"Hello," the prince repeated.

Duck snapped to attention, straightening nervously. "H-h-hello!" she stammered, her bundle held close to her chest. She could feel her face heating up in embarrassment even as she rejoiced internally.

She'd found him! She'd picked the right path after all, and here he was! Maybe he knew how she could save him?

Before she could ask, though, he gave her a quick bow. "My name's Mytho. What's yours?" His golden eyes were soft and gentle, but they had the same unearthly sadness she'd seen in them during their first meeting. Her heart hurt a bit at their emptiness, but it strengthened her resolve.

"D-Duck," she replied, taking his offered hand in her own. "And this is Fritz. N-nice to meet you." She put all the sincerity she could into her words.

Mytho smiled. "You too, Duck." He released her hand, and she secretly wished he'd kept it. "Let me show you around."

"Oh!" Duck tugged the slip free from her bundle and passed it to him. "Berta said to show you this." Their fingers brushed as he took it, sending warmth shooting up to her face.

He read it, looking up at her when he got to the bottom. "You're in the dance department as well?"

She nodded, grinning internally. So she'd guessed right!

"That's nice. Maybe we'll see each other in class then."

Duck sincerely hoped that was true.

Mytho gestured down the hallway. "Let's get going, shall we? I'll show you to your classrooms first."

As Mytho guided her around the school, Duck fought the rising urge to tell him everything, ask him everything. The same voice that had told her not to tell Pique and Lilie now told her to do the same to him. But why? Surely he could tell her what she needed to do?

But then, if he couldn't save himself, as she'd been told, why would he know what she should do? She sighed. She would have to figure this out on her own, again.

The school was fairly large (not that she really had anything to compare it to), and it took a good hour or so for Mytho to show her around. There were the general classrooms, ballet department (where she was given a leotard, tights, and ballet shoes), the meal hall (where a friendly cook gave her a pastry), the gardens, the pool and gymnasium, and finally the girls' dorms.

Mytho stopped between two large buildings, one on either side of them. "Well, this is where I must take my leave," he said. He pointed to the building behind him, then the one in front. "Those are the boys' dorms, and these are the girls'. Boys aren't allowed into the girls' dorms, or vice versa, for obvious reasons."

Duck didn't know what those reasons were, but didn't ask.

He handed her back the slip Berta had given her, sending the same rush of warmth up her arm. "Just show this to the matron inside, and she'll direct you to your dorm."

"Thank you," she said, wishing she didn't have to say goodbye. "It was very kind of you to show me around."

Mytho nodded. "You're welcome, Duck. Now if you'll excuse me," he said, giving her another polite bow and then heading off down the flower-lined path.

Duck sighed after him, putting a hand on her head. She took Fritz's hand again and walked with him into the girls' dormitory building.

The dorm building was large, dark, and cool. Everything was made of dark wood except the walls, which were a pale cream color. The hall stretched about two hundred feet down in either direction, ending in both elevators and staircases. Forty doors pecked the innermost wall, spaced about ten feet apart (not that Duck counted, but Fritz did). Little portraits hung at equal distances between doors down the hall, each one depicting a different girl and pokémon, and each with a plaque underneath that described the names and accomplishments of the people shown. Directly in front of the entrance was what looked like a reception area, with a desk that stretched from wall to wall. Behind the desk sat another young woman, not much older than Berta, although a lot less stressed-looking.

Duck and Fritz approached the desk. "Hello," Duck ventured, making the woman look up from her book. "Sorry to bother you, but—" she stopped, unable to articulate.

The young woman spoke after Duck trailed off. "You're the new student, right? Duck, was it?"

Duck nodded.

"Great. Don't worry; Berta called ahead to tell me about you. You're all set to go to your dorm, which is actually our last available one! You're one lucky girl," the woman said. "I'm Adelaide, the dorm matron. I make sure everyone's in bed by lights out, and that everyone gets to class every day. I'm also a guidance counselor; so don't hesitate to come to me with any problems." She smiled at Duck, who felt vaguely like she had stared at a light bulb for too long.

"Well, Duck, I'm sure you and your pokémon would like to get some rest before classes tomorrow. Your room is on the fifth floor, center room. Dorm number 521," Adelaide said, pointing to both of the elevators. "Dinner is served in the meal hall at six," she added. "You'll want to get there early to pick your seats."

