Originally Posted on AO3 on November 29, 2021
DISCLAIMER: I do not grant anyone the permission to use any part of my story in their own fics. Do not take things from my story for your own fanfic. Do not take parts of my story for your own works. I write for the sake of fun. That is plagiarism.
It was eerily quiet on the night of the Entrance Ceremony.
What was supposed to be an enchanting evening welcoming the new students was hampered by silver-lined clouds that hung low in the sky with the promise of rain. Those who looked out the windows would see a flash of lightning in the distance, followed by a roar of thunder. Those who saw the well-known black carriages with low lit green lanterns would see that they carried coffins as their cargo. With their hooves clopping along the paved road, the ebony horses saw nothing but their destination in the distance. By following them, it would lead to the illustrious Night Raven College and its black iron gates.
At the highest point, black spires sprouted out from the earth, reaching out to touch the night sky. The castle of Night Raven College itself was a central pillar in the world of Twisted Wonderland, having history etched into its very foundation. Unlike the shining white walls of Royal Sword Academy in the South, one would see the cold, stone walls that have lasted a hundred years standing defiantly in the moonlight. Chandeliers, from the founding of the school to this very day, were beautiful and enchanting in the light that they provided. It was truly magical.
And if there were people wandering around outside, the windows flashed a brilliant blue before dying just as quickly. One would claim that it was a trick of the light. Perhaps the ghosts that roamed the halls were playing tricks as a means to welcome the freshmen.
In the most sacred part of the school, the Mirror Chamber was filled with students that had been all sorted into their dorms by the famed Dark Mirror. Dimly glowing lights lined the chamber. Strung from the ceiling were beautiful gem-like decorations that connected to every corner of the room before connecting to the center-most chandelier that bathed the room in a warm orange glow. Gates similar to the ones that had carried the students floated in the air, suspended by magic. Despite the beauty of it all, the glamour of the event had long worn off on the students, some of them wondering where the Headmaster went.
"I can't believe you all!" Speak of the man, and he would appear, "As the Headmaster, I went off on my own to find the missing student! Is it not my duty to ensure all of you are sorted? It is of my kind heart that I do so! Now, now, come along, young one."
The chattering student body was left stunned as the Headmaster strode into the Mirror Chamber with a swish of his midnight black cape.
"There's one left? Where the hell have they been?"
"Keeping us waiting..."
"What in Twisted Wonderland are those creatures...?"
"Am I hallucinating this right now? Am I dreaming?"
"Don't they know that our bags will be teleported right into our dorms?"
Anyone would be questioning the sight before them. The illustrious and self-proclaimed kind Headmaster of Night Raven College walked into the Mirror Chamber with a whip holding a flaming raccoon-cat-creature. Even stranger than that was the last remaining student to be given a dorm. Without a care in the world, the hooded figure strode side-by-side the Headmaster with a fluffy, cloud bird on their head while carrying a bucket that had a very shabby-looking, brown fish. To a more keen-eyed individual, a bag was around their shoulder. And had the bag not been black, which allowed it to neatly blend into the shadows provided by the flowing fabric of the ceremonial robes, the bag could've clashed with their outfit.
All in all, it was a strange and dramatic entrance for the beginning of the school year.
Being the person who was the center of attention, Soni stayed quiet, not minding any of the whispers around her. She'd learned to tune out rumors by now.
Honestly, I didn't think I'd encounter a blue-colored Torracat in this place. It definitely doesn't feel like Alola, not with the weather outside looking as dark as it is, She held the bucket close to her chest. Thoughts ran through her mind at a breakneck pace, identifying key points of entry within the room out of habit. Granny's gonna throw so much training at me when I show up later. I can just feel it in my bones.
"Swa. Swablu!" Nimbus sat on her head, beady black eyes locked onto the floating mirror standing in the center of the room. Miss, look over there. A round, shiny thing!
"Feebas." Mila glanced around the room to the sight of many people looking at her Trainer. It's a mirror.
"Mm." The noncommittal reply was accompanied with a gentle pat on the heads of her Pokémon, the sleeves of the clothes that she wore following her action. With the curtain of fabric covering her momentarily, Soni lowered her voice, "Make sure to keep an eye on the blue Torracat, okay?"
The fish Pokémon's eyes narrowed at the creature in question. After nearly burning her Trainer for the sake of gaining her clothes, the cat got on Mila's hit list. The whispers around them only made Mila more upset. In the Feebas' mind, there was little to no doubt they were talking about her Trainer or the Pokémon she was surrounded with. That was often the case with Mila, given her shabby appearance. If people around them talked about nothing but appearances, then they weren't worth her or her Trainer's time.
