CHAPTER TWO

[GOOD MORNING, GOOD NIGHT]

The cafeteria was grand, as Touya expected it to be. It spanned two levels, with a set of steps leading down to a fair amount of round tables, as well as a door that he assumed led to the kitchen. The whole room was even larger than the conference room- but Touya had no problem finding the gathering of people, even if Kris hadn't led him and the rest of his group straight to them. "I got 'em!" she announced proudly, glancing at the clock on the wall. "We's four minutes late, but 'dat's 'deir fault, 'cause 'dey's a bunch'a slowpokes." With a flippant wave of her hand she sauntered towards one of the long tables on the upper level, which everyone else had gathered around. Touya wasn't surprised to see her sitting next to Akuroma. He was even less surprised to find that the seat on the other side of her was empty.

"Sorry we're late," Touko said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it!" Lyra exclaimed, hopping up from where she sat, sandwiched between Green and Yancy, to approach them. "It's really not a big deal at all. She just... she just has problems, you know? I can't imagine how terrible it must be, living like that..." She added this part in a hushed voice, just loudly enough for Touya and Touko to hear, and her gaze glossed over with sadness. But then she recovered, smiling and grabbing for Touya's and Touko's joined hands with both of hers. "Come on! Let's go find a seat." She looked over towards where she had been seated before. "I'm gonna sit with Touya and Touko, okay?" she called. Green's gaze darted towards her and he nodded, followed by Yancy mumbling some form of assent.

Lyra smiled and laughed a little, scanning the main table for a good place to sit. But most of the seats had been taken, by now. Hugh took the seat next to Kris, and Homika ended up taking Lyra's old seat. The only two seats left were for Bill and Janine.

Instead, Lyra led the two of them to a small, round side table, which two people were already sitting at. Touya's face went white, but Lyra, ever the Social Butterfree, was undeterred.

"Hi there!" she greeted the two Rockets, both sets of piercing eyes trained on her. "Would you gentlemen mind terribly if we joined you?"

Proton's expression twitched into one of vague amusement as he took in the sight. But it was Archer who spoke up. "I don't see any reason to refuse," he said simply, a simple and practiced smile on his lips.

Lyra grinned. "Thanks!" She pulled out a chair and invited Touya and Touko to sit on either side of her. Touya's stomach growled- the main table had a platter with all sorts of fresh fruits piled on it acting as the centerpiece, but none of the smaller side tables had food of any sort. Janine had been right, earlier- by this time, he really was in need of some sustenance.

Before anything else could happen, Akuroma rose from his seat, causing a sudden lull in all conversation. Even Kris, who sat with her legs crossed and her bare feet on the table, stopped rambling about who-knows-what to listen. "If I may," Akuroma began, his suave voice projecting through the entire room, "it is now 12:05, and I'd like to begin."

Touya didn't know who made him in charge, but at the very least, he was easier to listen to than Kris was. It was a shame that they had to be related. Touya would probably like him more if they weren't.

"Kris, Caitlin, and myself explored these dormatories," Akuroma began.

"'Dey's real fancy!" Kris piped up.

"It appears that each one of us has been provided with a personal room. Each door is unlocked, but comes with a labeled key."

"Also a stationary set!" Kris added.

"And a stationary set," Akuroma amended. "For females, that is. For males, our rooms are instead equipped with a tool kit."

"Bah, what're we s'posed ta do wit' stationary? A sewing kit would'a been better 'dan 'dis," Kris scoffed.

"Stop interrupting!" Lyra called, and Kris seized, her eyes going wide and her gaze training intently on the blank wall in front of her. Proton snickered.

"We each have a full bathroom as well," Akuroma continued as if nothing had happened. "And I suppose that concludes our findings." He waited for a moment before he placed his gloved hands gently on the table. "Next?"

Touko took this as her cue to stand up. As she did so, N also stood- and it took Touya until now to realize that N had pulled up a chair to sit between Touko and Proton, eying the latter disdainfully. "Me, N, and Bill checked out some of the classrooms," Touko began. "They're all pretty much exactly the same, and... really empty. We didn't even find any chalk or paper." She paused, gaze trailing skyward as she thought. "Other than that... room 108 had one less desk than all the others. But I really don't know if that's too relevant." And then, with a bit of a sheepish grin, she sat down.

"None of the metal plates on the windows were loose," N added. "We checked them one by one. There are, however, precisely two plates per classroom, presumably covering two windows each." With that, he nodded resolutely and said no more.

"Um," Bill said, standing up at the large table. "I took a closer look at the security cameras that seem to be jus' about everywhere. I was extra careful, to make sure I didn't do anything that could be considered destroyin' them. It was hard to tell by looks alone, but... it looked pretty complex. They're definitely part of some greater network." And then he hastily sat down, joining the other two members of his group.

Archer stood up in one fluid motion, making nary a sound. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms behind his back before he spoke. "The blockade in the front hall is not going to budge anytime soon," he said concisely, and sat back down.

"What, 'dat's it?!" Kris demanded, whipping around to stare incredulously at the Rockets. "Ya spent all 'dis time and 'dat's all ya found?!"

Proton sneered, quickly rising to his feet and kicking his chair out. He growled and lurched towards Kris, saying something dangerous under his breath. He easily towered over the girl, and would have even if she had been standing.

In spite of that, Kris showed no fear. "You gotta problem, Crouton?" she bit, smirking in the face of death.

The Rocket was just about to lunge at her when two small, gentle hands wrapped around his forearm. "Proton, please," Lyra pleaded, tugging him back. "She doesn't know what she's saying!" Then she looked Kris' way. "We're all friends here, right?"

For a brief second, Kris looked like she wanted to retort, but when the situation sunk in, her face went pale. A guttural whimper escaped her mouth and she writhed like some sort of struck pokemon. Her shaky hands came up to press against her mouth and she began to dry heave. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to disappear into her chair.

Proton was content enough to take a step back and admire Kris' plight with a sadistic grin. But Lyra, bless her heart, was undeterred. "Kris?" she asked tentatively, reaching forward to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Before she could manage, though, Akuroma's arm shot out and one of his gloved hands rested on Kris' back. He didn't move his gaze to look at either of the pigtailed girls. "She's fine," he said smoothly, rubbing his thumb comfortingly along his cousin's spine. There was still something clinical and distant about the action, despite his apparent intentions. "Don't worry about her."

Lyra faltered, looking worried and biting her lip. "Um, okay," she said, letting her hand fall back to her side. "Feel better." Then she reached for Proton's hand and the two of them went back to the table. The latter couldn't resist throwing a glance over his shoulder to bask in Kris' misery.

"What about you, Lyra?" Touko asked as they reached their seats. "You went with Yancy and Green, right?"

As Proton righted his chair and slouched back into his seat, Lyra remained standing. "Well," she started, drawing a finger to her cheek, "I wouldn't really say we went together... we just spent the day in the conference room."

Before any angry voices could ring out, Green stood up. "Red was with us too," he added, running a hand through his hair. "What's the point of bustin' my ass if we're just gonna get more information tonight?"

"Yeah," Lyra continued seamlessly, flashing Green a 1,000-watt smile. "It's like, if Monorua's going to fill us in anyway, then why should we bother? Besides, this place gives me the creeps." And for effect, she shivered.

"UNACCEPTABLE," Hugh roared, leaping to his feet with so much force that he knocked his chair over. He slammed his hands on the table and glared at Green, Red, and Yancy in turn. "If you don't take action, you're letting them win!"

Green scoffed. "Look, kid. There isn't anything to find in here. The most we've gotten is that the cameras are hooked up to something, and we've got our own rooms!"

"You've got that wrong!" countered Hugh. "We found stairs!"

Janine, still seated, spoke up. "The stairs leading up to the second floor are blocked off by bars," she said, her steady voice projecting around the room.

N made to stand up and speak, but Touko elbowed him harshly in the side. He hissed and sat back down, casting Touko a hurt and confused glance.

"And we can't break them, or slip through them," Homika added.

"Well that's just great," Green snarked, "what good does that do us?"

For a moment, all was silent. Touko glanced briefly at Touya, and that single glimpse of her gaze was enough to spur him into action. He stood up and cleared his throat, multiple pairs of eyes turning to him at once. "We know that the bars will be lifted and we'll be allowed upstairs as a reward for good behaviour," he said, steepling his fingers.

"And how, exactly, do we know this?" asked Archer, mimicking the Lucky Ducklett and steepling his own fingers as well.

