The luxurious sheets of Melrose's academy bed should have been the soothing remedy to her restlessness, but the little Pikachu was stuck staring at the dark ceiling high above her. Melrose's foot tapped in tandem with the frantic rhythm of her thoughts, and her full tummy from dinner gurgled in small fits of anxiety. Each breath came with a crackle of static from her cheeks. There was no hope for a good night's rest at that rate, thus Melrose unceremoniously rolled out from under her covers and shuffled over to the door. Nothing left to do but occupy her mind until sleep came easy.

Dim moonlight illuminated the living space through the castle windows, which, when paired with the eerie quiet, made for an enchanting scene straight out of a story-book. Melrose caressed the stone wall with a paw as she walked, trailing the beam of celestial light with her thumb. The gray brick was icy to the touch, but Melrose continued to trace the ridged grooves. There was an untold story to each crevasse, mementos lost to time that gave Red Academy its pulse.

What kinda things would this castle say if it could talk, I wonder…

Melrose only removed her paw once she reached the end of the hall, fixating her gaze on the chamber now furthest from her—the little Tyrunt carved into the bronze nameplate staring back at her blankly.

Melrose's heart sank in sync with her ears, and the Pikachu sighed quietly to herself as her eyelids fluttered shut.

Unfortunately for her guilty conscience, Icarus was tomorrow's problem. Melrose kept her eyes shut until she was fully turned around, taking a deep breath before resigning herself to the common room.

The castle decor and furnishings, combined with a little imagination, took the form of a make-shift labyrinth as Melrose paced the floor. She weaved around the room as if it were a Mystery Dungeon, mapping out Nightshade Grove in her mind—turning the chairs and couches into twisted trees. Imaginary feral Pokémon attacked her from all sides, but Melrose quickly sent them packing with several punches and kicks at the air.

"Take that! And that!" She shouted in a hushed whisper—her tail wiggled with delight at the thought of how easy that dungeon would be now that she was learning all about how to traverse them. "Don't you ever trample my crop ever again! Hyah!"

After a few more excited swings, Melrose had to take a breather. It was a real shame she hadn't been able to put her new skills to good use, but the academy had yet to send them on any real expeditions.

Hopefully we go on one soon, she thought to herself while scratching softly at her chin. I wonder how close the nearest dungeon is, anyhow… Surely it wouldn't be that long of a trip, right?

A subtle tap on Melrose's shoulder sent a jolt of electricity down her spine. The Pikachu spun around quickly, paws primed for karate chopping the source of surprise.

"Whoa–!" Owin held his hands up over his head in surrender. "S-sorry, Mel! I didn't mean to frighten you."

Although Melrose craved giving a good thrashing, she mellowed out after realizing it was just her classmate and fellow Pikachu. She took a deep, playful breath of relief. "Well, you better have a good excuse for sneakin' up on a pretty lady, Owin!" She said with an accusatory leer, but couldn't hold back a cheeky smile.

"I heard one of the doors open, thought maybe someone else was just as restless as I am." Owin rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish paw. "I can't sleep a wink."
"Mm… Neither can I—but I'm guessin' you figured that." Melrose sighed, sneaking in a glance out at the pale moon before returning her attention to Owin. "Feels like can't stop thinkin' about pretty much everything in the whole wide world."

"Ah, I see! It's your mind that torments you." Owin crossed his arms and bowed his head. "For me, it's my body. I can't command my feet to stop tapping, even as I lay still in bed. Ugh, and my tail won't stop twitching no matter how hard I try."

Owin spun his body around to showcase its jittering, which prompted Melrose to hold a paw over her mouth and giggle. Owin blushed, and began pouting. "What's so funny about my body's active disobedience, hmm?"

"Sorry, sorry! You just reminded me of my foster brother. Nate can't keep still and has a tail with grippers to boot! Smacks me by accident with it sometimes." Melrose laughed again for a moment, but it shifted into a small scowl. "Actually, I wonder… Was he telling the truth 'bout–"

"Yaaaaaawn… What are you two still doing awake?…"

The quiet voice coming from the dorms belonged to Ashe; the door at the end of the hallway was wide open with the very sleepy looking Minccino standing in it. Melrose felt warmth rise to her cheeks–the two Pikachu were being louder than they thought, weren't they?

"Can't sleep–" Owin declared without hesitation. "I caught Melrose pacing, and we've been chatting since—hey!"

Melrose, her blush almost visible through the darkness, had given Owin a harsh shove with her elbow. "Real sorry if we're being too loud. We can pipe down, if ya like…"

"Heh… don't worry about it." Ashe rubbed her tired eyes as she made a slow approach through the dimly lit room. "You're not what woke me. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all!" Melrose decided for the both of them, but it's not like Owin objected. "Not sure if there's much to join in on, though… Should we think of something to do together?"

Ashe took her place next to Melrose and stifled a second yawn by covering her mouth with a cute little paw. "I always tidy around my home when I can't sleep."

Owin glanced around the room. Even in the dark, it was clear that the castle was kept in tip-top shape by the butlers. "I don't think we're gonna find a mess anywhere around here–unless we plan on making one first."

Melrose giggled, and Ashe joined her. That was a funny idea: dirtying the place up just so they could put it back the way it was right after. Melrose was even more tickled when she imagined the three of them sneaking outdoors just to track dirt throughout the hall.

It was wild to her that, the first night at the castle, she was able to get Icarus of all Pokémon to traverse the academy under a veil of shadows just to try and help Xander. Would Owin and Ashe have done the same for her? An impish smile stretched across her muzzle.

"Wanna go find something to do… not in the common area?" Melrose gave a mischievous wave of her paws in the direction of the door. "Sneak out and cause… chaos!"

Owin gasped, "Melrose! You can't be serious. Honorable students such as ourselves know better than to break academy rules." The Pikachu crossed his arms tightly across his chest, smiling back at her. "However, Owin Thunderstrike gets the feeling that his dear friend was joking."

Melrose's evil cackling slipped back into joyful giggling. "Everytime you react to something, Owin, it's always so funny!"

Owin's cool character melted and his arms fell back to his sides. "I'm not trying to be funny… I'm being coy and observant!"

Ashe held a paw up to her mouth again, this time to cover a laugh. "Oh, Owin… You just have a way about you that makes it hard not to smile."

Unsure of how to respond, Owin placed a finger beneath his chin to tap it and think. The two girls next to him looked at each other and beamed brightly–amused and endeared.

"Actually, I wasn't entirely joking," Melrose said, ending the silence. "I mean, I don't think we should go out and cause trouble or anything. I was just wondering about maybe going to the castle library."

"The library?" Ashe tilted her head. "Why?"

"I was thinking—before Owin so rudely interrupted me, it's kinda odd we haven't gone on any trips to a real Mystery Dungeon. Everything we've been through is all hypo… hy-poth… hypothetisies."

"Hypothetical–" Owin mumbled.

"Yeah, that. And like, the closest one to Constella can't be that far, can it?" Melrose hopped a few steps closer to the door. "I want to look at a map! And learn more about it! Then we'll be ahead of the curve!"

"Huh, that's not a bad idea." Owin nodded his head. "I'm sure our professors would be impressed if we were already well read on the subject."

