The R.E.D. Academy homeroom was buzzing with conversation, everyone bursting with anticipation from the first real day of school. While a few of the students were already acquainted about a week prior, several among them were seeing each other for the very first time.

Headmaster Zephyr could hardly hide his own excitement. The Flygon's wings buzzed at double-time as he hovered by the teacher's desk. "Attention! Attention, everyone!" The Headmaster clapped his hands together as he finally shouted over the noise, but the energized chatter did not cease. Zephyr couldn't even be mad at the class– such chit-chat was warranted, and it was fun seeing everyone be so rowdy. "Your attention– Please!" He called once again, but still had no luck at turning any heads.

Zephyr giggled to himself, knowing exactly what needed to be done to get the young Pokémon to listen to him. The Flygon flew upwards and into a spin, performing a dazzling display of draconic energy, aura circling his body as he moved. The students were impressed into silence by the Headmaster's Dragon Dance.

"Haha! There we go," Zephyr said as he lowered closer to the ground. "It's great to see everyone so jazzed, but let's not get carried away by all our thrills and chills– hmm?" He glanced over the entire class, still unable to wipe the smile from his face."There is a lot we need to get done on our first day, and I'm certain my staff would prefer it if we stay on schedule."

Zephyr's tail swayed back and forth as he grabbed a large stack of scrolls off the desk. "Those of you who have only recently arrived at the academy… Welcome! I hope everyone who got here early helped you get settled in. Finding your rooms was hopefully simple enough, but I'm sure you were rushed out before being able to unpack! Don't fret, though. You'll have plenty of time before lights-out to deal with your belongings!" The Headmaster hovered once again to hand out the rolled up papers with ease.

"The ancient castle Red is situated inside creates a fairly large campus, so I understand if you're feeling a bit intimidated. But, worry not! For the first week of classes, you will be escorted around the grounds at all times. This should give you plenty of time to get familiar with both the castle and your classmates! Just in case, though…" Zephyr placed the final paper on the last of the desks. "My lovely secretary, Miss Adeline, has generously produced maps of Red Academy for each of you! Please don't lose them!"

As everyone checked out their gifted maps, Zephyr flew back to the front of the class. "Just like our Wonderific-Wonder maps while exploring Mystery Dungeons, these maps show your personal location at any given time. If any of you ever form or join Teams, then it will display the locations of your partners as well. Pretty neat, right?"

A few Pokémon muttered amongst themselves, one of them being inclined to raise a hand. Zephyr looked over at them, tilting his head curiously. "Yes?"

The whole class was now looking at their fellow student, a Porygon who was shuffling awkwardly thanks to everyone's stares. "I don't mean to sound suspicious of your intentions, Guildmaster Zephyr– sir. However, there isn't perhaps a map that shows you or any other member of the staff all our locations… is there?"

"Now, why would you ask something like that?..." Zephyr frowned, then shook his head. "No. As much as it would have some serious security benefits, I value your privacy. I also trust you all not to be up to anything mischievous in the middle of the night!" The Flygon gave his student a reassuring smile, and that seemed to calm the Porygon enough to get him settled back in his seat. "Any more questions about the maps?"

The silence answered Zephyr's question perfectly, and so the Headmaster continued on. "As each of you should know, this school prides itself in Mystery Dungeon based studies. During your first semester, you will all run through a general studies program to learn the basics of Rescue, Exploration, and Defense. Any good Dungeoneering Team dabbles in all three, but after the first semester, you will all be expected to choose a specialty. Each branch of Mystery Dungeoneering will be taught by a specific instructor, of whom I have personally hand selected, just as I did with you all! Which reminds me…" Zephyr smirked, playing as if he had actually forgotten. "Who's ready to meet your instructors?"

