton Spore! Hide and seek!"

"Alice, return - go, Shun," Masquerade switched his Pokemon. "Wing Attack."

The green bud-like Pokemon exploded with cotton, filling the field with it and hiding in the clouds, making Shun's attack miss. Worse, the energy-made cotton clung to the crow Pokemon, making him slow down…

Masquerade grinned. This was getting interesting!

"Shun, fly above, find the opponent," he ordered. "Then, Brave Bird."

Whoah, your Pokemon knows that?! Must've had a Staraptor father," the opponent exclaimed, then ordered his Budew. "Hide and start scattering Poison Powder!"

His Pokemon soared above the battlefield as the cotton clouds below took on a purple sheen…

…suddenly, Masquerade remembered the new mode of his mask and briefly felt stupid. Fishing it from his bag, he put it on and activated the X-ray vision.

[Murkrow, male, lvl 25, Dark/Flying, HP 69/69]

[Budew, female, lvl 15, Grass/Poison, HP 38/38]

"At your left and back, fly in and Wing Attack," the blond ordered, mentally noting that he needed a way to indicate to his Pokemon at least the directions, or, even better, the grid coordinates in case he could see the opponent and the Pokemon couldn't.

Shun flew over and dove into the cotton clouds.

There was a loud 'twack', and the Budew was thrown out of the cotton, visibly fainted.

The Breeder tsk'd.

"Your Murkrow is well-bred," he admitted, and then released his Pichu. "But don't think we are this easily defeated!"

[Murkrow, male, lvl 25, Dark/Flying, HP 69/69]

'No poisoning, but a bad matchup…' Masquerade thought. "Shun, return - go, Julie.'

[Larvitar, female, lvl 21, Rock/Ground]

"And now this is just unfair," the opponent groused. "Pichu - Fake Out!"

"Stomping Tantrum."

The Pichu moved impossibly fast, slapping its paws over Julie's ear holes, causing her to flinch and not use the attack he ordered…

Masquerade grit his teeth.

"Again."

"Quick, Lovely Kiss!"

…but, enraged by the effect of the previous attack, Julie landed the Stomping Tantrum point-blank at the other Pokemon.

The Breeder returned his Pichu before Julie could land another attack.

"Miss, you're likely a newbie Trainer, so I'll just recommend you to work on your Larvitar's manners," the opponent told him while paying up. "That line is notorious for its temper, and teaching her to control it from the start is a must."

"Yeah," Masquerade nodded. "I will focus on that."

And then the blonde rode back to Hearthome City, to heal Hal-G.

***

Riding through Route 209 again, he passed the Breeder, then a bridge with a jogger who only waved at him, and was challenged by a pair of twins.

"We battle together! That's why we're tough!" one of them cheered. "Go, Mime Jr!"

[Mime Jr., male, lvl 19, Psychic/Fairy]

"We're gonna crunch and munch you up!" the other added. "Go, Bonsly!"

[Bonsly, male, lvl 19, Rock]

Rock-type?... ah, that's why that previous Bonsly's attack was so strong…

All in all, Masquerade gave them a solid 7 out of 10 for intimidation. The yellow dresses and the lack of menacing presence really undercut the whole thing. Idly, he wondered if he could do a better 'creepy combat twins' routine with his original.

"Alice - Seed Bomb on the Bonsly. Julie, Stomping Tantrum on the pink one."

"Mime Jr, Confusion!"

"Bonsly, Fake Tears!"

Alice jumped to her opponent and slammed the immediately-exploding bud-on-vine into the, apparently, Rock-type Pokemon. Julie, on the other hand, roared and ran at her opponent, the impact causing a small dust cloud.

And so the battle concluded.

"Waaah! Hwaagh!" the girls cried, and Masquerade's opinion of them…

"Cease your fake tears," he scoffed. This could've gotten his original, but him? He knew how to really get an opponent to lose his composure, and this? This was merely an attempt to weasel out of payment. He bumped his evaluation of the girls a notch up.

"...meanie," the twins pouted. "Okay, fair's fair! Here's our lunch money."

…and an attempt to guilt-trip him! Wow, these two would've been a good addition to his pawns against the Brawlers, if they weren't so weak…

Money exchanged hands, and he rode further east, past a bridge and another triathlete, towards one of the concentrations of Darkus energies. He rode for quite a while, reaching the first concentration, and got quite disappointed - the crumbling tower was inactive and, on inspection, lacked a critical piece.

The next nexus of energies, the bigger one, was north, which was fine by him - he needed to get to Solaceon anyway.

"Hi there!" as he got into the sight distance of the other tower, he got ambushed by a… farmhand girl? "Where are you from? What kinds of Pokemon have ya got?"

"Battle me, and I might answer," he scoffed.

"Oh, okay!" the girl nodded. "Go, Bidoof! Defence Curl!"

"Go, Julie," Masquerade threw out his Pokemon. "Stomping Tantrum."

The little rocky lizard's onslaught hit faster than the beaver Pokemon could use its attack, fainting it.

"Ah!" his opponent withdrew her Pokemon, and turned to him, smiling. "Your Pokemon's real fancy!... Can ya use another for tha next fight?.."

"..." Masquerade narrowed his eyes at the suspiciously golden retriever-like girl. "You can't win against one of my Pokemon, what makes you think you can win against the rest of them?"

"Gee, no need ta be this prickly," his opponent pouted. "Fancy folks really do look down a us, tha common folk, huh?... Go, Bidoof!"

The four remaining Bidoof did not fare any better than the first.

"Geez, fancy folks really do have fancy Pokemon," the farm girl sighed.

Masquerade collected the money from her, and then rode northwest, to the ominously looming tower. It was getting late, and he hoped it would have some Dark-types.

***

Solaceon Town was as much of a disappointment as was the graveyard tower preceding it. No Gym and no strong trainers, only the Breeding center, whose staff looked aghast at his carefully-worded questions, and archeologists interested in the local ruins - it was a waste of time to remain here, and so he, after resting in the Pokecenter, drove to the Route 210…

…beat up a few more hapless trainers…

…completely ignored the cafe…

…and run headfirst into Route 215's eternal rain.

'This is gonna be annoying,' he thought, already feeling drenched to the bone. 'Maybe I should return to Solaceon and buy an umbrella?'

But that would have meant wading through the entirely too-tall grass again, so he decided to push on.

Twenty minutes later, Masquerade regretted that decision already. His attire felt like it was made of ice and there was nothing to wipe his mask with.

"I'm a treasure hunter!" a man in exploration gear ran to him. "Today, the loot is a victory from you! Go, Bronzor!"

The small steel disc floated in front of the Trainer, seemingly agitated…

[Bronzor, no_gender, Steel/Psychic, level 21, HP 55/55]

"I'll crush you," the Brawler grinned, feeling that the world was sending him a stress relief chew toy. "Go, Alice."

[Floragato, female, Grass, Level 31, HP 85/85]

Alice assumed a pose of derision, making a gesture of 'come get me'. There was a reaction from the foe's Pokemon, but it was a reaction of fear…

'As it should,' the blond thought, slicking back the wet bangs.

"Use Hypnosis!"

"Flank and Bite."

As the Steel/Psychic Pokemon attempted to gather energy to use the attack, Alice bounded to it and used the spectral maw to disrupt the technique.

[Bronzor, no_gender, Steel/Psychic, level 21, HP 4/55]

"Again."

"Oh no!" the weakling only managed to exclaim as Alice finished the job. "Uhhh… go, Shieldon! Use Take Down!"

[Shieldon, male, Rock/Steel, HP 50/50]

"Dodge and…" Masquerade grinned cruelly. "Seed Bomb."

Alice did not disappoint, using her bud-on-a-vine to slam the explosion directly into the face of the opponent's Pokemon… on;y for it to slam into her in retaliation.

[Shieldon, male, Rock/Steel, level 23, HP 1/50]

[Floragato, female, Grass, level 31, HP 77/85]

"Finish it," Masquerade frowned - Alice should've knocked out that Shieldon in one attack - and observed the irate Grass Cat Pokemon slam another explosive bud into the flank of the opponent, this time knocking him out.

"I can't win," the other trainer sighed, rubbing his neck. "You're too much to handle!"

'Even the money I receive is wet,' the blond thought, already fed up with the rain.

A few hours later, after the slow and arduous navigation of the Route's layout, a few battles against overgrown bugs and Fighting-type Trainers - Shun and Hal-G got a light workout - the next city was in the visible distance. Relieved, Masquerade hurried there…

"I'm taking the Veilstone Gym Challenge!" an Ace Trainer jumped out of nowhere. "But first…"

"I'll battle anyone," another Ace Trainer ran to them. "That's how I get better!"

"..." Masquerade grit his teeth. He was cold and on the verge of collapsing, and once again he cursed the lack of a Transport Card. "Fine. Two-on-two?"

The opponents glanced at each other and then nodded.

[Floragato, female, Grass, level 31, HP 77/85]

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, level 28, HP 75/75]

[Monferno, male, Fire/Fighting, level 23, HP 66/66]

[Glameow, female, Normal, level 23, HP 59/59]

"Fake Out on the bird!"

"Mach Punch on the cat!"

"Shun - Brave Bird on the monkey, Alice - Seed Bomb on cat."

The opponents managed to move first, the Glameow's attack causing Shun to flinch, but Alice retaliated by blasting the former.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 65/85]

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 62/75]

[Monferno, male, Fire/Fighting, HP 66/66]

[Glameow, female, Normal, HP 59/59]

"Again," the thoroughly tired, hungry, soaked and cold Masquerade ordered. Master Naga damn these two for catching him there… they didn't look weak, but they certainly wasted his time…

"Dodge and Fury Swipes on the Murkrow!"

"Fury Swipes too on the cat!"

The monkey did not manage to dodge, Shun taking revenge by slamming into him while wreathed in white light. The gray cat retaliated to Alice hitting it with an explosive bud by scratching at the grass-type's face a few times.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 65/85]

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 56/75]

[Monferno, male, Fire/Fighting, HP 0/66]

[Glameow, female, Normal, HP 14/59]

The opponent male Ace Trainer tsk'd.

"Go, Gyarados!" he… released a dragon?! "Use Waterfall on the Murkrow!"

[Gyarados, male, Water/Flying, HP 80/80]

Not a dragon.

"Fury Swipes!"

"Brave Bird on the newcomer - Bite the cat!"

Shun was faster - he slammed into the opponent's fake dragon, knocking it out. Alice, in the meanwhile, finished the job with the other cat.

[Floragato, female, Grass, HP 65/85]

[Murkrow, male, Dark/Flying, HP 44/75]

[Gyarados, male, Water/Flying, HP 0/80]

[Glameow, female, Normal, HP 0/59]

"...Go, Kadabra."

The last Pokemon was unceremoniously Astonish'd and Bite'd into KO.

"You made me lose my confidence…" the female Ace sighed.

"You won and I lost, but we both gained something out of this!" the male Ace grinned.

Completely fed up with everything, Masquerade collected the money from them and rode into Veilstone City.

***

"You've caught a bad cold," Nurse Joy stated plainly, returning his Pokemon to him. "You should rest up. We have a few quarantine rooms for such situations."

"Must I?" he frowned. "I feel unwell, yes, but…"

"No 'buts'!" the pinkette folded her hands. "Young miss, you WILL be nursed to health, or I am not a Nurse Joy!"

'I should run,' he thought.

'No! She's doing this for our sake!' his inner Alice replied.

Once again internally cursing the lack of Transport Card and the lack of ability to make his Original deal with this humiliation, Masquerade acquiesced to the demands of the woman and let himself be led to a small room in the hostel, where the Chansey assistant of the Nurse made him take off the soaked clothes, provided him with a surprisingly well-tasting flu medicine and pajamas, made him lie down in a bed, and went away with his outfit.

Alice chose that time to let herself out of the Pokeball, climbing on the bed, on the covers, and looking at him curiously.

Masquerade sneezed. In the warmth of the dry room, he could admit that he felt miserable. Still, it's not like Alice, his Original, being sick made him miss out on the Brawls back home! He just used his Negative Energy to reinforce himself, and he could've done this again now! He didn't need any help!

"Mrow?" Alice the Floragato looked at his face, worry plainly visible on her face.

"I'll get well soon, so don't you think I grew weak," he scoffed. "We'll challenge the Veilstone Gym in no time."

 

[Kamico]

I woke up to a Proto Merlin jumpscare.

"Wha-"

"Hello-hello!" she smiled beatifically. "It's nice to see you lucid, Wanderer."

I squinted, then remembered traveling in the Sea of… Quanta? Fragments? Imaginary? Or hell, Blind Eternities?

Time had no meaning there, so I was as I had been at the moment I fell into the Sea - the moment of my death.

I shuddered, suddenly reliving those terrifying minutes.

"Ah, don't go into shock!" tut-tutted the Succubus. "That would be boring!"

Right, Prototype Merlin is a bitch. I almost forgot that with the whole 'died' thing.

"What do…" you want, I wanted to ask, but my throat was worse than parched somehow, so I broke into a cough.

"Ah, would you believe that I did it out of the goodness of my heart?" she had the gall to propose. "Judging by your expression, nope. Oh well!"

I glared, then realized that I did not have any glasses on my head despite seeing clearly. Was I… healed? Or did I have a different body?

"You're currently in Avalon," no shit, the flower sea and the Proto Merlin's staff head-like tower attested to it. "I am Merlin, the Magus of Flowers… but it seems that you already know this. How interesting."

Yep, definitely a bad situation.

I narrowed my eyes and pouted.

"Ah, how adorable, this expression on my own face," she continued smiling.

…her own face? What did that mean?!

"You must be so confused," she nodded to herself. "Well, let Merlin-oneesan explain everything to you!"

Merlin… oneesan… ugh. Why couldn't it be the male Merlin?! I loved that one!!!

"You were a soul that washed on the shores of Avalon," she started, probably ignoring my grimace. "As you persisted for a surprising amount of time, I decided it would be interesting to talk to you, so I used my own flesh to incarnate you in a homunculus body!"

Oh, that's how I am alive, huh.

"Thank…" I croaked.

"Ah, but your new body is so new, it might be a bit tender," she made a motion with her wrist, materializing a phial in it. "So don't bother speaking and drink this."

A suspicious medicine from a succubus? Never!!!

However, as I tried to turn my head away, she somehow both uncorked the vial and made me swallow the strangely sweet liquid.

"Huh?!" I looked at her dainty hand incredulously. How did she do it?!

"Well, this wasn't too bad, right?" she beamed. "And you should be able to speak now!"

"Ugh," I groaned. Tricky, tricky magus!!!

"Anyway, now you should tell me all about your travels!" she cheered. "What kind of a life did you lead, to find yourself in Avalon?!"

"...I was a NEET," I deadpanned. Her face fell. "I… I dunno how I got there? Like, I died of a stroke? Like, my life was very uneventful beyond that."

"I see," she nodded. "But you recognised me - I saw it in your eyes. How?"

"Well…" I frantically tried to think of an excuse. "You're Merlin? Hard not to recognise you?"

"That's a lie~" she cheered. "Try again!"

Ugh.

"Well, you're a character in a very popular RPG game by Kinoko Nasu!" I decided to just tell the truth, but make it as annoying as possible. "A 5-star! Highest rarity! Annoyingly hard to get!"

She blinked in surprise.

"Huh," she looked amused. "Well, it's only right that I, the Grand Caster, would be the highest rarity unit!"

Wait, GRAND CASTER?! Since when?!

"Ohohoho," she smiled smugly. "So you do know what that is. How interesting, that would be brought up in very specific circumstances… was that RPG about the hunt for one of the Seven Beasts?"

"Actually, it was about the battle against First, Second, both halves of Third, and the latest to be defeated was the half a Sixth, Nero Draco," I deadpanned. "We saw the Fourth and the Seventh as well."

"...ah, that timeline," she frowned. "So I do end up there. How? The other Merlin's presence is stopping me from getting there."

"You go in as Pretender-class and pretend to be his little sister, actually," I replied.

"Pretender…" her eyes got a distant look to them. "Ah, this can work! Thank you, truly. Now I can meddle in there~"

And then she disappeared.

"Eh?" I blinked, suddenly bereft of her soft thigh pillow, then sat up. "Uh, Merlin?..."

No answer.

***

How long have I been in Avalon? I lost count of the time quickly - mostly because I needed not to sleep or eat, but still did, and because there were no nights.

My new body… It was a carbon copy of Proto Merlin, sans purple eyes and bob-cut hair. I was also dressed in only a swimsuit, but, as there was no one to see me and the temperature was perfect, I didn't try to do anything to get myself anything else.