"But–" Ashe glanced worriedly at her friends. "It's still against the rules to go sneaking about the castle at night. And, well… as commoners…" Ashe sighed, ears and tails drooping as she spoke. "It would be much harder for us to get out of trouble. That's all."

Melrose was speechless for a second. Huh? What about being a commoner would–"Hang on. What exactly are ya tryin' to say?"

"Come on, Rose… If you were an instructor, and one of your students was going to be King some day–"

Melrose's cheeks sparked, lighting her face and revealing her cold expression. "Ain't nobody gettin' any special treatment! 'Sides, if we don't want 'em to look down on us, then we can't be talking bad about them either. Okay?"

Ashe's eyes widened, but they returned to normal quickly as the Minccino turned sheepishly to the floor. "Sorry—you're right. Forget I said anything…"

Loosening up quickly, Melrose's fur smoothed back down. Her cheery demeanor returned so fast—she almost took herself by surprise. "No worries! Still, I don't think you should worry so much. Who in their right mind would punish us for being in the library of all places? Probably not a good look for the teachers to tell us not to read!"

In response to the optimism, Ashe cast a worried glance at Owin. The second Pikachu gave her a confident smile—clearing up quickly that both Electric-types were in agreement. Ashe sighed quietly, rubbing her arm and looking towards the exit. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try…"

"Great, then it's settled!" Melrose finished her walk to the door and pushed it open carefully. She stared out into the torchlit hall for a beat. Blinked—and turned her head back inside. "Erm… either of y'all remember where exactly the library is?"

Down the hall next to the nearest staircase was the library entrance. It actually wasn't too far from the dormitory, and thanks to Ashe's recollection of Ms. Adeline's tour was an easy find. All three of them had to give the hefty door a strong push to get it open. Once revealed, the library was a pool of darkness that swallowed any and all light whole.

"That's no good. We can't see a darn thing! How are we supposed to look for the book we need—let alone stay upright!" Melrose's cheeks sparked as she crossed her arms tight, the bits of static illuminating their path for but a split second. Gears turned in the Pikachu's head before she slipped into the abyss of shadows.

"Melrose?" Owin tilted his head. "What are you–"

She was tugging on the cute little electric sacks on her cheeks, sending out jolts that worked just about as well as a flickering, wind blown torch. The Pikachu was pleased enough with her idea, though, and marched forward with little to no fear. Owin shrugged, a big grin on his face, and started to follow her.

Ashe, once again, was hesitant. Melrose turned around to see the Minccino had hardly budged, and hurried over to her while still poking at her own face. Her zig-zag tail intertwined with Ashe's. Once they were side-by-side, it was much easier to coax her inside.

Owin, prodding at his own cheeks, was searching around a messy desk. Despite the flickering light of his face, it didn't take him long to find a candlestick. With a confident grin, Owin stopped messing with his cheeks and flicked a spark of electricity out of his fingertip. The wick caught fire, and now the group had a lit candle. Melrose's mouth gaped slightly.

"Whoa! Where'd you learn to do that?"

"A hero from darkness always knows best how to summon the light!" Owin spoke with a puffed out chest. Both his friends giggled into their paws, prompting Owin to clear his throat. "Eh-heh… I used quick thinking to figure my own electricity would generate enough heat to ignite the candle. Pretty clever, right?"

"Beats tuggin' on my face all night long." Melrose laughed and started to make her way further in, now able to hold Ashe's paw instead of guiding the Minccino with her tail. Ashe squeaked as she was pulled forward.

"Just b-be careful with that, okay? We are surrounded by parchment, paper, and wood…"

"Not to fear, milady! Owin Thunderstrike is as careful as he is brave." Owin held the candlestick out towards one of the bookshelves, squinting in the dim light to read their spines. "Now, how do you suppose these books are sort–"

"SCREE!"

The sudden shriek from above froze the Pokémon right in their tracks. Three Zubat swooped down from the cavernous ceiling and right for everyone's heads, gnashing their fangs wildly by their necks. In a panic, Owin waved his candle frantically at his attacker in an attempt to shoo it away. The Zubat persisted, however, and its fellow ferals were hardly perturbed by Ashe's flailing paws. In the midst of the chaos, Owin's candlestick was dropped to the floor. The metal hit the stone with a loud clang, and the noise sensitive Zubat all screeched with fury. Their clamor would be cut short by a rapid-fire Thunder Shock from Melrose—one that fried all three wild Pokémon to a crisp, and flew towards Owin like a magnet.

The static surged around his fur for a moment, invigorating him even though there was nothing left to fight. Melrose, now worried that she had struck her friend, hurriedly helped Owin smooth his fur down.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was an accident!"

"H-hey, it's okay." Owin said through deep breaths as he picked the (thankfully) still lit candle back up and nudged one of the charred Zubat with his feet. It twitched slightly. "That was weird, though… The last thing I would expect in Red Academy is wild Pokémon. Looks like you knocked them fully unconscious, though. Thanks, Melrose–"

Melrose gave her arm a bashful rub. "I wasn't trying to be brave… they just ain't that strong I guess. Scared me half to death, is all." Her own embarrassed laugh got her friends to join in, and soon all of them were giggling about how frazzled they were.

"It's a good thing these floors aren't carpeted, hmm?" An unfamiliar voice joined from the shadows. "Otherwise, we might have had a fire on our hands."

"Indeed," cackled another voice from above. "You children suuure lucked out. Kekeke!"

"Yeah, no kidding—that would have been a disas…ter…" Owin's fur stood completely on end. Melrose and Ashe quickly tucked close to him as he held the candle out towards the voices. All of them trembled as an upside-down Misdreavus materialized in front of them, a wide grin on her face as Owin swung the candle at her. "Back! Stay back, you fiend!"

"Hohoho! Fiend?" Flying just above their heads was the source of the second voice, a Murkrow missing patches of feathers all over his body. He landed on the desk Owin retrieved the candle from. "That's no way to talk to your librarian, you know."

"Y-you're the librarian?" Ashe poked her head out from behind Owin, but when she made eye-contact with the Misdreavus—she quickly hid her face again.

The floating ghost righted her upside-down pose. "Oh my, there's no need to be so spooked." She said with a giggle, levitating the candle out of Owin's paws. The Pikachu tried to grab it out of mid-air, but it was already just out of his reach. "Unless, perhaps, I've caught you all doing something you aren't supposed to.~"

All three students remained trembling, and Melrose felt as though her throat was drier than a desert. No words came out as her mouth fell agape. The Misdreavus and Murkrow gave each other a cheeky look before the both of them burst into laughter.

"Relax, would you? I'm not going to hurt you."

"Or worse," the Murkrow piped in, "tell Ms. Adeline on you."

The duo laughed again, and slowly the group finally realized there was no danger. They watched as several whisps danced like fairies away from the Misdreavus's body—floating delicately to the torches lining the walls and igniting them. At first everyone had to squint, but once they adjusted to the light…

"Wow!" Melrose said with a big ol' smile. "This place is huge!"