Obeying her que, the classroom door was swung open by Rosaline. The Gallade smiled at everyone as she made her way to the front of the room, and positioned herself at attention for a heartbeat as everyone's eyes were on her. "Good morning, children. My name is Captain Rosaline. Those of you who live in or around the capital might know of me already. I'm–"

"Captain of the Royal Guard! The Knights of Silver!" A Charcadet practically leaped out of his seat as the captain spoke. "Rosaline! Ma'am!" He stood next to his desk and gave a salute. "My name is Sabre, Ma'am. I'm Épée's little brother!"

"Oh?" Rosaline gave the Charcadet a small smile. "Épée is one of my best. I expect great things from you, Sabre."

Sabre, who was clearly struggling to compose himself, happily saluted at his older brother's commander before sitting back down. "Thank you, Captain!"

Rosaline resisted her urge to giggle as she turned her head back towards the rest of the class. "I'm going to be your combat instructor, which means all of you will be taught by me no matter which branch you feel inclined towards. It doesn't matter what you wish to specialize in; you will always need to know how to fight." The Gallade bowed her head while resting a hand on her chest. "I'll do everything I can to shape you into your best selves."

After a short pause, the next instructor made their way into the room. A handful of students gasped as they entered, and there was a faint murmuring over the whole class. The Luxray's right ear flicked as he picked up on all their rumor spouting and speculation. "Hmm, I see my reputation precedes me. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Yes, you would be correct," He eyed Melrose specifically– and the Pikachu's face lit up from being called out so sternly. "My name is Lucien, and I will be your exploration instructor."

"I knew it!" Melrose burst out despite still being flustered. She turned to Icarus next to her, "Lucien is a Legendary Explorer! He's the one and only Pokémon to make it to the top of Celestial Summit!" The Pikachu's voice was hushed, as if she was trying to whisper, though that didn't stop the entire class from being able to hear her. Icarus gave Melrose an agitated growl, but she paid little mind to it.

"Now please, don't think of me as a celebrity. At R.E.D. Academy, I am merely your teacher." The explorer's voice was smooth; although rather young, he sounded aged by his experience. "I may have accumulated a great deal of fame from my adventures, but I do hope that isn't the reason you all wish to traverse Mystery Dungeons."

Before anyone could comment on their personal motivations, the next Pokémon made their way into the room. An elderly Stoutland with graying fur around his muzzle and belly trotted his merry way to the front of the class to join his fellow instructors. Unlike the other two, the Stoutland didn't create a massive fuss from the students. "Oi you lot, the name's Bernard. I specialize in Search and Rescue. Bah! I bet you can guess what I'll be teachin' then, hmm?" The old timer let out a hearty laugh, which made Zephyr and Rosaline both smile.

"It's pretty unlikely that any of you have heard of Mr. Bernard, but I can assure you he is just as legendary as your other instructors!" Zephyr's tail flicked excitedly. "In fact, he saved two novice explorers many, many years ago from a wicked avalanche! The two of them would have surely DIED if the Great Rescuer hadn't arrived in the nick of time!" The Headmaster pumped his fists excitedly. "It was all over the news back then, you know!"

"Ha! Don't gas me up too much, kiddo." Bernard laughed at the Flygon. "I only knew to make my way there 'cause everyone in town was gossiping aboutta Dragon/Ground and a Grass/Flying type trying to take on Frozen Ascent."

Zephyr blushed and rubbed the back of his head…

"Still, I'm glad yer ol' Headmaster asked me to teach you youngsters. I bet each and every one of your bottoms I can show you how important rescue missions are."

Zephyr composed himself as Bernard finished his introduction, and cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention again. "Last, but not least, we have–"

The final instructor couldn't wait a second longer. The Pokémon charged into the room with an Aqua Jet, sprinkling the front row of students with a heavy mist. They upstaged the rest of the instructors with the bright glow of the horn atop its head, and he cocked his head up with a smile as everyone's eyes were now on him. A few students had their jaws dropping to the floor once they had realized who exactly this was. Everyone was star struck, even those among them who wouldn't usually be caught up in idolizing other Pokémon. The instructor stuck a pose, one that put all of Owin's to shame. "Greetings, Red Academy!"

