Darkness surrounded Edel like a smothering blanket, held off only by the small light of her desk lamp. She clutched Duck's pendant tensely as she examined and tested it with every piece of machinery she could think of.

It had been several hours since her meeting Drosselmeyer and Duck's appearance, and yet she still shook occasionally. Even as she turned over every possibility with the pendant, one part of her mind replayed the scene over and over. What had Drosselmeyer done to himself? To Duck? What was his plan with her—with all of them? Just what power did this dead man have?

Edel herself knew a little of his life, thanks to college and her professors' extensive personal libraries. Drosselmeyer had lived a little over two centuries prior, and was widely unknown—up until he was suddenly defunded, banned from all official laboratories and research centers, and very nearly arrested. No one knew why, though; a public statement about his career's abrupt end was never made. (Edel did know, however, that Drosselmeyer had only escaped arrest by bribing several people.)

And then he had just vanished. The police looked for him, of course, but even when they found his secret laboratory abandoned deep in the woods they couldn't turn up a hint of a body. After several years with no clue as to his whereabouts, he was assumed dead, and life went on as normal. The only thing they did find was his will, which named the officers he'd bribed to escape imprisonment—one final jab at the system that ended his career.

It wasn't a great sign for her prospects.

There was no telling why or how he'd managed to live for two whole centuries, or why he now looked so monstrous. Edel assumed it had something to do with the reason for his arrest, and that somehow it enabled him to survive for such an absurdly long amount of time.

It hadn't seemed to make him any saner, though. Talking of authors and fate and stories as if he was somehow omniscient. By Arceus, the man had certainly lost all semblance of sanity by now.

No amount of coffee could soothe her anxiety, and she had a gut feeling sleep would escape her for a while. So, with churning stomach and racing mind, she turned her attention back to the pendant.

It was small, no more than an inch in diameter, and oval, and a red richer than any jewel Edel had ever seen. It was set in simple silver, just enough to secure the bail to the pendant. Small notches and scratches on the sides suggested that it had been part of a larger piece of jewelry—which was contested by the bail attached to the back, which would likely have been out of place if the pendant had been a segment of something more complex. Maybe the bail had been added after the stone was removed?

The setting was hardly the most interesting thing about it. As Edel ran the stone through multiple tests, she found it had a few notable qualities. Firstly, it was hard as diamond, or near to it—none of her tools even came close to scratching it (she didn't have the luxury of diamond-tipped tools just yet). Secondly, it vibrated at a slightly higher frequency than similar materials, which many evolutionary stones did. Lastly (and the most frustratingly), there was no indication as to why or how it allowed Duck to turn human. (Although, it should be noted that most evolutionary items didn't always have explanations for how or why they worked; they just did, and both scientists and the general public as a fact of nature accepted it without much question. Edel found that way of thinking deplorable—there was so much to learn about both pokémon and the world, if only they could unlock some of the secrets hiding right in front of them.)

There were a few better-equipped labs that could run diagnostics on it, but none that she trusted to handle it carefully (let alone any that were open and available at this time of day). She wasn't sure there was a way she could even ask them without sounding somewhat suspicious.

With all other ideas tried and failed, Edel decided to open her encyclopedia of pokémon-related items. It wasn't an exhaustive source (there were several Alolan items missing from this older edition), but it did have the helpful quality of listing all entries in the index by name, color, function, and age discovered. She began by searching the section of the index titled "RED." (She had to start somewhere, right?)

Edel spent about an hour scouring the encyclopedia for anything resembling the pendant, with no results. Granted, by this time it was well past dawn, and she had neither eaten nor slept since well before Drosselmeyer's surprise visit. And the encyclopedia wasn't foolproof. It had been a stretch to think it'd be there at all.

She once again wished that she had a computer with an internet connection. It would have to wait—her work budget was strict and not to be trifled with. Once she landed that grant from the Devon Corporation in Hoenn, she could buy whatever tools and equipment she needed.

For now, she just needed to find a gentle way to tell Duck she'd found nothing.