Approaching the mirror, it was pretty in an eerie way. The frame was a dusky bronze with some sort of serpentine Pokémon that Soni couldn't identify looping around the frame. The head of the serpent was in a striking position, its fangs bared to attack its supposed prey in a flash. Once Soni stood in front of it, the mirror shimmered, revealing a decorative mask wreathed in bright green flames.
"State thy name." The mask said in a tone that brokered no bargaining.
A talking, floating mask. Not the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life, Soni thought to herself before saying, "Soni Monet."
"The shape of thy soul is..." The mask shifted through its emotions quickly, so much so that Soni grew nervous with how the silence dragged on. "I do not know."
The disbelief in the Headmaster's voice was palpable, "...Come again?"
"...I sense magic from this soul, but that magic does not belong to them." The solemn voice spoke clearly, its voice echoing in the Mirror Chamber's stunned silence. "The color, the shape, they are hidden from me. Therefore, she is not suited to any dormitory!"
Whispers erupted from the watching crowd. After all, the situation that was playing out before them was unheard of. To the crowd, having magic was a needed trait at Night Raven College. For someone not to have it yet be brought to Night Raven College as a student... More and more, conversation flowed between the freshmen.
"What does that even mean? Doesn't that mean they're just magicless?"
"This is getting weirder and weirder..."
"Poor guy, he might get sent home after getting all the way here..."
"Wait, the mirror said she." One person realized, eyes darting to the person in question who looked so nonchalant about the whole thing. "Doesn't that mean-"
"An Ebony Carriage would never send for someone without magic, much less a young lady to an all-boys school." Glowing yellow eyes hidden behind a mask glanced over at Soni as though she were the one to convince the carriage to sneak her in. The Headmaster's words spoke volumes of what was expected at the institution.
"Don't look at me like that, Mr. Crowley." Soni addressed the man with a dry, flat tone while holding Mila's bucket close to her chest, "I know absolutely nothing. A clueless, magicless person is pleading innocence here. Have mercy on my colorless, blob of a soul."
Someone in the crowd laughed before they were shushed.
"There has not once been a single mistake in student selection in a hundred years! So, why..."
Soni twitched at the implication of Crowley's words, no matter how correct it may be. Being called out like this certainly wasn't what she planned for this evening, but she was used to dealing with unexpected surprises.
"FEE!" The cat!
Soni called out, "Mr. Crowley, the blue Torracat-!?"
A wave of blue flames bathed over the Mirror Chamber, spreading as far as it could reach. The gentle, warm orange of the existing lights were overtaken by the cold blue that washed over everything in an instant. Students panicked, trying to make their way out of the Mirror Chamber and away from the fire. Chaos reigned supreme. From a single, small figure whose ears were ablaze with that same light, the cat monster stood above all of them.
"Nyahaha!" A cackle escaped the cat monster who unleashed another blast of blue fire. "Do you see my greatness now?"
"Can someone help me? My butt's on fire!" Someone yelled out.
"Stop, drop, and roll if you're on fire!" Soni made her way over to the young man in question. "The more you run around, the more you'll feed the flames! Mila, Ice Beam the flames. Nimbus, chase that Torracat down!"
"Swablu!" With a flap of her wings, Nimbus flew away to chase the cat monster. You can count on me!
"Gah!" Grim startled at the bird Pokémon who swooped down at him suddenly, "You won't catch me, you puffball!"
"Feebas Fee Feebas." A beam of ice extinguished the flames on the person before them. Steam rose from the two elements colliding with one another, leaving ice in its wake. For such talented magicians, they apparently don't know how to summon water.
"Mila, now's not the time." Soni muttered to the Pokemon for which she got an eye roll in response.
"Oh! Thank you so much!" Bright red eyes greeted Soni's blue, nearly blinding her with gratitude. "I'm Kalim! Nice to meet you!"
When Soni heard the name, her mouth closed, lips pressing together. She didn't trust herself from saying something that she would regret to someone who didn't deserve it. And that's when she realized that she heard wrong. The pronunciation was different on the end. Huh, what are the odds of meeting someone with a name similar to Calem? "...I'm Soni. I wish that we could've met in better circumstances."
After all, the blue Torracat was still cackling over what a genius it was. People were screaming. No one was doing anything to remedy the situation, either standing in the corners where the flames didn't reach, running towards the exit, or ducking for cover. In short, everything was a big mess.