Still, I tried to do magic!... magecraft. So far I only managed to do something like a mana blast, which might've been a Mana Burst, but I had no real frame of reference for that. Even stuff like Gradation Air and Reinforcement were out of my reach…

Clairvoyance… I believe mine wasn't up to be considered of the EX-rank. Maybe B? I could see a lot, but not to the point of future or past sight, or beyond a limited boundary in Avalon, even if the boundary grew with every day. I actually saw Merlin, but she mostly stared blankly into the horizon.

"I'm bored," I sighed.

That was the unfortunate reality of my existence. In the Blind Eternities, I wasn't aware, but here? I was awake and lucid, and thus fucking bored out of my mind.

"Merlin!" I shouted. "I'm bored! Teach me at least!"

"Hmm?" her voice reached my ears by a gust of wind that rustled the flowers. "Maybe you should climb my tower, then I'll think of it."

…well, that was a distraction, if anything.

So, I started to walk towards the tower at the horizon.

There was no fatigue or pain as I ran towards the Merlin's tower, but there was still boredom. I entertained myself by thinking of the Magecraft she'd teach me. I wanted to get Ainsworth-style Flash Air! And illusionism! And…

Still, I reached the tower in a few… days? I wanted to say, but time was weird there. It rose towards the skies, the top being hidden in the clouds.

"You reached my tower," came Merlin's words upon the wind. "But can you climb it?"

I looked at the stone that composed the building. It was entirely too solid and smooth. How the hell was I supposed to climb that?!

"You have everything you need. Use Reinforcement and Alternation."

Huh?

I looked at my hands. Use… Magecraft?

In my mind's eye, I suddenly fell, because the earth disappeared from under my feet. My circuits thrummed to life, and I carefully channeled it to my hands…

***

It took me entirely too long to get to the Merlin's seat. I had to learn Reinforcement and Alternation from the first principles! My limbs were blown up and torn entirely too much for my liking - not painful, thank Avalon, but still!

But in the end, I learned how to turn my limbs into gecko-like, and successfully climbed the tower! And it took me only sixteen tries!!!

"Hm," Merlin smiled at the out-of-breath me. "You actually did it. Congratulations!"

"That… I did!" I grinned. "Now, teach me!"

"Ah, about that," her smile turned mischievous. "I actually found a better way for you to learn."

Huh?

She went closer to me and…

…I was suddenly falling down.

"HUH?!" I shouted, watching the rapidly approaching… water? Not flowers?

"Good luck in that Magical School!" the wind carried Merlin's words to me, and I could only curse. Agh! I should've expected something like this!!!

And then I fell in the water, my breath torn out of me.

I drowned, yet was still conscious through it all. I went deeper and deeper, where even the light of Avalon didn't reach, then fell out of the… night sky?

The first thing I was aware of was an inky taste/smell in the air instead of a flower one. Then, I was aware of the cold, gripping my whole swimsuit-clad body. Then, I saw the approaching water… beach?

I Reinforced my whole body and braced for impact.

…ow. Ow, ow, ow. That… actually hurt!!!

I actually managed to forget what pain was. In Avalon, all injuries were poofed away, so…

…ow. Fuck. I was now under real water! I almost drowned!!!

My head broke out of the sea, and I managed to cough up the water out of my lungs. I was… a small distance from the shore. Hell, I was even inside the buoy line! Thank you, Clairvoyance!!!

Not risking Reinforcement on my limbs in this situation - I was too busy not drowning and I never used magecraft with distractions - and carefully swam to the sandy beach.

It was deep at night. The unfamiliar stars shone from an almost-clear sky, the crescent moon providing little to no light, but that was fine - my eyes, Clairvoyance (probably) C, cut through the darkness, revealing to me everything.

I was in a typical tourist beachside town, with three hotels and a market. The beach itself was full of sunshades and currently-stacked sunbeds. There was a party some distance from me, the laser show illuminating the low clouds.

I looked down at myself. I was in a plain white swimsuit. Well, at least I'll blend in?...

And what the hell was with that ink smell and taste?! It was everywhere! At least it wasn't overpowering, so I could still smell stuff like the sea and sand, but it was like something out of COVID consequence horror stories! I hated it!!!

Ugggh. I went to the nearest seat and plopped down on it. My feet, entirely too damn dainty and white, were completely covered in sand.

So. Plan of survival: get water, food, shelter. I was in a civilized place, so perhaps I could lie that I lost my… no. I had no passport and no actual place in the hotels.

…Could I, perhaps, tell someone my teacher Teleported me away by accident? But then they'll ask where my Teacher was, and then they'd panic over Avalon. Not an option, then.

Oh, and it was probably Nasuverse, so magic masquerade. I'd probably get vivisected or worse, for being Merlin's homunculuscraft work.

Hm. Could I, perhaps, use Gradation Air to make stuff like a shirt?

I tried to mold my magical energy into a simple metal wire, and got a lump of something clay-like instead. An Ether Clump?...

My stomach growled. Fuck, I needed food now? Weren't Nasu Succubi capable of surviving off people's dreams?

Through my Clairvoyance, I looked over the town. Most people were asleep, but some places were still open.

I spied some unfamiliar banknotes in the counter of the still-open cafe. They had English words on them…

"...Thaumark?" I frowned. "This sounds familiar, but I can't remember where from…"

It wasn't a Nasuverse thing, though, I was certain of that. Was it a Nu:Carnival thing? No, the beach town was too advanced for it. Was it TWST then?

…yes, yes it was. Once, I was mad over the people in charge of the game renaming 'Madol' to 'Thaumark', I remembered that now.

"Fuck," I sighed, raising my hands in defeat. "How the hell did Merlin throw me here?!"

This had to be a different Tree of Time, right? Or was it like the Nanoha cross? Don't think too hard about it?!

…well, the objective of survival was still there. What do I do now?

***

Three days passed. I sat at the smoothie cafe, sipping a watermelon fresh, dressed in a stolen white shorts and t-shirt set, watching the sun set, and thinking heavy thoughts.

I probably had a future as a cat burglar in front of me, as I was able to manipulate the dreams of the people to keep them asleep while I rummaged through their belongings, or was able to pick locks with my paltry magecraft.

Was it how Artoria Caster felt? Having all the potential in the world, yet being unable to use it at all?

I sighed, setting my glass on the table and hid my face in my dainty white hand. What should I do? All of this wasn't sustainable. Could I, perhaps, get caught on purpose so that I'll get food and lodging?

…something very magical entered my range. I focused on it, and saw that it was a Black Carriage!

"I wonder who's the lucky guy," I sighed, watching it closely. Maybe it was after me? Merlin DID say she found a better way for me to learn magecraft…

It's likely for you, you're an Isekai protagonist, came unbidden a thought and I squashed it. I was a girl, so it was unlikely it was for me.

…weren't Nasu succubi capable of gender swap?...

…yeah, I'm not mastering that in the minutes the Carriage would run past this place.

I breathed out and picked up my fresh, then sipped the last of it. The Carriage was… actually heading here?

I frowned, my heart beating fast. No way. It's probably for someone else. Don't get your hopes up, Aria! That way lies only disappointment!

The plastic glass got crushed in my hand. I stood up to throw it out, still following the Black Carriage with my Clairvoyance. It was still maneuvering the streets in my direction…

I had to consider the next night's feeding. I could once again go to the party, if it was going to be hosted today, or I could go for another theft spree? Decisions, decisions.

…damn, the Carriage is really getting close…

"Is that the Black Carriage?" someone gasped. "But why here?"

"Maybe a prospective student is vacationing here?" another proposed.

"Isn't it too late? The school year has already started."

…it was starting to get hard to ignore my brain's insistence that the Black Carriage was here for me as it stopped before the fresh bar I was sitting at.

The black coachman pointed…

"Eh?" …at me? What. Really?!

"But isn't that a girl?!" someone shouted.

The coachman nodded, then jumped off the carriage and walked towards me.

"Miss Aria, right?" His voice was surprisingly smooth and low. "You've been chosen to attend Night Raven College."

"I'm Aria, yes… but isn't it an all-boys school?" I deadpanned, desperately wishing I didn't finish my fresh so I could sip it to give myself time to think. Dammit! I should've actually entertained the thought of getting to NRC!

"Yes, but your… teacher," he grimaced, "has paid us in Magical Crystals of the highest grade to allow you in. So please, enter the Gate and allow me to ferry you to the NRC."

"...okay," I stood up. "Just to be clear, this isn't a prank, right?"

"It is not," he shook his head, then outstretched his hand for me to take, which I did. "Let's go - to be reborn as a great Mage!"

I allowed myself to smile. Things were looking up!

***

 

[Kamico]

"Come to me, Mash Kyrielight. Come to me, Gran Cavallo. Come to me, Triton=Nemo. Come to me, Goredolf Music. Come to me, Sion Eltnam Atlasia. Come to me, Kadoc Zemlupus. Come to me…"

One by one, they opened their eyes, finding themselves in a starry void, floating around on mismatched chairs around a round table with Mash's… Galahad's shield atop it.

"W-what's going on?!" the rotund blonde magus exclaimed, holding on the sides of his armchair for dear life. "Where are we?!"

"...so this is how it is to be kidnapped," Nemo frowned. "I still feel my Storm Border, so it's not like we're powerless, but…"

"Indeed," Mash nodded, still in her Chaldea uniform. "I thought I heard a familiar voice. Abigail, why did you summon us here?"

The silver-skinned, silver-haired girl in a witch's hat and with a keyhole on her forehead looked at the Demi-Servant from her position of floating above the shield, head propped by too-thin hands.

"Greetings, Novum Chaldea," she smiled widely, baring sharp teeth. "I have summoned you here to relay terrible news - someone from far outside your Tree of Time kidnapped the Ringmaster."

"Who?" the gray-haired Polish magus blurted out.

"That's Abby-speak for Ritsuka!" the little Da Vinci explained. "Still, how is it different from the usual business? She gets kidnapped, spirited away or abducted biweekly, coming home every time with new friends."

"This time, the kidnapper was not a Servant, but a thing higher than Outer Gods," the Foreigner explained. "A so-called… Jump-chan."

"What kind of a God names themselves Jump-chan?" Sion fixed her glasses. "And, while the existence of other Trees of Time was theorized by the Mage's Association and confirmed by some of the Servants we received here in Chaldea, it is all highly theoretical and unprovable even by asking the Kaleidoscope - not that he is forthcoming about his Magic…"

"An arrogant, childish one," the Silver Key replied. "It decided that Ringmaster would be good entertainment, and thus threw him to another reality. I could do nothing as she was spirited away and time - paused in your world."

"Wait, the march of time… stopped?!" Kadoc gasped, and all magi present sat up straighter. "Isn't that impossible? How did that happen?!"

"'Our world'," Da Vinci frowned. "And the Alien World, CHALDEAS?"

"You can see the problem, good," the Priestess of Sut-Typhon nodded. "Indeed, it is not paused. It has already come to maturation, too… and the lack of Fujimaru Ritsuka undercuts your chances to deal with it severely."

"Anyway, this is where we come in!" the annoying voice of the last-boss-type kouhai announced, BB Summer appearing next to Abigail Summer, as well as the Goddess Ashtoreth of the Servant Universe. "We will upgrade the Storm Border for Blind Eternities travel!"

"It will be a serious undertaking, and so we will have to ask a lot of other Servants to pitch in," the Avenger nodded. "As well as having to hunt down the materials in the Sapphire Galaxy."

"Novum Chaldea does not bow out just because an undertaking is hard or impossible!" Da Vinci cheered. "What do we need to get?"

Abigail nodded and, from a shower of blue sparks, a thick book appeared.

***

Fujimaru Ritsuka woke up in a…

"Is that an actual coffin?" she blurted out, stepping out of the vertical box. "Why was I in a coffin?"

"You're a girl," the man… non-human, judging by the pointy ears, though it wasn't a decisive sign… in a black beaked mask and a very dapper suit squawked. "Why are you here?!"

"Gee, are you discriminating by gender now, mister…" the Master of Chaldea trailed off leadingly.

"In all my tenure as a Headmage the Dark Carriage did not ever make such a mistake!" but the guy did not take the bait and instead looked at her with unnerving golden pinpricks in the eyeholes of the mask. "Tell me, how did you come here?"

"Dunno," she shrugged, then noticed that she was dressed in an ornate hooded robe in purple and gold. "Went to sleep after a mission and then woke up here. Might've died in my sleep, and then someone stole the coffin and placed it here?"

Okay, the robe meant that she didn't have access to her Mystic Code spells, which was a bit dangerous. Sure, she could still summon Shadow Servants without them, but… hmm… the connection to Chaldea was seemingly cut off again, so she'll have to rely on the locally-sourced ones again.

New friends, here comes the Master of Chaldea!

"This isn't a coffin, this is a Gate," the crow-masked guy folded his clawed-gloves-clad hands, and Ritsuka wondered if this guy was a Servant - he certainly looked the part. "You must be suffering from memory loss because of the teleportation magic. Come, Ritsuka Fujimaru, right?"

"Yeah, that's my name," she followed him to a small crowd of similarly robed people, frowning internally - from the lectures on Magecraft from Waver, she remembered that teleportation bordered True Magic in modern times, and thus she was likely somewhere in the Age of Gods. "Anyway, where's here?"

"This is…" the guy trailed off, and, following his gaze, she saw an empty, scorched coffin. "Wait here and listen to the orientation, I have a student to track."

Well, that was rude - though she supposed that a missing student was more important than one that could get information from a soon-to-happen lecture.

Though… looking at the gathered people, she couldn't see anyone else with boobs. Together with the surprise of the Headmage guy, it painted an unpleasant image… was this place some sort of a reverse Amazon island or something? She read enough doujins to know what that was a prelude to!!!

"Fou!"

She whirled in place, and saw that, from the coffin she was in, a familiar white animal bolted to her, climbing the robes until he sat on her shoulder. Strangely, she felt some sort of connection to him, like to her Servants…

"Well, at least I'm not alone here," she rubbed her dear friend's fluffy, fluffy ears.

Then, she realized that about a fourth of the robed figures were eyeing her warily… no, not her - Fou… while sniffing the air carefully. On a closer inspection, she saw that they had animal features - those were honest-to-God kemonomimi!

"Whoah, not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy…" she grinned. This was an interesting Singularity, that was for sure. The robed people were probably some sort of Caster-class mooks, so she stood on the edge of the crowd and was ready to summon her favorite AoE Rider, Red Hare, to trample them as soon as they initiated any kind of hostility, but otherwise she was relaxed and waiting for the promised orientation to begin.

"What the hell is this?" growled a pretty tan guy with a tuft-tipped tail, coming closer to them. "It smells like imminent death."

"This is Fou, a Privileged Lifeform," she beamed at him, causing him to scowl deeper. "Back at my workplace, anyway. Think of him as a familiar."

"Badly trained familiars are forbidden to be brought to the NRC campus," a small figure came closer to them. "I hope it is at least litter-trained."

Fou growled, and she scratched his head to calm him down. She wasn't afraid of the small animal, but she was aware how a lot of Servants were wary of displeasing it, so she made sure it wasn't too angry here.

'I wouldn't kill them just like that,' came a mental voice through the connection from Fou to her. 'I am better than that.'

'You can speak human language?!' she sent back. 'We should celebrate that!'

'The tail guy smells like a lion, and the rude one is human,' Fou noted. 'I could slaughter them in a blink of an eye, just order me…'

'No, they're not hostile… maybe they're future friends!'

"I suppose you can control it," the small human with gray eyes nodded. "Besides your gender, I see no reason not to welcome you to the NRC, then."

"NRC?" she tilted her head, and Fou mimicked her. "What is it?"

"..." everyone stared at her.

"...your memory really got scrambled, huh," the lion guy sighed. "Oi, Riddle, does your speech have a rundown of Night Raven College?"

"If you didn't sleep on the Housewarden meetings, you'd learned that yes, it does," the redhead - Riddle, - nodded. "Miss Fujimaru, please listen carefully to the orientation speech. All your questions will be addressed there. Kingscholar, with me."

And then the kid - honestly, he couldn't have been older than sixteen, - spun on his heel and went to the front of the crowd, where a black mirror floated in the middle of the chamber.

"...I suppose I have to go," the lion-man… lion-teen nodded. "Good luck, I guess."

And then the brunet followed the redhead.

"Greetings, chosen freshmen of the Night Raven College…"

Ritsuka listened attentively, noting that she was, apparently, in a magic all-boys school - gee, she knew where such things went to, she read enough doujins, - that she was, apparently, a freshman, that this was set on some Sage's Island place, and that there was an rival academy, Royal Sword.

She gave it a day until a murder mystery began.