"Whoa, strangers-zura!" Uzura exclaimed, sleep disappearing from her face instantly. She toddled into the living room and straight towards Duck, who, unaware of the poking and prodding that would follow, turned and welcomed her with open wings.

"Uzura? What are you doing up? Is it morning already?" Duck quacked, momentarily forgetting her current state. She'd been talking with Fritz and Beryl for so long it was starting to feel normal to be a pokémon again. It only took Uzura's blank look to remind Duck of her current predicament. Oh well. Not like either of them was much of a conversationalist anyway.

Before, Uzura had barely come up past her knees, and now Duck was growing quite irritated with the switch. Uzura herself didn't ease that irritation much, given how poking and prodding Duck seemed to be her new favorite activity. Beryl made a face that told her this happened quite often, and Fritz just looked like he was glad to have evaded the toddler's attention.

As Uzura's small child hands ruffled her feathers, Duck discovered she was ticklish.

"Beryl, help meee," she wheezed in between squawking giggles.

Feeling magnanimous, Beryl swooped in and picked up Uzura lightly (which was almost impressive, considering they were practically the same height), giving Duck the opportunity to scramble to the top of the kitchen table and out of Uzura's reach.

"C'mon, you egg," Beryl grunted, carrying Uzura deftly back to her bedroom. "It's way too early for you to be awake. Give it a few more hours, kid."

Uzura got the gist, and pouted all the way back to her bed. "But I wanna play-zura," she whined, already yawning.

Still atop the kitchen table, Duck let out a sigh of relief and began preening herself out of habit. It was kind of relaxing to be able to do this again (although she'd found out that as a human, brushing her hair had nearly the same effect). The feel of her beak scraping through her feathers was nostalgic and comforting, especially given how tired she was right now.

But she had work to do, and she had to be human to do it. She wasn't going to get anywhere if she stayed like this.

For what must have been the thirtieth time in the past few hours, Duck mentally went over everything the monster had told her so far. Had he mentioned how to turn back? She couldn't for the life of her remember.

She desperately wanted to, but it was well past midnight now and the exhaustion was finally kicking in. Sleep soon claimed her.

A few hours later, Edel was surprised to find all three pokémon asleep in the kitchen—Duck curled up on the table, Fritz on a chair next to her, and Beryl on the floor underneath it. She smiled blearily at the three of them, deciding to get in a few winks herself. She poked her head into Uzura's room, sighing a little when she thought of how likely it was that her daughter would inherit her mother's irregular sleep schedule. Maybe Uzura would grow out of it?

If Edel hadn't been exhausted, it would have been nearly impossible for her to sleep. The memory of Drosselmeyer's icy presence and the questions that followed were kept at bay only by the fact that her body was ready to give in to sleep as soon as she laid her head on her pillow.

Sleep only lasted for a few hours, however. The sun streaming through her bedroom window was as good as any alarm clock, and Edel rose to greet the day in her normal tired fashion.

She loathed waking Duck and the others this early, but an anxious weight in her stomach told her that time was not something to be wasted right now. As a compromise, she settled for gently shaking them awake.

Duck woke from her dream of her pond to see Edel standing above her, a concerned look on her face. It was contagious, and soon Duck felt the familiar tightness of anxiety in her gut and chest. Was something wrong? Would she be unable to become human again? Had she messed it all up somehow? She wouldn't be surprised to find out she had.

Not a great feeling to wake up to.

Fritz sat up drowsily and yawned, and Duck wished she could be as unaffected by all this as he was. (Or maybe she only imagined he was—it was hard to be sure, really.)

Edel gave the bad news softly, her arms crossed in a protective gesture.

"I'm sorry, Duck—I'm afraid I won't be able to tell much of anything about your pendant until the tests come back from my colleague's lab, and that could take a few weeks. Until then, it's best if you hold onto it."

The pendant dangled for a moment from Edel's hand as Duck tried to swallow her disappointment. If Edel couldn't figure it out, how was she ever going to be human again? Was her quest to be ended so suddenly?

No. She couldn't give up just yet. There had to be another way. Determination sprang from somewhere deep inside her, and she looked at the jewel with renewed hope. She could figure this out—would figure it out.

