A/N: After publishing Every Puzzle Has an Answer Dance, I got a few requests to make a sort of mini series about some of the unusual aspects of the games, such as picarats, which is what this story is about. I had fun writing this at 11:00 at night, and I hope you have fun reading it at a relatively decent hour in the day.

...Or not. Do whatever makes you happy.

Enjoy!

Luke Triton, like most eight year old boys, was not a morning person. Professor Layton, like some thirty-four-year-old men, was. Although Luke could not understand what possessed his new mentor to get up so early, he let the man go about his routine as usual, and assumed he would be allowed to do the same.

Which is why when he heard a knocking at his door and saw that it was only 5:30 in the morning, he assumed it was only a dream...

Which is why he was so suprised when the lights in his room were turned on to reveal Profesor Layton (already dressed and in his top hat, no less) standing in his doorframe and saying, "Good morning, my boy!"

I took Luke's groggy mind a second to remember how to form a coherent sentence. "Unnngghhh, Professor...it's early..."

"Yes it is! I always feel an early start makes for more time to be productive throughout the day. And since you're to be my apprentice, I have decided today at this moment is an excellent time to start training you to solve puzzles!"

Luke honestly was waiting for this speech to be accompanied with some sort of flashy jazz routine. He couldn't remember seeing the man in such a lively state. Then again, he had only been staying with him for a month. Hopefully this was just a one time thing.

Still remembering how to form normal words, Luke managed to slur out something along the lines of, "Haha, that's...a good one Profess..." He yawned before he was finished, ending the word "professor" with a sort of "aaaaaahhhhhhh".

"Oho, but this is no joke, my boy!" Luke didn't actually believe him until he felt the sheets he had been burrowed under lift up, exposing his onesie clad young figure to the harsh environment of the mildly cool, about 72 degree flat.

Now Luke was up and annoyed. "Professor!" He exclaimed, trying to sound as stern as his pre-pubescent voice allowed.

"See? Now you're up and ready to take on the puzzles of the day!" PLayton tipped his top hat. "Go ahead and get ready, and then meet me in the kitchen so we can get started! You have much to learn, my boy."

Luke contemplated diving back under the covers, but decided against it. It seemed like there was no trying to persuade the man to allow him extra time to sleep in. With a heavy sigh, Luke bid a heartbreaking farewell to his bed and made the long trek to the kitchen from his bedroom, not bothering to get dressed.

Luke found his mentor sitting patiently at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea. "Ah...Luke you're still in your pajamas."

"Professor, I'm allowing you to teach me at an extremely ungodly hour in the morning. Let me have this one."

The man smirked and adjusted his top hat. "Fair enough, my boy. Now! What do you know about puzzles?"

Luke thought for a moment. "Umm...they create a pictures and usually have at least one hundred pieces." The young boy was mainly thinking of a teddy bear puzzle he had enjoyed putting together that was now sitting on the bookshelf in his room back in Misthallery. The bears were drinking tea which Luke thought was hilarious, and to top it all off one had a bow tie. He missed that puzzle...

His answer earned him a chuckle. "Oho! That is a jigsaw puzzle you're thinking of. While that is a very good example of a puzzle, it's not a puzzle." He stood up and disappeared into the living room, emerging a few moments later holding a large book. The cover was worn, the page edges were frayed, and the spine was cracking, which gave it the look of an ancient relic. "This is my puzzle book, and you are to learn from it just as I learned from it and my own mentor learned from it."

Luke wasn't sure if he could handle such a sacred item, but accepted it nontheless. "Thank you, I'll try to keep it safe!"

"Now, my boy, open up the first page and read."

Luke obliged. "Throughout the ages—"

"THROUGHOUT THE AGES, yes, yes, very good. Throughout the ages puzzle solving has been acknowledged as a prestigious art form. Only the sharpest and most committed of people can claim it as a skill, and only a select few within this group can claim to be puzzle masters."

"That's...exactly what it says on this page. Nice job, Professor." Luke gave an impressed nod.

"My boy," Layton began, closing his eyes and speaking as though he was delivering a sermon, "as my apprentice, it is my duty to turn you into a puzzle solving master. Are you ready for the challenge?"

Luke was beginning to feel more awake, but now in a good way. "I'm ready!"

"Splendid!" the man clapped his hands together excitedly. "Now, Luke, are you familiar with the word picarats at all?"

"I can't say that I am, why?" Luke was curious. Was this some sort of code for puzzle solvers?

"Page two hundred and five, if you will."

Luke turned to the page and found images of numbers. "I'm guessing picarats are part of a numerical system?"

He was positive his mentor's eyes gave a sparkle at this question. "My boy, picarats are the numerical system of the puzzle solving world. Think of them as points, if you will. The more you receive, the more prizes you can obtain."