Sure enough, the library was a sight to behold. The ceiling was perhaps even higher than they had all assumed while it was still under a veil of darkness—the distance between it and them being four separate balconies that all hosted their own collection of book shelves. Ladders connected each of them, but of course the easiest way up would be levitation or flight.

Ashe, after giving the whole room a wide glance, turned to face the two strangers. She gave them a skeptical look. "You said you're the librarian… but, how come Ms. Adeline never mentioned you on our tour?"

"Yeah! And, we haven't seen either of you attend a meal." Owin added, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

The supposed librarian levitated the candle back over to the desk, where her Murkrow companion then blew it out. "You must be some of the new students, is that right? I'm dreadfully sorry for not making your acquaintance sooner. It's just, you see, my beloved Devereux and I prefer to sleep the day away and work all night."
The Misdreavus floated closer to the ground, becoming eye-level with the young Pokémon.

"My name is Hilda Noctula. I am… The Ghost of Red Academy.~"

"The Ghost of Red Academy?" Melrose parroted. "The heck does that mean?"

"Oh, just that I'm a little lady they haven't been able to rid of for the last fifty years!" Umbra cackled, doing a little spin in the air as she reveled in her mischief. Melrose, Owin and Ashe all looked amongst themselves as she did so. "Even as a young relic of this castle's history, I still do my best to earn my keep around here." She smiled up at the rafters. "Spent so long tending to these books that everyone just started calling me a librarian."

"Uh huh…" Ashe mumbled, clearly uncertain still.

"You think you could help us, Ms. Noctula?" Melrose hopped closer to the Misdreavus and smiled at her. "We're looking for geography books. I wanna research the nearest Mystery Dungeons!"

"Geography? Hardly any trouble at all.~" Hilda twirled in the air before floating her body straight into the balcony floors above her, hovering through two layers before scanning one of the book shelves, mouthing some of the titles as she went. It took only a moment or two of searching before she returned with the book levitating beside her: a large red tome with bronze writing on the cover—Adstrum Integrum. "Page 86 contains the whole map of Adstrum, whilst the Mystery Dungeon Index is on page 94."

As the book levitated closer to Melrose, Owin quickly flung his body in between the group of students and peculiar staff. "Nice try, wicked specter! But we won't be falling for your deceptive act of generosity!" Sparks of electricity crackled around his fists. "Stay back! Or else I'll have to send you back to the dark realm where you came!"

"Wicked?" Hilda cackled. "Mischievous, maybe. Being a little naughty is hardly a crime, no?"

"Little rascal thinks he's a hero," Deveroux said with a shrill squawk. "It's kind of cute."

Owin blushed hard and slowly backed down a little. The embarrassed look on his face only made the shadowy Pokémon laugh more. Melrose gently pushed by him and snatched the book out of the air, surprised by its weight and stumbling hard enough to have her backside thud to the floor. Owin snapped out of his flustered state and helped Melrose up.

"You okay?"

"Yep!" Melrose smiled at him. "I've taken tumbles way worse than that, believe me!"

"You children are utterly adorable," Hilda cooed, "and so sweet. I could watch your antics all night long." She floated a little closer to the two Pikachu, which frazzled Owin, and cackled softly. "But, it's probably best that you three return to your dorms. We wouldn't want a certain secretary wandering in here and finding several of her students breaking the rules, would we?"

"No, Ma'am," Melrose said with a bright smile. She hugged the book close to her chest as she walked back over to Ashe. "C'mon guys! Let's hurry!"

"Right–" Owin said as he tore his suspicious gaze away from Hilda. Ashe nodded her head.

The three little Pokémon made their way to the door, Hilda and Deveroux's eyes following them as they departed. The librarians glanced at one another before looking down at the three crispy ferals their late-night guests had left behind. Deveroux sighed as he took flight.

"I'll go get the broom."

Of course.

Why wouldn't Dimitri place the Warp Orb in the bathroom?

Once the gang was finished lambasting Lune for such an unflattering break-in location, or rather were told to "can it" by the Boss to preserve stealth, it was time to get serious.

Kioshi and Damios slipped out of the room to scout for a bit, and their return with an unconscious Pokémon was unsettlingly quick. Damios dragged the Pansage on the ground and tossed their body towards Camomile, who used her illusion ability to disguise herself as the young butler. She looked up and down her own body with a frown.

"Y'know, I think this is my first Pansage. Can't say I'll ever be inclined to make illusions of this one in my spare time." Her monkey tail flicked with displeasure. "I feel stupid."

"My bad. Next time I'll find a more handsome staff member." Damios said with a scowl and a cross of his arms.

"Shut." Boss said as he puppeteered one of his hands like a closing mouth. "Now, the best way to do this is to lure the runt away from the rest of his little academy friends. Damios, where did you two find this posh little helper at?"

"The kitchen—they were alone. Given this wimp probably works there, it would probably be the perfect place to lure Princy-boy to." Damios smirked. "This'll be a piece of cake."

"The kitchen isn't far from the garden, either," Spike added. "We could slip right out with the Slumber Orbed snob and no one would be the wiser!"

The Boss nodded his head. "Perfect. Chamomile, go and trick the Prince into coming with you to the kitchen. Damios, Lune, follow Chamomile to make sure things go withoutta hitch. Report to me if they don't, so Chamomile can keep acting and evacuate to someplace this butler might go. Kioshi, Spike, you two come with me to the Kitchen. We'll wait there." He turned to the Pansage on the floor, "but first, someone help me tie this loser up."

Lune didn't feel all that good about leaving the Pansage unconscious inside a bathroom stall, but he wasn't about to suggest they prop him up with a fluffy castle pillow either. Once Boss was sure the coast was clear, he dismissed everyone with a sharp hand signal. Lune didn't hesitate to enact his part of the plan–after all, watching a master actress at work was the easiest job he could've gotten. Still, he remained alert as he navigated the shadows surrounding Chamomile, his ears flicking and twisting towards any little sound.

For the most part, it was dead quiet. Everyone's paws were soft against the floor, and the torches lining the walls only held gentle flames that didn't crackle. There was no wind outside, no rustling of trees beyond the window. The moon's light cast motionless shadows of tree limbs into the hall that sprawled like carnivorous claws—they were a dormant, sleeping beast.

Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.

The distant sound of hooves walking on stone was getting louder by the second. Lune's whole body tensed, and before he could hide himself better—Damios yanked him hard by his cloak into the darkness.

Lune let out a small yelp, but his mouth was quickly smothered by Damios's paw. Holding back his growl was the most restraint Lune ever had in his life. The Lucario was lucky Lune didn't instinctively bite.

Chamomile's eyes were wide as saucers as she was approached by Keldeo—The youngest Sword of Justice himself—who was quietly mulling something over. He looked up from the floor at Chamomile and quickly wore an overbearingly wide smile. The mere sight of this Pokémon always gave Lune a headache.

"Oh, hello there! Wonderful evening, isn't it… Buh… Basssss…" Keldeo clicked his tongue a few times. "Bastillo? Bas…ster? Stop me when I'm close–" Keldeo waved his hoof in circles as he continued to guess the Pansage's name. Chamomile stood there awkwardly until the Legendary finally gave up. "What are you doing up at this hour, might I ask?"