The pendant felt warm and heavy against her chest.

"It's all right," she quacked, trying extra hard to get her message across with an encouraging smile. Edel understood it just fine, and gave her own soft smile back.

"How about a bath and some breakfast?"

Both Duck and Beryl noticed how Edel seemed a little uneasy, and that she was trying to mask it with positivity. Neither said anything about it, however, as they waddled to the bathroom at the back of the cottage.

The bathroom, which was just as clean and small as the rest of the house, was quickly filled to capacity as Uzura tried to squeeze in alongside Edel and Duck.

"Beryl, can you watch Uzura out in the front room please? Duck doesn't need everyone crowding her as she takes a bath," Edel said, turning the faucet. "I'll get started on breakfast while you clean yourself up."

"Thanks," Duck quacked as Edel left her alone in the bathroom.

It'd been a while since she swam. And it was such a cute little bathroom! The lavender tiled walls were painted with tiny roses and white patterns, and a clouded high window let in the soft morning light. The bathtub was already filled with warm, inviting water, and Duck couldn't help but sigh as she floated atop it.

-And then, suddenly, she was no longer floating.

With a splash, she spluttered and sat up, wiping wet hair from her eyes.

"Wha—?! I'm back!"

Through the door she heard the sound of Edel suddenly dropping a pan with a clunk, then footsteps approaching the door of the bathroom.

"Duck? Are you all right? It sounded like you—"

"Ms. Edel, I'm back!" she interrupted, almost laughing with joy.

By the time Duck finished her bath Edel had cooked breakfast, and the four of them sat down to a large pot of oatmeal and fresh berries. Both she and Fritz dug in—she realized she hadn't eaten anything in ages, and she had a hunch that transforming took a lot of energy.

Uzura finished first, and Beryl walked her to her room to get dressed while Duck and Edel talked.

"So, what's been going on with you, Duck?" Edel asked as she stood to clear the table once they had all had their fill. "Oh, don't get up, dear, you're a guest. Instead, you just tell me what's been going on."

"Oh, there's so much that's happened," Duck replied. "I barely know where to start."

"Let's start with your friend here."

Fritz looked up from his seat beside Duck, where he'd been playing with his now empty bowl.

"Oh! This is Fritz. We met in town."

Edel inclined her head politely. "Nice to meet you, Fritz."

Fritz nodded in kind.

"Well, how did it go in town? Did you find your Prince fellow?"

"Yeah, I did! It was actually really lucky that I did so fast, since I wasn't sure if he was even at the Academy or not. But Pique and Lilie said that they knew who I was talking about when I asked them—and they helped me get enrolled into the Academy, too! And when I was signing up for classes there they asked me what department I wanted to be in but I wasn't entirely sure, so I just went with my gut and chose the dance department, and I was right!"

"So you're going to school at the Academy, too?" Edel asked, slightly amused. She wondered what the faculty and school board would think if they knew a pokémon was enrolled. "I'm glad you've settled in. And these Pique and Lilie, they're your friends?"

"Yeah! I met them the first day in town, right after I met Fritz. They can be kinda… intense… sometimes, but they're nice people. And they did help me figure out who the Prince was."

"Who is he?"

Duck hesitated a moment, the monster's warning echoing in her head. Was it okay to tell Edel everything like this? But then, Edel already knew what she was. Surely it was fine.

"He's a student at the Academy named Mytho. He's a year above me, and he's in the advanced class in the dance department. He's really cool—everyone in school loves him. I could see him being a real, actual prince. Actually, he might really be royalty… I'm not sure."

"Possibly," Edel mused. "Although all of the old noble families have either died out or lost all power by now."

Duck shook her head, trying to get back on track. "Anyway, I—," she stopped, digging around in the pocket of her uniform. "I have something else to show you."

She held out Odette's pokéball. "The monster came again, right after I started school. He gave me this."

She thumbed the catch, and Odette appeared gracefully beside her chair.

Duck? Why did you summon me? Odette asked, confused. Then she saw Edel, and fell silent.