"No… way." Xavian spoke, "Y-you're the Mythical Pokémon Keldeo! The fourth member of the Swords of Justice!" The Axew spat out.

"Haha! That's right!" The Keldeo flipped his mane as he adjusted his pose. "My name is D'artagnan! If that's too much of a mouthful, Keldeo is just fine!" He settled out of his dazzling display. "I will be your Defence teacher. I'm gonna show you all how to stop bad Pokémon like it's nothing! Hya!" Keldeo kicked the air, almost hitting the very disgruntled Luxray next to him in the face.

Zephyr waited for the students to finish gawking at Keldeo before gesturing towards himself. "Students who can't decide or don't wish to specialize will be placed in continued General Studies, with me!" Zephyr beamed brightly at the class. "But, don't worry about that now. You all have plenty of time to decide, and I won't be too lonely if I go another year without a General Studies class. Instructors– you're excused!"

Each of the teachers left the room in an orderly fashion, exiting in reverse order to which they were introduced. Since Rosaline was last, she closed the door on her way out.

"Now then… onto our next order of business!"

The first day at R.E.D. Academy was typical going forwards. After Headmaster Zephyr finished giving a broad summary of their curriculum, the students were given a tour around campus by both the Headmaster and Adeline. Zephyr's enthusiasm kept the group engaged, but Adeline helped maintain focus– giving intel on specific locations on the castle grounds that would matter to new students. The smarter Pokémon of the class would be watching their maps as they strolled the facilities, while others continued to chat amongst themselves.

"I don't know about you guys… but I'm stuffed!" A Minccino held onto her belly as everyone returned to the student common room. "I haven't eaten like that in… Actually, I don't think I've ever eaten like that! Will every meal at the Academy be like that one?"

"The chef easily made enough dinner for twice the amount of Pokémon we have at the facility." The Porygon stated it as if it was an exaggeration, but had actually run the calculation for it in his head. "I suspect the rather rotund chef prefers to consume all our leftovers. It's typical of Snorlax to eat more than what was even served to us."

"A meal like that makes me sleepy…" The Minccino patted her stomach and giggled. "I'm feeling ever so inclined to hit the hay early."

"Wait!" Melrose shouted, "You can't turn in now! We all need to properly introduce ourselves!"

A few members of the group started to complain, but it was a Roselia who would speak above all of them. "I say, that's a magnificent idea! With all this talking about the school, we've hardly learned a thing about one another."

Everyone still hesitated, so Melrose ran to the center of their living space and sparked with joy. "I'll go first, then!" With no complaints loud enough to stop her, Melrose hopped up onto the coffee table to give her introduction. "So! My name is Melrose. I spent my whole life on my Father's farm, and this is my first real time being in the capital while being old enough to remember!"

A blue Frilish who was floating closer to the back of the room squinted at the overexcited Pikachu. "Hmph, a farm? How… charming."

"Not just any ol' farm!" Melrose's cheeks sparked. She was already prepared for this sort of reaction thanks to Icarus's first impression of her, but it still got her fired up. "I'll have you know I was raised in Happy Apple Farm."

"Wait, really?" The Minccino tilted her head. "Don't most explorers get their supply from Happy Apple? That's some pretty prestigious growers, right there." Despite Melrose's credentials, the Frilish still looked unconvinced. So, the Minccino continued, "Pretty sure if it weren't for farms like that, we wouldn't be able to supply adequate amounts of food for explorations. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from her?"

With both rodent Pokémon now giving him cocky looks, the Frilish turned his head away and crossed his tendrils like arms. "Whatever."