"Thanks," Duck said. She was about to head for the elevator to her right when she remembered something. "C-can you tell me which room another student is in? Is that allowed?"

Adelaide smiled. "Oh, making friends already? Wonderful! Tell me their names and I'll check the listings for you." She pulled a binder onto her desk.

"Uh, Pique and Lilie. I don't know their last names, though," she said.

Adelaide nodded. "Luckily, I know those two well enough. Let's see…" She opened the binder. "Oh, it looks like Pique and Lilie are roommates in room 530. Even luckier—they're right down the hall from you! Isn't that great?"

Duck tried to mirror her enthusiasm and failed. "Y-yeah…"

She turned and fled to the elevator, unable to handle Adelaide's overly sunny mood any longer. Fritz was way ahead of her, having started waddling to the elevator a good minute before. He had just pressed the up button when she caught up with him. The doors dinged and opened, and the two entered. Fritz stood on his tiptoes and pressed the button for the fifth floor, already figuring that Duck wasn't quite sure how to work an elevator yet. Duck stopped herself from gasping when she felt the two of them being lifted, and from gasping again when they stopped and her stomach seemed to wiggle from the force of it.

Fritz said nothing as they exited the elevator, just gave her one of the looks she was coming to feel meant he was trying to figure her out. At least, that's what she guessed—who really knew what went on in a psyduck's head?

"We have a lot to talk about, Fritz," Duck said as they found the door labeled 521. She pushed open the door and had a look around her new home. "But first, welcome to our new home…"

The room was small, made of the same dark wood as the rest of the building. There was a recessed section in the back, which housed a desk, and over that a bed, which was neatly made up in blue and white sheets. A chest of drawers sat in the far corner, with a mirror atop it. A little wooden table sat nearby, with equally little and ornate lamp and clock atop it. Best of all, there was a large window complete with seat and cushion. A matching TV set and radio sat on a little stand next to the window, which Duck figured she probably wouldn't ever touch. All in all, she was immediately in love with the space.

She began unloading her bag and bundles, realizing that real humans must have lots more clothes to warrant a chest that big. Her four outfits (her current clothes, lone nightgown, school uniform, and dance clothes) fit in a single drawer with room to spare. Even adding her spare undergarments and socks didn't fill it completely. She lined her shoes up by the door, including the pair she'd worn all day. The contents of her backpack she emptied into the other five drawers, specifically putting her pokémon related items into the other top drawer, beside her clothes drawer.

She turned, putting her hands on her hips in an effort to steel her nerves. "Okay, Fritz. I owe you some more explanations." Fritz just watched her as she did her best. "Okay so I enrolled mostly to find the prince but also because I don't really know, well, anything, so I thought it would work out. And I chose the dance department because I saw the prince dancing and thought it was a good place to start. And I lied to Pique and Lilie because I had a gut feeling, even though now I feel bad about it."

Fritz didn't say anything, but he patted her hand understandingly.

The clock read 5:37 by the time she finished, and Duck figured it was probably time to change into her uniform and get to the meal hall for dinner (Mytho had told her that school uniforms were to be worn at all times while on campus unless otherwise specified). The dress was softer than she'd expected, and fit her fairly well, even if the skirt and sleeves were a little long (must be her short limbs, she decided). The shoes barely pinched, and Duck turned her socks down over the shoe strap as she'd seen Pique and Lilie wear them. Once dressed, she allowed herself a quick indulgent twirl in front of the mirror, to admire the way her dress ruffled.

She and Fritz made their way to the meal hall, which was now filled with students. Duck had never seen this many people at once—they lounged at round tables, or stood in lines holding trays, or in groups talking and joking. Feeling a little overwhelmed, Duck located the end of the food line. On the opposite wall was a vending-machine type thing that dispensed pokémon food into ceramic bowls, which had a line of both humans and pokémon in front of it. Fritz made his way to that line while Duck reluctantly stood alone at the end of hers.