The air was suddenly tense, and Duck glanced bewildered between them.

"So you're another gift from Drosselmeyer," Edel said quietly, studying Odette with worried eyes.

"Drosselmeyer?" Duck echoed, confused.

"The monster." Her brow creased, and Duck recognized the expression—it was the look she'd had when they arrived on her doorstep last night.

What could make Edel—the most steadfast grownup she knew—look so apprehensive? Just thinking about it made her uneasy.

I suppose "gift" would be an appropriate term, though I do not like it, Odette said, breaking the silence.

Duck could tell from the look on Edel's face that she'd heard her too.

"She's the reason I was turned into a human," Duck said, trying to ease the tension. "Odette senses the heart shards, and then we fuse into Princess Tutu, and then she's super powerful—Princess Tutu, I mean, but Odette is too—and she can defeat anyone who's got a heart shard, even though it makes pokémon like, crazy strong!"

"'Heart shards'?"

"Yeah. They're little chunks of this gemstone that belong to Mytho—to the prince. I'm not sure if they're actually his physical heart or what, but this girl Anterina from school used it and it made her heatmor get really strong. After she gave it to Princess Tutu it calmed down, though."

Edel would have been intrigued by Duck's use of pronouns if she hadn't realized just what Duck was describing.

"You mean the Heart is real?" Edel stared off into space a moment, stunned, then immediately tried to recall what she knew about it. "And it's in pieces?"

"Real? What do you mean?"

"There's a legend—well, more like a myth, really—about a jewel that could boost a pokémon's stats exponentially in battle, almost like a key stone for mega evolution. According to the legend, it could make even a simple magikarp into a formidable opponent. But it disappeared more than a century ago, and eventually people stopped believing it was real. It was called the Heart of Kings."

Odette's voice broke the silence once again.

I can assure you, the Heart is real. I was there for its creation.

Edel had to stop herself from gaping, even as she began to piece a theory together. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.

"That's… What else do you know about it? Is it really as powerful as the legends say?" She was eager to grill Odette for more, but Duck quickly stepped in.

"U-uh, that won't really help," she said. "Odette's memory isn't very good right now."

Odette inclined her head in apology.

I am sorry I cannot be of more help. All I can remember is what I—we—have to do.

"It's all right," said Edel. "Just keep Duck safe."

Of course. She turned to Duck. I think I should rest now.

There was another silence once Odette returned to her pokéball, but try as she might Duck was unsure how to break it. It seemed that Edel sensed it too, and thankfully she had an idea in mind already—she headed into bedroom to find something, already talking as she went.

"That reminds me, Duck—have you battled with Fritz yet?"

"Uh… Kinda. It didn't go well."

Edel reappeared from behind her bedroom door, holding something small and red.

It wasn't until Edel had handed it over that Duck realized what it was: a pokedex (a small, slightly outdated model, but it wasn't like Duck could tell).

"This should help, at least a little."

Duck's mouth opened in a little excited circle as she turned the pokedex over and over in her hands and inspected it from every angle.

"Oh, thank you, Ms. Edel!"

She found the power button, grinning a little as the machine sputtered to life.

"But… I haven't caught any pokémon," she said, and turned it back off. "And I doubt I'd be very good at it."

Edel waved her hand, dismissing the idea.

"Oh, I wouldn't ask you to try and catch all of them. That would be ridiculous. This is already registered for almost all of the pokémon you'd encounter in this region—equipped with each species' stats and type. I suggest you study as much of it as you can before you start battling with Fritz."

That thought reminded her—the school-wide tournament started today.

Hastily, she stood, looking in alarm at the clock above the fireplace. It was half past six already. She did a rough mental calculation of how long it would take to get back to town, and the result made her groan in frustration.

"Oh, darn it! Sorry, Ms. Edel, we gotta go right now!"

The early morning sunlight shone brightly, catching on anything and everything and turning the school grounds into a blinding mass of light. It pained Rue to look at it for too long—she'd always been sensitive to light, and the early morning reflections were the harshest.

It did make her look great, though. So the morning had its perks.

"Rue!" A familiar voice called her name, and she turned. What was it now?