Since no one was jumping up at the opportunity to go next, Sabre marched over to Melrose and tried to stand proudly. Melrose understood this as him taking his turn, and she jumped off the table to allow him center stage. "You probably all remember my introduction to Captain Roseline–"

"Hmph, how could we not." The same Frilish grumbled to himself, and Icarus laughed.

"But, like I said before, my name is Sabre. I live just outside of Constella's walls with my family. We actually all moved when my big brother started his knight training, that way we could still see and support him in person!"

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Melrose chimed in. "I bet your folks are real proud that you're in the Academy!"

Sabre nodded his head, "My mother was thrilled. Épée visited when we got the good news about it– we had a party, and everything."

Icarus cleared his throat. "If we continue to give personal anecdotes, this is going to take forever."

"Aww, c'mon you grouch! Where's all the fun in just saying our names?" Melrose giggled at the Tyrunt, but the Prince kept a very stern look. Sabre was already dejectedly walking away from the middle of the room, obeying Icarus's notion to get things moving. No longer amused, Melrose shot a dirty look back at the Tyrunt as her cheeks sparked. Icarus just rolled his eyes.

"I suppose I shall take my turn now." The Frilish didn't budge from his spot in the room, instead calling for everyone to turn around towards him. The ghostly jellyfish caught their attention by clearing his throat loudly and floating a bit higher up into the air. "I am Duke Neptune Atlantis, of House Atlantis. It's a pleasure to make some of your acquaintances."

"I didn't want to assume, but I thought you might be Lord Odyssey's son." Xavian bowed their head towards him. "We met once before, I believe. However, we were both very little."

"Oh? Then, you must be Lefevre?" Neptune smiled, and for the first time it was fairly genuine. "Your name… I could have sworn that I knew it."

"It's Xavian." The Roselia spoke up. "Haha! Why don't we make a whole union of us blue-bloods then, hmm?"

Xavian recoiled before giving the Roselia a glare. "F… Florence." They spoke as if uttering his name would curse them for an eternity.

"Oui? What is it, ma flamme?" The Roselia spun, and bright leaves fluttered around him. "It's been such a long time since we've seen one another, let me flaunt what I know about my beloved! And, whatever happened to your little nickname for me?"

Xavian turned their head away, "Arceus, help me…"

"To everyone else, I am Florence Virion, of House Virion– bien sûr!"

"And, If you haven't already put it together…" The blushing Axew lifted their face back up. "I'm Xavian Lefevre, of House Lefevre. It's very nice to meet you all."

Neptune floated back down closer to the ground. "Ah, but we are missing one beloved Noble of Adstrum, are we not?" He lifted a tentacle to point at Icarus, but was interrupted by a Buisel jumping up onto the table just like Melrose had. The frown on his face grew once more.

"My name is Delta!" The Buisel put her hands beside her body, standing at attention whilst perched atop the furniture. "It's an honor to be here with you, milords! I will do my best to protect you! That's a promise!" She gave a salute.

A Flechinder laughed to himself, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "What are you, like, a member of the army or something?"

"My Father is a part of the Marine division of the army, yes sir!" Her military act faltered a bit as she looked down at the bird Pokémon. "How'd you know that?"

The Flechinder gave her an unamused glance. "Lucky guess."

Owin, now thrilled by the energy these other Pokémon were bringing, joined Delta by leaping across one of the couches and onto the table. "I am Owin Thunderstrike! Hero of Thunder and Lightning! Defender of all Pokémon! Warrior of FATE!" He lifted an arm up, pointing at the air as his finger tip sparked. "And!" He lowered the same finger to point at a very distressed Axew. Owin smiled brightly, "Xavian is my best friend! I've been living at House Lefevre for many moons now!"

Xavian's face lit up once again, and the Axew completely buried their head into their claws. "Owin…" Almost everyone in the room was snickering now, and Xavian felt like they were about to die of embarrassment. Even Duke Neptune was snickering at the little dragon's dismay. The Axew hurried over to the table to pull Owin down harshly, and the Pikachu started to whine.