Touya didn't miss a beat. "Monorua told us," he answered evenly.

The room exploded into chatter. Questions and exclamations were all directed Touya's way, overwhelming him and tinting his cheeks red.

"You talked to him?!"

"How did you find him?"

"Where was he?!"

"I, um," Touya stammered, his steepled fingers collapsing and his hands instead balling into nervous fists.

"Monorua came out of nowhere," answered Janine. "He came running from the hallway, and when he was done, he turned into a desk. Which probably is the one missing from room 108."

Touko nodded thoughtfully, and Janine continued. "We didn't have to call him or anything. But... I bet that if we did call him, he'd show up." She glanced at Touya. "Shall we?"

Touya, who had made sure to shoot Janine the most appreciative look he could muster, faltered. "Um, maybe we shouldn't," he suggested lightly. "I mean-"

A faint pop made Touya's imminent protest futile. The thunderous sound of dozens of fruits rolling, bouncing, and falling off the table was peppered with shrieks and shouts of surprise as what had once been a platter turned into Monorua. "Ta-ta-ta-dah!" the black and white creature announced, its personal fanfare ringing out above the sounds of panic.

Akuroma was perhaps the only one at the long table to remain calm. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Monorua spun on the Scientist, his fur bristling and his face burning a shade of red. "What am I doing here?" it repeated, its tail bushing up as the creature bared its fangs, looking very aggressed indeed. "What are you doing here?! Can't any of you bastards read a clock?" It pointed with its black forepaw to the grand clock on the wall. "It isn't even close to six! For the brightest minds that your regions have to offer, you lot sure are dumb!"

"We know what time it is," Homika muttered under her breath.

"Monorua!" Hugh spoke up, practically pressing his whole front against the table to address the zorua. "We can't wait any longer! Please, give us more information!"

For someone who seemed to hold quite the grudge against who was presumably in charge of the creature, Hugh had managed to keep his tone relatively in check. Monorua nimbly spun around to look at Hugh, visibly starting when it saw just how close the Vigilante had gotten.

"Hey, back off, furball!" Monorua yipped, scampering back a few paces before licking its paw and grooming the fur on its chest. "Weren't you listening to what I said earlier? You can't rush progress!"

"PLEASE," Hugh blurted, his voice loud and cracking. "We need to know!"

Monorua giggled. "Let me reconsider- no," it concluded, and laughed again.

Hugh let out a sound of unbridled rage and frustration, pounding his fists against the table and letting his forehead fall against it. Monorua's laugh evolved into a full-blown uproar.

"Stop being so rude!" Lyra huffed, balling her delicate hands into fists and approaching Monorua. "He makes a good point!"

"Ehh?" Monorua asked, tilting its head Lyra's way.

"She's right," Archer added, fingers still steepled. "It's true, you can't rush progress. But we're not progressing now, are we?"

Now it was Archer that Lyra graced with her brilliant smile. "Yeah, that's right!" Then she turned right back to Monorua. "We're just wasting time now! And we're not gonna be able to do much of anything else until we have this next conference, right?"

Monorua paused, as if considering this. Then it sat back on its haunches and pressed its front paws together meekly, gaze trailing downwards as it pouted. "Aw, but," it started, "but if we have the next conference now, then the schedule's gonna be all sorts of messed up..."

"But it, like, doesn't really matter, does it?" asked Lyra, laying a finger against her cheek as she spoke. "I mean, if you say we're gonna be in here forever, then we have all the time in the world, right? So what's it matter?"

The zorua kept staring at its two front paws for a moment longer. "Come on, Monorua," Lyra pleaded, kneeling down in front of the creature to look it in the eyes. "Please?"

Monorua's head snapped up and its tail began wagging, thumping rapidly against the tabletop. "You got me!" It exclaimed. "I can't say no to a pretty girl on her knees~"

Lyra blinked, before smiling at what she had concluded to be a compliment, and Monorua flushed, panting and sweating.

"Does that mean that you're actually a boy?" Touko asked.

Monorua's visage was suddenly back to normal, no trace of any flush or sweat to be found. "Ehh, I'm Monorua! I don't care what pronouns you use. But be careful, otherwise you're gonna get social justice blogs all up in your faces!" It waved its paw dismissively in the air. "And furthermore, a pretty boy on his knees would get me going, too!" Then the panting and sweating was back as it spun to face Red expectantly. "Come on, Red, don't you want to have the next conference now, too?"

Red looked like he was physically ill, and went even paler than usual. But he didn't move, instead staring the zorua down with his distressed crimson gaze.

Monorua laughed boisterously, placing its paws on its belly. "No, Red's too boring! I like it when they're mouthy," it concluded, and Red trembled.

"Please," Akuroma cut in, staring steadily at the zorua, "may we commence the meeting?"

The creature stopped laughing abruptly, giving a single flick of its tail in annoyance. "Big scary scientist doesn't want me having any fun," it pouted, but continued nevertheless. "Alright! Since you bastards are so eager, I've graciously decided to move the next conference up to now!"

Everyone held their breaths in anticipation as Lyra made her way back to her seat, and those who had been standing sat back down. Monorua kicked aside an orange that remained at the center of the table and stood with its paws pressed together, tail arched and head raised in a sort of salute. "I'd like to call this conference to order," it announced formally. "As promised, our topic of discussion is how you bastards can get out of here!"

A few people shifted in their seats, but no one dared to speak up. Even Hugh was respectfully quiet, although he was gnashing his teeth together and fidgeting. But as the silence drew on, more people started to squirm. Bill coughed into his hand and shifted in his seat. Yancy was wringing her sleeve, whimpering and muttering under her breath. Kris finally let out a loud groan, but didn't say any intelligible words.

It was Proton who finally spoke up. "Well, the fuck is it, then?!"

"All you have to do is murder someone," Monorua answered casually.

The silence that fell over the room was palpable and suffocating. Touya felt all of the colour drain from his face as stars started to wink in the corners of his peripherals. His mouth hung open and went painfully dry. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, accelerating at an extreme pace.

Touya had no clue how long everyone sat there in silence. It could have been seconds. It could have been hours. But eventually Lyra spoke up, her voice small and girly. "Mur...der?"

"Beatingstabbingclubbingbeheadingburningsuffocatingstranglingslaughteringvoodoocursing..." Monorua had launched right into the list as soon as Lyra had spoken up, tilting its head back and forth as it rambled. "The act of killing another person! The method doesn't matter." And then, more to itself than to anyone else, Monorua clapped its front paws together. "I remembered the whole list! She's gonna be so proud of me~"

The room was silent and the tension was thick enough to swim in. "You're joking... right?" Green asked, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Yeah, you're lying," Hugh said shakily, sweat beading on his brow.

Everyone else remained silent as a select few brave souls decided to voice their disbelief. They had just managed to begin to break through the suffocating atmosphere when Monorua retorted with a simple "nope, it's one hundred percent true!"

With that sentence, Caitlin suddenly sat bolt upright- every muscle in her body tensed and her hair billowed out around her, waves of distressed energy washing over the rest of the room. That raw emotional force gripped Touya mercilessly, clutching at his heart and plaguing his mind. He had to fight back the wave of nausea that overcame him. The sensation was alien and terrible- he'd felt sadness and fear before, sure, but nothing could even compare to the heart-rending panic and despair that had overcome him.

Touya wasn't the only one to be tormented by Caitlin's emotional state. Bill let out a strangulated wail and made to stand up, before his eyes rolled back and he slumped back into his seat. Yancy began loudly sobbing, the sound only matched by Kris' unintelligible screaming that was supposed to resemble words as she launched out of her chair and ran for one of the blocked windows, clawing at it and throwing herself against it with all of her might. Even those who didn't blatantly act out were affected- Touya could tell by their body language, their breathing, and their panicked glances around the room.

"It's a joke, right?" Lyra squeaked to Touya, but she didn't sound too confident. Touya didn't even have the confidence to reassure her.

"Everyone, calm down!"

In the face of panic, Touko had stood on her chair, using her hands to project her voice through the room. "No one's going to be killing anyone!" she assured, and at that moment, Touya envied and admired her confidence.

Just as the room started to quiet, Monorua made a sound that resembled a 'tsk'. "I thought you might think like that. Which is whyyyyy..."

Out of nowhere, Monorua produced a handful of brochures, scattering them at its paws and gesturing for everyone to take one. "I figured that you bastards could use some motivation!"