Surprisingly, it was Anterina, doubled over and panting a little, as if she'd run all the way across campus. Rue hadn't expected to even see her again after yesterday—usually Anterina skulked after being scolded by Mr. Katze and skipped class.

She looked determined. Had she come for another battle?

"What is it? I haven't got all day." Class was going to start soon.

"I've come to apologize," Anterina said, straightening.

Rue blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected anything like this today. Of course, she deserved an apology after the drama Anterina had caused. But she hadn't thought it would ever happen.

"Oh?"

"It was wrong of me to try and break up you and Mytho, and to use him to battle you like that. And it—it was wrong of me to hate you. I'm sorry."

Rue stared, face carefully expressionless. "I see. Thank you for the apology." She knew the words came out a little terse, but what was she to do? She'd thought Anterina would only apologize if forced by Mr. Katze—not that she'd willingly walk up to her and do it. While looking her in the eye, no less.

Either Anterina didn't notice her forced tone, or she just didn't care. Either way she smiled in relief, standing tall. "Thank you, Rue. See you later?"

But Rue had already turned away.

Mytho sat in the gardens alone for the second time in as many days, and he felt absolutely miserable. After their conversation last night, Fakir had returned with the bad news—they still had no idea who was collecting the Heart, or who could possibly have the pieces. The only clue they had was that it was a girl, maybe someone around their age. Other than that, they knew nothing.

And here he was, without even Rue to comfort and distract him from this new reality… but she was probably still mad about the battle. He would have to find her later and explain.

Not a conversation to look forward to, no matter how much they needed it.

But, no. What made him the most miserable, what baffled and bemused him to the point of exhaustion was the fact that for the first time in years he didn't feel quite as empty. It scared him, knowing that even after all this time, the Heart still felt like a piece of himself, still had some hold on his soul. How could it calm him like this just to have it in his pocket once again—and with only a piece of it, at that?

He didn't physically feel any better, not really—he'd always had the aches and pains, the occasional bout of nausea. It was just something he'd come to live with (and worrying about it had only ever made it worse, so he gave up on it a long time ago). Being sickly wasn't his issue here.

No, the Heart had an emotional effect on him. It felt right in his palm, and that terrified him.

He'd smashed that thing years ago. He'd been free of it, free of guarding this monstrous magnet of greed that had only brought his family and countless others misery and tragedy. It was supposed to have left his life forever. His and Fakir's and Rue's and everyone else's.

But here it was. It was back, and it was once again threatening to overshadow the happy life he'd made for himself in Kinkan.

As he mulled these thoughts over, another worry emerged, and this one scared him even more.

Once the Heart was back completely…

Could he make himself destroy it again?

The shard sat in his palm, heavy and uncaring.

It was a marvelously sunny day, all clear blue skies and warmth, but Duck was too exhausted to enjoy any of it. She and Fritz had run almost all the way back from Edel's cottage (they wouldn't have had to run had they not been stopped by the gatekeeper), and with that added to the excitement of the previous day, Duck all but forced herself to go to class.

And even when she got there, she found it nearly impossible not to fall asleep. She desperately enlisted Pique and Lilie's help in keeping her awake, with mixed results.

"Should I poke you or something?" Pique asked, noting the dark circles under Duck's eyes.

"Oh, but Duck's so cute when she's sleeping through class!" Lilie cooed in protest. "And the look Mr. Katze gives her when she's caught is just sublime."

"Yeah, just a poke or something to wake me up," Duck said. "And I can't sleep through class, especially not on the day of the tournament." She paused. "That is today, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Pique replied. "Hey, why were you up so late last night anyway? Didn't you get any sleep?"

"I just… I had a lot on my mind last night." Again, a (rather large) part of her wanted to tell them everything, to get their feedback on the situation, but Drosselmeyer's warning weighed heavy on her mind, and she kept silent.

Lilie grinned conspiratorially and leaned in close. "Thinking about Mytho, are we?"

Duck had never been so grateful to hear Mr. Katze begin a lecture as she was right then.