The meal was uneventful—after Fritz got his food he rejoined Duck in her line, snacking while they waited. Duck quickly chose a small sandwich and salad, since she knew she liked both bread and vegetables. She would have time to experiment with her food choices later—right now she was only focusing on getting back to her room to rest. Duck finally relaxed enough to enjoy her food once they had sat down at an empty table off to the side of the hall. The food was good, and reminded her of the few meals she had shared with Edel and Uzura. She had to force herself not to sniffle while she ate after that.

Finally, the both of them finished their food. Duck took their dishes to the opening on one wall, behind which a grinning aipom whisked them away to the recesses of the kitchen. Duck made sure to thank her before they left for the dorms.

It was a short walk back to the girls' dorms. The room was gratefully empty, and Duck wasted no time changing into her nightgown and climbing the ladder into bed. Fritz joined her, and the two quickly fell asleep.

The morning air was crisp and cool, and fog settled in among the cobbled streets of the town and seeped in through the cracks in the window frame. Duck lay in her bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. She had pulled her blankets up to her chin, which she found made it easier to think. Fritz had long left the room, telling her that he was going to find a morning snack. Duck didn't mind—she felt she needed the alone time right now.

Events of the past day swam through her mind as she tried to make sense of them. Had she really just met him? Was it truly him? She'd spent an entire hour with him yesterday, and yet she still had no ideas as to what to do.

After a few minutes of this, Duck remembered her new status as student. Hurriedly, she tugged her uniform back on, shoving her ballet clothes into her bag. She wasn't sure what else to bring, but she hoped the teachers would enlighten her.

She ate a quick breakfast in the meal hall, opting for a bagel this time. Fritz joined her at last, from what Duck could only guess had been a full meal. The two of them set off in search of her classes.

Mytho had shown her how the slip listed the times she was supposed to attend each class, and their room numbers in case she got lost (she really hoped she wouldn't). Her first class was something called "homeroom," which was only a little ways away from the girls' dorms. Mytho had been so kind, really, to show her everything and give her extra hints on top of it all.

The school grounds were empty, leaving Duck and Fritz alone to recall where the main school building was, with some trouble. She knew it was near the dorms. Was it on the left path? Maybe the gardens?

"We should go this way, I think—"

Suddenly, everything was still—utterly, completely, and eerily still. All except her, that is. Even Fritz had frozen mid-stride. Shadows stretched out where there had previously been light, striking everything in sharp relief as if someone had shut off the sun and used an even brighter flashlight instead. Familiar silence crowded her ears, and she gasped at the familiarity of it. It was the same as that night—!

"Hello again, little ducklett," said the voice. "Or should I say, Duck?"

Duck felt her stomach drop as the voice laughed the same grating laugh as before.

"I see you've found the prince—and not a second too soon," it said, and suddenly appeared.

The face was the same—bushy eyebrows, staring eyes, and a large toothy smile—but the rest of it scared her even more. The disconnected hands still floated, white and gloved, but now there was a body to go with them. It was wrapped in a burgundy cloak, and floated about a foot or so above the ground.

She shivered in a mixture of fear and disgust. Why was he (she suddenly decided it was male) here? And why did he have to be so… creepy?

"W-whaddya mean, I'm just in time?" she asked warily. "What—who are you? And you better give me some real answers this time," she added, feeling more than a little defiant.

The monster grinned. "As for who I am, I can't tell you—where's the fun in that? And as for what I am, I don't think you'd really understand." Duck frowned at his patronizing tone.

"Well, you see," he continued, "Our dear, dear prince has lost his heart. And if he doesn't get it back soon, he'll become nothing more than a husk—and certainly won't be able to fulfill his royal duty of destroying the kingdom's enemies," he said, shaking a hand as if it were obvious.

"His heart? What? How could he lose his heart? And I talked to him just yesterday," she said. "He seemed fine to me?"

The face loomed over her in an odd way, seeming to grow larger without getting any closer.

"He shattered his heart in an attempt to thwart his enemies, without knowing the full consequences of his actions. And without his heart back, he will die soon, obviously."

Duck clenched her fists in frustration. "Okay, well, then how am I supposed to save him? And why did I turn into a human? Wouldn't I have more power as a ducklett?"

"I turned you human, my dear, so you could use this," he said, and his hand closed and reopened, and a pokéball appeared in his palm. He released the locking mechanism, and Duck took a step back.