Touko hopped down from her perch on her chair and warily approached to grab a handful of brochures for the small side table. The wait was torture- Touya heard the others flipping through the paper and offering up terse comments long before he could see for himself. He nabbed the first one that hit the table, swiping it up and forcing his gaze to focus enough to examine it.

'THE LAP OF LUXURY' it said, written in the same juvenile crayon that the note from earlier had been written in. But underneath was not a crude drawing- no, it was what appeared to be a very real photograph of a beautiful beachfront mansion, complete with palm trees and golden sands and, perhaps the most tantalizing of all, a brilliant blue, cloudless sky.

"Whichever one of you bastards decides to up and kill someone," Monorua announced, prancing around the table and glancing at everyone's pamphlets, "will be living in the lap of luxury for the rest of their lives!"

As Touya numbly flipped through the brochure, overcome by just how surreal everything was, Monorua continued to outline what the following pages explained. "For starters, that lovely property you see on the front page will be all yours, free of charge! All funds will be taken care of by yours truly, so you can enjoy your 14-bedroom, 18-bathroom, 9,000 square foot mansion to the fullest! Each of these rooms has its own character and relaxing environment. All of them have in-room fireplaces, hand-painted ceilings, hardwood floors, and water-front views. Not to mention that you'll be waited on day and night by personal assistants in waiting, and will have every meal prepared fresh by the finest chefs that Unova has to offer, at no extra cost! No matter who you are, this Undella Bay-front home is all you could dream of, and more!"

Next were several pictures of other destinations that Touya couldn't quite place. "But if you grow tired of your own slice of heaven," Monorua continued, "then fear not- you'll also be eligible for vacations to a destination of your choice, whenever you desire! Want to go skiing in Sinnoh's Snowpoint City, or perhaps take a cruise to the tropical Sevii Islands? Everything is just a whim away!"

This went on for a while, Monorua rambling off luxuries with grandiose fanfare. Among these indulgences were a garage full of new cars, personal visitations with a slew of celebrities, and to top it all off, thirty million poké to do with whatever the winner pleases.

"And all you have to do," Monorua concluded, "is kill someone!"

Even Kris had crept back to flip through the pamphlet, and Bill had come to and grabbed one as well. Touya was astounded- that amount of money alone was definitely more than all of Nuvema Town had put together, and that wasn't even taking into account the other extravagant luxuries. He couldn't even fathom what he'd do with that type of money- and for a brief moment, he fantasized about living with Touko in that large house. Taking her on those vacations. Driving with her in those cars.

Then he was struck with crushing guilt. No. He couldn't think like that!

Following the guilt came paranoia.

How many others had those same thoughts?

"I get it," Lyra said finally, once more breaking the silence. She smoothed the pamphlet on the table in front of her and stretched, before clasping her hands together and, in spite of the current situation, smiling.

"We're all on a reality tv show, aren't we?"

All at once, everyone in the room turned to stare at Lyra. The brunette, empowered by so many incredulous eyes on hers, continued. "Everything makes sense! The cameras... and Monorua's the host, and now we've got a prize for everyone to compete for!" Determination flashed in her gaze as she spoke, confidence growing with every breath she took. She slammed a fist against her open palm and concluded, "so it's all just smoke and mirrors! And we're really on television!"

Slowly, everyone's gaze shifted from Lyra back to Monorua who, in turn, let out a dainty laugh of 'upupu'. "Somebody's a bright one," it said.

"I knew it!" Lyra exclaimed, and people began to rejoice.

"See, what'd I tell ya?" Green said, "we got everything we need out of this meeting!"

Yancy clung onto Green and sobbed tears of relief and joy. Bill, who had been shaky since he regained consciousness, was muttering about how it made sense, and it explained the wiring. Even Homika had let out a loud sound of acceptance and kicked back, placing her legs on the table and crossing them. "Jeez, you really had me going there, Monorua," she said.

But Touya- and most of the others- couldn't bring themselves to celebrate just yet. The zorua was still smirking and looking pleased with itself. Touya eyed it warily, only taking his eyes off of it to glance around and verify that he was not alone in his suspicions.

"'Dat was a real explosion," Kris muttered. Touya had to agree- the booming sound and the heat on his face from earlier that day in the conference room had been real, no matter how much he wished for the contrary.

"Before you get all caught up in the spotlight of the small screen," Monorua interjected, once more pulling a handful of things from out of nowhere, "we've still got rules to go over!"

It took Touya a moment, but he did recognize what the objects were.

"Look," Kris started, crinkling her nose as Monorua handed one to her, "I don't need a new pokedex. I's gotta perfectly good one, t'anks. Almost 100% completed, ta boot."

"This isn't a pokedex!" Monorua exclaimed, hopping off the long table to bring Touya and the others theirs. "This is a MonoDex! And it's very important for your day-to-day lives, so try not to lose it!"

Upon closer inspection, Touya noticed that it was a bit different than the pokedex that he was familiar with. It was bulkier, and looked almost retro compared to what he was used to.

"When you first turn it on," Monorua continued, leaping now onto the side table to use as its podium, "please make sure that your own name is displayed!"

Touya had never held a real pokedex before. He'd had a toy one when he was a kid, but when he held this one- even if it had that unsettling black-and-white design that mimicked Monorua's colouring- he was overcome with a certain thrill. Curiously, he opened it up and pressed the large power button.

Immediately it flickered to life, and as promised, 'Touya Black' faded into view. The only other thing on the screen was a menu button- but before Touya could thoroughly examine any of the options, Kris had spoken up.

"Hey, oy," she grumbled, standing up and aggressively pointing the device in Monorua's direction. "How ya s'posed ta scan anythin' wit' 'dis? It ain't workin'!"

Monorua hissed towards Kris, hackles raised. "Didn't I just tell you? It's a MonoDex, not a pokedex! And even if it was, I'm not a pokemon, so it couldn't scan me anyway!"

"It don't scan nuttin'?" Kris scowled, slamming her MonoDex into the tabletop. "'Den what's 'da point?!"

"Hey, hey, it does too scan stuff! But that doesn't matter now," Monorua said, flicking its tail dismissively. "It's got a roster and a map and a copy of the school rules, so make sure to read them carefully. Remember: breaking the school rules is forbidden! I'm not gonna tell you bastards again! Rules are what bind us together as a society. Without rules, how can mankind live peacefully?"

Monorua giggled again, the ominous "upupupupu" washing over the silent room. "Well then," it announced, "with that, this conference has come to a close! Please, enjoy our gruesome conference life... for as long as you can, anyway!" And then, aside, it added, "and, ehh... remember: lap of luxury."

Then it leapt into the air, crashing down as a platter once more.

Everyone was left, stunned and motionless.

"Here it is," N spoke up softly, "the missing piece of the puzzle."

Archer let out a vague and distant sound of assent.

"Come on, guys! Chins up!" Lyra chirped. "Don't you get it? We're all on, like, MTV or something!" For show, she sauntered on over to one of the cameras, went on her tip-toes, and flashed her award-winning smile. "Hiiii! I'm Lyra!" she introduced, clasping her hands together in front of her. "I'm a small town girl with a big heart, so you should vote for me!"

As the people who believed Lyra warmed up to the cameras, everyone else remained tense and unmoving. Touko had placed her MonoDex back down and was staring blankly at the pamphlet, flipping through it even though her eyes were glossed over. "Oh my god," she said quietly. "Oh my god..."

Caitlin rose to her feet, her motions stiff and stunted, and went to stand by Akuroma. "Why is this happening?" she asked, her voice strained.

"I-I," Kris started, and even her voice was shaky. She balled her hands into fists and brought them to her face, hiding behind them. "I don't... I d-don't..." and then she wailed, tucking herself into a ball and burying her face in her knees.

"Everyone, please," said N, and he stood up, towering over everyone else. "Stay calm."

"Stay calm?!" Kris demanded, peering up at him with puffy, red eyes. "How's I s'posed ta stay calm?!"

N didn't falter- instead, he looked to Touko and Touya in turn. "We have all of the necessary puzzle pieces. And Monorua has presented us with two options. The first: live a peaceful, communal life inside this school, indefinitely. And the second..."

"Kill someone in order to get out of here," Touko finished numbly.

Hearing those words from Touko's mouth made the whole situation sink in. "Kill someone?" Touya squeaked, wringing his hands nervously. "Th-there's no way...!"

"It's a lie," Hugh asserted. "It's gotta be!"

"According to the rules, it's not," Janine spoke up solemnly, not tearing her gaze away from the MonoDex in her hands. "Check them out. Monorua told us to, anyway."