After lunch, the entire student body was herded into the courtyard, which had been set up with a short wooden stage. On this stage was an equally short, pear-shaped woman Duck had never seen before.

"That's Headmistress Ebner," Pique whispered to Duck as an assistant handed the woman a microphone.

"Hello, students!" the Headmistress began. "It's my honor and joy to welcome you to the opening ceremony of our 45th annual school-wide tournament!"

The crowd of students gave a round of applause ranging from begrudging politeness to emphatic enthusiasm. Pique and Lilie were on the more energetic end of the spectrum. They'd been looking forward to this for months.

Duck caught sight of Mytho and Rue in the crowd, clapping politely. She wondered if they had patched things up—she'd seen the way Mytho's face fell after the battle in class yesterday. If only she could become Princess Tutu right now and soothe his heart like she had Anterina's. A little ways off from the pair was Fakir, arms folded.

The headmistress went on to explain the rules, and Duck did her best to try and listen. There apparently were three categories—single, double, and contests—and students could only sign up for one category each (the categories had their own rules as to how many pokémon per trainer could compete). The categories were then divided by grade level, so that the more inexperienced younger students would have a better chance. At the end of the tournament, the best trainers from each grade would compete to win the title for the entire school in their category.

"I'm sure you all know by now that you will get extra credit in your Pokémon Studies classes for participating—but as further incentive, here's a look at what the medal winners will receive!"

The assistant gestured to a table on the side of the stage, which held more than a dozen baskets of varying shapes and sizes. The smallest were a few inches tall and held only one or two items, while the biggest was almost a foot in every dimension, and stuffed to overflowing.

"Thanks to the local businesses that are sponsoring the event, we've been able to select the finest prizes to distribute this year. I hope you're all prepared for what will surely be a terribly exciting tournament!"

Headmistress Ebner's face was jubilant as she spoke, and Duck found it hard to not smile along with her.

"Once you've signed up, we will give you one more night to prepare and train. The first battles will begin tomorrow, starting with the lower grades levels. Now, go forth and sign up!" she urged, gesturing for them to turn and walk to the sign-up tables behind them.

Sign-ups went fairly quickly, as most of the students already had an idea of what they wanted from the tournament. Duck decided on impulse to try single battle, since it would mean only one opponent instead of two. Single battles allowed only one pokémon per trainer, too, and since she couldn't let people see Odette that would probably be the only way she could battle at all. Still, she glanced at the other rules before she signed her name.

The double battle category looked like fun—it allowed for either two trainers as a team with one pokémon each, or one single trainer with two pokémon. Pique and Lilie were planning on the former approach (they had told her while they made her promise to cheer for them, to which she agreed). She wondered what category Mytho would pick, if he did any at all. He probably didn't need the extra credit.

She caught sight of a dark head of curls in her peripheral, and she turned to find Rue leaving the sign-up station. Duck hurried to get her attention before she walked away, dropping her pen haphazardly on the table.

"Hey, Rue!"

Rue turned and took a second, trying to recall her name. "Yes, Duck?" She didn't frown, so Rue figured she'd guessed correctly.

"Thank you for picking me as your partner yesterday. I really needed the battling practice."

She had that right, although Rue was far too polite to agree with her.

"You're welcome."

"So you signed up too, huh? What category did you pick?"

Rue blinked in mild surprise for the second time that day. Why was this girl chatting so easily with her? It had just been a dance, not an invitation to friendship. Oh well. She couldn't really bring herself to be rude to someone smiling so brightly.

"I'm a coordinator," she said. "I'm doing the contest portion."

"Oh, that's so cool," Duck breathed in awe. "I'm doing the single battle myself. Is it all right if I watch your performance?"

Rue nodded. "It's fine. I don't mind an audience."

"Cool!" Duck grinned. "Well, I'll see you later then!"

She waved a little goodbye and turned to go back to the dorms, leaving Rue to wonder what exactly she had agreed to.

It wasn't until Mytho was almost to the dormitory buildings that evening that he saw Rue. In fact, given how dark it had gotten and how deep in thought he was about the shard in his pocket, it was a miracle he saw her at all.