"...Really? That sounds like it belongs in a video game or something."

"Oho, that was merely a hypothetical example. The only prize you receive is the prize of accomplishment and knowledge. But that's a level-five idea, my boy, you should pitch it once you get older."

"Don't you mean five star idea?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Do don't know what came mover me just then."

"...Uh-huh. It is a pretty neat idea though. Maybe I should pitch it."

"And with picarats to prove your intelligence, you can!" Layton grinned.

Luke was now fully intrigued. "So how do picarats work? You solve a puzzle and they appear?"

"Sort of. You see, my boy, every puzzle you come across with is worth a certain amount of picarats. The higher the picarat count, the more difficult the puzzle will be. The difficulty typically ranges from ten to ninety."

Luke's eyes grew wide. "Are there any puzzles higher than a ninety, Professor?"

The man closed his eyes and clutched the rim of his hat as he whispered, "Only the puzzle of life, my boy, only the puzzle of life."

Luke felt enlightened by this information. "So once you solve a puzzle, you get the picarats? That's easy enough!"

"Ah! But wait, there's more to it than that!" Layton pointed a finger at his apprentice and continued. "You see, if you solve a puzzle correctly the first time, you will receive all the picarats being offered. However! Should you get the answer wrong...well, why don't we try a puzzle first?"

Although he wanted to know what happened, Luke was eager to solve a puzzle and get his first picarats.

"Now then, this puzzle is worth twenty picarats: A man has an oil lamp, a bathtub, and a fireplace. He only has a single match left to light all three items with. What should he light first?"

Luke smirked. This was the easiest puzzle ever! He confidently looked his mentor in the eye and said, "The lantern."

Layton tipped his top hat. "Well, we'll work on your puzzle solving form, because it's lacking style. As for your answer...incorrect. I'm afraid I'll have to take five picarats, my boy."

Luke felt as though a small piece of his soul had just been ripped from his body. What...could it...was it possible for the precious and coveted picarats to be taken away? "What do you mean lose?!"

His mentor chuckled darkly. "Well, when you answer a puzzle incorrectly, my boy, the picarat number decreases. You have to answer very carefully because of this. We believe this rule was set in place for the puzzle asker to somewhat shame the person they were giving the puzzle to for wasting their time with wrong answers. It's just a bit humiliating, is it not?"

Luke couldn't believe this. "Can I get them back?"

"No."

"But..."

"No negotiations, my boy. It's been like this ever since the dawn of puzzle solving."

"I...aw." Luke felt like he had failed both his mentor and himself. He had lost picarats on what was supposed to be a simple puzzle. Suddenly he felt the presence of a new pressure that had been placed on his shoulders. He had to overcome this. "I would like to try again."

"Very well, my boy. Think carefully this time."

Luke closed his eyes. There was a lamp, bath, and fireplace. He had one match to light them all with. He had to get it right this time. He focused in on every possibility, slowly ruling out solutions until...but of course! How had he not realized before? "You light the match first, Professor!"

Layton nodded. "Correct! Excellent job, my boy! I award you fifteen picarats!"

"It almost feels like a total success!" Luke exclaimed, gleeful at this huge accomplishment. Even if he had lost some picarats, he had still gained in the end. Not only picarats, but a sense of superiority to the other eight year old boys of the world.

There was a long period of content silence. Layton sipped his tea, and Luke sat with a smile on his face and went over this new information in his head.

Then Luke realized something, something he wished he had realized the second Layton had brought up picarats. The thought made him wish he had never gotten up in the first place.

"Professor?"

"Yes, my boy?"

"Now what?"

Layton drained the last of his tea and placed the empty cup back into the saucer. "Now, my boy, you go and record your accomplishment, because otherwise you'll never be able to keep track of your picarat score."

Luke nodded. "So these picarats only really mean anything to puzzle solvers?"

"Yes. To everyone else, they don't matter much. And there are only so many puzzle solvers and even fewer puzzle masters in the world."

"So picarats are virtually worthless?" Luke asked, his smile still stretched wide across his face.

"They are indeed."

That was all Luke needed to hear. He got up, pushed in his chair and nodded to his mentor. "I'm going back to bed."

"Go ahead, my boy. Just know: fifteen picarats only buy you fifteen minutes of sleep."

Luke gave him a blank stare. "But...you just confirmed they're worthless."

"No to me, my boy," Layton said as he got up to pour himself more tea and pull Luke's chair back out, "not to me."

A/N: I honestly never really got how you would save picarats in the real world, so that was always a mystery. Picarats. What strange things...

Oh, and I hope y'all enjoyed that little crack at the fourth wall. Just my attempt to be funny.

Well, that's all for now my magical starfish. There will be more to come in this mini series that I should really come up with a name for.

Reviews are very much appreciated. I love hearing your thoughts!

Until next time,

-Lizz