With extreme effort to keep his hands from shaking too badly, Touya opened the menu on the screen of his MonoDex. He scrolled past the options marked 'roster' and 'map' in order to reach the one labeled 'rules'. And with a decisive press of his finger, he opened it. One by one, a list of rules appeared on the screen.

1. The residents will live a communal lifestyle with no time limit inside the school walls.

2. The time between 10pm and 7am is called "Night Time". During Night Time, there are places that are forbidden to enter, so please take care.

3. You may investigate the school as you please. There are no special restrictions on your actions.

4. No violence is permitted against the school's headmaster, Monorua. Destruction of the surveillance cameras is forbidden.

5. A "culprit" who kills a fellow student will be allowed to leave. However, they must not let any other student know they are the culprit.

6. Additional rules may be added by the headmaster at any time.

As much as Touya tried to deny the existence of rule five, his eyes were practically glued to the k-word. In his surreal state, that was the only thing to exist. No one else was in the room with him.

"What the hell," Hugh said, gripping his MonoDex so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "What the... what the hell..." His crimson gaze snapped up to dart nervously around the room as he clenched his jaw. "He's still lying! That's all there is to it! He's lying, he's lying, he's lying!"

"Shut up," Proton growled, glowering Hugh's way.

Archer closed his MonoDex and set it on the table. "It doesn't matter whether it's a lie or not," he said, eyes fluttering shut. "What matters is whether or not someone here took it seriously."

Hearing that, everyone fell silent once again. Nobody said anything as they all glanced around, trying to search each other's inner thoughts. Traces of hostile feelings hung thick in the air. And then the true terror of Monorua's rules sunk in.

"I doubt they did," Proton said. And then, in a much darker tone, he added, "after all... what are the odds that there are two serial killers in here?"

Immediately, Touya shot to his feet and hurried away from the Sadist, earning a throaty laugh from the Rocket. "Calm your tits," he said. "I've already got my heart set on someone." He didn't even try to hide his gaze shifting to stare at Kris.

Touya searched desperately for a sign that Proton was kidding. He found nothing.

For her part, Kris narrowed her eyes threateningly right back at Proton. "Whatcha implyin', pally?"

Just as Proton's lips began curling into a dangerous, devilish smirk, Archer let out a vague sound of discontent. "You'll be killing no one," he said, the k-word rolling off of his tongue effortlessly. "Subtlety isn't your strong suit, Proton. You'd make a terrible mess, and there would be such obvious evidence that it would be embarrassing."

The beginnings of Proton's smug look quickly transformed into a scowl. "You don't control me," he retorted, dangerous and low.

Caitlin's voice cut in, surprisingly sharp despite its usually gentle tone. "How dare you speak of murder so simply."

Before she could say anything more, Kris piped up. "Hey, wait!" she exclaimed, narrow eyes growing wide in an instant. "You's sayin' you's gonna try an' kill me?! Ha! I'd like ta see ya try, schmuck! If ya get any closer ta me, I's gonna beat'cher head in 'til I hit tonsils!" She jumped up and shifted to a fighter's stance, raising both fists as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "C'mon, pally, put 'em up!"

Neither of the Rockets moved- the only sign that they had heard her at all was Archer's eyebrows slowly rising in amusement. "Kris," Akuroma warned, and the girl faltered. She made vague mewls of protest, wordlessly jerking her head in Proton's direction.

"Kris," Akuroma warned again, his voice slower and more deliberate this time. Kris hesitated for only a moment- then she snarled, made a snappy remark in their direction, and plopped back down in her seat, her arms crossed and her expression sour.

Taking advantage of the sudden lull, N cleared his throat and stood up. "Caitlin's correct," he agreed, "we shouldn't speak so freely about... this." He made a vague gesture with his hand. "Instead, we should turn our efforts to survival. I believe the best course of action we could take is to travel in groups from here on out-"

Before N could finish, Hugh slammed his fist on the table. "As if!" he shouted, glaring daggers at N. "Why should we listen to you?! You're one of them - I know it! And I'm not going to let you kill me!" And then, before anyone could react, he launched himself out of his seat and ran out of the cafeteria.

N could only stare after Hugh, stunned. "...Well," he started up again as soon as he regained his composure, "I suppose that no one is obligated to... but I implore you, please consider traveling in pairs. If you're with someone, it could potentially save your life."

"And," Akuroma added thoughtfully, "it could keep your partner from doing anything... unruly."

N nodded before turning his attention towards Lyra and the others, furrowing his brow as he figured out how to address them. "...please, for your own sake," he called.

"Forget 'em," Kris said, tearing her gaze away from the group to give N a shaky grin. "'Dey ain't gonna be botherin' no one." Interlacing her fingers with her cousin's, the two of them rose to their feet as Kris continued talking. "As fer travelin' in groups- I's way ahead'a ya!"

Caitlin took this opportunity to bow, her large sleeper's cap slouching forward just slightly. "I will be retiring to my room," she said simply. Fatigue was in her tone- her outburst earlier must've tired her out.

A few people bid her farewell, but an excited Kris cut through. "Hey, hey!" she exclaimed, bouncing excitedly from foot to foot. Then she charged forward, dragging Akuroma along, and she skidded to a halt next to Red. "Hey, Red! You should hang wit' us! Ditch 'dese zeros and hang wit' 'da heroes!" She still hung onto Akuroma's hand, twirling it around, hiding her face behind it, and nervously giggling. Akuroma did nothing to stop it.

Red stood there for a moment with wide eyes, before swiftly turning on his heel, pulling his cap down to cover his face, and hurrying after Caitlin.

Somewhere on the other side of the room, Lyra giggled, before guiltily slapping a hand over her mouth.

Kris' lower lip trembled for a brief moment as she stared after him, her grip on Akuroma's hand tightening. But within a second her visage was one of utmost pride once again. "Awright, I getcha! Catch ya on 'da flip side! Come on, Aku." And then, as if nothing had happened, she righted her grip on her cousin's hand and marched out the door.

Archer and Proton had made to follow, but they were cut off by N standing in their way. "No," he said simply, looking down at the both of them disdainfully. "You two are not to go out alone."

"Why the fuck not?!" Proton snarled. Spittle flew from his mouth and hit N's cheek. The Pokemon Whisperer flinched, just slightly, but his contemptuous gaze was relentless and unwavering. He reached up and wiped it away with the back of his hand.

"Because you are wanted criminals of Team Rocket," he answered, his tone dripping with unadulterated loathing. "My father has told me extensively about you. Your acts of violence and abuse towards pokemon. Your utilization of pokemon as mere prizes to be won. And now you have openly expressed desire and intent to murder, and such malicious actions cannot be ignored."

Archer sighed, steepling his fingers as the traces of a pleasant half-smile crossed his face. "Fair enough," he said. Proton scoffed and spat on the ground in response, grinding it into the tile with the toe of his boot.

"Touko and I will act as your escorts," he said evenly, unswayed by Archer's relatively pleasant demeanor.

Touko, who had been numbly staring into space until then, jerked and looked N's way. "What?" she asked as she reoriented herself with her surroundings. "Um, I... I mean, uh." She glanced down and, without thinking, grabbed for Touya's hand. "I was thinking of going with Touya, actually!" she called, raising their joined hands and grinning. "It'll give us time to catch up, and stuff!"

N's gaze had just flickered from Touko to Touya and back again, and he had just parted his lips to say more, when Janine spoke up. "I'll go with you," she said. She had been quiet and still until now, but as she spoke she stepped forward, not even wavering as she passed the two Rockets. "My dad taught me a thing or two about handling Rockets."

"Ah," Archer exhaled, seeming pleased. "I knew that I recognized you from somewhere... Janine."

Janine's jaw set. "Let's go," she said, turning her back to the Rockets and pulling ahead of N. The green-haired man cast Touko another meaningful look before he took up the rear, carting the two Rockets out as if they were prisoners.

Indeed, that fact did not go unnoticed. "Oh dear," Archer observed dryly, "it looks like we've been captured once more."

And then- with the exception of Lyra and the others, who were excitedly babbling amongst themselves on the far side of the cafeteria- Touya and Touko were the only ones left.

"Thanks for covering for me," Touko said, pulling her hand free from Touya's and scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "I don't really wanna be spending the whole day hanging around a bunch of criminals; you know what I'm saying?"

"Er, yeah," Touya said, his disappointment thinly veiled behind a smile.

