"So you believe me now?" said Mori.

"Yes, you were right, just like always, now can we drop it?"

"No, I like gloating," said Mori brightly. "Especially about that stuck-up bitch. Tell me again about how surprised you were when she threatened to kill your nosy freshman—that was my favorite part."

"Oh, ease off, Mori," said Vasilio, who was feeding his Amaura a handful of Kelpsy berries. "He's learned his lesson. Also, I think you've brushed Anastasia enough. That's not the only thing we're getting graded on."

Mori puffed up her cheeks, then scowled. With December just around the corner, the pressure was on in every class. Their final project in Professor Huang's Pokemon Breeding and Care was to present a Pokemon in near-perfect condition, and Mori had done almost nothing to improve her Bouffalant's EVs. Liam had chosen his Espeon, who was relishing the attention.

"Are you gonna finally evolve your Amaura?" Liam asked his friend. "It's got to be ready, right?"

Vasilio looked a little embarrassed.

"I dunno," he said evasively.

Mori snorted.

"He likes to cuddle with his little dinosaur," she explained. "And Aurorus won't fit in his bed."

Vasilio's pale face went slightly red, but Liam noticed a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Bold words from a girl that sleeps with a stuffed Gengar and wears—" began Vasilio, but Mori put him in a headlock before he could finish.

"My driver will p-pick you up outside White Gardens," said Orchid as she transferred her unwanted vegetables to Liam's bowl.

"You're sure you don't want me to pick you up at home?"

Orchid shook her head vigorously.

"L-last thing I want is f-for my mom to get her h-hands on you," said Orchid darkly. "I'm d-doing you a favor. Trust me."

"Okay," said Liam, taking a sip of his cold tea. "Which Pokemon are you bringing?"

"Dartrix," said Orchid. "He… m-matches."

"I don't have any green Pokemon," said Liam. "Except for Nuzleaf, I guess. I'd rather bring Sneasel, though, if that's okay with you."

"Sneasel is… cool," said Orchid. "It's f-fine."

The large and fancy van that met Liam at the gate of White Gardens confirmed what he had long suspected—Orchid was rich. Unlike the "bread loaf" vans that were so common in Nanzo, Orchid's van was air-conditioned, with black leather seats and an expensive speaker system playing what sounded like Nanzonese soft pop.

"Sorry," whispered Orchid as Liam climbed into the seat next to her. "My driver gets to p-pick the music."

"It's fine," said Liam. "You look great, by the way."

Liam meant it. Orchid had added a slight wave to black hair and dark, cat-like mascara around her eyes. It was an unambitious look in some ways, but it was probably the most thought Orchid had put into her appearance all year, and Liam appreciated it.

"Not too m-much like Boxxy?"

Liam laughed.

"No," he said, "Cute, but not obnoxious."

"G-good," said Orchid. "Hey, Mr. Gao, we can go."

Her driver gave her a thumbs up and they were off. For the first few minutes, there was an awkward silence, broken only by Mr. Gao humming along to the sentimental Nanzonese ballad that was playing on the radio. Liam wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do with a date on the way to Winter Ball. He had been a third wheel at Spring Banquet, but at least there were plenty of people to talk to. Was he supposed to keep complimenting Orchid, or make small talk, or ask her about school? She certainly wasn't going to take the lead in the conversation. To pass off the awkwardness, Liam turned his attention to Orchid's Dartrix.

"He's pretty fancy," said Liam, ruffling the owl Pokemon's soft feathers. "Should I have got Sneasel a—?"

"S—t!" shouted the driver in a heavy Everspring accent. "G—d—n it. Stay in your lane, a—h—e!"

The van rapidly changed lanes, smushing Liam and Orchid (and their Pokemon) against the van's left door. To Liam's surprise, Orchid giggled.

"Mr. Gao is a g-good driver," she whispered. "But he gets angry… s-sometimes."