"What? Whaaat? What did I do?!"

Since Owin's display fizzled out any chance of someone's introduction being more embarrassing, the Minccino made her way to the center of the room and waited for Delta to hop down before speaking. However, her voice got caught in her throat once everyone was looking at her. The Pokémon timidly tucked herself behind her tail, clamming up pretty tightly, but relaxed once Melrose gave her a thumbs up. "H-hi… My name is Ashe. I live here in Constella with my big sister." She sighed. "I'm really not all that remarkable."

"I'll say." Icarus snorted. Melrose shot him another dirty look, but the Prince completely ignored her this time.

"I would like to go next, if no one has a problem with that." The Porygon floated over the makeshift stage and hovered above the table the occasional student was choosing to stand on. "Greetings. My designation is FL-1-K3E." Everyone exchanged awkwards glances before looking back up at the Porygon, "Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you all. Most Pokémon who are not from Upsilon Station call me Flick, or Flicky. It's sort of a play on how my designation looks when you write it down. I can show you all, if that is necessary."

"I think we get it." The Fletchinder remarked. "Me next, yeah?" The bird Pokémon flew up and over to where Flick was, but unlike the Normal Type– he landed on the table. "The name's Blitz. Since we've all been giving little blurbs, I'll let you all know that I'm from Dust-Devil Valley."

"Wait–" Melrose jumped up. "That's not far from where I live!"

"Yeah? West Coast buddies?" The Flechinder's beak turned to a smile.

"Isn't Double D Valley, like, super dangerous though?" Ashe mumbled just loud enough for Blitz to hear, and the Flying Type nodded.

"Oh yeah, it's super fuc–" His eyes darted to the several nobles in the room. "It's CRAZY dangerous. Me and my pops don't care, though. We're stunt fliers."

"Whoa… epic…" Owin muttered while being held in one spot by his tail thanks to Xavian.

"Ha, I know. My pops makes it look super easy, but admittedly I still have a bit of trouble flying through all that wind and debris." He gestured with his wing, motioning as if his feather tips were how he wished he looked soaring through the air.

The room went a little quiet as everyone looked around to see who hadn't introduced themselves yet. Icarus cleared his throat, and anyone that was in his way cleared out of it quickly. Icarus took his place at the center of the room; Xavian, Florence, Neptune, Sabre and Delta all gave their Prince the show of respect by bowing, and the other other students either watched awkwardly– or were Melrose and Owin.

"Finally, the best for last. Though, I suppose I hardly warrant an introduction." The Tyrunt tilted his head up towards the ceiling, and the feathers around his neck puffed out in a show of pride. "I am Prince Icarus Drakkenburg II, Heir to our realm– and head of our class." The regal Pokémon smirked. "Though, do not be fooled into thinking I was merely selected for this duty thanks to my status as your Prince. Just like you all, I submitted an essay to our Headmaster." The Prince's tail flicked. "And, he thought it most suitable for me to lead our year.

Neptune smiled. "Well said. Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm sure with you to lead us, this will be the most successful graduating class R.E.D. Academy has seen in years."

"Agreed!" Florence sang.

As the nobles and miniature soldiers fawned on their Prince, Melrose simply grew agitated again. Why did being around all of these other Pokémon make Icarus act like such… such a…

"Hey, Melrose?" Ashe poked the Pikachu's shoulder softly. "You okay? I only make faces like that when I have bellyaches."

"Oh, wha–" Melrose shook the grumpy expression away. "Sorry! I'm fine! Promise."

"Ah, okay. That's good…" Ashe smiled softly. "Anyhow, I think I need to go to bed now. Thanks for getting everyone to introduce themselves…" The Minccino looked back at a few of her chatting classmates. "I don't think I– we– would have done this unless you forced us to." Ashe blushed. "Not that– You were forcing us in a mean way! I just meant–"

Melrose giggled. "It's okay, I getcha!" She smiled at the Minccino and patted her on the back softly. "Goodnight, Ashe!"