Touko puffed out her cheeks. "Whaaaaat, you think I'm serious? I'm joking, silly!" She playfully punched his shoulder before laughing, slinging her arm around him. "C'mon, let's get out of here; they're getting on my nerves."

Touya agreed, feeling better already, and the two of them left the cafeteria.

A good friendship is one where you can pick right up where you had left off, no matter how long you and your friend spent apart. And for the terrible two from Nuvema, this was exactly the case.

Sure, there was the arbitrary catching-up that had to be done. This was mostly Touko talking, and Touya listening. Not much had happened since Touko left Nuvema Town- but Touya, who had hardly ever been outside of the small town in his entire life- wanted to hear everything about Touko's journey. And before too long, their situation was little more than a niggling thought in the back of their brains.

She told him about her oshawott named Wott, who had since evolved into a dewott. She told him about Lily and Leah, who were a lillipup and leavanny respectively. She told him about her battles with the Gym Leaders and how grand the world was outside of their quaint little hometown. She told him about the restaurant in Striaton City, and the stadiums and musicals in Nacrene City, and how the skyscrapers in Castelia City towered over her head- but then she had to correct herself, because she just remembered that Touya had seen them too, when he came to this conference.

Then she started talking about the people she'd met. There were the Gym Leader triplets, and the preschoolers at the daycare who looked up to her like some sort of hero. There was Fennel, who was interested in the dreams of pokemon and people alike, and there was Amanita, who designed Unova's pokemon storage system. And- oh, how could she forget? She also met N-

And just when she was about to talk about N, the two of them found themselves standing outside of the school store. This in itself wouldn't have necessarily been remarkable. The amount of merchandise that stared back at them with Monorua's face was unsettling, but certainly not enough to stop a conversation mid-sentence.

What drew the conversation to a sudden halt was a very real Monorua, sitting in silence on the counter, motionless with the exception of its steadily wagging tail.

Touko instinctively threw her arm protectively over Touya, ushering him behind her for protection. Then she- despite Touya's silent protests- crept inside, her narrowed gaze never tearing from Monorua's.

Touya peered over Touko's shoulder, unsure whether to be apprehensive or curious at the creature's unresponsiveness. Sure, its tail was wagging- but if Touya didn't know any better, he'd think that it really was just a toy. "Is it... really Monorua?" he asked after a while.

On cue, the creature's head tilted upwards to look directly at Touko. "Hi!" it said, sounding chipper.

"...Hi," Touya said hesitantly.

"Ehh?" Monorua drew a paw to its mouth and tilted its head to the side, for the first time noticing Touya hidden behind Touko's broader figure. "Oh, Touya's here too!" Delighted, its tail started wagging faster. "Touko and Touya, Touko and Touya, ToukoandTouya ToukoandTouya ToukoTouyaToukoTouyaToukoTouya!"

The duo simply stared at Monorua, blinking and searching for something to say.

"Are you two on a daaaate?" it asked cheekily, tilting its head the other way.

"It's not a date!" Touya exclaimed, just as Touko said "it's none of your business!"

Monorua giggled, covering its mouth with both paws. Touya noticed something shiny in its grip.

"Touko and Touya, sitting in a tree~!" Monorua howled playfully. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Hey, shut up!" Touko demanded, balling her hands into fists. "What are you doing here?!"

"And what've you got, there?" Touya added.

Monorua stopped mid-song, glancing down at the object in its hand. "Oh, this old thing?" it asked, before holding it out. "Here, take it!" it offered. Now that Touya could see it more clearly, he recognized it as a coin, although it was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was copper, with Monorua's face etched into the visible side.

Touko reached out and grabbed it, holding it up to the light to examine it more closely.

"I'm here to teach you about the MonoMono Machine!" Monorua announced proudly, and with its tail it gestured towards the gashapon that sat not far beside him on the counter. It, too, had the black-and-white split design that Touya was swiftly coming to loathe.

"Um... what's there to teach?" Touko asked earnestly. "You put a coin in, you turn the lever, and you get a prize. It's pretty simple."

Monorua remained frozen for a moment. "Ruuuuuude," it pouted. Then it huffed, reaching its stubby paws for the coin. "I changed my mind! I want it back! I'm giving it to Touya instead, since Touya isn't ruuuude!"

A little stunned, Touko handed the coin back to Monorua, who then held it out for Touya to take. He, in turn, hesitantly grabbed it, holding it between thumb and forefinger. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do now.

As if answering his unspoken question, Monorua gestured a bit more aggressively towards the gashapon. "Go on, Super High School Level Lucky Ducklett! Try your luck!"

"Uh," Touya stammered, but before he could say anything else Monorua leapt into the air, somersaulted once, and crashed back down in the form of a large suit of armor.

"UH," Touya said again, even more confused now than he had been before.

"I'm just going to stop questioning things," Touko declared, and Touya decided that wasn't such a bad idea. "C'mon, Touya, give it a shot!"

"Oh, uh, you can do it if you want," Touya said abashedly, trying to hand the coin to her.

Touko, instead of taking it, closed his hand back around it. "Nah, you do it! Like Monorua said- you're Good Luck! You'll probably get something awesome from it."

In spite of himself, Touya felt a blush tint his cheeks. "Gosh," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, a sort of goofy smile spreading across his face. "Well... if you insist, I guess!"

He fumbled with the coin and put it in the machine, before kissing his hands for good luck and turning the knob. The action was met with a little resistance, but it gave and before too long, a bright violet capsule dropped into the receptacle. It was certainly a large enough capsule to contain something good.

"Open it!" Touko cheered, eyes alight with nostalgia. Spurred on by her glee, Touya reached down, struggling somewhat with the large plastic, but quickly enough he managed to get it open. A small bottle nearly fell out, but Touya managed to catch it just before it slipped from his grip.

"Eau de Toilette?" Touya read, crinkling his nose. He didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but he was pretty sure he recognized 'toilet' and he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep holding the bottle- no matter how fancy it was- if it had anything to do with a toilet.

Touko laughed, hiding her face in her palm. "It's perfume, Touya!" she explained with a smile.

"Lucky Ducklett my ass," Touya grumbled. "What am I supposed to do with perfume?"

"Here, let me see it," said Touko, and Touya handed it over.

In an instant, Touko's laughing fit subsided. "Hang on," she mumbled, squinting at the label, mouthing what she read to herself. "Amore Amore... isn't that the really fancy perfume from Kalos?"

Touya shrugged helplessly, making a sound to indicate just how clueless he was. In spite of this, however, Touko was practically beaming at him now. "Man, Touya! I'm, like, ninety nine percent sure it is! How do you do that? The whole... the whole luck thing!"

The poor brunet was overwhelmed. "I, uh, I dunno?" She handed him back the bottle of perfume when inspiration struck him. He started to wonder if it was a good idea- before he remembered his new philosophy of not questioning things. Instead, he simply acted.

"Hey, Touko," he said, balling his free hand into a nervous fist before offering the perfume to her once more. "Y-you can have it, if you'd like. You'll... smell good. Like, uh, you do anyway, but... but, um... yeah."

Silence hung heavy in the air, and Touya became very conscious of how his hair looked, and his posture, and his breathing. It could have been a second. It could have been an hour. Whatever it was- the wait was torture.

Relief came when Touko laughed again. "Nah, I'm good," she said. "Perfume and that junk just isn't my style! It'd be wasted on me."

Touya deflated, barely managing to hide it behind a practiced smile. "Alright," he said as he slipped the bottle into one of his jacket pockets, even though he was dying inside. She was right, of course- he knew that, too. Her brutal honesty was something else that Touya admired about her. He'd just have to get his hands on some more coins and get her a gift that was more, as she put it, her style.

Shortly after that, the two of them left the school store and resumed their aimless wandering. Touko hemmed and hawed as she tried to remember where she had left off in her story. "Oh, yeah! I was just getting to N," she announced, and then she talked about him.

She talked about when she first met him and he said he could talk to pokemon, and said that her pokemon seemed to really like her. Then she talked about how he was there just before Team Plasma stole the dragonite skull from the Nacrene museum, and how helpful it would've been if he'd been there to help chase them down.

"Touko," Touya interjected, not entirely comfortable with the path that the conversation had taken, "I don't mean to... point fingers, or anything. But did you ever consider that maybe he's a part of Team Plasma?"