Then, the same Riddle kid started to call out names, going down a list, the summoned guys going to the mirror, introducing themselves, and getting assigned a dorm…

'It's like Hogwarts!!!' she internally squee'd. 'Only college and full of pretty boys. Oh my, maybe this is my Otome Game event?!'

Fou huffed.

'Be more concerned of that mirror getting a good look at your soul,' he sent to Ritsuka. 'Your Black Barrel-tainted soul!'

Oops. Yeah, that could be bad… but maybe it would still be well?

"Fujimaru, Ritsuka!"

She went to the mirror from the back of the crowd, and stared at the vaguely Disney-reminding face in the dark mirror. Damn it, maybe she should have watched more American cartoons than mecha anime?...

"State thy name," the ornate mask inside the glass spoke.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka," she clearly stated.

"The shape of thy soul…" it intoned, then paused. "...is obscured from me."

'Welp, I suspected this would be the case,' Fou sighed through their connection. 'Black Barrel, Dantes, Abby, Kirschtaria's plan's effect, Oberon… these all are factors of obscurement, as well as the giant karmic weight of defeating Beasts and cutting down Trees of Emptiness with associated worlds. No wonder this thing cannot make heads or tails of you!'

But Ritsuka paid more attention to the locals, ready to summon Shadow of Red Hare and have it trample the rest of the students.

But her caution was unnecessary, as the worst the people in the chamber did was start whispering among themselves.

"What do we do?" The Riddle kid frowned. "I don't think there are rules for something like this."

"Her presence is already a strange occurrence, so we should leave it to the Headmage to decide," a particularly beautiful - in a mortal way - guy said. "Miss Fujimaru, step aside and let the rest of the newcomers be sorted."

"I agree," a bespectacled, mildly reminding her of David guy nodded. "Come here, miss, so that we can wait for the Headmage together!"

"What, want to fish for information, Ashengrotto?" the lion guy scoffed as she stepped down from the dais in their direction. "I think I'll be watching from a safe distance. Maybe there would be something left of you after that familiar of hers is through with you."

"Ah, but it's so cute!" a tan red-eyed kid exclaimed, as she was walking towards them. "Surely it's harmless!"

"It's totes a Secret Boss hidden as a mascot," a voice from a floating tablet muttered. "These readings are off the charts! Honestly, this might be a mage-killer monster if my sensor data is right."

'Huh, this one has some interesting toys,' Fou sent her. 'Maybe I'll have fun with them.'

Ritsuka looked at the tablet with interest - Chaldea did not see through Fou's existence despite the multitude of sensors, but he could? - and it honest-to-God hid behind another guy. She wondered how this one would fare when the isolation of the island started, and the murders began. He sounded like a terminally online geek that espouses exposition and dies in the end…

Still, there were an awful lot of colorful characters, not hidden behind the cognition filter of her familiar Servants. She had a sinking feeling this was like Faerie Britain, where she got to see a lot of people that did not make it.

Mood soured, she went to the back of the small group, leaving her in position to summon Red Hare to defend herself if necessary, coincidentally leaving her near the floating piece of electronics. It looked very sleek, and she wondered if maybe the owner made it himself.

Da Vinci would be interested to meet him, she thought. Ritsuka hoped she'd get to summon him - maybe as a vessel to a God?

Hmmm. Students turning into vessels for Servants would be a good basis of an Event, she supposed. Would also obscure the summoner and lift some of the mana costs, with the downside of them being more independent - but that was hardly one if the mastermind was competent.

'Yeah, I don't like this situation,' she sent to Fou. 'This smells all sorts of fishy.'

'Add to that how I was thrown after you, and then the situation feels absolutely rotten,' he returned. 'There are few existences that can take me unaware, and that bastard Merlin is one. Maybe it's his fault.'

'Merlin isn't all that bad,' she giggled internally, observing the teens being sorted to seven dorms. 'He is a reliable big brother of the Grand Caster type!'

Still, for someone to force Fou after her… she absently petted him, feeling his raised hackles, lips pursed. This meant it was, perhaps, like the Nero Draco event, where someone very powerful forged a link between them.

'Don't compare me to VI/S,' Fou scoffed. 'I am tons better than that glutton.'

'Of course, of course. You are the best.'

Fou placated, she turned to the red-eyed tan kid, who was hovering next to her, seemingly wanting to touch the small animal.

"Hello," she smiled at him. "What is your name?"

"I'm Kalim Al-Asim!" he grinned, offering her his hand to shake, which she did, and then realized he actually wanted to kiss it. Oh well. "Your familiar is very cute! Can I pet it?"

"Fou, think you'll give him the chance to bask in your glorious presence?" she joked, and the white squirrel-cat, after seizing the kid with his purple eyes, nodded imperiously. "He agreed, you may."

"Thank you!" Kalim beamed and carefully ran his hand on Fou's fur, the monster allowing it. "Ah, he is so silky! And his fur actually is iridescent! Whoa, I want one for myself!"

"What kind of a monster is it?" the bespectacled guy asked. "It seemed that the esteemed Kingscholar, and the rest of the beastmen, were afraid of it…"

"Previous owner called Fou a Cath Palug, but I dunno actually," she shrugged.

"I see," he fixed his glasses, the lenses flashing in the low lights. "Some sort of a fae creature, then… Miss Fujimaru, do you dislike fae?"

Whoops. Seems she didn't control her expressions well enough.

"Had some bad experiences," she deflected, waving her hands. "Nothing too serious!"

Well, they tried to kill her, but frankly, most of the Servants did, so it wasn't a big deal. She disliked the Faerie of the Faerie Britain only, too, as Britomart was a sweetie and her stories showed that the normal fairies were a lot better than the descendants of the Six Sinners…

"I apologize that such a thing happened," she felt the materialization before it finished and thus faced the newcomer - a small youthful-looking pale fairy. "We of the Briar Valley are trying hard to coexist with the other races, but friction still happens. I hope that negative experience would not make you prejudiced against my race."

"I do have some fairy friends," all of them her Servants, "so don't worry, mister…"

"Lilia, Lilia Vanrouge - the Vice-Housewarden of Diasomnia," he bowed slightly, and she noticed the weight of age to him. This was an old fae, even perhaps at the end of life expectation, meaning - dangerous. "And I can tell that you have seen true dangers… such a strange thing to see in someone so young."

"We're done with orientation and dorm assignments," the redhead, Riddle, announced, as the last freshman, someone called Zigvolt, Sebek - maybe a vessel of the Egyptian God? - returned to the small crowd of newcomers. "Alright, new students - let me be clear. At Heartslabyul House, I am the law. Break the rules, and it's off with your head!"

Gee, Queen of Hearts much?

"Well, that ceremony was as boring as ever," the lion-man yawned. "I'm going back to the dorm. If you're in Savanaclaw House, follow me."

"New students! Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your achievement," the glasses-wearer clapped, his smile mildly salesman-like. "As dorm leader of Octavinelle House, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience."

"Does anyone know where the headmage went? He disappeared midway through the ceremony…" the beautiful one frowned, folding his hands on his chest. "We have an unassigned student, and he is tardy!"

"Some headmage he is," the tablet muttered.

"I think he went to find the student from the scorched coffin," she offered, and, as she spoke that up, the doors to the chamber opened and the crow-masked non-human entered, a cat-like monster tied up and a student on his heels. "Ah, here he is."

"If you must know, I was indeed searching for the new student who'd failed to show up for orientation," the headmage nodded, then looked at the last student… also a girl, like her?... "You are the only one who has yet to be assigned a dorm. Step up to the Dark Mirror, and be quick about it. I'll watch your weasel."

"Headmage, there was a problem," Riddle spoke up. "Miss Fujimaru here was not sorted into any of the dorms…"

"State thy name," the mirror intoned.

"Truly? Then let her to the mirror," the possible Servant frowned. "Did you not let her because she was a girl?"

"I'm Yuzu Kobayashi," the Japanese(?!) girl squeaked.

"No, that was not it," the redhead shook his head. "The mirror refused to sort her."

"Yuzu Kobayashi… The nature of thy soul… is unclear to me."

"What did you just say?" the Headmage - Headmaster? - looked between Riddle, Ritsuka, Yuzu and the Mirror, seemingly astonished.

"I sense no magical power from this one. Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant," the mirror added. "Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate."

"Well, I DO have some magecraft capacity, but all my teachers told me to stick to Summoning," Ritsuka shrugged. "Maybe it refuses to sort girls?"

"Are you suggesting that the black carriage went to receive a person who cannot even use magic?" the crow guy completely ignored her, in favor of looking in the mirror. "But that is absurd! The student selection process has not erred once in its century of existence! How could this have happened?"

At the same time, the black cat-like monster untangled itself from the Headmage's ropes.

"ME!" it gasped. "Let ME have this student's seat!"

"Not so fast, you hyperactive weasel!" the seemingly-incompetent guy shouted, trying to entangle the monster again with his… whip?

"Unlike that human, I can actually use magic! So let me be a student here!" the cat shouted. "Look, I'll show you! My spells're the cat's meow!"

Welp, this was time to hit the floor, Ritsuka thought, snatching Fou off her shoulder and dropping where she stood.

"Everyone, get down!"

And then there was a sea of fire. It would've been awfully nostalgic, if the color of them was red and not blue…

"AHHHHH! HELP! I'm on fire over here!" Kalim ran past her, his robes having caught the flames.

"Someone catch that blasted animal before it sets the entire school ablaze!"

Ritsuka stood up, cradling Fou to her chest…

"Ugh. Can I go now, or...?" the lion guy groused.

"Oh? I thought you fancied yourself a hunter. Go and help yourself to that plump little morsel!" the handsome boy retorted.

"Too much effort. Do it yourself."

These guys were useless, she thought, her mental image of an all-encompassing explosion in her mind's eye revving her Magic Circuits to activity. She channeled mana, tugging on the connections she had to all her Servants, making a snap decision…

"Come, Anastasia!" she intoned. "Freeze the cat!"

Her shadow expanded, the shade of the Grand Duchess regally stepping out of it, - Rituka could almost make out the white and turquoise colors of her dress and mantle, the gold of her accessories not-quite gleaming, - and then pointing in the direction of the running cat monster.

An expenditure of mana - and a big chunk of the chamber was flash-frozen.

The people grew silent, staring at Ritsuka, at the shade that returned to her shadow, and the iceberg suddenly occupying a good part of the large room.

"Well," the Headmage gathered himself. "At least you have magic? The Black Carriage, while malfunctioning, at least did not get us two magicless girls…"

"...The Queen of Heart's Rule 23: 'One must never bring a cat to a formal affair.'," the redhead muttered. "This monster's very presence here is a violation of order. It will vacate these premises immediately."

Fou sneezed, the ultra-cold air having reached them.

"Yuzu!" Was I not clear that you are expected to take responsibility for your familiar?" the crow mask rounded on the other girl. "Now discipline your- What's that? It isn't yours?"

"I've told you repeatedly that it isn't mine!" the other Japanese teen shouted, seemingly done with the whole affair. "But you-"

"Oh… Is that so?" the Headmage coughed awkwardly into his fist. "Then I shall have it expelled from campus. I shall even spare it from being served as dinner.
My, but I AM kind. ...Someone take this away, please."

The students then shoved one of their own to the front, the guy glaring at the others, then carefully walking on ice to the frozen solid cat and carefully picking it up, then walking to the exit of the chamber.

"Well, that was quite the unexpected fracas. I hereby declare that orientation has concluded," the Headmage nodded. "Housewardens, please escort your students back to the dorms… Hm? Come to think of it, I don't see Housewarden Draconia of House Diasomnia anywhere…"

Noting the name - guy probably would be important in the future, - she listened in.

"And that surprises you? Dude's a total recluse," the lion guy scoffed. "Anyway, what are you going to do with these girls, Crowley? This college is no place for them."

"I'll send them home, of course," wait, what?

…Hah. As if that would work, Ritsuka thought, what with the world being bleached white.

"Draconia... Like, Malleus Draconia? THAT Draconia?"

"So it's true? He really does go to school here?"

"Yikes."

"Ah. Just as I'd expected," the old fairy sighed. "I figured I'd come down and see for myself whether Malleus had made an appearance. But once again, he was evidently not informed that his presence was required at an official ceremony…"

"You have my sincerest apologies," Glasses espoused. "I assure you, this oversight was in no way intended as a snub."

"I mean, you must admit, he's not exactly the easiest person to strike up a conversation with," Riddle frowned.

"No matter. All who were assigned to House Diasomnia, follow me. I just hope he doesn't sulk about this."

And then the room slowly cleared of the robed figures, leaving her with just the fellow Japanese and the Headmage.

"Well…" the crow-masked guy coughed. "Miss Fujimaru, was it?"

"Yup," she nodded, studying the other girl - a pretty archetypal Japanese Yamato Nadeshiko in looks.

"Let's try again - please step in front of the Dark Mirror and introduce yourself."

The mirror repeated its previous assessment of her.

"Obscured… how?" the crow frowned, folding his hands.

"By the all-consuming blackness that is Mortality," the mirror replied. "Her soul is drenched in it, as if she were the herald of Death itself."

Not an inaccurate assessment, Ritsuka thought, holding Fou to her chest and rubbing his ears. It was surprising that the Mirror got that right - it must be a very valuable artifact.

She hoped to loot it after the Event was done. It might be the vessel of the Holy Grail, too.

"Huh," the Headmage looked thoughtful. "Well, that is the most unfortunate turn of events. I'm afraid that you will not be attending Night Raven Collage after all. Surely you realize that I cannot admit a student with no magical ability to my academy, or a student that cannot be sorted. But worry not. The Dark Mirror will see you safely home. Now, step into the gate, and visualize the place you whence you came."

"What a long dream this was," Yuzu sighed, stepping into the scorched coffin, Ritsuka following suit into her own.

"O Dark Mirror! Return these souls to where they belong!" Crowley - could he be Aleister Crowley? - intoned.

Nothing happened.

"L-let us, er...try this again," the masked guy coughed. "O Dark Mirror! Return this soul—"

"There is no such place," the mirror said gravely.

"What?!" the Headmage squawked.

"There is no place in this world where these souls belong," the Mirror explained. "None."

Well, it was a different world, it seemed - a Lostbelt, perhaps? - which left a bad taste in Ritsuka's mouth. She hoped it was like Illya, Chloe and Miyu's world instead.

"How can that be? My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena!" the Headmaster continued panicking, whirling to face them "This has never happened throughout my long tenure. I must confess that I am at something of a loss. Tell me: From what land do you hail?"

"Planet Earth, Japan," Ritsuka deadpanned.

"Planet… what?" the man boggled. "No, that's impossible - this world is called Twisted-Wonderland! You must be lying. No self-respecting world would be called 'dirt'!"

"Well, the will of the world is called Gaia," she continued. "But the will of the people is Alaya! And the modern world kind of disappeared lately, replaced by bleached wasteland. It's a long story."

"What?" Yuzu looked at her as if Ritsuka was insane. "I am from Earth, Japan, too, but what is that about the textures and bleaching?!"

"Well, we're currently in another world, so…" the redhead girl shrugged. "Your world might be unbleached, which would mean the Black Carriage reached two different parallel worlds. Fascinating, ngl."

"Okay, girls - show me everything you have on you," the Headmage frowned. "Do you have some form of identification, a driver's license perhaps? Or even a… shoe? You do seem a tad bit… empty-handed."

"Come to think of it, where's my wallet and phone?!" the other girl shrieked. "No! My login streak!!!"

Ritsuka set Fou on the floor, and patted herself. There was something in the bra, and she withdrew an ornate key with her Command Spells on the head from it.

"Huh," she looked at the trinket. "Never saw this before, but it has my sigil?"

"Well, this is quite the predicament," the Headmage sighed. "As an educator, I am loath to expel young people without a cent to their name, or any ability to contact their guardians… Truly, my grace is boundless."

"Can we stay here for a while?" Ritsuka asked.

"Hmmmmm... Ah! There is a vacant building on this campus," Crowley nodded. "It was, in fact, used as a dorm a long time ago. With a proper cleaning, it should be habitable enough. Out of the profound kindness of my heart, I will allow you to live there for the time being."

"Thank you!" the girls said, accidentally in unison.

"In the meantime, we will investigate other ways to send you home," like the Dark Carriage? If that worked, what kind of a murder mystery would be there? "Dear me, but I am a gracious man indeed! A model educator, one might say. Well then, I shall take you to your dorm straight away. It is an older building, but it has plenty of… character, one might say."

***

 

[Kamico]

The place Crowley led them to was…

"Uh, you want us to stay... here?" Yuzu frowned, looking at the borderline ruin.

"Isn't it delightful?" The crow-masked guy smiled. "Right, scoot inside now. There you go."

Inside was… a little bit better, Ritsuka supposed. It was very dusty, but the roof seemed to be in one piece and there actually was furniture.