A slender gardevoir manifested directly in front of her, holding a small glittering ball in its hands. "This is Odette. She will guide you to finding and returning the shards of the prince's heart."

Odette curtsied deeply, and Duck awkwardly attempted to return the gesture.

"One last hint, Duck: you cannot tell anyone of your quest." They both glanced at Frisk. "Well, any other humans. And especially not our dear prince—if you tell him anything of your quest, including your feelings, both you and Odette will disappear forever."

Dread welled up in her stomach at the ominous warning, suddenly grateful for the decision not to tell Pique and Lilie.

Odette remained serene, eyes closed peacefully as she was summoned back into her pokéball.

"Au revoir, little Duck," the voice said, and disappeared, leaving only the pokéball behind.

After giving Fritz a quick summary of her hair-raising encounter, Duck took Odette's ball dutifully, placing it in her bag alongside her clothes. The two—no, three—of them made it to homeroom just before the bell.

Pique and Lilie's voices rang out above the clamor of the room, and Duck spotted the two of them sitting in the back of the room.

"Hey, Duck! Come sit with us!"

"Duck! You're still alive!"

She felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Oh thank goodness, you guys," she said as she joined them. "I was afraid we wouldn't see each other again."

"Oh, how sweet," Lilie doted, scooting over so Duck would have room on the bench.

"We wanted to see you too, Duck," Pique said. "How did enrollment go?"

"Well, I got in," Duck said, trying to think back to what now seemed ages ago, even though it was only yesterday. "Nothing exciting happened," she lied.

"Aw, really? Not anything good?"

She wondered if there was a way to be truthful with her new friends without disappearing forever, but decided she didn't want to risk it. A watered-down version would have to do.

"Well," she started. "I met Mytho yesterday." Her face heated up as she recalled his kindness and warm eyes.

"Mytho?" Pique said incredulously. "You met him? Did you confess?"

"Uhhh," Duck said. "No?"

Her two friends groaned. "Duuuuck, c'mon! You have to confess!"

"I-I do?" This confessing thing was sounding a lot like the thing the monster had explicitly warned her not to do. "B-but—"

"Oh, c'mon Duck. You can't keep your feelings a secret forever, it's not healthy," Pique said.

But that's exactly what I have to do, Duck thought glumly, putting a hand in her bag to feel the cool surface of Odette's pokéball.

A bell rang in the distance, signaling for the beginning of class and startling Duck. The classroom door opened, and middle-aged man walked in. He wore a fitted green sweater that matched well with his dark complexion. His strict brown eyes belied his age, although if Duck had to guess she'd say older than Edel (she found Edel had quickly become her idea of a 'default human'). The man set his clipboard down, and a previously unnoticed purugly jumped onto the desk where he laid it.

"Good morning class," he said, after he had written the date on the chalkboard. "I'm glad you're all here on time. It's especially good since we have a new student."

Everyone turned to look at Duck, and she smiled nervously.

"Would you kindly come up and introduce yourself?"

Duck summoned all her courage and stood briskly. Rigidly, she made her way up to the front of the room, turning to get a good look at her new classmates (and they, her).

"H-hello," Duck stammered. "My name is Duck. I-I'm a new student here." She looked to the teacher for help.

"Hello, Ms. Duck," he replied kindly. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself? Or introduce your pokémon?"

Duck nodded and turned back to face her classmates. "W-well, I'm in the dance department, and I love pokémon. I'm looking forward to living here." she gestured to Fritz, who had followed her to stand in the front of the room. "And this is Fritz, my psyduck," she added. Fritz gave a curt nod.

The teacher placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We welcome you, Ms. Duck, Mr. Fritz. Please, take your seat." The two of them quickly did so, slouching relieved next to Pique and Lilie.

Class went smoothly after that. Duck discovered that a normal class period was only about forty-five minutes long, and that students stayed in their homeroom as the teachers rotated between classes. That not only meant she didn't have to rush between classes or travel, but also that she wouldn't have to redo any introductions. Homeroom was really just a time for class announcements and attendance, and only took about ten minutes. After that came Literature, History, Maths, Science, and (her favorite) Pokémon Studies. Between each class was a short break, to allow students to get water and use the bathroom and such. Altogether, classes were over by a little after noon, which was when the meal hall opened for lunch.