The girl stopped in her tracks so suddenly that Touya almost bumped into her. "...Yeah," she admitted after a long while. "I mean... a little, I guess." She gave Touya a saddened look. "But it's not... really the same, is it? Team Plasma talks about pokemon liberation, but... they just keep the pokemon for themselves. They steal pokemon from preschoolers... they steal from museums. Everyone who says that they're evil is basing it off of what the grunts do. Like Hugh... I'm sure that if he knew what Team Plasma was really like, he wouldn't hate them. I mean, the grunts do all this petty crime stuff, but N..." again she fell into a short silence.

"N what?" Touya asked softly.

Without warning, Touko started walking again. "N's... different," she said, struggling to find the right words. "He really wants what's best for pokemon. And if he really is in Team Plasma, then... then maybe they should start listening to him a lot more. He's got really good ideas. I love my pokemon... I really do, don't get me wrong. And he tells me I'm different. But there are so many trainers in the world who just... don't have that kind of connection. And their pokemon shouldn't have to suffer."

It took a long moment for Touya to fully process what Touko was implying. "You agree with him?"

Touko inhaled deeply before she nodded. "Yeah," she said.

Touya felt his heart sinking into his stomach. Wasn't Touko supposed to be a hero? Fighting against Team Plasma and all that it stood for? Why was she standing here, talking like she agreed with them?

"Then why haven't you liberated your pokemon?" Touya asked, eyes narrowed.

This time, Touko slowed to a stop instead of reaching an abrupt halt. "I'm different," she repeated, and she wrapped her arms around herself, acting uncharacteristically timid and unsure. "He says I'm the Hero of Truth, and that it's my destiny to battle him someday."

"And you believe him?"

"Yeah."

Touya took a few steady breaths, trying his best to keep his tone even. "Why?"

Touko let out a long sigh and shut her eyes. "Because... because it means that I matter, Touya. For the first time, I'm really important to someone. That's more than I thought would ever be possible until I left Nuvema."

Those words struck Touya like a bolt of lightning to the heart. He froze as he tried desperately to keep his more impulsive reactions at bay. He wanted to tell her that she had been important to someone before she left Nuvema. She'd been important to him.

But then he ditched his new philosophy, questioned it, and decided not to. He wasn't in the mood to be rejected again.

Instead, he said, "I see." He went silent, staring a hole at the space between his feet. He didn't have anything else to say.

They didn't move, and they didn't speak. Touya felt drained, and didn't particularly want to be around anyone right now. "...hey," he spoke up, softly. "I... I think I'm gonna head back to my room."

Touko slumped a little, looking Touya's way with those beautiful, sad eyes of hers. He knew in an instant that she understood he wanted to be alone- they had been best friends for years, and best friends pick up on that sort of thing. "Alright," she said, the corners of her lips trying to twitch into a smile. "I, um... I won't tell N that we went off on our own if you don't."

Touya nodded. "Will you be alright?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright," he said. "I'll see you around, then."

"Yeah."

And with that, Touya tugged down the brim of his cap and started off on his own down the hall.

Touya's wandering feet brought him to the dormitories, which he was only now getting a proper look at. Each door was marked with a stylized, sprite-like picture of its resident- the first one he approached was Yancy's door, whose sprite even had her wide-brimmed hat. He found the pictures oddly charming, and since he was really in no rush to get to his room, he started admiring each one.

He had only gotten through a few doors when he reached one that was slightly ajar. It was just barely different from all of the other doors, but it was enough of a difference to make Touya's heart leap into his throat. "Caitlin?" he called, but received no answer. 'Why is her door open?' he asked himself. She wasn't... she hadn't been attacked, had she?

Before Touya could think too much about it, he panicked and rushed into the room, trying to keep his steps light as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He picked up faint movement on the bed, and only then did his actions sink in. Why on earth had he rushed into a girl's room, uninvited? And Caitlin's room, no less!

He froze like a deerling caught in headlights, trying to work his muscles into leaving the room. His eyes had adjusted more, now that light was filtering in from the hallway. Caitlin was there in bed, breathing and alive and decidedly not dead. Maybe if he got out quickly and quietly enough, he'd be able to pretend nothing had happened!

"Touya," Caitlin said softly, and all hopes of a clean getaway were lost.

"Um," Touya stammered, desperately searching for proper words, "hi."

"Hello," she said in a deadpan tone. She'd opened her eyes, now, peering at him through the darkness.

Touya coughed into his hand, not exactly sure what he was expected to do now. "Your, ah... your door was open," he explained weakly, gesturing towards the doorway. "Considering, um... what we found out at lunch, you... probably shouldn't do that."

Caitlin blinked as she slowly turned her head to look at the door, before sitting up. "I suppose I did leave it open," she admitted, tracing her finger along the blanket that was still sprawled over her lower half. She bowed her head. "I apologize for worrying you."

"Oh, no!" Touya exclaimed, putting up his hands in front of him. "Don't apologize! I just wanted to make sure you were okay, is all!"

The blonde didn't respond right away, and Touya wondered briefly if he was supposed to leave at this point. Caitlin looked like she was just about ready to fall back asleep-

"No," she said suddenly, "I'm rested enough, for the time being."

Touya was startled. "Um, did I say that out loud?" he asked.

She side-eyed him. "No, I just have good intuition," she said.

"Oh-"

"I'm kidding," she interjected. "I'm an esper."

"...Oh," Touya said again. "Right."

Again the two of them lapsed into silence, Touya shifting his weight from foot to foot, throwing glances from the door to Caitlin and back again. "Would you get the light for me, Touya?" Caitlin asked suddenly, and Touya, filled with nervous energy, practically jumped at the chance to exert some of it.

"Sure," he said, and he bounded over to the doorway to find the light switch. He found it without much trouble and flicked the lights on, before turning around to see that- oh god, everything was pink. The bedspread was pink, the carpet was pink, the tablecloth was pink, and to top it all off, Caitlin was still dressed in her ensemble of entirely pink. It wasn't unpleasant- the shade was pale, rather than bright- but it was certainly overwhelming.

Maybe this was a chance to have a fresh start with the Elite, Touya thought optimistically. "Hey, Caitlin," he ventured, earning her attention. "If you're not going back to sleep... would you like to hang out? Maybe?" He winced at how painfully informal the question sounded.

Caitlin blinked at him, slowly and deliberately. "Hm," she mused, closing her eyes again. "I'm getting the impression that it's customary to present one with a gift of some sort before asking that question," she said.

Touya had never heard of that before, but then again, Nuvema Town wasn't exactly the fanciest place in Unova. "Oh! Uh," he stuttered. Then he paused- this time, he wasn't unprepared. He smoothly reached into his pocket and withdrew the bottle of perfume from earlier. "In that case," he said, and he moved as close to Caitlin's bed as his nerves would allow before he held out the bottle for her. "I'd like you to have this."

Caitlin said nothing, instead opting to delicately pick up the perfume with both hands. She brought it into her lap, examining the label as her lips parted slightly. She sprayed a small amount onto the inside of her wrist, before curiously bringing it to her nose to test. The pleasant and faint smell of lavender filled the air.

Her hand dropped back down to her lap and she remained silent for a moment more, side-eying Touya again. "I don't know how you got this," she said. "But it is... very gracious of you."

Touya beamed.

"I was kidding, you know," she said, as she sprayed the perfume on her other wrist before setting in on her nightstand, and turning to look Touya head-on. "You didn't have to give me anything."

Touya's smile faltered a little.

"I suppose that the least I can do is agree to... 'hang out' with you," Caitlin continued, shifting beneath the blankets so she was seated on her knees. "However, only on the condition that we do not leave the room. There is nothing of interest for me, out there."

The brunet nodded eagerly, the smile already crossing his face once again.

"Then please, sit down," she said, gesturing towards the chair that was in front of her desk. Touya pulled it over near the foot of her bed and sat down on it, sitting with his hands folded neatly on his lap. He wasn't quite sure where to begin.

"It's such a relief," Caitlin admitted, "that you don't expect me to exert too much energy. Exploring with Akuroma and Kris was..." her gaze dropped to her lap. "Not a pleasant experience. I knew it wouldn't be."

"If you knew it wouldn't be, then why did you agree to go?" Touya asked, startled.

She looked back up at him, lips parted as she quietly sighed. "I cannot find it in my heart to decline such a polite invitation," she admitted. "It is something that Darach has instilled in me for as long as I can remember."

"Oh, yeah, you mentioned him before, didn't you? Who is he, if you don't mind me asking?"