"This should keep the elements at bay for the time being," the Headmage nodded. "Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to keep yourself busy. But don't let me catch you wandering the campus! Ta!"

And then he sauntered away.

"It's like a desolate snowscape. Only with dust…" the other girl muttered, turning to her. "Well, I suppose being Isekai'd isn't all glamor and cheat skills. Hi, I'm Kobayashi Yuzu. And you're Fujimaru Ritsuka, right?"

"Yup!" the Master of Chaldea grinned, holding out her hand to be shaken, and the other girl obliged. "Serial kidnapee, that's me!"

"What do you mean by that?" the Japanese tilted her dark head.

"Well, I got abducted to Chaldea, then to many different time periods, then to many other worlds…" Ritsuka shrugged. "The only new thing this time was the key in my bra, and even then I have an idea what it is. Ah, but let me get the room a little bit cleaner…"

Willing it, her shadow expanded, three bodies of Daikokuten stepping out, armed with mops and brooms in hands.

"What is that?" Yuzu asked. "They look almost not-black, but they're completely made of shadows?"

"Ah, that's my Shadow Servants," the Master explained, noting that summoning them was as easy as breathing. "They represent my bonds to the originals, coming to help me when I need them."

"I see…?"

They fell silent, the Daikokuten cleaning up the lounge, Ritsuka monitoring her feelings and finding that she didn't feel strained by supporting the Shadows for some reason.

After a while, the sound of rain came from outside.

"Looks like it's started to rain," Yuzu sighed, sitting on the cleaned couch. "Damn, but this is a long dream…"

At the same time, Ritsuka stared at the silver key in her hand. Her initial thought was that it was something connected to Abby, but the examination showed her that it was, seemingly, a completely mundane trinket.

'You should try to use it,' Fou sent her. 'It might need a trigger to activate.'

Turning the key in the air did not produce anything, as well as posing with it.

"Are you trying to see if the key is a transformation trinket or something?" Yuzu asked.

"Yeah," Ritsuka nodded.

"You should use it on a lock," the other girl proposed. "Maybe it would open a gate back home."

And that's why they went deeper into the building - in search of a door with a lock.

"This place really freaks me out," the brunette sighed, shuddering. "And your shades don't help at all!"

"Dai are cute," the Master smiled, listening to the strange sounds of something coming closer - likely ghosts. "Get ready to hide behind me."

"Wha- Gaaah!"

"Yeeheehee... Bwahahahahaha," a very round ghost laughed. "We haven't had visitors in ages! Oh, I'm just itchin' for new friends! Ahahahahaha- wait, that hurt!"

"Gh-gh-ghosts!" the other girl grasped Ritsuka's hand, shaking.

"Arnold, what are you saying - we're ghosts, we don't feel pain!" another ghost floated to the first one.

"I swear- ow, ow, ow!" The first one tried to hide its face from Daikokuten's swipes.

"Behind!" Yuzu shouted.

"Owch?!" The third, coming from behind the girls, was similarly scratched. "What the hell?!"

"Let's go before we get discorporated," the first one decided, and the ghosts ran away.

Ritsuka stared at the white ectoplasm left behind the fleeing spirits. Drop item get? This was a really anticlimactic battle, though… maybe the ghosts of the students after the killer is done with them would be the raid bosses?

"That was incredible!" Yuzu exclaimed, still hanging off Ritsuka's hand. "Your shades were bam, blam, whoosh!"

…frankly, Yuzu was suspicious - she was an obvious audience surrogate, but so was Ritsuka, and there was no need for two detectives in a murder mystery. Or, perhaps, did Ritsuka graduate from the 'naive newcomer' trope and thus was the 'quirky sempai' now?...

"Good evening. In another gesture of my immense kindness, I have brought you dinne- ow!" The Headmage dropped the containers of whatever he had in hands and caught Daikokuten's attack on his cane. "Call off your shadow!"

Mentally calling the rat Servants off, Ritsuka tugged Yuzu to probably Aleister Crowley.

"Sorry, we just got attacked by ghosts," the redhead apologized. "You surprised us, so the Shadow Servants attacked."

"I do seem to recall that this dorm had a mischievous ghost problem. Ah, yes... That's why it was abandoned, in fact. The ghosts scared away all the students," the masked guy nodded. "And you're saying that you drove them away?"

"Yeah, her shades did," the brunette nodded, letting go of Ritsuka's hand.

"She helped spot them," Ritsuka mentioned.

The Headmage stared.

"To think someone brought in by the Black Carriage would be willing to cooperate…" he wondered. "Truly, you are not the usual students the Dark Mirror chooses. In any case, I have decided to allow you two to stay here, as a part of the blame for this predicament lies with NRC…"

"Gee, mister kidnapper, how generous of you," Yuzu deadpanned.

"However, you will need to pay for your own food, clothing, and incidentals," the crow mask continued. "As to how you will do so, penniless as you are... Ah. Ah ha. Yes, a fine plan."

"What exactly are you planning to make us do?" Yuzu frowned.

Ritsuka thought that at least Chaldea provided her with everything…

"You needn't seem so alarmed. I'm simply going to ask you to do a few odd jobs around campus," the Headmage waved them off. "From what you've done here, Yuzu, Ritsuka, I can tell you know your way around a broom. So what do you say to you two working together as a janitorial team? If you agree to that, I will make a special exception and allow you to remain on campus."

"Sounds kinda exploitative," Ritsuka smiled. "Don't you have authorities to contact about two people without any docu-"

"We agree," Yuzu held her fellow Japanese's mouth shut. "What other choice do we have, after all?"

"Wonderful. Then I beseech you both…" Crowley smiled. "To work hard as the newest members of the Night Raven College's janitorial staff!"

***

After the Headmage left again, Ritsuka looked at Yuzu with an accessing eye.

"Why'd you stop me?" she asked. "Surely if we got the authorities here, we'd be able to get home sooner."

"And get dissected like the aliens we are? No, thanks."

The Master supposed that was fair enough.

"Okay, then - let's find that lock to use my key on?"

And so they went deeper to the dorm building again.

"Here," Yuzu pointed at a door. "This one seems like it would fit."

And so Ritsuka tried to put her key in the hole. To her surprise, it fit, turning around fully, the door opening to a dimly lit pure white room.

"Huh," Yuzu stared. "What the hell is this?"

"Hold the door open," Ritsuka told the other girl. The room was just a white box, light coming from… somewhere. Seeing nothing of interest, the Master summoned a Fuuma Kotarou shadow and ordered him to go through the next door across from the entrance.

Through the eyes of the ninja, she could see a… warehouse?… giant hangar full of steel shelves. On the nearest one, several boxes, emblazoned with an NRC crest…

"All is clear," she turned to the other Isekai victim. "Seems we have some supplies here."

"Really?" Yuzu peeked into the warehouse, then stared with her mouth open. "What the hell? Why is there so much chocolate? Is that an actual elephant?!"

"Hahaha," Ritsuka only laughed. "Let's just say my friends went nuts every Valentine's."

In another box, they found stacks of unfamiliar money.

"Well, I guess we won't need to work if we don't want to," the redhead grinned, fanning her face with banknotes. "Though, I wonder about the buying power of these - is it like yen, dollars or those African almost comically inflated currencies?"

"Lucky you," the brunette grumbled. "Having a magical warehouse full of all kinds of stuff…"

"Hey, with the exception of the NRC crest things, it's all my stuff," Ritsuka laughed, riffling through the chocolate. "In fact, I thought I ate some of these?…"

"There is entirely too much chocolate," Yuzu grumbled, closing another box, and moving on to another. "Huh, are these crystal swords?"

"Must be Jeweled Swords… oh, we have a smartphone - just the one," the Master of Chaldea pulled out a small rectangular mirror-like thing. "Let's see if it can connect to the local internet?"

Reluctantly, the other Japanese girl closed the box of Mystic Codes, and went to her, hopefully, new friend.

Turning on the phone, they were met with a setup tutorial. Quickly blazing through it, they were greeted with full access to the internet.

"Okay, let's see… [Night Raven College], enter," Ritsuka input the words into Mira search engine, the official site of the school being the first thing it spat out. "Huh, seems that it's a legit place of learning. With the coffins, I have wondered…"

Under the 'Headmage', there was a photo of the crow guy, signed as 'Dire Crowley' - not Aleister, but maybe it was a pseudonym. There was also an overview of the seven Dorms, as well as the calendar of events, the closest being some 'Spelldive' thing in late September…

Yuzu yawned, and Ritsuka realized she was also tired.

"We should get some sleep," she told her fellow displaced Japanese girl. "Let's go."

She left the Shadow Kotarou to look through the boxes, though, even as the two humans went to the found-before relatively clean dorm room, long already cleaned by Daikokuten.

"Goodnight, Ritsuka," Yuzu said.

"Goodnight, Yuzu," she returned.

***

Ritsuka woke up to the faint sound of a scuffle. Sitting up and tugging on her Shadow Servant's perception, she saw that the ghosts from yesterday tried to enter their room.

"Yuzu, wake up," she stood up and stretched her body, noting that it was morning already. "It's a new day!"

"Grrhhh…" the other girl groaned, cracking open one eye. "Five more minutes…"

"Bathroom's mine, then!" And so Ritsuka went outside their shared room.

The water from the tap was clean, despite the state of light disrepair of the dorm. The light also turned on immediately, so Ritsuka guessed the Headmage was actually serious about letting them stay here.

Still, there were no towels, toothbrushes or other washing supplies, so she limited herself to splashing her face with water and…

…she looked entirely too young…

Ritsuka stared into the mirror, disbelieving. She looked no older than sixteen! That was a regression in age if she ever saw one. But why, so that she'd fit into the all-boys college better?!

"…not stranger than Halloween," she then shrugged, combing her hair with her fingers, and gathering them into a side-ponytail with a yellow scrunchie. Like that, she seemed to be the same young girl that was kidnapped by the Chaldea scouts to become the last Master they needed for the quota - perhaps a last one for the Seraphix experiment, perhaps a last one to throw to the wolves in the Singularities.

Her mood souring, she mentally reviewed Kotarou's work, and the Shadow started to report its findings.

…she missed the actual Servants. She hoped that this Singularity would be solved soon…

All her Craft Essences were there, even copies of those that were food she ate and those that were burned for being distasteful (Crest Worms), all carefully packaged in cardboard or something sturdier. There were also food supplies and some kind of a pod in the Warehouse, as well as pipes with running water. There were also two small rooms with a shared bathroom…

'I wonder if it will come into play during this Event,' she mused. 'Would I need to camp out in that Warehouse while the murderer is rampaging through the island?'

That was… bad. A designated safe zone meant that the rest of the grounds weren't safe. She wondered who would be killed first - Crowley seemed like an obvious target as an exposition character in power, but perhaps it was a red herring…

Daikokuten sent to her that the Headmage appeared in the lounge, speak of the Devil, and she wondered if, perhaps, all of NRC was his Workshop - that would have explained the teleportation.

Ritsuka considered telling him of the admission letter she found in her Warehouse, but decided to wait and see instead - people treated the broke and the privileged differently, after all.

She exited the bathroom, and went back to the room they slept in.

"Good morning, Miss Fujimaru," the crow-masked guy nodded at her. "Your capacity to wake up early indicates a good working ethic. Did your friend also wake up?"

"She asked for five more minutes, so I decided to wash up before getting her to wake up," she replied. "It's her first time outside her comfort zone, so don't be harsh on her, alright?"

"I suppose," the Headmage nodded, then squinted at her. "You used your shadows all night, right? How is your Blot level, by the way?"

"…Blot?" She blinked. This was something new.

"Yes, do you feel irritable, down or other negative emotions?" He nodded. "Your continued use of your magic should have gotten you quite some amount of Blot already. I do order you to not use your magic when cleaning today, so that Blot in your body would dissipate."

…hm, so it was some sort of a consequence for using mysteries there. Noted.

"Sure thing," Ritsuka nodded, and then opened the door to their room. "Wakey-wakey, Yuzu! The Headmage is here!"

"Mghhh…" the brunette sat up, eyes closed - thankfully, there were some fairly long t-shirts in the closet, which they used as nightgowns. "G'morn…"

"Now that you're awake, let's discuss your assignment for today," Crowley nodded, setting two big paper bags on the floor. "Get up, get changed, and meet me in the lounge."

And then he teleported away.

"Gh…" Yuzu stumbled out of bed. "Mornin'. Where's bathroom?"

"In the end of the corridor that is away from the stairs."

The other girl then went out of the room, very reminiscent of a zombie. Ritsuka, in turn, opened the paper bags, finding school uniforms, similar to those on the site, in there, complete with sturdy-looking shoes. The clothes fit her well, even having space for her breasts in the chest area…

"Ah, they're enchanted," she realized. Such a whimsical use for magecraft! Truly, thus was a weird place. Even Da Vinci never relied on magecraft to fit her Mystic Codes, instead using exact measurements… "Aaaand that's enough of this train of thought."

Mentally, she checked on her Shadow Servants and Fou. Fuuma was watching the Headmage from the Presence Concealment, the Daikokuten trio were busy fixing the kitchen, and Cath Palug was…

'...is that the campus kitchen?' she sent to him. 'You certainly work fast.'

'It is,' the Privileged Lifeform sent back, gnawing on a chicken leg. 'For I am small and cute, and my puppy-dog eyes are off the charts.'

After that, a lot more awake Yuzu returned to their room.

"Oh, clothes?" She looked into the other bag, then changed into the uniform, which fit her perfectly. "Nice, I was worried we'd need to work in those robes."

"Yeah, that'd suck," Ritsuka nodded. "Let's go, the Headmage is waiting."

They descended the stairs to the lounge, where Dire Crowley was sitting on the cleaned sofa, two buckets with bottles inside and two brooms next to him.

"Your job today is to clean the campus," he told them as soon as they reached him. "That said, the campus is vast, and without magic, it'd be quite the Herculean task to clean it all. Therefore, today I'll have you focus on the area spanning from the front gates to the library. Now, Ritsuka… Here is a Magestone for you, to pull out and measure Blot."

A pale pink stone atop a pen was put into her front pocket.

"Understood," they saluted.

"Do not fail me. You may take your lunch in the cafeteria," the crow masked guy nodded, looking at the pen's gem intently. "I eagerly await the fruits of your labor."

And then he disappeared.

"Let's split up," Ritsuka proposed. "I'll start at the Main Gate, and you'll go to the library?"

"Sure."

***

In the evening, Ritsuka was peacefully finishing sweeping her side of the path, ignoring heckling from the students, when the Headmage strode to her, seemingly fuming.

"Yes, Headmage?" she asked, carefully using the tip of the broom to get the remaining dirt out of the crevices. "Do you want anything?"

"..." he was frowning, looking at the clean stretch of the paved road. "At least you did your job well. Fine, I suppose punishing you with your co-worker would be unfair…"

"What happened?" the Master asked.

"That monster from yesterday and a student came to blows, and Yuzu didn't stop them!" he exclaimed. "So I ordered them all to wash a hundred windows, only for them, together with another student, to break a priceless chandelier! No, I will not suffer from them at my college. They are going to be removed from the premises as soon as I get the expulsion paperwork done!"

Whoah, Yuzu fucked up, Ritsuka thought.

"Can the chandelier not be fixed?" she asked.

"Without a priceless magestone from the Dwarf Mines? No," Dire Crowley shook his fist. "Ah, to think I allowed such troublemakers in my NRC…"

…she just knew it, there totally was another magestone at the Dwarf's Mine, meaning that Yuzu likely went to fetch it, meaning she was likely in danger.

"How do I get to the mine?" she asked.

"Through the Mirror Chamber… wait, are you thinking of going there? It's long abandoned, so don't bother…"

Warning bells rang in her head. Abandoned mines were bad news, teeming with ghosts and worse. A magicless girl had no place there.

"Well, I finished my part of the work," she set aside the broom, and stretched. "I am free to do whatever, and I'm gonna help my fellow kidnapee. Where is the Mirror Chamber?"

After she got directions to the round chapel, she hurried there, praying that the other Japanese teen hadn't already met whatever dwelled in those mines…

Jumping through a mirror, she summoned Atalante's shadow, and set her to look for fresh signs of people walking. The Shadow Servant led her to an abandoned house sized for very small people, vaguely resembling something she watched long ago, and then deeper and through the woods.

…there were faint sounds of a battle, so Ritsuka let her Shadow Servant pick her up and run in that direction.

"MY STOOOOONE!"

Three humans and a cat monster then ran past her…

"Ritsuka?!"

"Go, go, go!"

"Don't stop, just run!!!"

"Myah, I am trying!"