"Sometimes" turned out to be an almost comical understatement. Mr. Gao swore like a sailor at even the slightest provocation, and seemed to hold all the other cars on the road to a very different standard than himself. Yet the moment his outburst subsided, Mr. Gao returned to humming and singing along with the soft pop on the radio like nothing had happened. It was such a hilarious juxtaposition that Liam and Orchid spent most of the ride trying desperately to hold in their laughter.

The student council had blown most of their profits from the fall semester on renting out a ballroom in a fancy hotel downtown. Even arriving in a swanky van, Liam and Orchid would have felt too awkward to see themselves into the hotel if Sylvia and Ruth hadn't been waiting to welcome the Everspring students out front.

"Liam, Orchid," said Sylvia, handing each of them a program for the evening. "The ballroom is to the left and down the hall from the lobby."

"Thanks, Sylv," said Liam,

Her instructions, unsurprisingly, were perfect, and Liam and his date quickly found themselves in a medium-sized ballroom decorated with paper snowflakes, small Christmas trees, sparkling tinsel, and even some genuine ice—the work of several Vanilite that were floating around the room. There were also Delibird handing out appetizers and Snover making real snowflakes fall on the guests with Snow Warning. Liam immediately took off her jacket and offered it to Orchid, who wrapped it around her shoulders with a small blush.

"Let's find our seats," said Liam. "Hopefully somewhere we're not being snowed on."

Liam and Orchid found their name cards at a corner table with Vasilio, Rebecca, Stephanie, and Marielle, Stephanie's younger sister. Both girls had opted not to invite a date, which didn't surprise Liam. Despite being some of the prettiest girls in school, the Thibault sisters never showed any signs of being interested in guys. They were too busy earning straight As.

The food turned out to be just as good as Liam had hoped. Orchid didn't eat much, but she also didn't judge Liam for how much he ate, and he appreciated her for it. Orchid had made it very clear that she wasn't interested in dancing, and Liam didn't feel like pressing the issue—until Taylor, who was DJing the event, blasted the familiar synth line that opened Noctowl City's "Fireflies" from his Exploud's mouth.

"Just once," said Liam, pulling Orchid to her feet. "It's a great song. I promise."

Dancing with Orchid was awkward—Liam could never quite figure out where to put his hands, and they quickly discovered that moving their feet in rhythm wasn't a strong suit for either. Still, it was an enjoyable three minutes. Only when the song ended did Liam realize that, had things been just a little different, he would have been dancing with Cass.

"Thanks," said Orchid as they sat back down. "That w-was fun."

Given her evident disinterest in dancing and eating, Liam had initially wondered why Orchid had even bothered to come to Winter Ball at all. After their dance, however, Orchid quickly revealed her chosen means of passing the evening: muttering cutting, sarcastic commentary on the other students in Liam's ear. That Orchid disliked most of the students and staff at Everspring wasn't new to Liam, and he had long learned to regard her vindictive remarks as more amusing than shocking. He smiled to himself as Orchid criticised the other girls' dresses, the quality of the decorations, the font used on the evening program—nothing escaped her censure other than the choice of music, and that was only because Taylor was behind it. Out of everyone, Rosaline came in for the most savage remarks. She was "not really that pretty," "not good enough for Taylor," "not as quirky as she tried to be," and, most damningly, "an aesthetic disaster." None of this was fair, of course. Rosaline, so far as Liam could tell, was pretty (if always a little disheveled), unaffectedly quirky, and genuinely interested in Taylor—but Liam also knew Orchid well enough to take her comments for what they really were: the frustrated expression of an obsessive, unrequited infatuation.

Orchid's driver dropped Liam off at the gate of the White Gardens complex. It had been an enjoyable evening for him and his date, and Orchid even ventured a friendly kiss on a cheek before retreating back to the safety of her van like a frightened Wimpod. Sneasel perched on his shoulder, Liam walked a couple laps around the neighborhood park before returning home. He was in that state of contented ecstasy that only a school dance could produce. He reflected on just how much he liked Everspring, and the school, and his friends. He remembered just how much he missed Cass McCleod.

He didn't notice the shadow of wings passing overhead, or the approach of the blonde-haired girl until they were almost face-to-face.