If Touya didn't know any better, he'd think that he saw Caitlin smile. "He was my valet while I lived in Sinnoh," she explained. "He has been with me since I was very young."

Touya let out a vague sound of understanding. "Do you get to see him anymore?"

"Oh, yes," Caitlin said, and she let out a delicate, quiet giggle. "He still insists on coming to Unova quite often to clean my villa."

"Ha!" Touya smiled. "That must be nice."

"Yes," she agreed. "It is."

Although at the beginning Touya doubted the possibility of carrying out a conversation with Lady Caitlin of the Elite Four, soon enough the two of them managed to be conversing fluidly and freely. It, as usual, was mostly Touya listening while his conversational partner- in this case, Caitlin- spoke about herself. But Touya was fine with that. He liked listening, anyway.

The conversation only drew to a natural lull when the warm, enticing scent of food drifted into the room. On cue, Touya's stomach growled, reminding him that he had never gotten any lunch. "Man, I'm hungry," he said, placing a hand against his stomach. He looked Caitlin's way. "Want dinner?" he asked her, standing up to leave.

Caitlin's gaze shifted from Touya, to the door, and back again. "...yes," she answered hesitantly. Her eyelids were drooping by this point, and it took until now for Touya to realize how much time had passed. "Would you mind bringing me a plate?"

Touya flashed her a thumbs-up. "Of course," he said. "I'll be right back."

"Thank you," Caitlin said, before hiding a yawn behind her hand.

The young man stood up and stretched, as he hadn't moved much since the conversation started. He made sure to close the door behind him as he left. He couldn't lock it, but at least closing it was better than leaving it ajar.

He half-jogged down the hallway and made a sharp turn into the cafeteria to hear bursts of loud chatter and the clinking of silverware. The delectable scent of food was overpowering- Touya was practically drooling as soon as he entered the room, and he hurried to wipe it on his sleeve before anyone saw.

The tables downstairs were covered with foods of all sorts. One table had at least a dozen different types of meat, while another seemed to boast colourful vegetarian dishes that tempted even Touya, who had never been a fan of vegetarian foods in his life. Another table still had various soups and salads while the last table had dozens of desserts to choose from.

"Welcome, welcome!" Monorua called, waving to Touya with a paw. "Welcome to the Welcome-to-the-Conference feast! Everything you eat tonight is prepared by our amazing chefs- the very same ones that will be yours personally with our Lap-of-Luxury prize package!"

Touya was too hungry to even comment on Monorua's thinly-veiled reminder. He brushed past the zorua and headed down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Then he grabbed two plates, filling them to the brim with anything and everything that he thought he or Caitlin would like. (Of course, he also shamelessly sampled things as he passed them, but that's neither here nor there.)

Then like a bullet, he shot back up the stairs and headed out the door, both plates in tow. He didn't even falter when Monorua flushed red, hackles raised, and shouted, "hey! You can't just grab the food and leave! That's ruuuuude!"

Holding one plate in the crook of his arm, Touya knocked twice on Caitlin door and let himself in. "I brought a feast!" he announced, only to slow to a stop. Everything was exactly as he'd left it- the lights were still on, and the chair was still at the end of the bed. All that had changed was that Caitlin had now curled up, her long, flowing hair sprawled all around her as she slept.

Instantly Touya tried to be lighter on his feet. "Sorry," he whispered, even though he was pretty sure she wasn't able to hear him. Unsure what to do with the extra plate of food, he crept over and placed it on her nightstand, right next to the bottle of perfume. She'd probably be hungry when she woke up. And even if the food was cold, at least it was food.

Then he backed up towards the door, flipping the light switch as he backed into the hall. "Goodnight," he said with a smile, and closed the door behind him.

He had planned to eat there with her, but he wasn't going to intrude. If she wanted to sleep, he was going to let her sleep.

With nowhere else to really go, Touya returned to the cafeteria. It seemed like everyone else had already arrived and served themselves- the majority of people were seated at one of the long tables, with a few people scattered about the smaller surrounding tables. Archer, Proton, and surprisingly Akuroma were seated off to the side, talking amongst themselves and laughing loudly. Kris and Hugh sat at a table of their own not too far away, seemingly in the midst of a very intense debate.

Everyone else sat together, and as soon as Lyra noticed Touya returning, she flashed him a wide smile and invited him to sit next to her. Monorua made a comment about the 'dine-and-ditcher' returning to the scene of the crime, and how he'd better enjoy the food twice as much now in order to make up for it.

And while Touya had rolled his eyes at the time the comment was made, he quickly found out that the food on his plate was definitely the most delicious food he had ever eaten. No offense to his mother, but she couldn't cook anything even close to what was being served here. He went back for seconds, and then thirds.

For that little while, nobody was thinking about murder, or the fact that they were trapped. It's impossible to feel despair when your stomach's full with delicious food. (Touya wasn't entirely sure how scientific that claim was, but he was convinced, in that moment, that it was completely true.)

Long after dinner time had passed, the residents stayed in the cafeteria, laughing and joking and talking. Even when the hour grew late, people were being friendly and jubilant. Lyra rested her head on Green's shoulder as she dozed off, and he had his arm around her for support. Yancy and Bill were still talking spiritedly about the newer models of Xtransceivers. Even Red, whom Touya had never even seen smile before, seemed to be enjoying himself.

Monorua was ultimately the one to draw the night to a close. It leapt onto one of the empty tables with a glass in one hand and a spoon in the other- it clinked the two together as if it were about to make a toast. "Ehh, it's now 10pm!" it announced as soon as it had everyone's attention. "Night time begins now."

A few sounds of disappointment rung out, but Monorua didn't stop. "The cafeteria doors will be locked soon, so hurry on out of here! I hope you enjoyed the Welcome-to-the-Conference feast! And remember: it can all be yours! You know what you have to do~"

Mumbling and grumbling to themselves, the people seated at the long table stood up one-by-one, brushing crumbs off of their clothes and eating any final bites that they could muster.

"Hm," Janine pondered. "What should we do tomorrow morning?"

"I dunno," Lyra answered sleepily. "I wanna go to beeeed."

"Janine makes a good point," N said. "Night time's over at seven, right, Monorua?"

"Yep!" Monorua answered promptly.

"I propose that we meet up here at seven," N said. "Then we can figure out what to do from there. Agreed?"

Everyone agreed.

The group split up after that- Touya found his way to his room (which, as it turned out, was between Touko's and Archer's) and opened the door, flicking on the light. He was relieved to find that his room wasn't pink at all. Instead, his furniture seemed to be mostly shades of blue and red, matching his outfit almost perfectly.

"Fancy," he said to himself- just in time for one of the chairs at the table to suddenly turn into Monorua.

Touya yelped, jumping in surprise. "Touya!" Monorua said urgently, staring up at him. "It's terrible! Absolutely, terribly, terrible! Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad!"

The young man felt his pulse quicken. "What is it?" he asked.

"I have to tell you," Monorua continued, "...that your doorbell doesn't work!"

"...Huh?"

Monorua's entire demeanor changed from one of urgency to one that was significantly more casual. "Your doorbell doesn't work! It's the only one out of everyone's doorbells that doesn't work!"

Touya blinked hard as he processed this.

"So if you're expecting any lady friends, make sure to tell them to knock, knock, knock!" Monorua laughed uproariously as Touya proceeded to stare for a moment, before brushing past him and throwing himself onto the bed.

"Ehh... it's a bit ironic, isn't it?" Monorua asked, tottering around to look at Touya. "You're the Super High School Level Lucky Ducklett... but you've got the room with the bad doorbell!" It laughed again. "It doesn't fit at all!"

Touya just kept lying there, not even gracing the zorua with a response.

"...Mooou," Monorua pouted suddenly. "Touya-kun's no fuuuun."

Before the young man could comment on its sudden change of character, there was another pop as Monorua turned back into the chair. Touya got up, grabbed the chair, dragged it to the door, and threw it into the hall.

While he was there, he tested the doorbell- indeed, nothing seemed to happen when he pressed it. "Great," he groaned. Then he closed the door, locked it, and set about getting ready for bed. He changed into the pajamas that he found under his pillow, brushed his teeth, turned off the lights, and once more collapsed onto his bed.

He wasn't really sleepy, but his body was incredibly weary. It was a surreal sort of fatigue that he hadn't experienced before. He tossed and turned as he tried to fall asleep, but no matter how much he tried, his mind continued to race.

'If I go to sleep, maybe everything will have been a bad dream,' he told himself. 'That would be... the best thing ever.'