"Err… Late night inventory check." Chamomile muttered with a soft, boyish tone. "I'll be in bed soon."

"Ah, sounds like fun." Keldeo said dryly. "Well, while you're awake, keep your eyes peeled, would ya?" Keldeo's smile shifted to a frown. "Captain Rosaline told me she detected a psychic disturbance not too long ago. Best to stay on guard—could mean trouble."

Camomile's Pansage tail curled. "Do you… mean to suggest there might be thieves within the castle?"

"Maybe, maybe not. It's not impossible, but I haven't caught wind of anything else tonight. She asked me to patrol the halls for her, since she has to go speak with her bro–The Prime Minister, I mean." Keldeo sighed, but his ego ridden smile soon returned and filled his face. "However, you can count on me to hold down the fort. The Swords of Justice strike fear into criminals with our name alone!"

Lune could feel the hot breath of Damios's quiet laugh on his fur.

Chamomile smiled, giving Keldeo a polite bow. "Thank you, sir. I'll be on my way now."

And, without waiting for a response, Chamomile returned to her objective. Keldeo watched the illusion for a moment or two before continuing on his own way. The Sword of Justice didn't even so much as give Damios and Lune's hiding spot behind the corner a passing glance as he walked by.

"What a tool…" Lune mumbled once the sound of hooves long faded. Both he and Damios could slip back out into the hall, each on their own terms but one soon after the other. Far enough behind Chamomile's tail, they both oversaw their teammate diligently.

Before long, the trio had made it to the dormitories. Lune watched as Chamomile approached the door to the common room, giving it an unsure knock before stepping away. She waited, rather patiently, before giving it another knock.

Can any of the students hear her from their rooms? Maybe she should just barge in–

Lune was, once again, yanked by his cloak to be fully encased in shadows. The two of them silently tussled for a moment before Lune saw the cause of Damios's sudden act; three students, two Pikachu and a Minccino, were approaching their common room from behind Chamomile. He shoved hard to get the Lucario off of him, but after exchanging leers, the two remained quiet as they watched the scene play out.

"What could Basil want at this time of night?" The Minccino asked her friends. "Should we ask them?"

One of the Pikachu rubbed her chin in thought, "I mean, they're just a butler right? I don't think we're gonna get into any trouble with them." She started walking over to Chamomile, "Besides, maybe they need our help!"

Waddling over while carrying a large, impractical book, the Pikachu made her way over to Chamomile's illusion. The fake Pansage turned to look back at her, and Lune noticed her grimace swiftly shift to a polite smile.

"Good evening…" Chamomile bowed her head. "May I ask what you all are doing out of bed at this hour?"

"We just got back from the library!" The Pikachu beamed, shuffling the book in her arms as to show it off better. "Wanted to do some late night studying on account of bein' unable to sleep!"

"Adstrum Integrum, huh? Not so much a light read…" Chamomile gave them a soft laugh. The Pikachu laughed in turn, reaching up to rub the back of her head. However, this loosened her grip on the book, and the thick set of pages went hurtling towards the ground. Chamomile was quick to grab it out of the air, which made her spindly little Pansage arms look uncharacteristically graceful. Lune could see her confidence falter for a moment, but the Pikachu's smile didn't drop.

Perhaps it was only obvious to the trained eye…

It was the other Pikachu, the male one, who hurried over to take the book from the both of them. "Owin Thunderstrike will hold onto this!" He said with an overbearing confidence before fumbling similarly with the tome's heft. "Erk—heh… uh, by the way, why is it that you're knocking on the door to the student quarters? Are you needing something?"

Chamomile tucked her arms behind her back, "if you wouldn't mind, could you retrieve Lord Icarus for me? I need to speak with him–"

"There's no need," a strong voice called from the other side of the door. The Tyrunt carefully made his way out into the hall, looking down at Chamomile before giving his fellow students a hard leer. Lune wondered how long the Prince had been listening in. "You better have a good explanation for being out at night, Melrose."

"Uh, well, I…" The Pikachu glanced at the book, then back at the Prince, and then once again at the book. "I was just– we were–"

"It was my idea." The Minccino finally spoke up. "I roped Melrose and Owin into coming with me to the library… I couldn't sleep, and thought studying would be a more efficient use of our time." Her ears tucked back and her tail swept over her feet. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty…"

Prince Icarus clearly didn't believe the Minccino's story, but didn't probe further. He just used a motion with his snout to beckon the three of them to go back into the common room. They all silently complied, sulking with every step, and Icarus closed the door once they were all inside.

"So, what exactly is it that you need me for, Basil?"

"There was an issue I was hoping you could assist me with in the kitchen." Chamomile said with a small smile. "Nothing catastrophic, but it would be better if we dealt with it now."

Lune's stomach twisted in knots as he watched the Prince stare blankly in thought at the illusion. He looked Chamomile up, then down, before taking a few steps out into the hall. "Make it quick, then."

Prince Icarus was already headed back the way Chamomile came before she could even react. Her character hardly faltered, but it did take her a moment before she hurried after him. Lune already planned on waiting, to create distance between him and the suspecting party, but… it was hard for him not to watch the Tyrunt's movements with great attention. His energy was… intense. He was watching a Pokémon who not only knew exactly how to hold himself, but that carried an aura of strength Lune could never hope to replicate.

He's lived nothing but a life of luxury the day he hatched. I bet he gets anything and everything he desires—anyone he desires. He has no idea what the real world is like. Pokémon like him make me sick!

Lune believed he was immune to the allure of Nobles and Noble life. Every 'mon who wasn't one dreamt of such a comfortable existence. Being rich, famous, well respected… all without lifting a claw—surely anyone would want that. Not Lune, though. Spending his life as a blue-blooded fox would have created a Pokémon that barely resembled Lune as he was—A Pokémon that Lune would despise…

The Nickit wanted to believe that his upbringing really could give him such conviction and hatred. However, if all that were really true—how come Lune's breath hitched whenever he saw him? Or what about the heart pounding and bloody nose after they met in the academy garden?

Why don't I hate him as much as I should? Is it because he spared me? That can't be right. I'm much harder to win over that.

Lune slipped back into the hall, taking quick, quiet, careful steps in the darkness. His ears pointed forward to try and listen in on the Pokémon ahead, but neither of them spoke a word on their way to the kitchen.

What is he thinking so intensely about? I wonder if his thoughts are as eloquent as his speech.

Access to the kitchen was directly through the dining hall, and Icarus practically led the group of them there. Since he was still ahead of Chamomile by several feet, the Tyrunt placed a pointed claw on the door leading to the kitchen before she could even catch up. His hand lingered.

Chamomile slowly came to a stop despite still being so far from the door, and tilted her head in confusion. Before she could even think to ask the Prince what was wrong, he suddenly shot her an icy look. It was so chilling that Lune's blood ran cold. The words that Icarus spoke next may as well have turned Lune into a Nickit-popsicle.

"You aren't Basil."

He had said it so pointedly, so… without question. He caught on the moment he set eyes on her illusion, hadn't he? Icarus knew, and still accompanied Chamomile to the kitchen. Lune leaned in—heart racing and body twitching with anticipation.