…and, after them, a mildly big glass inkpot-headed figure in rags stumbled.

Ritsuka thought fast - this likely did not have the Super Giant trait, but that glass head looked like a weak point - and summoned David's Shadow.

"Aim at the head!" she ordered, letting Atalante's Shadow to set her on the ground and dismissing her. "Castoria, Lady Avalon, buffs!"

The shadows of the Caster and Pretender rose, scattering immediately, sending their magics at the giant enemy. She stood at the back, observing the enemy's movements, ready to order the Shadows to dodge or support them with Gandr… but the glass-headed giant was slow and clumsy, telegraphing its movements well in advance, and it seemingly had no NP equivalent it could work up to…

And then she felt it - David Shadow's query for permission to unleash his Noble Phantasm.

'But the Shadow Servants cannot use Noble Phantasms!' she thought incredulously… yet still she sent an affirmative, curious what it would do, and an order for the other Shadows to buff him.

The Archer assumed the pose, and then the stones were shot from his sling, the Master feeling her mana reserves suddenly drop. This was… not the NP use, but a facsimile of it, like Magecraft - but it still held the concept of 'felling giants', and thus the glass head didn't stand a chance, shattering apart.

"...my… stone…" the monster groaned one last time, and then dissipated into inky motes.

Ritsuka then ordered her Shadow Servants to see if it dropped any loot, herself turning around and flashing a victory sign to the gobsmacked audience.

"Whoa," the dark-haired guy gathered himself, cheeks red.

"That was badass!" the ginger cheered. "And we got the magestone, so we won't be expelled! Hooray!"

"Ya dinnae tell me yer friend was a great mage!" The cat monster looked at Yuzu, folding its paws. "We should've taken her with us from the start!"

"I didn't want to involve her, okay?!" the brunette folded her hands. "I didn't want her to get expelled too!"

The shadow of David then tapped Ritsuka's shoulder, and then dropped a black stone in her hand. It smelled like ink.

'Just the one? Might be the event Ascension Material,' she thought, pocketing the stone.

"Something smells amazing," the cat then sniffed the air, running to her. "Hey, miss, gimme that thing you just put in ya pocket."

"No!" she frowned. Feeding random monsters Ascension Materials was a recipe for disaster. "That's my loot!"

"Myahhhh… but it smells like a full course meal…" it pawed at her leg, so she mentally ordered David's Shadow to pick the monster up and deposit it in Yuzu;s hands. "Fiiine… keep it…"

"Okay, let's pull ourselves together. We need to get this magestone to the headmage!" the brunet then announced. "And then I hope to never see your smug grin, Ace!"

"As if, we're in the same dorm, Losey-Deucey!" the ginger scoffed, but started moving. "And don't order me around!"

"We won because we all worked together long enough for Ritsuka to arrive," Yuzu stomped her foot. "Shared adversity sure brings people together, you know!"

"Uh... I don't think that had anything to do with it," the spade guy frowned.

"Yeah! Spare us the clichés, Yuzu!" the heart guy nodded.

"There's no "together" here! We won 'cause of me!" the cat scoffed. "This is all from me bein' a magical genius!"

The kids grew thoughtful.

After a while of walking through the forest, the ginger nodded.

"Y'know... I hate to admit it, but... We mostly got far enough because of your plan," he admitted.

"Yeah... if Yuzu hadn't managed to keep her cool and tell us all what to do, we never would have got this magestone," the brunet nodded. "Now I won't get expelled. And wow, is THAT a relief!"

"I'm just glad no one got hurt," the other girl sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, lessons were learned, et cetera," the heart guy nodded. "Okay, we reached the relevant clearing. Let's get back to NRC."

***

"Pardon?! You're telling me you actually went to the Dwarfs' Mine in search of a magestone?" Dire Crowley exclaimed.

"Uh...? Yes?" the quartet of kids nodded in unison.

"I didn't expect that you'd seriously do it," the crow mask guy admitted. "And never in my wildest imaginings did I think you would actually return with a magestone! And here I spent all evening preparing your expulsion documents…"

"Are you serious?! While we were fightin' some crazy monster for you, you were expelling us?!" Grim shouted, livid.

"Monster?"

"Yeah. There was a monster, all right," Ace - he introduced himself after they returned, - nodded. "A big, nasty one. It nearly killed us!"

"Ritsuka's Shadows killed it, but we fought it… together… before she arrived," Deuce nodded. "We had a strategy and everything!"

"...Would you kindly relate this story in full?" the Headmage asked.

As they went to Crowley's office, the quartet of troublemakers relayed their story, and Ritsuka wondered about the plot of this Event. She thought it would be a murder mystery, and maybe, if she didn't interfere, these people would've been killed, but… that felt wrong, somehow? Something didn't fit.

They reached the Headmage's office, and Dire Crowley sat down, then set fire to a stack of papers on it.

"Hmmm," the expulsion forms merrily burned green. "So a mysterious monster was living in the mines. And the four of you worked together to destroy it, then Ritsuka arrived to finish it, and then you brought its magestone back to me?"

"I don't know that I'd call it 'working together'," Ace made a face.

"It was more like we just happened to share the same goal at the same time…" Deuce nodded.

The Headmage then started to sob.

"What is this guy's deal?! Burstin' into tears in public?" Grim exclaimed. "At this age?!"

"In all the decades I've worked at this school…" the crow guy cried. "The day has finally come when the students of Night Raven College have joined hands together to defeat a common foe!"

"Whoa! No! No way would I join hands with that guy!" the brunet shouted.

"Okay, one, there was no joining of hands. Gross," the ginger folded his hands. "And two, exactly HOW old are you, headmage?"

"At this moment, I am moved beyond words," the Headmage ignited them "This incident has proven my hopes were justified. Yuzu, my doubts are allayed! For you... You possess the talents of a beastmaster!"

"What talents are those, exactly?" the girl frowned.

"My students have all been selected by the Dark Mirror for their exceptional talent and potential," the old(?) guy explained. "But great talent begets great pride and big egos. Most are so self-reliant and self-centered that they never even consider cooperating with others…"

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing," Grim noted.

"But you, Yuzu, possess no magic," he continued. "Yet in spite of that - or perhaps because of it - you were able to convince those who CAN use magic to work together for a common goal. The everyday, humdrum mundanity you possess may be exactly what Night Raven College needs!"

"But... none of those words are good things?" Ace looked insulted.

"Yuzu…" Crowley ignored that. "I am convinced that people like you are necessary for the future of this school. My educator's intuition tells me so.
Trappola, Spade - I hereby revoke your pending expulsions! Furthermore, Yuzu… I am granting you the qualifications necessary to attend Night Raven College!"

"WHAT?!" the trio of dumbasses shouted in unison.

"As an actual student?!" the girl echoed.

"Of course. This is extraordinarily kind of me," the Headmage nodded. "However, there is one condition. Your inability to use magic is, for a mage, unacceptable. You would not be able to adequately pursue the school's curriculum!"

"Gee, thanks…" the other Japanese girl pouted.

"As for you, Grim…" he continued. Your actions today have made it clear that you possess sufficient talent to become a mage. In light of the total sum of your respective circumstances, you and Yuzu will share a single enrollment at Night Raven College."

"I... I'll get to go to this school...?" the monster repeated.

"We are!!!" Yuzu cheered, hugging the cat to her chest.

As the two celebrated…

"I suppose this is the best moment to mention that I found a NRC admission letter to my name in my stuff," Ritsuka then withdrew the envelope from the inner pocket of her blazer and set it in front of Crowley, smiling beautifully.

"What," the Headmage picked up the letter and looked through it. "And on a scholarship, too! But I don't remember… AHHH!!!"

He then opened a drawer in his table, and flipped through a thick book.

"I thought it was a mistake, but there was an order from the World Council for us to let an unknown student in," he checked a string of numbers on the page with the one on the letter. "You must be them!"

"I… guess?" huh, the mystery deepened - there was now a World Council involved.

"Okay, Crowley, calm down…" the guy nodded to himself. "Accordingly, I now should present to you and Grim the magestones that is issued to every student here… but I gave you one beforehand already, so I suppose I should match Grim's to it."

"Heh! A magestone, eh?!" Grim looked at the gem that now hung off his ribbon.

"It is typically attached to the "magic pen" that each student uses," Crowley ignored him. "But I suspect your paws cannot handle implements. Therefore, I have a custom solution for you. Is it possible that I am, in fact, too kind?"

"Ah, sweet! I look awesome! A magestone collar, to be worn only by the legendary archmage, Grim!" The cat monster completely ignored the color of the gem in favor of puffing up in self-aggrandizing.

"You're not listening to anything I say, are you?" The Headmage sighed. "Yuzu. As you can plainly see, Grim remains oblivious to the customs of human society. You are to keep a tight rein on Grim, and ensure there are no further incidents!"

"Wow, that's quite the promotion," Ace whistled. "From janitor to student to prefect, all in the span of a day."

"Oh, I see. So if your dorm is just you three…" Deuce nodded. "And the headmage himself is putting you in charge of Grim, that makes you... the dorm prefect."

"Well, that's gotta be a Night Raven first! A magic-less prefect?" the ginger heckled. "But sure, why not? Whatever works!"

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for this…" Yuzu frowned, looking at Ritsuka.

"Good luck to you, Prefect. Let's see that same spirit you showed us in the Dwarfs' Mine!" The brunet tried to cheer her up.

"Ah, Yes. I suppose that does make you a prefect," Crowley nodded, reaching into his deck again. "I just so happen to have a job for you, and that title will make it all the easier to foist... er, I mean, congratulations! Now, I have something for you. This is called a ghost camera."

"G-ghost?" the girl took the bulky old-fashioned camera from him.

"Ooh, my grandma's told me about those. Those are, like, super old magic items, right?" Ace nodded.

"I would hardly consider them 'super old'..." the crow-masked guy coughed. "But it may indeed have been invented when your great or great-great grandmother was a child. It's a camera enchanted with a special kind of magic. It enables the user to photograph not just the subject's physical form, but parts of their soul itself."

What.

"Wait, that sounds... sketchy," Deuce frowned.

"They're called Memories," the crow guy nodded. "Here's the thing: when the soulbond between photographer and subject deepens… The Memories captured in this magic camera's photos come jumping out!"

What?!

"Soulbond?" Yuzu echoed.

"When the photographer and subject grow closer, their photographs grow animated like videos…" Crowley nodded. "And sometimes the photographs take on corporeal form and slip out. Is that not what you youths would call 'wicked keen'?"

What the ever-loving FUCK?!

Ritsuka was so outraged, she missed the rest of the discussion, staring at the camera in Yuzu's hands. This was… she wasn't any kind of a good Magus, but even she saw the enormous abuse potential in that Mystic Code. In her hands, it would allow her to summon shadow copies of everyone she photographed, and she had no doubt an actual Magus would find a thousand applications to it.

And he gave this miraculous thing to Yuzu… to see if the students misbehaved?!

'Goddamn it, I am thinking like a Magus,' she thought, biting her fingernail. 'But this is… is this a clue? A weapon of the murderer? Would Yuzu become the last boss with it? Damn it, I have too little information.'

"Good night, sir!" Deuce then tugged her to the exit. "Ritsuka, let's go."

As the door to the Headmage's Office closed, the brunet sagged in relief.

"Phew... We managed to avoid expulsion. That was a close one!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Ace nodded.

"I'm a student at Night Raven College!" Grim sang. "I'm gonna be the top mage on campus in no time. Enjoy eating my dust, boys!"

"Big words for a sentient pile of lint who's literally only half a student," the ginger scoffed. "Still... Good for you."

"I guess we're schoolmates now. Grim,Yuzu, Ritsuka — welcome to Night Raven," the brunet nodded.

"I just hope this all goes well...." Yuzu looked down, fidgeting with the damn camera.

"The way you squared off against that monster even when you didn't have a bit of magic showed a whole lot of guts," Deuce said. "With steel nerves like that, you'll be fine. Even in this school."

"Well, you have me!" Ritsuka cheered to distract herself from dark thoughts, letting the two males bicker in the background. "I'll beat up anyone who tries to bully you, oh Dorm Prefect!"

"C'mon, Yuzu, other girl, let's get back to the dorm!" Grim grinned. "Tomorrow when we wake, it won't be as janitors. Finally, finally… My glorious education as a proper Night Raven College student is about to begin!"

 

[Kamico]

Ritsuka dreamed of crimson rose bushes, threatening to lovingly strangle a kid, a sea of ink underneath.

"My accomplice," Dantes' black flames swept across the thorn tangles, "it is unlike you to have precognitive dreams."

"Avenger!" she cheered. "I knew you were there, with me. Do you know what's going on?"

"No," he turned to look at her, only a golden cross-pupiled eye visible. "This is completely new territory. Tread carefully."

"I will."

Then, a notification from outside, from a Daikokuten, reached her, and she frowned - Ace was outside the dorm doors, a flat ornate collar on his neck, - and Ritsuka willed herself to wake up.

As soon she opened her eyes, she sat up and went downstairs, to meet with the heart-marked guy.

"What's with the collar?" she asked. "Why are you here?"

"I can't go back to Heartslabyul House," the ginger frowned, folding his hands. "I'm joining your dorm. For good."

"Come again?" she blinked.

"So, the Housewarden of Heartslabuyl is a tyrant," the guy started explaining. "I ate just a slice of tart, and he saddled me with this magic suppressor collar! Totally unfair!"

"I suppose," she nodded. "But what do you want from Ramshackle? We aren't an official Dorm."

"What kinda wishy-washy answer is that?! You don't think that it's insane for my magic to get sealed away for eating ONE slice of tart?!" the ginger exploded. "For a mage, that's like having your arms and legs bound and shackled! And there were three whole tarts! THREE! It's not like he could eat 'em all himself! C'mon, you KNOW this is messed up!"

She only looked at him, unamused. This guy reminded her of the more willful Servants, Nobukatsu in particular, and she knew that sympathizing with the petulance would be counterproductive.

'I wonder if we're gonna end up fighting to fix this altercation…' she wondered. 'Wait we are in school, would that make me a delinquent?'

"Man... I thought you'd be more sympathetic! I'm a victim of the housewarden's tyranny here!" he pouted. "Anyway, you got a place for me to crash tonight? Or for all my time in NRC."

"Sure," she nodded. This, she could allow. "Daikokuten were fixing up the dorm rooms, so at least one should be good enough."

"Good enough!" the teen cheered. "Where to?"

Mentally, Ritsuka summoned the closest Daikokuten to her.

"Geez, these things are so creepy close-up," the ginger teen shuddered. "Well, mice girl, lead the way!"

And then the two went upstairs.

Ritsuka sat on the sofa, yawning. This was as good a time as any to gather her thoughts, she thought.

Let's consider the facts: she was displaced to some Sage's Island, Night Raven all-boys College, with all her stuff in an extradimensional warehouse, together with a naive newcomer ordinary japanese girl… put like that, it sounded like Yuzu was the main character, and Ritsuka was her quirky, mysterious Senpai in, perhaps, an otome game?...

She snorted - an otome game event was not all that weird after the idols, Akihabara and all other assorted insanity - but then frowned. So far she saw not a hair or hide of any kind of a Servant, with the possible exception of Crowley, and so this gave her Salem vibes. If so, was Yuzu some sort of a vessel to whatever?

Hmm… Crowley, red girl… there was a connection, but she couldn't remember what it was. Oh well.

The other thing was Blot, which she didn't experience herself yet, but the Headmage was concerned about. To 'blot' something was to drop ink over that something, so… was that ink-headed monster in the mines connected to that? Also, that 'blot' thing came up in the context of using… overusing?... magecraft, so perhaps it was something tied to mana use…

Hmmm. Was the local mana, perhaps, corruptive?...

Someone banged on the doors, and she stood up and went to open them. It was Deuce - she noted it was already morning, too.

"Hello, Ritsuka," he greeted her. "Is Ace here?"

"Yes, he went to sleep," she nodded, and he sighed. "Something wrong?"

"That idiot…" the brunet hung his head. "Anyway, I wanted to see if he was here. Mission accomplished, I suppose?"

"So, what's with the collar," she asked.

"That's our Housewarden's Unique Magic," Deuce replied. "It allows him to cut off magic from the mage."

Huh, walking Skill/NP Seal spell.

"I see," she nodded. "Anyway, I probably should wake everyone and change into the uniform. Wait here."

And so she went upstairs, to change out of her pajamas, ordering Daikokuten to wake Ace, Yuzu and Grim.

"Five more minuteeees…" the two other Ramshackle students groaned.

She changed into a dress shirt, pants and blazer, then put on shoes and went to wash her face, making a mental note to buy at least soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste from the school store. Afterwards, she returned to the bedroom, got her dormmates to leave their bed, and prepared the school bag.