"So what do you think of school so far, Duck?" Pique asked as the three of them stood in line for food.

"Well, I thought all the teachers seemed nice," she said. "And I'm glad classes only last the morning," she continued as she added a large spoonful of fruit salad to her plate.

"That's because the afternoons are reserved for clubs and department classes," Pique explained. "After lunch we get about a twenty minute break to put our books up, and then we go to our respective departments."

Lilie butted in, almost spilling her soup on Duck. "You said in homeroom that you're in the dance department, right?"

Duck nodded, and Pique and Lilie shared a gleeful look. "So are we! Isn't that great?!" Lilie bounced a little too excitedly, and both Duck and Pique had to dodge the drops of soup that splashed from her bowl.

"Oh, yeah," Duck agreed, following them to an empty table, where Fritz met up with them. Trailing close behind were a plusle and minun, each carrying their own bowls.

Duck gasped in delight. "Are you two with Pique and Lilie?" she asked the pokémon, leaning down towards them intently.

"Oh, yeah!" Pique answered instead. "That's my plusle, Ida, and Lilie's minun, Lenore. We've been together basically forever."

Ida and Lenore scrambled to seat themselves on the bench seat next to Fritz, and Duck spent the rest of the meal watching them adoringly as they all ate. She thought she saw Fritz roll his eyes at one point, although she wasn't sure.

The six of them spent their free time returning their books to their dorms, and then walking through the gardens to the dance department. Duck lavished in the warm spring sunlight until the last moment, when she had to enter the building.

The girl's changing rooms were already full of girls around her age, in as many variations as she could imagine. Short girls, tall girls, skin in every tone, hair all in ponytails or pigtails or buns, and all wearing pastel blue leotards and white tights. She suddenly remembered her own leotard—she pulled it out of her bag quickly, dismayed. Hers was different—white with a blue band around the waist, rather than the pale blue that seemed to be the norm.

She recalled the words of the girl who had given them to her yesterday: "We're completely out of the current design in your size, so you'll have to wear this version from a few years ago. You don't mind, do you?" Duck had agreed, not really listening.

She sighed, and then quickly got changed into her dance clothes. Hopefully she wouldn't stand out too much.

She was surprised to see her homeroom teacher standing in the middle of the dance room, with the rest of her classmates sitting in a rough semicircle on the floor in front of him. A few various pokémon sat alongside them. Fritz had already joined the group on the floor, and patted the spot next to him. Duck sat next down quickly, hoping she could stay on the floor with the rest of the group.

Her hopes were dashed, though, when once again she was forced to introduce herself in front of the class (and this was almost twice as big as her homeroom class had been, she thought with a groan). A whisper went through the class at the sight of her uniform, which, although clean, was not in the best shape comparatively (the seat of it, particularly, was a little thin). Duck tried not to think of that as she rambled out another introduction for herself and Fritz.

When she finally got to sit on the floor with the rest of her classmates, she took a second to take in the room. It was large, nearly forty feet on all sides, with a gleaming wood floor. A wooden handrail (which she soon learned was called a barre) stood in a half-rectangle a foot or so away from the walls. A large semicircle window dominated one wall, giving an excellent view of the gardens outside.

"Thank you, Ms. Duck. Now, let's all introduce ourselves as well, shall we, class? It's important for us to strengthen our group ties," the teacher said. "I'll go first. I'm Mr. Katze, the dance instructor. This is my purugly, Pavlova," he said, and bowed to Duck. Pavlova didn't bother, and Duck decided not to take it personally.

The class went one by one, quickly introducing themselves to her and Fritz (but they didn't have to stand, Duck noticed wryly). The human part of the class was almost entirely girls, with the exception of a single boy. The pokémon were far more varied. Nevertheless, they all introduced themselves politely (if somewhat annoyed in some cases).

After the introductions, Mr. Katze set the students to begin their warm-up stretches—all except Duck and Fritz, whom he took aside to talk privately.

"Ms. Duck, Mr. Fritz," he started. "I'm very glad you chose the dance department, and I hope we can all work together to make you two the best dancers you can be. However, I must warn you."