This wasn't fear or anxiety; Lune was excited.

Chamomile stared at the Prince with wide-eyed surprise. She suddenly lacked any of her usual confidence in a role, and stammered as if she'd forgotten her lines. A Zoroarks disguise is a matter of pride to them—so, it was entirely possible she was much more concerned about her failed performance than coming up with an excuse.

The Prince's bright white fangs ignited with flames. "What kind of fool do you take me for, impost–"

The Lucario who dropped from the ceiling lunged like a wildmon, bone-club already in hand as he swung it hard at the back of Prince Icarus's head. The Tyrunt was unprepared for the blow, thus his body was sent crashing into the dining room table. Although unset, the centerpieces still clanged and crashed loudly as they struck the floor.

Chamomile's illusion faded, revealing her twisted snarl. "Damios, what the hell are you doing?!–"

The kitchen door swung wide open from Boss's kick. He and the others Team Outlier hurried in, and Boss hardly looked pleased. "Why don'cha go and wake the whole castle up, ey knucklehead?"

"Sorry, Boss, but the runt was on to us. Early ambush became necessary, but we better get out of here fast.." Damios lept to the table and grabbed Icarus by his neck feathers. The Tyrunt growled at him, but hardly had the energy to do much else.

Or, so Lune thought, because the flames on his teeth reignited right as his massive jaw clamped onto Damios's arm. The Lucario snarled loud and tossed the dragon away quick.

"You little!–"

Icarus pulled himself up from the ground, fury blazing brighter than his Fire Fang. Everyone other than Lune, and a trembling Spike, steeled themselves for a fight.

He was smashed into a table with a Ground-type move, yet he's still able to fend us off. What is this kid made out of?

"Your odds ain't lookin' good, Your Highness. Best to come calmly and quietly." The Boss said as he crept closer, balling up a fist and punching his own hand with it repeatedly. "Maybe then we'll go easy on ya."

Icarus snarled, and his gaze shifted to Lune for a moment. They locked eyes, and suddenly the Tyrunt was smirking. "I demolished three of your weaklings all on my own the first time. What's a few more goons?"

"Huh, and here I was thinkin' you might be smart." Boss smirked, placing both hands behind his head and leaning back comfortably. "This ain't gonna end well for ya, Jr."

Right as he said that, Kioshi disappeared. The Greninja had slipped into the surrounding darkness, and emerged behind a frantic Icarus to attack him with Shadow Sneak. Though such a quick blow lacked strength behind it—and Icarus was able to toss the Greninja away with a swing of his heavy head. Koishi rolled against the floor, but was able to fling himself back up with a strong kick against the ground. In the following motion, Kioshi slid his left hand against his right wrist repetitively and furiously—summoning a Water Shuriken each time. The worn down Tyrunt took every hit, and each subsequent one brought the Prince further to his knees. Kioshi readied what seemed to be a final blow, but the Boss raised his hand.

The Boss had a wide smirk as he drew closer to Icarus. "Last chance, little man."

The Prince trembled as he pushed himself up from the ground once again. Lune held his breath as he watched the beads of water on his scales drip down to the floor, each droplet splashing against the floor of the dining hall just loud enough for Lune's giant ears to pick up. The solid rock embedded within him had such a pleasant, earthy smell when it was damp.

Despite appearing worn well past his worth, Icarus held his head up high. "You… dare… make a continuous mockery of the royal house. Every last one of you miscreants will pay for your ridiculous crime monopoly!" With a stomp of his foot on the ground, several large rocks erupted from the stone floor and flung themselves towards Boss.

As each chunk of Ancient Power flew towards him, the Boss slid, jumped, spun, and danced himself out of the way. In the same motion, he lept into the air and came soaring down at high velocity. Too tired to move, Icarus braced himself for the High Jump Kick the best he could–

"Leave 'Rus alone!"

The Quick Attack from the small yellow body was just enough force to send the Boss off course and crashing into the floor. Dust kicked up around him and the flying rat, but once it settled—Boss had the Pikachu gripped by her scarf. She was squirming, electricity crackling around her cheeks, but the Boss kept her held despite getting zapped.

"Look what we got 'ere, folks. A lil' Pikachu thinkin' she can save the Prince, huh? How cute."

"Lemme go, lemme go, let me go!" Melrose's cheek sparks rapidly became a surge of Thunder Shocks. Boss gritted his teeth hard, but it was all while keeping his smile. Fighting through the attack, Boss slammed the Pikachu into the floor and kicked her tiny body as hard as he could. As Melrose slid down the wall, her gaping mouth produced no sound. And, with a quiet thud against the ground… she went completely limp.

"M…Melrose…" Icarus's pupils shrunk to the size of pins as he stared down at her unmoving body. His whole chest started to heave. "You… you bastards–"

As his growl deepened, the Tyrunt shook with rage. Lune had to squint, but he could have sworn he saw flecks of light gathering by Icarus's mouth. It was almost as if gravity itself was shifting strangely around him.

"I'll kill you… I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Lune was certain he was seeing things right. All that energy collecting near the Prince's fangs—it looked like a star. A star on the verge of exploding. It was… beautiful. Mesmerizing, even. If Lune dared to look for a second longer, he might have gone blind.

In a flash, the Boss ran forward—grappling Icarus into a headlock. The Prince swallowed whatever catastrophe was forming at his lips and fought hard to get away, but just didn't have enough fight left in him. That, and Boss's body was surging with strength ever since he knocked out that Pikachu.

"I've had enough. Defeating him out the old fashion way is takin' too damn long." Said the Boss as he pulled one glistening Slumber Orb from his hoodie pocket. He caressed it with his nubby fingers. "You've got a lot of nerve, kiddo, I'll give ya that. But it's about time we get you outta this up-tight snob factory."

But as the Boss held it up towards the castle ceiling, a small piece of rubble was sent flying at the orb. The little rock not only knocked it right out of the Boss's hand, but cracked it against the floor–rendering it completely useless. Boss growled and turned his head towards the source, and everyone's gaze followed. Lune's eyes widened at the sight of the lone Litten.

"What the– How the fuck did you–" The Boss dropped Icarus and started stomping towards Xander. "The next time I see those two slackers, I swear–"

"Don't sweat it, Boss." Damios said with a gruff growl. "I'll take care of this pest." And with that, the Lucario was already rushing towards Xander with his bone club at the ready.

"Ah, ah ah!" Spoke a feminine voice from behind the dining room door. With a waggle of her finger, Damios couldn't control the trajectory of his rage—this Clefairy was the one going to take the hit. However, his bone club met with a force of impenetrable energy. The Clefairy smirked from behind her Protect. "You aren't to lay another finger on these dear children as long as we're around. Isn't that right, Headmaster?"

"Right."

Both dining room doors flung open with a burst of wind from the Headmaster's powerful wings. His gaze was obscured by the lenses over his eyes, but Lune could still feel its intensity. With such a famously powerful dragon in the room now, it was Outlier's odds that were starting to seem grim.

Frustrated that his first attack failed, Metal Claws had ripped from Damios's paws, and he swung them at the Clefairy in a frenzy. However, the little Fairy-Type was a surprisingly adept dodger—which only made Damios more angry.