"Ah, here you are, Fou," she smiled at the white fluffy animal on her bed. "NRC treating you well?"

'Yes,' he replied. 'Haven't found any dissection or torture chambers, too, so maybe this is a legitimate college."

"Sure it is," she nodded, scratching his chin. "Want to join me in class?"

'Nah,' he sent back, curling up again. 'I want to sleep.'

"How come that pile of fluff can sleep in, and I, the Great Grim, cannot?" the black cat monster folded his paws, looking at her familiar with envy in blue eyes.

Fou demonstratively yawned, mouth full of needle-like teeth.

"Well, he is a familiar and not a student, so he doesn't need to go to classes," Ritsuka explained. "Anyway, it's your first day as a student of NRC! You don't want to be late, right?"

"That's right!" Grim perked up. "I will become the greatest mage ever! Myahaha!"

***

As the Ace, Deuce and Grim bickered on the way to the campus, Ritsuka listened to Yuzu explain to her the Disney Villain statues on the Main Street.

'Damn, a Disney event,' the orange-haired girl thought, looking at the statue of the Queen of Hearts. 'Probably means Scheherazade is there somewhere.'

She was… familiar with the old Disney cartoon films, having watched them with Mash and child Servants during downtime, but not to the point of remembering the exact story beats. Moreover, she was likely to confuse them with the Arabian Thousand and One Nights stories, not to mention the whole… not-actually-fairytale setting of this Singularity.

'Seems it will be a longer one,' she thought with a frown. 'Damn it all, it's long, it has no Servants and it has no connection to Chaldea. Just what kind of shitty Event is this?!'

"Ritsuka?" Yuzu frowned too. "Something is the matter?"

"No, no," the Master waved her hands placatingly. "Just thinking heavy thoughts."

"...So why not just apologize to the housewarden? It's a small price to pay for having the collar removed," she heard Deuce finish.

"Aaaaargh! I hate this so! SO! Much!" Ace groused, holding his head.

"Hmm. Ya know, we do still have some time to kill before class starts. And I am kinda curious about the other dorms," Grim nodded. "Guess I'll go along and scope out the place while you make do with the groveling."

Huh. Maybe other Dorms… where the other students lived, anyway? The campus was too small to house seven more Dorms…

"Let's go!" she cheered. "I'm also curious!"

"Since when did this become a field trip?!" the other ginger complained.

Turning around, they then went to the Mirror Chamber, and through a card-ornamented mirror to a… rose maze?

Ritsuka suddenly remembered the dream that Dantes called 'precognitive'. Was it a hint to the greater mystery of the Event, or just this stage?

"Dang, this place is swank!" Grim looked around with shining eyes. "This is nothing like our dumpster of a dorm."

"Comparisons will only make you more miserable," Yuzu huffed.

"I can hear someone in the maze," Ritsuka mentioned. "Should we go say hello?"

"Your senses are sharp, huh," the monster folded his paws. "Now that I listened in, I can hear the guy too…"

The two locals then headed into the maze - didn't they want to find the Housewarden? Oh well, this was a start like any other…

They found another ginger among the white rose bushes, surrounded by paint cans - red, by the looks of it.

"Aww yeah, I am getting my paint on!" he sing-sang. "They all gotta be red, or it's 'off with my head'!"

"I've seen this somewhere before…" Yuzu frowned, and Ritsuka noted that - was it because the other girl also saw the Disney films, or was it because of something more esoteric?

"Huh...? You guys need something?" The painter diamond guy then noticed them.

"What are you doing there?" Ace asked, folding his hands.

"Are you blind? I'm painting these roses red, duh."

"What? Why?!" Deuce looked flabbergasted.

"Ah ha ha. So naïve, you put the 'n' in newb," the guy - and uppreclassman? - laughed. "Hold the phone, I know you! You're the ones who broke a billion-thaumark chandelier and nearly got expelled for it, yeah? And the new dwellers of that so-called Ramshackle Dorm! Whoah, you guys are THE talk of campus now!"

"That chandelier is gonna haunt us till the day we graduate, isn't it?" their ginger guy groaned.

"And you! You're the one who ate the housewarden's tart that same night!" the diamond guy exclaimed. "I've gotta get in on this fleeting fame. I'm just gonna grab a selfie real quick… It's cool if I post this on Magicam, right? Gimme your names so I can tag you."

They all introduced themselves, posing with the guy with the rose garden backdrop. Ritsuka supposed that this would make Novum Chaldea's search for her easier, if they ever got to this Singularity…

"Uploaded! Sweet," the guy pocketed his phone. "Oh, I'm Cater Diamond, by the way. I'm a junior here at Heartslabyul. But Cater is fine. Or Cay-Cay if you're cray-cray! Soooo nice to meetcha!"

Huh, he kind of reminded her of Osakabehime - only less mangled words.

"Like, I can't believe you actually live in that ruin!" Cater continued to run his mouth. "It's all gloomy and looks like hot garbage on Magicam. No filter could salvage THAT dump."

"Y'know, you've done nothin' but diss us here, pal!" Grim looked annoyed.

Suddenly, Cay-Cay looked like he remembered something.

"Gah, what am I doing? I don't have time to chat!" he picked up his magic pen, tipped with a rose-red gem. "The party's tomorrow. If we're not ready, it's 'off with my head'! Hey, you kids wanna help me paint some roses?"

"Yeah, uh... Why are you doing that exactly?" Ace asked uncertainly.

"Because red roses are so much more photogenic! Or...something...?" the upperclassman replied. "And after that, I've gotta start getting things ready for the big croquet tournament. And that means coloring all the flamingos."

"You're colorin' flamingos now?" Grim groused. "Isn't anything the right color around here?!"

"Now it's coming into focus, Ace. That tart you ate must have been for the housewarden's birthday," Deuce nodded. "That explains his reaction!"

"Hm?" Cater blinked, then laughed. "Oh, no, it's not Riddle's birthday."

"It's not? Then whose birthday is it?" Ace asked.

"It isn't anyone's birthday. Tomorrow is our dorm's traditional unbirthday party," the other ginger explained. "It's a special tea party we throw when no one has a birthday - if the housewarden feels like it."

"And why would you do that?" Ace continued questioning, but Cater looked away.

"Again with the questions!" he huffed. "Listen, I need these roses to be red. Like, yesterday. Can't you guys help out with magic or something? Oh, but Ace is on magical house arrest and Yuzu is a total normie, so you two better stick to paint."

"Recolor the roses with magic…" Deuce frowned.

"Can't say I've ever done this before," Grim mirrored him.

"Relax, it'll be fine. You got this!" the upperclassmen cheered. "But maybe do it before I lose my head? K-thanx!"

Ritsuka stared at the pink-tipped magical pen in her hands, unsure if she was capable of using that kind of magecraft… but even Grim somehow managed to change rose colors with his magic - even if to wrong one - so she focused on the mental image of the petals turning red, and channeled mana through the gem.

The rose in front of her slowly turned splotchy red. At least it was good visualization practice?... this a lot easier than the basics of Alternation Waver tried to hammer into her head, too!

"Red... Red... BAM! Wh-whoa! It turned blue?!" she heard Deuce gasp from across the clearing.

"Change, o foul color! Change! AHA!" Grim sounded triumphant, but then… "BWAH! The rose caught on fire!"

"Wow. You're even less competent than I thought," the upperclassman shook his head.

"Yo, maybe you should just leave the roses white!" Ace complained. "They look perfectly pretty 'n stuff to me."

"It's a matter of tradition," Cater explained. "You can't have an unbirthday party without the roses being red And you can't play croquet without seven-colored flamingos as mallets and a hedgehog for a ball. Oh, but of course, the roses need to be white when the garden flowers put on their spring concert. That's absolutely crucial."

Sounded very busywork for her, but she supposed Magi held their traditions dear.

"All your rules are completely insane!" Grim exclaimed.

"They say the Queen of Hearts made up these rules herself - she was one of the Great Seven, you know," huh, so those were hers? Hadn't she been insane - not that it was a bad thing, though. "And Riddle is all about tradition. Probably more than previous housewardens, T-B-H. I'll admit that he's, well... a bit extra."

"Yeah, no kidding. I sure don't have time for this nonsense," Ace threw down his paintbrush. "Is Riddle here? I gotta talk to him."

"Yeah, probably," the other ginger nodded, then tilted his head. "But are you sure that's wise? Did you even bring an apology tart to replace the one you ate?"

"Uh, no...?" Ace frowned. "We came here first thing in the morning!"

"Ah ah ah... That could be a problem," Cater tutted. "Have you forgotten rule 53? 'Stolen items must be replaced.' If you're not in compliance, I can't let you in."

Welp, it seemed that this was a distraction. Back to square one, now with some intel!

"All dorm residents must obey the rules. If I let you slide, it would be off with my head next!" he stood up, brandishing his Magical Pen. "I hate to say it, Ace, but I'm gonna need you to leave before Riddle spots you. Thanx."

"I... think this guy is for real. You guys, do something!" Ace panicked. "Oi, Ritsuka, you have those freaky shadows, protect me!"

"Why should WE do anything?" Deuce asked.

"C'mon, please!" Ace pleaded. "I can't use magic! Hurry, he's—"

And then Georgios's Shadow intercepted a spell from the upperclassman.

"Attacking powerless people is not a good look," she smiled, the Rider Shadow brandishing its sword at the attacking ginger. "But Ace, we should go. It's almost time for class."

"Whoah, that's your UM?" Cater gasped. "Looks wicked!"

Then, a bell rang, and Ritsuka suppressed a flinch and an urge to see who was the unfortunate Gramps Hassan victim.

"That's the first bell!" Deuce gasped. "We really need to go!"

"Myah! I don't wanna get a blemish on the first day of my glorious Night Raven education!" Grim meowed. "Shake a leg, chumps! To the classroom, pronto!"

"Hey, so what class are you guys in, anyway?" Ace asked as they hurried to the exit. "You're freshmen too, right?"

"The headmage said we're in Class 1-A!" the cat monster replied.

"Hey, that's the same one I'm in," Deuce noted. "We got Potionology for the first period."

"Oh ho, myah! That sounds awesome!"

"M-maybe I don't need magic for that?" she wondered about that too, Ace.

***

Potionology 101 consisted of overview of plants and fungi, something that Ritsuka vaguely knew, History of Magic 101's teacher droned on while his cat meowed every other word, and the PE's Coach Vargas was exactly like some of Ritsuka's more boisterous Servants, reminding her strongly of Fergus even as she left the guys and Yuzu in the dust.

"Where are you going, Grim?" she caught the cat monster by the scruff, while it tried to sneak away.

"No way am I puttin' up with this boring routine day in and day out!" He folded his paws, hanging from her hand. "I'm Grim, Sorcerer Prodigy, and I don't need no one to teach me how to blow stuff up!"

"But Magecraft is so much more than blowing things up," even if, in her line of work, it was frequently the best solution. "For example, don't you want to learn how to make golems that would feed you tuna?"

"Grrr…" he growled, but relented. "Fine! I'll sit in on the boring lessons! But yer not tha boss of me!"

Situation diffused, they hurried after their friends.

"What's next?" Ritsuka asked as the two of them reached the trio.

"Lunch," Ace and Deuce replied in unison.

"Lunch?!" the cat gasped. "Why are we dawdling, let's go!"

And then he ran in the direction of the cafeteria.

"What did you want from Grim?" Yuzu asked, following her co-student in a brisk pace.

"He wanted to ditch," the Master shrugged. "I made him reconsider."

"I see," the other Japanese nodded. "Thank you."

They all reached the cafeteria soon, Grim fanboying and drooling over the buffet. Ritsuka, in turn, felt homesick - she missed EMIYA, Nemo Bakery and Beni-Enma's cooking already…

She loaded her tray with some food that caught her eye, then looked over the tables, deciding where to sit… and then Grim made a Heartslabyul guy stumble over him, the guy's food tray sent flying, only to be caught by Ritsuka's Shadow Kotarou.

"MY CARBONARA!!!" the guy wailed, snatching the tray from the Shadow and inspecting it. "The yolk's broken! Stupid monster, watch where you're going!"

"Whoa, that's messed up! Pokin' the egg is the best part!" his friend agreed. "You better make this right, pal!"

"I'm gonna need that grilled chicken of yours as compensation." the first decided with a leer.

"No way!" the cat monster meowed. "Hands off the bird, chump! I need my protein, because I am HANGRY!"

"Hey! That's no way to speak to an upperclassman!" the guy with carbonara frowned. "Catch me outside and I'll teach you some respect!"

"Um, excuse me, sir, but it said in the handbook that fighting with magic was prohibited…" Deuce tried to deescalate…

"Fighting? You got it all wrong," the guy heckled. "This is just me helpin' an ignorant freshman know his place!"

"Now, let's see just how many ways there are to skin a cat, heh!" the other heckled.

Bullies, Ritsuka thought with resignation, mentally reviewing which Shadow Servant would be a good option to defend her, never change, no matter the world. Kotarou and Daikokuten were already summoned, the former hiding in her shadow, ready to strike, but the latter were still busy repairing the Ramshackle dorm…

Someone not energy-intensive, capable of magecraft and… how about Medea, perhaps?...

The Master of Chaldea grinned, then balanced her tray on her left hand, outstretching her right, Command Seal-bearing one, in front of her.

"Well, let's begin the lesson!" the guy heckled, raising his magical pen…

"Come, Medea!"

And then the Shadow Servant used the Atlas spell facsimile.

"AAAAHHH!!!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Wow, this is highly cathartic to watch," Ace grinned as the two upperclassmen frantically flopped on the ground. "Say, Ritsuka, how many of those Shadows can you summon?"

"A magician never reveals their secrets~" she laughed, taking the tray into both hands again. "Let's return to the cafeteria, I'm hungry."

As she dismissed Medea, they returned to the cafeteria and found a place to eat, and she thought that the question was a good one, Ace having a sharp mind to ask it - she was starting to feel strain after she summoned the third Shadow Servant, and that's not counting the spell Medea's Shadow was using. It was probably wise to keep the number of summoned Shadows to less than three.

"Still, these Shadows of yours can use their own magic." Deuce hummed. "That makes you a kind of a one-girl Magician Strike Team?"

"Hahaha," she giggled, deciding to downplay her power. "If only!"

"Aw, get over it already. It's time to chow like the wind!" Grim then dug into his pile of food. "This omelet is as fluffy as a cloud, and practically burstin' with cheese!.."

Ritsuka heard someone approach, and turned to the newcomer - the guy from the morning, Cater.

"So, I saw your guys' dorm, but what are the other ones like?" Grim then gave a perfect cue to start a lecture. If Da Vinci was there, she'd totally use that for exposition.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the statues of the Great Seven?" and the diamond-face did not resist the urge either. "Night Raven College has a dorm themed after each one."

Another guy, green-haired with glasses over sharp golden eyes and a clover on his face, came to their table as the trio of boys were bickering with the ginger upperclassman. He laughed, seemingly good-natured, but Ritsuka had a feeling this guy was a hidden weirdo.

"Ah, I should introduce myself. The name's Trey. Trey Clover. I'm a junior at Heartslabyul, like Cater here. And you must be Yuzu, the new prefect from that dump of a- ah, I mean, the 'rustic dorm'," he nodded to the brunette, sitting at the table. "And you're Ritsuka, the one summoning those shadow people. Anyway, I heard the whole story from Cater. Thanks for looking out for our boys yesterday."

"I don't recall inviting you to sit with us…" Ace grumbled.

"Hey now, we're all from the same dorm, right? Let's try to get along. Here, gimme your digits," Cater then got the numbers of Ace and Deuce, turning to Ritsuka and Yuzu afterwards.

"...I don't have a smartphone," the other girl admitted.

"Buy me coffee first," Ritsuka joked.

"For realz? I've read about luddites like you, but never imagined I'd meet one in the wild!" the older ginger gasped. "I know a place that sells the latest models cheap. How about you and I go on a phone-shopping date?"

Yuzu side-eyed Ritsuka. Ah, right, no money…

"What's the price range you're speaking of?" the Master asked, in an intel-gathering mode. "Yuzu, I'll buy you one if you give me the Ghost Camera."

"Deal," the other girl didn't as much as a blink.

"Most expensive are hundred thousand and more, but the cheaper models can be as cheap as fifteen thousand," Cater replied, beaming. "Going to gift your luddite friend one?"

"Deal," Ritsuka giggled, then turned to the diamond-marked teen. "And I'll need to look up my number - I use it so rarely, I forgot it."

"Cater," Trey frowned. "Maybe take it down a notch?"