But she saw him.

"Mytho," she said from beside him. Her voice was measured, carefully haughty. Funny how many emotions she could fit into only his name.

"Rue," he said, startled, and turned to look her in the face. "I didn't think you'd want to talk to me."

She returned his gaze, her arms folded in a way that said he was on thin ice. "It depends on what you want to talk about."

Mytho sighed. He deserved a little ice after the previous day. Rue would let up after a little while anyway, and then things would go back to normal.

"You know I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry," he said. And he meant it, and she knew it. "I just thought I was helping a classmate with her grades. I didn't know she'd spread rumors that we'd broken up. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." Her voice retained a bit of its haughtiness, but the hesitation in her eyes betrayed her sincerity. (Was it possible that she'd believed those rumors? He didn't think so, but Rue wasn't one to say much about her feelings.)

He sighed again, this time in relief.

It was good to know that at least this part of his life was reliable.

Duck was surprised when Adelaide stopped her and Fritz at the entrance to the girls' dorms.

"Yes?" she said nervously, clutching her hands together.

"Duck, can you step into my office, please?" The look on her face made Duck gulp in apprehension (had she done something wrong?), but she followed nonetheless.

Adelaide's "office" was actually the supply closet behind her desk. The three of them just barely fit (it was a large closet, thankfully). Duck instinctively suppressed her urge to ask why Adelaide didn't have an actual office.

Adelaide looked at her grimly, her usual bubbly smile gone. "Well, Duck, I believe I told you what my job is around here, right?"

"Uh, yes?" Duck answered. "You're the matron."

"Yes. I am," she said firmly. "And my job is to make sure you girls are where you're supposed to be at all times. All of you."

Duck gulped again, getting an idea of what this was about.

Adelaide held up a clipboard. "Duck, you weren't in your dorm last night. Your student ID wasn't even swiped at the front desk—last night or this morning."

Oh, this wasn't good.

"Where were you last night, Duck?" Adelaide asked quietly, folding her arms.

Duck's mind raced to think of an appropriate answer. "W-well, I didn't mean to not come back to the dorms," she stammered, holding her hands up defensively. "I just went to go check up on Fritz in the infirmary, and then we went to go meet my friend outside of town—I needed Ms. Edel's help on, uh, a school project."

Adelaide's brows rose. "You know Professor Edel?" she asked dubiously.

Duck nodded.

"By the time we finished it was really late, so we ended up sleeping over. I came right back to school in the morning, though!" she added.

Fritz nodded as well, trying to back her up.

Adelaide sighed.

"Fine. But this is your warning, Duck. If I find you lied to me, or if I find you've left your dorms at night again, there will be consequences."

Duck nodded again. "Of course. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Adelaide opened the closet door, and finally Duck was able to escape to her room.

She took a little time before bed to inspect her new pokédex. As Edel had said, the regional section pokédex was almost completely filled out, with only a few entries left empty (and the majority of those empty slots were those of legendary and mythical pokémon, which Duck was highly unlikely to encounter). Duck spent her free time that afternoon scrolling through the entries, textbook open to a type chart right beside her, paying close attention to those with type advantages against psyducks. Thankfully, water types only defensive dangers were grass and electric types, so as long as they avoided those moves he should at least come out okay.

She wasn't sure if her studying was going to help them actually win any matches, but she could at least do her best to keep him from fainting again. When she voiced this to Fritz, though, he became annoyed.

"I can do it," he said grouchily.

"That's not what I meant," she amended, "I know you can. I just don't know if I can. I'm a pokémon. I don't know if I should be doing this whole trainer thing."

Fritz sighed, and Duck dutifully returned to her studying. She just hoped she did Fritz justice as a trainer tomorrow. She certainly could use the extra credit.

When Rue returned to her room that evening, she found a folded card placed neatly atop her pillow, waiting for her.

The emblem on the front was unmistakable—a stylized honchkrow holding a bloody dagger in its beak. She opened it with trembling hands and scanned it quickly.

The note had only one sentence, written in staunch black ink:

11:30 PM, in the back gardens. Don't be late.