"Grrah!– Stay… still!"

Kioshi on the other hand was trying his best to hit the Headmaster with Water Shurikens, but each one seemed to bounce right off his scales as the dragon began dancing through the air. Energy was surging around the Flygon with each graceful move that he made. If Team Outlier didn't act fast, Lune was sure they'd all be goners.

While everyone else's eyes were on the action—a bright light erupted from the Boss's direction. It stole everyone's attention, but the flash-bang was hardly something anyone could actually look at. Once the light had cleared, Boss was nowhere to be seen.

Lune's heart sank. For a moment, it felt as though the whole world went quiet. Time stood still.

No… No way…

All of Team Outlier stared for what felt like an eternity at where their boss just was. The air was thinning. Lune could barely breathe.

"Every 'mon for themselves!" Spike shouted before bolting as fast as she could towards the Academy's back exit into the garden. Massive rocks shot up in front of her as the Headmaster raised an arm, and the Nidorina shrieked with terror as she turned tail to run the opposite way.

He just… up and abandoned us.

Lune's eyes darted around the room.

Spike was now smashing one of the windows to create an escape. She was bashing at it in a frenzy, but the reinforced glass was giving her resistance.

The A-list members of Outlier were still locked in on just trying to land a single good hit on the academy staff.

Xander was already tending to his Pikachu friend beside the trembling Prince. They had managed to pick her head up, and she was mumbling something while looking at Icarus.

Finally, Lune spotted Chamomile… who cast Lune a disparaging look for a moment before disappearing into an illusion.

Wait! Come back! Don't leave me here!

The Headmaster's eyes gleamed red through his lenses as draconic energy started surrounding him. With a shrill cry, he broke into an Outrage. The Flygon flew fast and swung hard, and Damios was unable to slip away from the barrage of attacks coming his way. Lune had never seen the Lucario take such a beating, and under any other circumstance he might have even been satisfied by such a sight. It was horrific how little the Headmaster seemed to care for the castle as he tore into his opponent, and Lune could only dread what was going to happen if he didn't get out of there. He needed to run, but his legs weren't listening to his brain.

"Hey, Lune!"

Hearing his name was like a Fire Lash to the face. Lune turned to face Xander, who was staring at him with some sort of resolve. The Nickit snarled and took a step back. "You…this is all your fault!"

"You don't want to do this," Xander grumbled, ears flat against his head.

What the Hell did he mean by that?!

"Don't act like you know me!" Lune spat–honing his claws and readying a strike. If he was going to jail, he was going after he shredded that punk's face off.

"Prince Icarus told me you haven't moved an inch," Xander said with a leer.

Wh-what? Why would… Why was the Prince taking note of me?!

"You stood there, unmoving. Non-violent. Without purpose." The Litten took a careful step forward, repeating himself slowly. "You don't want to do this."

"How can a Pokémon so unsure about everything be so certain of my intentions?" Lune snapped as he dug his claws into the stone below him. Even though they were sharper than daggers, Lune still couldn't move. He was completely petrified. As Xander stared at him, the walls around Lune started to shift. He choked on his breath as he tried to spit out more comebacks. "What's your deal, huh? What right do you have to look down on me!"

Xander was saying something, but Lune could no longer hear over the pounding. His head, his ears, his chest—there was a non-stop pumping of blood that drowned out everything. The Litten before him faded from view along with the rest of Red Academy, and in its place was the great hall of Castle Drakkenburg. He was all alone.

"Ch-Chamomile? Spike? B-Boss?…" He spun in circles. "N-no… no, no no no!" He whipped his head around—they were all gone without a trace.

Lune's large ears could pick up the sound of every guard running towards him from every corner of the castle. He ran, harder than he ever had in his life. There had to be a way out of the castle—he just had to find it before it was too late.

He sped his way through the massive castle. Being warped inside meant he had no idea which way to turn. Left, right, left again… Nothing but cavernous hallways. The guards, they were getting closer, and Lune's final hope was to dive into whatever room was nearest. Unfortunately, Lune's paws carried him directly to the last place he should've hid: the throne room.

King Icarus Excaliburn Drakkenburg is one titan of a Pokémon. He would tower over almost every living creature in his kingdom, and that kind of power is impossible to scoff at. The mighty Tyrantrum was sitting in the dark chamber all by himself, his gaze torn from the full moon to see the Nickit below him.

Lune slid against the floor as he tried to come to a complete stop–every single follicle of fluff was standing on end as if he were rubbed against hundreds of balloons. Not only had the petty thief who came to steal something from his castle rush right into his quarters, but he was before the king looking like an unkempt Jolteon. If Lune wasn't terrified out of his mind, he'd surely have died on the spot from embarrassment.

However, as the King stared down at him, the royal Tyrantrum's stoic gaze never held even a shred of anger. In fact, Lune thought the King had looked rather sad–remorseful even. Silently, His Majesty pointed his massive snout to the stained-glass window to his right. A small portion of the design was shattered, broken open and leading into the palace garden behind him. Lune wasn't getting it. Actually, he was still stuck staring at the King. His legs wouldn't start working again until his ears picked up the sound of the guards once more. Regaining his composure, Lune saw the broken window.

He hurried to it, gauging how hard and fast he would have to jump to make it through. Before making the leap, Lune took one final glance into the King's glossy eyes. The Nickit held the gaze for as long as he could get away with before disappearing into the night.

The memory had lost its tight grip once the earth around him started to shake feverishly. Lune had only just snapped out of his state as a large body collided with his. Where Lune was moments ago now existed a chunk from the ceiling above them. Lune panted, as did the massive weight on top of him. For a moment, there was only breathing and shaking.

"We need to get out of here!" Shouted Xander as he tried to help both Lune and Icarus to their feet. "The Headmaster's gone berserk!"

Sure enough, Xander was right. The Flygon above them seemed to have no idea who he was supposed to be attacking anymore. Even the Clefairy he had for a lackey was trying to disarm him. Maybe, with all the commotion, Lune had a chance to escape after all.

That idea was squashed right away as Prince Icarus snatched Lune up in his arms, joining him with the barely conscious Melrose. The Tyrunt then roared loudly as he charged with a great deal of adrenaline towards the door—Xander right on his tail as the room continued to crumble around them.

Dimitri was clinging for dear life to Officer Jennifer's back. Arcanine ran fast, like really fast. Faster than any Pokémon Dimitri had ever been on, that's for sure.

Honestly, everything felt like it was moving fast. First it was rushing to the police, hurriedly telling them about Team Outlier's base at the Autumn Leaf, and now the race to help the commotion at the castle—Dimitri barely had a moment to breathe, let alone consider if he was doing the right thing. The wind rushing over his ears made it hard to think.

Once they passed the front gate, Jennifer skidded to a halt. Dimitri would have flung right off of her if it wasn't for his claws' tight grip. Her mouth fell agape.

"What the—how the heck did Outlier manage to take out such a huge chunk of the castle?!"

Dimitri steadied his spinning vision by holding his head still—then locked his sights on the Academy. The destruction was centralized around a ground-floor room, one without any structures above it aside from its own, cavernous roof. It was as if a bomb went off inside.