"It's a date!" the diamond-marked guy grinned smugly, then saw the greenet's serious expression and blanched. "Sorry! What were we talking about... The dorms, yeah? Ah, what fun to mentor new students! Go ahead, A-M-A."

As the other freshmen bombarded the upperclassmen with questions, Ritsuka listened attentively. She did not like the whole 'based off the Great Seven' thing, it stank of future Servants manifesting, perhaps by hijacking the Housewardens' bodies?...

So, the Hearslabyul House had its 810 rules their Housewarden, Riddle, was strictly enforcing. Somehow, it reminded her of her dream of strangling roses and ink seas, but she failed to make a connection to the current situation… Savanaclaw had sporty people, Octavinelle and Scarabia were for those smart, Pomefiore housed pretty guys, Ignyhide had techies and introverts, and Diasomnia…

Someone clashed with Kotarou's Shadow above their table.

"BWAH!" the Heartslabyul students gasped, as Ritsuka jumped to her feet and pointed a Gandr-sparking finger at the old fairy from the orientation. "What the hell?!"

"Please call off your Shadow!" the green-vested student asked, in her Shadow Servant's choking hold, two other members of Diasomnia House making their way to their table. "I mean no harm!"

"Kotarou, back," she ordered aloud, and the Assassin, seemingly reluctantly, retreated. "Please don't try to surprise me, they have low tolerance for sudden attacks."

"I can see that," the fairy nodded, rubbing his neck, then turning to the other Diasomnia students. "Silver, Sebek, I'm alright."

"Fa- Lilia," the silver-haired one looked the fairy over. What an interesting slip of a tongue he had… "Shouldn't you know not to teleport above people?"

"HUMAN!" the green-head - she noted he had slightly pointed ears - loudly said. "HOW DARE YOU-"

"It's my fault," the old fairy interrupted the other fairy(?). "I shouldn't have spooked the young miss. Forgive me for appearing above you during your meal. I do hope we can speak again."

And then he teleported away, breaking Ritsuka's theory of the island being Crowley's Territory.

"Have a nice day," the silver-haired teen nodded stiffly, and then dragged his fellow student away.

"Their table has got to be over twenty yards away from ours. And they overheard our conversation?" Ace complained. "That's WAY creepy!"

"That's what you're focusing on, and not the super-creepy shadow attacking a guy?!" Cater blurted out. "While Ritsuka is kinda infamous for those, it's still real weird!"

"Yes, and the NRC rules state that magic fights are prohibited on campus," a crimson-haired teen came to their table. "I will inform the Headmage of this."

"The one in the wrong was the fairy, he used magic to teleport above us," the Master shrugged. "Kotarou responded without any magic use on my part."

"Hey, Riddle! What's shakin', pal? You're lookin' adorbs, as always!" Cater grinned.

"Hmph. Cater, keep running that mouth and you'll lose it - along with the rest of your head," the Housewarden threatened.

"Sorry, sorry! My bad!"

"And you're the new students who were nearly expelled yesterday," the redhead nodded to himself. "The headmage's habit of tolerating rulebreakers like you is going to send this entire campus spiraling into chaos one day. Those who break the rules should have their heads removed immediately, without exception."

Hm. This probably was the guy strangled by roses in her dream. He seemed like someone bound by rules, to the point of asphyxia.

"Dude, seriously?" Ace complained. "This guy looks like a wimp, but talks like a monster!"

"The headmage may have forgiven you, but if you break any further rules, I assure you I will not," Riddle stated in a calm voice.

"So, uh, listen, housewarden, sir... Any chance I could get you to remove this collar?"

"I had intended to remove it once you'd taken an opportunity to reflect upon your crimes - but I've not detected so much as a hint of remorse in the foolishness I've heard you spout today, so I think I'll let you keep that for a while," the Heartslabyul Housewarden said. "Don't worry - the freshman curriculum is more focused on magical theory than practice, and your inability to use magic will help prevent incidents along the lines of what happened yesterday. Now, if you've finished your meal, you should quit gossiping and prepare for your next class. Rule 271 is quite clear: 'One must leave the table within fifteen minutes of completing their lunch'. You DO understand what happens to rulebreakers, I trust?"

"More insane rules…" Ace sighed.

"I believe you mean to say, 'Yes, Housewarden'!" Riddle narrowed his eyes.

"Y-yes, Housewarden!" the Heartslabuyl students saluted.

"Very well, then," the redhead nodded, seemingly placated. "Trey, keep an eye on them. Now, as per rule 339… 'The post-meal beverage is to be lemon tea with two sugar cubes', thus, I must go to acquire my sugar cubes. Farewell. Don't even get me started on their violation of running out of sugar cubes...!"

And he strode away.

"Yeesh! That was terrifying," the older ginger slumped in his seat.

"That guy... has some serious issues," Grim noted.

"Is the housewarden gone?" Ritsuka heard another Heartslabuyl student whisper.

"I totally just broke rule 186, 'Never eat a hamburger on Tuesday'. I don't know what I would have done if he'd caught me!" another sighed. "I wish he wouldn't come here so we could at least eat lunch in peace."

So, Riddle was highly unpopular, huh…

"Riddle managed to secure the housewarden title before the end of his very first week at school," Trey told them. "I know he can come off a bit harsh, but he's not a bad guy. Everything he does, he does because he thinks it'll improve the dorm."

"So what's this 'signature spell' he mentioned?" Yuzu asked, seemingly to change the topic.

"Hm? You're curious about Riddle's signature spell?" Cater tilted his head.

"That means, like…" Deuce looked thoughtful. "It's a spell that only he can cast, right?"

"I doubt he's the only person in the whole world…" Trey trailed off. "But yes, a signature spell is a magical ability that is, generally speaking, unique to its user. You'll learn about them in class soon enough."

Like… Noble Phantasms of Spell/Technique variety, technically reproducible?...

"Riddle's signature spell allows him to temporarily seal away the magic of another," the older ginger nodded. "The spell is named… [Off With Your Head]!"

"Even the name is completely psycho!" Grim gasped.

"To a mage, losing the ability to use magic is about as painful as losing your head completely," yeah, that tracked with her experiences with Casters. "Which is why all of us at Heartslabyul House try hard not to violate Riddle's rules."

"And as long as you are following the rules, Riddle isn't so scary," Trey nodded.

"Speaking of which - are you still not gonna let me into the dorm until I buy a tart, Cater?" Ace asked.

"Don't @ me, but... yeah. That's rule 53, so my hands are tied," the other ginger nodded. "Also, Riddle always looks forward to having the first slice of a tart. So if you want him to forgive you, you had better bring a whole tart!"

"What happened to 'We're all from the same dorm, let's try to get along?' the younger ginger huffed. "Throw me a bone here!"

"That's one thing. This is another."

"A whole tart has gotta be pretty expensive," Deuce hummed.

"Seriously? I don't have that much money!" Ace groaned.

"Then why not make one yourself?" Cater proposed. "Trey made those three tarts by hand, after all."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Yuzu looked impressed.

After that, they got a side-quest to gather two to three hundred chestnuts in the Botanical Garden. Ritsuka felt bad for Ace, so she decided to help him, but the others were not so forthcoming… at least until Trey promised them freshly-baked goods.

She finished her chamomile and honey tea, and decided to recall Daikokuten to help with this.

***

 

[Kamico]

After gathering the required three hundred chestnuts, not letting the rest of the group slack off, and defusing the tail-stepping accident with a promise of a fresh tart, Ritsuka and friends, as well as Leona and Ruggie, two Savanaclaw students, went to the kitchens.

"Welcome back- why is Housewarden Kingscholar with you?" Trey blurted out.

"These herbivores owe me compensation for stepping on my tail," the lion-teen smiled lazily, leaning on the wall. "So get to baking, Clover."

"Well…" the greenet fixed his glasses nervously. "I suppose there is more than enough chestnuts to make more than just one apology tart. Still, you'll need to peel all of them…"

"We have to peel all of these...?" Deuce groaned. "Suddenly the whole room is spinning…"

"Let's get to it - Daikokuten will be helping," Ritsuka rolled up her sleeves and looked at the lone Shadow of a mouse girl. "For delicious food!"

"Myah… can't your Shadow do it all?" Grim groused.

"No can do, that'll take too long."

"I'll help too - for additional slices," Ruggie Bucchi giggled.

Frankly, the peeling process was not all that complicated. Of course, the Daikokuten Shadow was the fastest peeler, seemingly competing with a subtly incensed Trey, but Ruggie was also up there in speed.

After peeling, they had to puree the cores…

"There! Finally got 'em all!" Ace whooped.

"My arm is killing me…" Deuce whimpered.

Ruggie, in the meanwhile, snuck a lick of the stuffing.

"The smell alone already has me droolin'..." Grim grinned.

"I just need to add butter and sugar to the chestnut paste, and a sensible splash of oyster sauce - that's my secret ingredient!" Trey then… joked?

"Oyster sauce?!" the Heartslabyul students boggled.

"Sounds like a waste of a perfectly good dessert," Leona frowned. "Do not put any in my tart, Clover."

"I'd still eat that," Ruggie frowned. "But the taste would probably be weird."

"...I was joking," Trey admitted. "I hoped to lift the mood a bit…"

"What?! So you were just yankin' our chain?" Ace looked furious.

"I mean, if you'd used your brain, you'd have realized how ridiculous it was," the greenet nodded. "Let that be a lesson to you. Don't believe everything you hear."

"Feh. And here I thought that this human was actually somewhat decent," Grim groused.

"Next, I'll put in the cream…" Trey pauseed. "Ah, we don't have enough for three tarts."

"Then I'll go buy some. Do they sell it at the school store?" Deuce proposed.

"They sell pretty much everything, so... probably. Can I have you pick me up a few other things?" the greenet nodded. "I need two cartons of milk, two packs of eggs, some muffin cups, five cans of fruit…"

"I don't think I'll be able to carry all that back," the brunet frowned. "Ace-"

"Nope, tired," was the immediate reply.

"Daikokuten will go," Ritsuka decided. "Two, go with Deuce."

As the mouse girl shadow and the brunet student went away, Yuzu came to her.

"Actually… Why are they called 'Daikokuten'?" she asked. "Isn't that a god's name?"

"The originals are the elevated white mouse familiars of that god, yes," the Master admitted. "They don't have an actual True Name, so they use their owner's instead."

"...what a fancy tale," Leona scoffed. "These mice smell like ancient power, yes, but god? Nah, I don't believe that."

Judging by the annoyed look of Yuzu, the other Japanese girl did not believe her either. Oh well.

"Well, it's up to you to disbelieve," she shrugged - Servants were fantastical beings, and thus hard to believe in.

"Still, how many of these Shadows do you have?" Ace asked. "I saw the ninja, the mice beastgirls, and that mage, what else can you summon?"

"Around…" she frowned. "Four hundred or so different ones…?"

"That many?!" the ginger's jaw dropped. "But… how?"

"I met them, and contracted them, and then, through achieving friendship, their powers were mine to call upon," the Master of Chaldea smiled. "It is a hard journey, but I survived it so far, meeting many interesting people in the meanwhile…"

"Wait, but can you copy Unique Magics like that," Ruggie, sitting on the tall chair cross-legged, asked.

"Nah," she shook her head, thinking back on David's actions in that battle. "The Shadow Servants are only facsimiles, not full existences, so the highest tiers of power are barred to them."

"And you require a 'contract' to make a copy," Leona drawled. "What sort?"

"Hahahaha," Ritsuka laughed. "Not one you guys would be likely to accept."

NRC students were mages, after all, alive ones or, perhaps, unaware of being dead. They all also were prideful, so serving under someone would likely be grating to them. Ah well, she hoped that, after the Singularity corrected itself, they would come to Chaldea regardless… After all, even such prideful existences as Gods and even King Gilgamesh decided it was fine to be her Servants.

The lion man huffed, turning away.

"Still, it's like you're a whole team of mages by yourself," Ace praised. "And the shadows you have are quite powerful, defeating that monster from the mine easily! I hope my Unique Magic will be as cool as yours."

"Monster from the mine?" Trey blinked. "Right, you guys DID return with a highly expensive magestone from the Dwarf's Mine… you say there was a monster there?"

"Yeah!" Grim nodded. "A giant, gnarly thing!"

"Yeah, we had to, ugh, team up to stall it long enough for Ritsuka's Shadows to finish it off," the ginger Heartslabyul student grimaced. "If we didn't, we'd be toast."

"It was shouting about a stone, which made us notice the one we brought in," Yuzu nodded. "Otherwise, we'd miss it."

"It was roughly one and a half stories tall, was armed with a proportionate pickaxe and a lit lantern flail," Ritsuka started describing the monster. "It was dressed in rags, and its head looked like a glass inkpot. It was capable of speech, yet it was impossible to reason with it…"

"...Inkpot?" Leona echoed, frowning. "Hm. You freshmen are lucky to stay alive, then."

But Ritsuka didn't press the Savanaclaw student for information because at that moment, the Daikokuten she sent with Deuce sent her that the hut she entered had a Bounded Field.

She focused on the Shadow Servant's perception, feeling the mana bound to the walls of the shop. It wasn't the strongest or most intricate one, but the fact it was there was worrying.

'Enter,' she ordered the Shadow Servant. 'Gather intel.'

"You know what it was?" Ace zeroed on Leona.

"...nah," the beastman yawned. "Dunno."

Ruggie giggled, observing the bowl of chestnut filling with hungry eyes…

Deuce and Daikokuten came into contact with the shop's owner, and the dark-skinned man merrily tried to sell them all kinds of stuff. She couldn't see any Ascension Materials on display, but she hoped this was the Event Shop - though, she wondered where she should farm the event currency.

The transaction complete, her Shadow Servant and her friend exited the shop unmolested, walking through the Main Street and… running into the bullies from the cafeteria, who started to attack the two?

Shadow Daikokuten then queried for permission to unleash the Noble Phantasm… No, that would be overkill. Just rough them up instead of killing them, Ritsuka sent. Then, she was treated to a maid-fu demonstration from the POV of the maid.

'Daikokuten fight dirty and silly,' she thought as the mouse girl slapped the shit out of the bullies with a mop, all while carrying the bag with groceries. 'Perfect for teaching humility.'

The bullies lying on the ground in a heap, her Shadow Servant motioned for Deuce to follow and started moving towards the main building again.

"Back with us?" Ace heckled. "Penny for your thought?"

"My thoughts cost a lot more than a penny," she shot back. "Anyway, Deuce is almost back. Trey, do you need anything, preheat the oven or so on?"

"How do you know where Deuce is?" her fellow Japanese blinked.

"My Shadow Servant is almost back, so he should be there soon too," she downplayed her ability.

"Ah, I see," the baker nodded.

In five minutes, a dazed Deuce and her Daikokuten Shadow returned, the groceries intact, and the baking was resumed.

"Let's get this tart-y started!" Trey punned, and Ritsuka giggled.

The Vice-Housewarden really did know his way around the kitchen, making the process clean and efficient, which she appreciated. The work was spread evenly, everyone was included but not overworked, making the tart baking clean and fun.

"Okay, now we just sprinkle on a little powdered sugar, and…" he shook the shaker over the tarts, depositing a thin layer of white powder on it.

"FINISHED!" the rest of the bakers cheered.

"Ahh, the smell is heavenly," Ruggie grinned. "Can't wait to get a slice or ten!"

"I need a tart for the Housewarden, and it's not like the remaining two will have enough to let you eat ten slices!" Ace scoffed.

The door to the kitchen opened, and Cater Diamond entered.

"Hey fam! Are the tarts done? Ooh, those look sooo cute! Lemme snap a quick pic for Magicam! Hi, Leona, Ruggie, btw."

"Hi, former Housewarden," Leona yawned.

"What, NOW you decide to show up?" Ace exclaimed.

"I just came to see how hard my little newbs were working!" the older ginger cheered.

"Pretty funny how you managed to show right when it was ready to eat," the younger ginger noted.

"Let's help ourselves to this tart," Trey smiled, cutting one up. "For everyone's hard work."

"Not that Leona or Cater did anything," Grim scoffed, jumping on a chair, Trey setting a slice in front of him. "Mmmm... That smells so good… Glossy chestnuts on top, fluffy cream below... I can't wait another second, I'm going in!"

"Want to become stew?" the lion beastman threatened with an even voice, taking the next slice. "Hm. Not bad."

"Oh, dang…" Ace groaned, having bitten into his.

"Yuuum! Liked and subscriiibed!" Cater cheered.

"This is like something from a fancy bakery," Deuce noted.

"..." Yuzu silently stuffed her face.

"...Seconds!" Ruggie practically inhaled his slice.

The tart was very good, Ritsuka admitted, but it… didn't have something important in it - the spark of love for the craft the Chaldean cooks put in every meal. It made the dessert feel soulless, incomplete - and not like the Zero Musashi pursued, but a more mundane vacuum.