"W-warn?" Duck asked, feeling her stomach drop.

"Oh dear, not like that! You see, the school year is more than halfway over, being March, and all of your classmates have had months to practice. I'm afraid you're at a bit of a disadvantage, time-wise."

Duck nodded glumly. "O-oh. I hadn't thought of that," she said.

"All of us teachers are more than willing to work with you one-on-one to help you catch up, so don't be discouraged about the current gap," Mr. Katze said encouragingly. "I'm sure as long as you try your best, you'll do just fine."

"Y-yeah," Duck replied, trying to squash the new ripples of anxiety that exploded in her stomach. Fritz patted her knee consolingly.

"One more thing," Mr. Katze said. "We need to assess your skill level before you can continue. Please stay after class is over so we can see which class to place you in."

"Uh, okay," Duck said, nodding even as a new wave of anxiety surged. She had no experience at all!

"For now, why don't you start some stretches?"

Reluctantly, Duck walked over to an empty spot at the barre, feeling stupid—she didn't know what she was doing at all. She was going to be found out as a fraud. They would kick her out of the department, of the school—she would have to find some other way to reach the prince.

"Watch," she heard Fritz say, and she swung her head to look at him. He sat on the floor, chubby arms stretching to touch his webbed feet. "Copy me."

"Were you paying attention to the stretches all this time?" she asked gratefully, sitting beside him. She did her best to imitate his movements as he went through several stretches.

Duck was surprised at how involved the pokémon were in class. It wasn't just the humans dancing—everyone was stretching and practicing at the barre.

She caught the tail end of one of Mr. Katze's spiels. "—Need to work as a team, Bernadine. You and Beno need to read each other's movements and support each other. You're friends with your pokémon, are you not? Then I suggest you take some time tonight to do trust building exercises." The offending pair resumed their practice diligently.

"Huh," Duck muttered to herself. So this was also to build camaraderie between trainer and pokémon. It seemed to work, too, from what she could tell.

Pavlova roamed between the students, presumably keeping an eye on things. She was squat, and her face always had a judgmental expression. Duck tried her best to avoid making eye contact; she didn't want to get on Pavlova's bad side any time soon. She didn't particularly care if Pavlova never found out about her ability, either.

Fritz kindly and patiently talked her through the stretches she didn't understand, and Duck thanked whatever deity was looking out for her that she had found another friend in all this mess.

The skill assessment went abysmally. Duck was forced to reveal that she had no prior knowledge (of anything, really), much to her embarrassment and shame. She knew she had a great excuse for being ignorant, but it wasn't like she could tell her teachers about it. Surprisingly, Fritz had done fairly well—Duck guessed it was from observing their classmates, but she wasn't sure. Either way, Duck and Fritz were firmly placed in the beginner class.

By the time they finished the assessment it was almost four, and Duck was more than ready to peel out of her leotard and take a shower. She had to ask for help working the knobs in the changing room shower, but she'd decided that was better than walking all the way back to her dorm in her sweat (and she didn't like the idea of other people seeing her look like that, either).

Dinner was a quiet affair, since Pique and Lilie were nowhere to be found. Duck didn't mind too much; they probably had homework, and she wasn't sure she could handle Lilie's remarks about being placed in the beginner class just yet. Fritz certainly didn't seem to mind their absence—he ate with his usual restraint.

The quiet of her dorm was welcome after a long day surrounded by people and pokémon and chatter, and she gratefully began getting ready for bed. Everything felt great—especially her loose nightgown, which was a relief after the sweaty clinginess of her leotard.

She placed her books (given to her by her teachers at the start of classes) and pencils in a stack on her desk, and draped her leotard and tights on the chair to air out a bit, making a mental note to ask someone what she should do about laundry. Finally, only Odette's pokéball was left in her bag.

It wasn't heavy, like she'd imagined an occupied pokéball to be, although she couldn't be sure if it was the same weight as an empty one. It had an odd design that she had only seen a glimpse of at Edel's house; a pink top with a heart pattern in the front. She had no idea what kind of ball it was, but she guessed it was rare. It fit well in her hand, and she rubbed a thumb over the release button as she thought.

"Odette, huh?" she murmered.

After a moment of hesitation, she released the catch.