Wasn't that where the kitchen was? For Arceus's sake—what did they do?!

Jennifer kicked back into action without warning, and Dimitri barely gripped back onto her fur in time to not be launched backwards. The two of them barged into Red Academy—and the police officer's keen sense of smell brought her right to the scene of the crime.

Headmaster Zephyr was craned over the familiar black Greninja like a wild beast, both of their chests rising and falling rapidly. Kioshi was holding the Flygon's foot with shaking hands—keeping the weight of it off his fragile throat. The only other Outlier member Dimitri could spot was Spike, who was completely unconscious beside the academy secretary.

Jennifer's alerted expression shifted quickly to one of annoyance. "Zephyr, are you kidding me?!" She yelled across the rubble. "Dammit, you promised you wouldn't do things like this ever again! Don't you remember how long the repairs took last time?"

The Flygon's head snapped upwards, and the glossy sheen over his lenses disappeared the moment he saw the fluffy police-mon. He lifted a bashful hand to the back of his neck and scratched at it. "Whoops! Guess I went a little overboard, huh? My bad!" Zephyr glanced back down at Kioshi, sliding his foot over the Greninja's chest and applying gentle pressure to keep him pinned. "You and your friends got me really mad, huh? Sorry about that! But, we're going to take you to jail now."

Kioshi just stared up at him, unable to do anything but breathe.

Dimitri decided to hop off Jennifer's back, starting his own investigation of the scene. There was no trace of his friends, as far as he could tell, and the sinking feeling in his gut was starting to get the best of him.

"A few of them escaped," Secretary Adeline reported as she dragged the Nidorina over to Jennifer. "The Scrafty, the Zoroark, and the Lucario all managed to slip off. They might still be nearby, so I'll report to the staff to stay on guard." She inspected the room for a moment, rubbing her chin with a claw. "Wait, I think there was a Nickit as well…"

"Scrafty? That's a new one. Maybe that's the leader we've been looking for…" Jennifer huffed. "Well, I sent all the Magnemite and Percy with some of the Guard to where Dimitri here reported their base is. Hopefully we've managed to arrest most of their ranks."

Dimitri was only barely listening in now as he searched the space for clues. A few sniffs of the air only clogged his nostrils with debris, and he sneezed hard enough to send even more dust clouding around him. Unable to stand the sights and smells of the dining room any longer, Dimitri took a step out into the hall. He wasn't going to be much help in there, anyway.

Worry made Dimitri's head swarm with thoughts of Xander, Lune and Chamomile. He needed to calm down, so he sat and watched one of the lit torches along the academy walls flicker and sway.

Finally, a moment to just… process everything.

The flame was soothing. Not many Grass-types could say that about a fire, but Dimitri always found comfort in the vivid colors and all encompassing warmth. Sure, he had to be a little extra careful around them, but it was worth it every time.

Maybe Lune got away? Could Xander be chasing him right now? What about everyone else? Did they get hurt?

There were nothing but uncomfortable questions that lacked answers. Dimitri's half of the mission was done, but what was he supposed to do now? Just wait until one of his friends turns up?

"I'm… fine… really…"

Dimitri's ear flicked at the sound of a distant voice. His head turned towards the sound, but there wasn't anyone in sight…

"Melrose, you're seriously hurt! What were you thinking, rushing into a guy like that!"

That was Xander! Dimitri scrambled to his paws and booked it down the hall. He was sprinting so hard that he actually passed where he heard the sound—and his claws skidded against the tile as he about-faced towards the castle passage Xander was in.

As Dimitri hurried around the corner, he was met with several intense gazes. The most intense of them all was that of Adstrum's Prince himself, and Dimitri held his tongue at the sight of him. Xander was smiling, but it was actually the utterly exhausted Lune who broke the ice.

"You're a little late to the party, Dimi." He gave a faint smirk that failed to cover the sadness in his eyes. "Everyone else already left."

"What happened?…" Dimitri padded over to his friend, giving him a soft lick on the ear before continuing. "I've never seen you look so worse for wear…"

"His little thief team tried to ambush me in the kitchen, but I sniffed out their Zoroark from a mile away." The Prince scoffed, turning his snout up from the floor. "Her impression of Basil was a complete embarrassment."

Lune's tail lashed, "Cut her some slack. We weren't expecting you to actually give enough of a shit about the Pokémon around you to notice." Prince Icarus snarled in response, but Lune continued without pause. "Damios went full dumbass mode, getting everyone to ambush right then instead of letting Chamomile try to handle it–"

"That was the smartest choice any of you made all night!" The Prince said with a dry laugh. "Your illusionist would've merely dug herself into a bigger hole."

The two of them glanced at one another for a moment. Dimitri expected Lune to bite back, but… he uncharacteristically receded. Instead, he gestured a paw towards Melrose. The Pikachu looked the worst out of the bunch—sat up against the wall with bruises showing through her fur.

"After a bit of a scuffle, Miss Vigilante showed up and blocked one of the Boss's kicks."

"Well, actually…" Melrose spoke through a small cough. "I started following y'all the moment Icarus left. I uh…" She gave a guilty glance at the floor, ears drooping sadly. "I just wanted to know what was going on."

"You're… joking." Lune said with a snide laugh. "Be serious. You're telling me you avoided both Damios and my detection as we all followed them, and somehow didn't see either of us?"

Melrose puffed out her cheeks and huffed. "I didn't go the way y'all went! I was worried Icarus would see me and get mad… so I went the long way 'round. I know how to get to the kitchen in all sorts 'ah ways! Our maps make it easy."

After riling herself up so much, Melrose winced and had to sink further against the wall. As she wheezed, Xander placed a gentle paw on her shoulder.

"As you can see, Boss kicked her ass," Lune spat, ignoring the scorn from the Pokémon around him. "That made Princey-boy mad."

"Don't call me that–"

"Boss was about ready to use the Slumber Orb, but then–"

"I arrived," Xander said as he turned to look at Dimitri again. His eyes were shining with pride, and the smile on the Litten's face gave Dimitri Butterfree in his stomach. "I made it just in time, and it's all thanks to you. Nice one!"

Dimitri purred, and not quietly either. "I would've been here sooner, but Officer Jennifer needed to dispatch Pokémon over to the Autumn Leaf. She brought me here as quickly as she could."

Nothing could make him feel more like he made the right choice than seeing the way Xander looked at him.

…And nothing could make him feel guiltier about it like the way Lune was looking at him. Or rather, the way Lune wasn't looking at him. Dimitri's purr dropped in an instant, which everyone noticed—because the silence right after was deafening.

Xander glanced at everyone before letting out a dramatic exhale. "There's a lot to sort out now, isn't there?"

"Hardly," Lune rolled his eyes with a huff. "I get dragged to jail by the police after you hand me over, and all the happy little Pokémon get to go back to their perfect little lives! Hurray!" The Nickit glanced up at Dimitri, and the two of them made eye-contact before he sharply pulled his gaze away. He then turned to look at the Prince, and his expression… softened. "What I don't get is… Why the hell did you save me?"