Mood soured, she set aside the remaining piece.

"Oh, Trey! You gotta do the thing," Cater then grinned.

"The thing?" the greenet blinked. "Oh... That."

"Uh, wanna fill me in here?" Ace managed to say through a forkful of tart.

"What's everyone's favorite food?" Trey asked instead.

"Anything goes, I'm not picky," Ruggie immediately said.

"Me? Probably cherry pie. Or hamburgers," the younger ginger replied.

"Canned tuna's at the top of my list," Grim nodded, then recounted. "Then maybe cheese omelets, roast meat, pudding…"

"If I had to pick, I guess I'd say... omelet rice?" Deuce was seemingly unsure.

"I like a nice lamb chop with diablo sauce," Cater smiled.

"...Marbled steak with red wine sauce pairing," Leona replied, seemingly without enthusiasm.

"All right, you've got it…" Trey then withdrew his magical pen, mana gathering in the gem, "Let's [Paint the Roses]!"

Nothing seemingly happened - if not for Daikokuten's mana perception, Ritsuka would've missed that the spell was cast on the tart slices.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Deuce wondered.

"Take another bite of your tart and see," Trey's glasses gleamed in the kitchen's light as he fixed them, in a manner reminiscent of Paracelsus…

"Huh?" Ace obeyed, biting in. "How- Now it tastes like cherry pie!"

"It's just like canned tuna!" Grim then bit again. "Now it tastes like a cheese omelet! And grilled meat! And pudding!"

Ritsuka noted that Leona did not touch the enspelled tart slice like her, sliding the plate to Ruggie.

"It's very impressive," Deuce nodded. "Is changing flavors your signature spell, Trey?"

"Technically, it's 'overwriting characteristics'," the greenet smiled. "I can change taste, color, smell, whatever. It only lasts for a little while, though. But it is kinda like covering up the real thing hence, 'painting'."

So it was like Alternation at a distance?... lesser spells were used as Magecraft specialities, she thought, like EMIYA's Tracing. This was a useful ability.

"If I had magic like that, I could be eatin' canned tuna every meal of every day!" Grim bolstered. "I can't wait to find my Unique Magic!"

"Don't forget that tomorrow's the unbirthday party," Trey then turned to Ace. "You don't want to be late."

"Ritsuka, can I crash with you guys again?" the younger ginger asked, turning to them. "It doesn't sound like I'll be allowed back in my own dorm tonight."

"Again, seriously?" Cater laughed.

"It isn't right to keep mooching off of Yuzu and Ritsuka, Ace," Deuce frowned.

"Yeah, it ain't! If you wanna stay tonight, you gotta pay for the privilege!" Grim grinned. "Ten cans of tuna!"

"What?!" the heart-marked teen exclaimed. "Guess I'm sleeping outside, then."

"Why don't you go and stay at Ramshackle dorm too, Deuce, so you can keep an eye on him?" Trey proposed. "As vice-housewarden, I can issue you a sleepover pass."

"That's our Trey, always spoiling the newbs," the diamond-marked student smiled. "What fun for you. Ooh, maybe I'll come too! What do you say?"

"No pass for you."

"Aww. Sad trumpet... Womp womp wooomp."

"Cater, when you're gonna bring me to that date you promised?" Ritsuka asked. "I need to know."

"Hah, moving fast, Diamond?" Leona grinned - he didn't touch the rest of the tart slices, she noted.

"Hahaha…" the older ginger grinned. "How does Sunday, at eleven AM sound?"

"Good enough," she shrugged. "Gonna come with me, Yuzu?"

"Two girls on one date… I'm jealous," Trey laughed.

"Maybe," the brunette nodded, finishing her tart slice. "You want to buy me a phone, and Cater promised to pay for food - so I have no reasons not to."

And then they said their goodbyes to the rest of the guys, then relocated to Ramshackle, leftovers split with Ruggie.

***

The next day, Ritsuka woke up at dawn, after another dream of the boy, strangling roses and ink sea.

She descended to the kitchen, finding it clean and Daikokuten Shadow already preparing a cup of tea. Somehow, the Shadow Servants here were a lot more independent and lasted until she dismissed them, which was, honestly, rather weird - it was like halfway between actually summoning a Servant and her previous Shadow Servant manifestation.

The tea was fine, if not a blend she knew. After she finished the cup, she exited the dorm building and started her morning exercises.

"Good morning, Ritsuka," after she returned, she found Deuce in the lounge, a cup in his hand. "You're up early."

"I am used to this," she replied. "And you? Sleep well?"

"I did, yeah," he nodded. "Your shadow mice beastmen maids did a good job in fixing this place. Anyway, we should wake up Yuzu, Grim and Ace. The Unbirthday Party is starting soon."

They ascended the stairs, her going to the girls' shared bedroom and him - to the one the guests slept in tonight.

"Wake up, Yuzu!" Ritsuka shook the other girl's shoulder.

"But they're just roses…" the brunette muttered, opening her eyes. "Another strange dream?"

The downstairs Daikokuten then let her Master know that she let Cater Diamond in.

"Dream?" Ritsuka frowned. Dreams were, in her experience, important. "What was it about?"

"Uh…" the girl scrunched her nose. "I dreamed of the Queen of Hearts screaming about beheading everyone, and people just shaking and obeying… why didn't anyone stop her…"

Huh, did Yuzu dream of the Disney film?...

"I see," Ritsuka nodded. "Sounds fascinating, and a bit on-point. Must be because of Riddle's Unique Magic and anticipation of the Unbirthday Party."

"...maybe," the other Japanese teen nodded, then yawned. "Let's get to it. Grim, wake up!"

Leaving her dormmates to prepare for the day, she went downstairs to greet Cater.

"Good morning!" he waved his smartphone-holding hand. "Did you look up your number?"

"...no," she sighed, then sent Daikokuten to find the smartphone. "Wait a bit, she's gonna get it."

The Heartslabyul upperclassman watched the retreating Shadow Servant with interested eyes.

"You don't need to say aloud orders, huh," he noted. "I'm jealous! My Cay-Cays need to either know the plan beforehand, or be told it."

Once again, she wondered what the root cause of this Singularity was. Was it, perhaps, Servant Aleister Crowley getting to revolutionize magecraft and for some reason making a closed world to teach children in his own manner?

Ritsuka mentally sighed. This Event so far defied her expectations, and seemed to be a long one…

The Shadow of Daikokuten then handed over the sleek phone to the other student.

"Hmm… never saw such a model, but it seems intuitive enough… aha, the App Store!" he tapped at the screen, then handed the phone over to her. "I downloaded Magicam and added me to your friends! You should've told me it was new. Let's shop for a cute cover for it!"

"Yeah, got it before getting to NRC," she nodded. That wasn't even much of a lie.

It was then the rest of the sleepover participants joined them.

"Good mooorning!" the older Heartslabyul ginger cheered. "Did you all enjoy your sleepover? Did you bond over pillow fights and card games?"

"Oh, good morning, Cater," the younger Heartslabyul ginger yawned. "We did play some cards, yeah. But only Old Maid, 'cause that was the only one Grim knew how to play."

"And I still got the old maid every time, dang it!" the cat monster spat. "Even that familiar of Ritsuka's outplayed me!"

"Fou won consistently because his poker face is impeccable," Deuce sighed. "Unlike yours."

"Well, you should get the tart we made yesterday and go apologize to Riddle," Cater nodded. "And you should probably hurry, because after the trouble yesterday, we're a little short-handed."

"What does that mean?" Ace asked, suspicious.

"Don't worry. I've totes got it under control," that… wasn't reassuring in the slightest. "Anyway, off to the party we go!"

***

As they entered the Heartslabuyl dorm, they were met with… Cater?

"Hey, it's about time I got back! Good to see me!" Local Cater cheered.

"And me! Looking good as always, me!" their Cater smiled.

"Bwuh?!" the rest of them were flabbergasted.

Ritsuka looked at the environmental clues: the grass was actually being affected, for example, so these copies weren't illusions… she suspected as much, but to think a spell like Thought Projection would be available to a student… It was the spell that made Lostbelt Morgan as dangerous as hse was, and it was in the hands of a teen?...

"J-S-Y-K, I'm actually the real Cater," the one that greeted them said - so there was a difference? "Making these duplicates is suuuper exhausting, so I can't maintain them for long. Anyway, if we're late, heads will roll. And since we're several people short, we'll need your help. But when this is over, I promise I'll take you straight to Riddle."

"What, MORE roses?" Grim groaned.

And then they were painting the white roses red again.

Ritsuka's training in Magecraft showed that she was almost completely incompatible with the vast majority of it… and yet, the petals turned red just as she willed it. It was a bit magical, kind of whimsical, and sort of childish, but she reveled in being able to use spells like the rest of the students.

She'll miss this Singularity, she decided.

After they finished the recoloring, Cater dismissed his clones, and led them to a side garden, where the rest of the Heartslabyul students were… a lot of them collared, just like Ace.

Ritsuka, Yuzu and Grim were seated at a side table, Ace, Deuce and Cater changing into the dorm uniforms and joining the formation of the dorm members. A rabbit beastman sounded the trumpet, then announced Riddle's arrival.

The Housewarden checked that the Dorm's traditions were followed, and was seemingly appeased. There was then a toast to an unauspicious day, and then it was Ace's cue to act.

Ritsuka caught the fury on the crimson-haired teen's face a second before he exploded into a tirade. Apparently, chestnut tarts were against Rule 562…?

She sighed, ready to interfere if the things turned ugly, and it sort of did - but in a social way, not a spell-flinging one.

Still, she sent Kotarou to save the tart from destruction, and then followed the collared Ace, Deuce and Grim, as well as a furious Yuzu out of the premises.

"Rrrgh! I hate that little ginger megalomaniac!" Ace fumed. "Who does he think he is, the Queen of Hearts herself?!"

"Stupid collar! It's so tight! Grrr…" Grim tried to pull it off, but it sat flush against his neck.

"Banished by the housewarden from my own dorm... My dream of becoming an honor student is slipping further and further away…" Deuce looked despairing.

"My, you're really racking up those collars. Quite an impressive collection."

Ritsuka flinched, her Gandr hand twitching to paralyze the newcomer, a pinkish-purple car-eared disembodied head.

"BWAH?!" the trio of collar wearers jumped in surprise.

"Myah! A ghost head!" Grim exclaimed.

"Oh dear. It seems I'm not all here," and then the rest of the Cheshire Cat beastman materialized.

"What? Er, so you do have a body, then?" Deuce gaped, then shook his head. "Who are you?"

"The name's Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker," the beastman introduced himself. "Am I a cat? Am I a purrrson? A mimsy borogrove, perhaps? A mome rath with a knack for magic?"

"Hi, Artemiy," Ritsuka cheered, mentally sending Kotarou with the saved tart to Ramshackle. "Nice Unique Magic you've got."

"Why, thank you," the cat beastman preened. "You've got some interesting friends connected to you, too."

"...After the insanity that teapot tyrant put me through, I'm not in the mood for whatever this is. Just leave me alone," Ace groused.

"Riddle the teapot tyrant... Heh heh. Well, I can't dismiss that perspective as wrong," Artemiy turned upside-down, looking down at them from the height of about two Ritsukas. "He's always been quite strict."

"Do you know something about him?" Deuce asked."

"Perhaps there are things that I know, and perhaps there are things that I don't," was the cryptic answer.

"That's not an answer!" Grim shouted.

"Is there something you wish to know about Riddle?" Artemiy asked, floating to be face-to-face with Grim, still upside-down.

"Yeah, what created such a control freak?" Ace scoffed.

"I believe his four-eyed friend may have the answer," the cat beastman replied.

"Four-eyed friend?" Deuce blinked. "You mean… Trey?"

"He's known Riddle since we were all little boys," the pinket nodded. "If you want to know more about Riddle, I would begin my quest there."

"They're childhood friends? I didn't really get that impression…" the brunet frowned.

"If you're so perceptive, then what are you asking me for? Buh-bye!"

And then Artemiy started to disappear.

"Thanks for the hints, bye!" Ritsuka waved as the beastman disappeared.

"...I tell ya, no one makes any sense around here," Grim groused.

"Well, we're not going to be able to do much in the way of schoolwork with these collars on," Deuce sighed. "So let's go see what Trey has to say, and then…"

"If you're gonna say 'apologize to Riddle', you can forget it!" Ace declared.

"Maybe we need to set up a little ambush.." Yuzu proposed. "Wait for him at the library, so that when he goes to return the cookbook, we'll be there?..."

"Good idea," Ritsuka nodded.

***

So, Riddle's parents, especially his mother, were the extremely controlling types.

Ritsuka listened to Trey dropping exposition, frowning. She theorized that they'd have to fight the Queen of Hearts, perhaps as a Berserker, summoned into Riddle's body, but the actual backstory of the Housewarden did not fit that narrative… but it did another, of the crimson-haired kid snapping and rampaging.

And then Ace accused Trey of making Riddle into the tyrant he was today.

Hearing someone approach, she turned around, and saw the Headmage stride towards them.

"You there! Be quiet! You are in a library!" the crow mask guy snapped.

"You're yellin' louder 'n any of us, though!" Grim pointed out.

"Oh!" Crowley coughed. "Yes, my apologies. But let us strive to maintain the library as a quiet place for reading."

"We're sorry, Headmage," Yuzu apologized… for some reason.

"Well, at least you know better now. Incidentally, what are you all discussing with such grim faces?"

"Well, since you asked…"

They explained the situation the best they could. Ace then rejected the offer of transferring, so the Headmage… proposed to combat Riddle for the leadership of the dorm?

"That's insane!" Ace exclaimed. "With these collars of his-"

"Doable," Ritsuka nodded. "I've got some Craft Essences that can help with that…"

"Huh?" Deuce blinked. "You do?"

"Yeah! Let me get Shadow Servants to find some," the Master mentally ordered Shadow Kotarou to enter the Warehouse and search for the relevant Mystic Code. "Wouldn't be an absolute thing, but it will work three or so times."

"Magical items are allowed in the duel, yes," Crowley nodded. "Should I get paperwork ready for a formal challenge?"

"But isn't fighting with magic against the rules?" Ace asked.

"In general, yes. A duel initiated through a formal procedure and conducted in the presence of the headmage is another matter entirely."

"I'm pretty sure the duel rules don't allow for preemptively handicapping your opponent…" Trey nodded. "So this could be a way to force Riddle to remove your collar without apologizing. That said… Ritsuka, how sure are you of your magical items working against Riddle's Unique Magic?"

"About eighty-five percent or so," she smiled. "I don't think it's likely to work, but there were precedents of debuffs being applied to my Shadows with Debuff Immunity."

"Well, it's better chances than anything else we have," Ace grinned, determination blazing in his eyes. "Let's plan the damn duel."

"I'll try too," Deuce nodded, equally pumped up. "Every man's gotta make a grab for glory at least once in his lifetime. And if we're teaming up to take him down, ya better believe I'm running the show!"

"Oh man, here we go again…" the heart-marked student giggled.

"Huh?" the spade-marked one blinked.

"...I'll get started on the paperwork," Crowley nodded.

"We need to come up with some sort of plan," Yuzu nodded. "You can't just rely on Ritsuka's talismans, after all."

"For sure. Anyone got any more good ideas?" Ace asked.

"Hmm. Hard to imagine we can beat Riddle with straightforward magic," Deuce hummed. "A solid left hook, on the other hand…"

"Ah, did I forget to mention that detail? These duels are to be fought solely with magic," the Headmage cut in.

"What?!" the brunet gaped.

"Ha ha ha! Nothing beats a good, civilized duel!" the crow mask guy laughed. "Now, the paperwork should be prepared and filed on the morrow, and the duel scheduled accordingly. Run along now."

And then he was gone.

"When I'm housewarden, I'm gonna make Riddle fess up to bein' wrong. I'll make him apologize, too!" Ace then promised. "And no one in the dorm is gonna have to live by any crazy rules ever again!"

"That's the spirit!" Deuce pumped his fist.

"You guys…" Trey shook his head.

They returned to the Ramshackle then, Kotarou waiting for them with the CEs she asked him to fetch on the porch.

"Whoah," Ace turned the crystalline card, with Jeanne D'Arc on its front, around. "I can feel as if my mana is easier to use! If only I could use my magic now…"

"Yeah, what IS this?" Deuce looked at his copy of the [Sheep of Orleans] carefully. "It's nothing like I've ever seen or heard of."

"It's a Craft Essence!" Ritsuka cheered. "I never quite got into specifics, but they buff people."

"Well, as long as it works," Ace nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes," she then grinned mischievously. "Dodge."

***