In the early hours of the morning, he did finally get to sleep. He dreamed about him and Touko being back in Nuvema Town, hanging out in Touko's room, when suddenly N crawled out from under her bed. Then N turned into Monorua and it tried to cover Touya in butter.

Ding dong, ding dong.

"Good morning, you bastards! It's 7:00! Time to wake up!" Monorua's voice rang through the intercom. "Let's strive to do our best today!"

When Touya woke up, he forgot the dream entirely.

He blearily blinked awake, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. He was still exhausted. In a rush, everything that had happened yesterday came back to him. Suddenly, it became even more difficult to motivate himself to get out of bed.

"If I don't," he muttered to himself as he sat up, "they'll think I've been..." he paused for a moment. "...k-worded."

That was enough to get him to roll over and onto the floor, groping about for his clothes. His morning passed in a blur- at some point he must've started to wake up a little more, because by the time he placed his cap on his head- the final part of his morning ritual- he was at least alert enough to notice a small sheet of paper on the floor by his door.

He walked over to it and bent down to pick it up. The handwriting on it was sloppy, but not illegible.

Hello! You have been selected as a warrior to help fight against the evils of Team Plasma! Please report to my room at 1:00 tonight to join the revolution! -Hugh

Touya read it over once more to make sure he hadn't missed anything, before he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder. "Yeaaah, no," he said. He wasn't about to fight some imaginary war that he wanted nothing to do with- especially if Hugh was the one organizing it.

Instead, he stepped into the hallway and very nearly tripped over the chair that he had left there last night. Only at the last moment did he manage to maneuver around it. He'd have to take care of it later.

As instructed, Touya reported to the cafeteria before he did anything else. A fair few people had beaten him there.

"Good morning, Touya!" Lyra greeted, almost criminally chipper for such an early hour.

"Morning," he responded, barely managing half of her enthusiasm.

The majority of the group waited in silence as a few others trickled in. By the time it was 7:30, nobody had come in for a solid ten minutes.

"Who are we missing?" asked Janine, counting the heads of those scattered about the room.

"Kris is not here yet." Akuroma was the first to speak up. "And Hugh, as well."

"And Touko's not here," Touya added. "Or... or Caitlin."

The mood of the whole room shifted in a heartbeat. Everyone knew that everyone else was thinking the exact same thing.

"...I'm sure they just overslept," said Lyra. "I think I'm gonna go wake them up!"

"Wait," N cut in. "Please, take someone with you!"

Lyra held N's gaze for a moment, before rolling her eyes dramatically. "Fine," she said. "If it'll make you feel better, I will." Her attention turned towards everyone else in the room. "Okay, who wants to come with?"

Touya practically jumped out of his seat. "I'll go," he volunteered.

"Yay!" Lyra cheered, clapping her hands together. She raced forwards to grab Touya's hand, but faltered as she got close. "Are you sure? You don't look so hot." She placed a hand to his forehead, her mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown.

"I'm sure," Touya insisted, and he started towards the door. He hadn't noticed that the colour had drained from his face and his hands had gone clammy. His breathing was shallow, and his pulse was pounding in his ears. But he was also fully aware that the only way to quash this rising panic was to confirm that he had nothing to worry about.

Lyra shrugged. "Alrighty then!" she agreed, and then she turned to wave to the rest of the cafeteria. "We'll be back in a jiffy!"

Touko's room was the closest- in fact, it was the second door away from the cafeteria, only preceded by Bill's. Touya hurried up to it and knocked, urgently. "Touko?" he called as he knocked. Then he rung the doorbell, called her name a bit louder, and rung the doorbell again.

"Touko?!" His voice had risen to a veritable panic by the time that the door swung open to reveal Touko. She was dressed half in her usual clothes and half in her pajamas, her hair was mussed up and partially falling out of her ponytail, and she looked like she had just woken up. She staggered as she stood there, staring bleary-eyed at the frantic brunet.

"Touya," she said sleepily, blinking at him. "Hi. What's up?"

Damn it, she was beautiful even in a state like this.

Touya lurched forward without thinking, wrapping his arms around Touko and holding her close. Stunned, Touko hesitated for a moment before she gently wrapped her arms around him in return. Touya rested his head on his shoulder as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Behind him, Lyra giggled. "Good morning, sleepy head!" she greeted. "Did you sleep through the announcement?"

To address Lyra, Touko pulled away. "Announcement?" she repeated in confusion.

"Yep! Monorua woke us up at seven on the nose!" Lyra explained.

Touko rubbed the back of her neck. "I, uh... I must've slept through it," she said sheepishly. "Sorry. Had a... rough night."

"No worries, no worries!" Lyra laughed, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. "Everyone's worried about you for some reason, so you should get dressed and head to the cafeteria A-S-A-P, okay?"

"Ah, crap," Touko groaned. "Cafeteria, right. Sorry! Lemme just get dressed." She made to close the door, but just before it clicked shut, she added, "thanks for the wake up call."

And then she closed the door, and Touya felt a lot better.

Just around the corner was Caitlin's room, which Touya went to next. "Caitlin?" he called, but he wasn't nearly as panicked as he had been with Touko. He rapped his knuckles against the wooden door a few times, and then rung the doorbell. He called for her again, but received no answer.

"Maybe it's unlocked," Lyra suggested- and then he panicked.

"Caitlin?!" He reached for the handle and tested it- sure enough, it was unlocked, just as it had been last night. He shouldered his way in, not caring if the door slammed against the wall or how much noise he made. All he wanted right now was to confirm that Caitlin was just as she was last night- breathing, and alive, and not dead.

As light filtered in from the hallway, Touya saw Caitlin lying motionless in her bed. He called out her name again, throwing caution to the four winds as he rushed right up to her, touching one of her arms.

Instantly her eyes shot open, and a wave of panicked energy washed through the room. It ended as swiftly as it began, though, as Caitlin blinked up at Touya, the etches of a sleepy scowl on her face. "Don't do that," she said curtly.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Touya apologized, springing back and trying to keep his hands from shaking too much. That burst of empathy was definitely not what he needed at the moment; he had a hard enough time overcoming his nausea before he had to deal with Caitlin's raw emotion as well.

"Did you sleep through the announcement?" Lyra asked from the doorway.

"No," Caitlin responded nonchalantly as she righted the sleeve that Touya had mussed up in his panic. "The announcement woke me up, and I went back to sleep."

It was hard to be mad at Caitlin when she was alive. "Okay. Okay, that's great!" Touya said, clutching at his gut. "Just, please- please , Caitlin- make sure to lock your door from now on? Please?!"

Caitlin's gaze shifted from Touya to the door, which was now open wide.

"...I suppose I can try," she said gently.

"Touya, I'm gonna go ahead and wake up Hugh," Lyra called, before disappearing down the hallway.

The brunet followed Lyra not long after. He apologized again for his impulsive actions, begging for Caitlin's forgiveness. Then he asked her what she was going to do now, and she explained that she was going to go back to sleep, and she asked Touya to please close the door when he left. Touya did so, apologizing one last time as the door clicked shut.

A short distance down the hall was Hugh's room, with Lyra standing outside of it. "Yoo-hoo, Huuuugh," she called, ringing the doorbell as Touya approached, "rise and shine, you silly sleepy head!"

She cast Touya a troubled look as he approached. "He isn't waking up," she pouted.

Touya knocked hard on the door, before reaching for the doorknob to check if it was open. He was surprised for a moment when it was, but that surprise quickly gave way to exasperation; considering the circumstances, he'd think that more people would take locking their doors seriously.

Lyra snaked her way inside first this time, Touya followed close behind. Hugh was still in bed, his covers pushed down past his middle and one of his pillows on the floor.

"Wakey wakey," Lyra sing-songed as she approached his bedside, gently shaking his arm. "Eggs and-"

Touya noticed that something was off at the exact moment that Lyra suddenly went quiet. Maybe it was the eerie silence. Or maybe it was the fact that the Vigilante wasn't moving at all. Or maybe it was the smell- faintly rancid and pungent, like nothing he had ever smelled before.

"...Touya," Lyra whispered, her voice cracking.

He looked at her: her shoulders were rising and falling rapidly, her eyes were wide, and her arms were trembling, her hands still pressed firmly against his skin. "Touya... T-Touya, he's... he's really cold..."

The brunet, acting on impulse alone, rushed forward and touched his hand to Hugh's skin. His cold, tight, and purpled skin.

And all he could feel was death.