"Ugh, can't you just be grateful?" Prince Icarus growled, refusing to return the Nickit's stare. "Listen, I would have saved any Pokémon in your position. No citizen of Adstrum should suffer a senseless death. It's my responsibility to protect all my citizens, no matter their walk of life."

"Hmph… that's the exact sort of pretentious answer I was expecting." Lune tilted his head up and glanced at the wall beside him. "I guess I should be thankful, but for some reason I just can't find the words."

"Alright, alright. Cut it out." Xander's tail flicked. "Lune, there's a chance we won't be sending you to jail. However, it's entirely up to you."

Both Prince Icarus and Lune cast the Litten skeptical looks.

"I'm serious. Dimitri got us free, but he only helped me afterwards because I agreed to try and get you and Chamomile out of this. I promised to give you a chance, and I like to think I'm a Pokémon of my word—even if I really think you belong in prison." Xander approached Lune slowly, extending a paw towards him. "If you promise to quit being a thief, forever, and turn a new leaf–"

"No deal." Lune blurted out—cutting Xander's dramatics off suddenly. "I don't have anywhere to go, or anyone to help me. At least prison gives a roof over my head and guarantees a meal every day."

"You don't mean that!" Dimitri batted Lune's side with a paw. "You have me! And Chamomile! We can all work something out!"

"I'm not intruding on your life again, Dimitri." Lune sighed into his chest. "It means a lot to me, really. But, I'm not worth the effort. I wasn't even worth sticking around for."

"What are you talking about?…"
As Lune stared quietly at the floor, Xander placed a paw on Dimitri's shoulder. "Maybe it's best we focus on just Lune, alright? Chamomile can probably handle herself."

Dimitri tilted his head, unable to gather what exactly he was missing here. The two cat Pokémon locked gazes for a second, but after a while of staring—Xander gave up and pulled away.

"Lune, listen. I have somewhere you could not only stay, but work too if you made the right promises–"

"Shut up!" Lune snarled, making everyone but Icarus flinch. His fur was bristling. "What does any of this matter? I'm a wanted 'mon! I skulk in the shadows and steal from others to live. After all, it's the only thing I'm good at. I robbed you blind, and you're helping me out because a cute boy is telling you to? I don't want your pity!" The Nickit started to spit as he growled, "I don't want your–"

"Lune! Enough!"

From the shadows of the hall emerged Chamomile… or at least, it sounded like Chamomile. Once everyone could see her, it was not her normal Zoroark form or even an illusion from her cast of usual disguises. She was a Zorua, plain and simple, and her eyes were round with sadness.

"Ch-Chamomile?…" Lune took a shaky step away from her. "You… I thought…"

"I'm sorry… I almost did." The Zorua looked down at the floor, staring at her reflection. "I saw the Arcanine, and I… I just couldn't leave without knowing…" She took a deep breath. "Lune, you don't have to walk this path. You are capable of being so much more than a thief. Change the course of your life now, while you…"

Her body flickered, and quickly shifted, as the illusion cleared. The Zoroark looking down at them was tired, withered away by stress and fear. She kneeled, placing a few claws softly beneath Lune's chin to guide his head upwards to look at her. Lune didn't say anything.

"While you… still can."

"Children? Is that you? Is everything alright?"

At the sound of Adeline's voice, Chamomile disappeared once again. Lune held out a paw towards where she once was—and kept his gaze on the darkness even after the Clefairy turned the corner. Dimitri stared into the shadows alongside him…

Adeline smiled sweetly as she hurried over and started inspecting everyone. "Oh good, there you all are. No one is badly hurt, I hope? The Headmaster sure made a mess of things, but at least Officer Jennifer is here now."

Icarus stepped forward. "Despite his reckless behavior, we're mostly fine. Melrose is in the most dire straits. She should be taken to the nurse right away."

"You ain't so good either, Icarus…" Melrose said with a frown.

"Don't worry about me. I may have taken a lot of hits, but my scales are stronger than stone." Icarus glanced back at Melrose, blinking slowly at her. "Not taking that High Jump Kick kept me on my feet."

The two of them shared a silent moment, Melrose smiling while Icarus stared at her—but they broke when suddenly Adeline gasped. "That's one of those Outlier members, isn't it!" She squeaked while pointing at Lune. "What are you children doing with him! I should call Jennifer at once–"

In a bout of panic, Adeline frantically raised a finger and readied an attack. Dimitri, Xander and Melrose started trying to explain all at once, however Icarus sprung forward and spread his arms out wide—which made everyone go quiet.

"Miss Adeline, please relax. This Pokémon has my royal pardon."

Adeline lowered her claw. "He… does?"

"I do?" Lune added.

"After hearing his story, I've passed my judgment." Icarus glanced back at Lune, leered so hard that the Nickit's open jaw snapped shut, then returned his gaze to Adeline. "Team Outlier has been using and manipulating Lune here for a long time. I suspect that he's been cast aside and forced to do their dirty work to guarantee his safety. He's to be watched under the close supervision of Xander and Dimitri, and if he is to act out of line—I will take the personal responsibility of prolonging his arrest."

Dimitri looked at Xander, and Xander returned his glance. The two of them both rubbed the backs of their necks—seemed like everything was being decided for them.

Adeline kept her worried expression, but once again lowered her guard. "If you're sure, Your Majesty, then it's not my place to question you."

The Clefairy took a deep breath, turning back towards the dining hall before waddling over to Melrose. She helped the Pikachu to her feet and held her paw as she started walking away. "Let's get you two to the nurse, shall we?"

"Very well," Icarus huffed, taking a moment before he started following. He looked over his shoulder at the remaining Pokémon. "I trust you all know what to do."

And with that, Xander, Lune and Dimitri were all left alone in the hall. The three of them were quiet and unmoving for a long time.

"Do we… know what to do?" Dimitri asked as he turned to his two dearest friends. Lune's eyes were vacant, but Xander's were full of light.

"Let's get out of this castle for now," the Litten said as he started to walk away. "We don't exactly belong here, do we?"

"No… I guess not." Dimitri padded to Xander's side, keeping next to him as they made their way towards the entrance. He glanced periodically at Lune—who followed them despite his previous rejection of reform.

The sun was already rising by the time they left. As each of their ears perked at the sound of bird and bug Pokémon, Lune chuckled softly. Xander and Dimitri turned to look at him, both perplexed by his sudden smile. Dimitri could tell that it wasn't a fake or sarcastic one, either. His dark eyes glimmered with the orange hues of the sunrise. After a deep breath, he spoke.

"That felt like the longest night of my life. I'm surprised it's finally over."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Hi! So I have... news, in regard to this fic.

This chapter was actually available to read on my AO3 since mid November. I apologize for forgetting to post it here, but there's a reason.

From this point forward, I will no longer be posting chapters to FFN. I was never really a fan of the way it worked, and didn't like that I couldn't show art within the chapters. AO3 was always what I felt to be the true way to experience this fic, and was really only posting here for reach.

For archival purposes, I will be keeping what I have written on this site, but know that if you want to read further updates, they will only be available on AO3 and - so far, the whole fic is only on AO3. This is because I'm going through the old chapters and updating them- and every chapter I've done this to is being posted on PMDFF as I go.

Thanks for the support on here! 3