Ashe eased up and smiled back. "Goodnight, Melrose." The Minccino scurried over to her room and hurried quietly inside of it, going mostly unnoticed by everyone else. Florence was one of the only Pokémon to catch her leaving, and the Roselia waved his rose appendages around to get more eyes on him.

"I need my beauty rest!" Florence chimed. "Goodnight all! And, especially goodnight to the beautiful dragon of House Lefevre!" The Roselia twirled with a spell of Magical Leaf as he danced to his door, laughing jovially as he sealed himself away inside of his room. Xavian sighed.

Owin blinked a few times… "So, uhm, Xav… you know that guy? I've never seen him show up at your place before." Owin looked at the Axew. "He keeps calling you those strange things… and being– weird."

Xavian sighed, their eyes still on the Roselia's closed door. "When we were very young, my Father and his Mother played with the idea of uniting our Houses. I suppose Florence never let that idea go."

"Why would putting your big estates together make him flirt with you?" Owin tilted his head.

"They were to be married, you twit." Neptune rolled his eyes.

"...Ohhh… That makes way more sense." Owin rubbed the back of his head.

"However, things didn't quite work out that way. I was never exactly told why." Xavian shrugged their shoulders dismissively. "Not that I really care. I wasn't a big fan of the whole arranged marriage idea, and I believe Father didn't actually have much interest in unifying families. After a while, Lady Virion stopped coming over… and, I stopped having playdates with Florence."

"He acts mighty romantic for y'all just being childhood friends." Melrose giggled.

"We played house… a lot." Xavian let out a tired laugh.

Melrose held back any comments about how cute that sounded, and steered her commentary in a much more platonic direction. "Well, don'cha miss him at all? Sounds like you both used to be pretty close friends!"

"It would be much nicer to see him if he wasn't being so…" Xavian made a vague gesture with their claws. "Florence."

Owin, now being satisfied by that answer, broke off to try and help the new arrivals unpack. Melrose did the same, but most of the group insisted they were fine and slowly started to make their separate ways to their rooms. Xavian sat on the couch with their Pikachu friend, looking more than a little emotionally exhausted. Owin gave them a soft pat on the back and a bright smile, and the Axew eased up and gave their friend a small grin.

Melrose watched quietly as Icarus made his own leave, just barely stopping herself from going after him. Melrose wanted to chew him out for being such a jerk, but she also didn't really want to have a conversation with him at all. Both Xavian and Owin looked over at her, and Xavian lifted their claws out towards her. "Is everything okay, Melrose?"

The Pikachu stayed quiet for a second, not sure if she could really tell Xavian of all Pokémon what was wrong. She worked a smile back onto her face before laughing. "Yep! I just think I need to get used to sharing Icarus now, haha! He's so popular."

"Well, he is our Prince." Xavian smiled. "Not only will everyone want to get on well with him, but he also has to pay careful attention to the way he is perceived."

Melrose tilted her head. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Hmm… I suppose a commoner wouldn't exactly get it. Okay. So, imagine if everything you said or did made people judge not only just you… but both your farm and your own father." Xavian watched as Melrose's face changed once she was given the thought exercise. The Pikachu rubbed her arm and turned away from her classmates. "Nobles have to be very particular about things, and selective about who they spend time with."

Her emotions suddenly took hold, and Melrose's face went red as she shot an angry glance at Xavian. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Xavian squeaked, "Ah! Pardon! I didn't mean it like that…" Xavian frowned. "I was only–"

"I'm so tired of y'all looking down on me! Ugh." Melrose's cheeks sparked as she hurried over to her room. "I'm going to bed."

"Melrose, wait!" Owin called after her, but the other Pikachu didn't stop. It took everything in her not to slam the door. Melrose could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought them back by pulling down her ears in frustration.