Arceus, where are the adults?! She very pointedly ignored the Headmaster who was trying to calm the panicking students to no avail. Why was there only one adult in the vicinity? "Hey Kalim, do you know anyone that can use water magic to put out the flames?"
"Oh," she could see the proverbial light bulb go off in Kalim's head, "I can do it!"
Pulling out a pen that had a large gem attached to it, Kalim waved it around. "Oasis Maker!"
The scent of rain flooded her senses as liquid fell from the ceiling. The conjured spell slowly but surely extinguished the burning, blue flames around them, creating small puddles in its wake. Feeling the water slowly soak through the robes she was wearing, she sighed in relief. Even though wet clothes were difficult to move around in, at least nothing would catch on fire anymore.
"My ears! My key adorable feature!" The Torracat monster cried, clutching his ears.
"Can someone do something about that raccoon?!" Crowley shouted over the screaming students, his damp feathers now sticking to his cape.
"That herbivore's familiar is doing the job, isn't it?" The last part of the hooded, green-eyed man's sentence ended with a yawn. "It's just a raccoon-"
"I'm not a raccoon!" Grim snarled, "The greatest magician ever will be me, the Great Grim!"
"It certainly has moxie..." A bespectacled young man turned to the side to address the redhead who was looking at the scene with disdain. "Care to assist me in this matter, Riddle?"
"I can't overlook those who break the rules so blatantly," Riddle brandished his Magic Pen, a steely look in his eyes at the trouble-making cat who was chased by the cloud-winged bird. "Let's hurry up and get this over with."
Just as Riddle aimed his Magic Pen at Grim-
"Mila, Scald him!" A steaming stream of water was shot at the cat monster. The sudden heat behind him caused Grim to landing on his butt with a thump.
"Ow ow ow! That hurts even more than the first time!" Grim yelled out, still clutching his ears to protect them from the rain. He turned towards the hooded female who shouted the command. "You stupid human and your stupid, dumb fish! You keep getting in my way!"
That moment of distraction was enough for Riddle. "Off With Your Head!"
"FNYAH! What's with this thing?!" Grim pawed at the collar, before trying to summon his fire. Nothing came out. "My magic-! It's-!"
"Humph. With that collar on, you're nothing more than an unruly pet who needs to be disciplined thoroughly." Riddle walked up to the cat creature whose pronged tail swished with irritation. "Rule 23: One shall never bring a cat into a festival. Therefore, you will be removed immediately."
"I'm not a pet!" Grim shouted, his ears flaring up once more. "And for the last time, I ain't a cat!"
"I'd never have a pet like you." Riddle scowled in response. "Your very existence at this ceremony is a blemish!"
"Isn't this creature your familiar?!" At that moment, the irritated tone of the Headmaster rang out. That brought the attention back to the masked adult and the magicless girl, the former sounding upset at what happened. "You need to take responsibility-!"
"For the love of Arceus above, that blue Torracat isn't mine." The harsh emphasis on Soni's statement made Crowley blink in surprise. The last thing that Soni wanted was to be blamed for something without any basis to the accusation. She couldn't help the irritation that bled into her next words. "I've been trying to tell you this piece of information for the past hour, but you never listened to me, Headmaster."
"O-oh, I see." Coughing into his hand, the golden pupils of the Headmaster focused at Grim. The cat monster struggled in the hands of the students who were tasked to bring him away, the collar still firmly locked in place. "As for you, we will not turn you into a stew, for I am gracious."
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" Grim squirmed in the hold of his captors, his body thrashing around to get free. "I'm going to... become the greatest magician in the world!"
The doors closed shut, the blue flames finally dying out. Soaked and exhausted from what happened earlier, Soni quietly wondered why the Torracat-like creature was so determined to be in this school. Why he wanted to be here to the point that he tried to harm her in that coffin she woke up in. There were no other monsters around from what she could see, considering that she was the only one with any form of creatures at all. It was disconcerting, but Soni pushed it to the back of her mind. Maybe they didn't have any Pokémon out because this ceremony was meant only for the students? It was the only thing that she could think of as a reason for not having any Pokémon around and about.
"Dorm Head Riddle, thank you for your assistance in this matter." Crowley spoke to the redhead before turning to the rest of the students. "Dorm Heads, please lead the rest of the students back to the dormitories. Ah, now that I think about it, where is Mr. Draconia?"
The moment that name was mentioned, chatter erupted in the Mirror Chamber.
"Wait, by Draconia... Do they mean Malleus Draconia?"
"Is he seriously attending the school...?"
"Uwah... scary..."
Soni's face shifted at the comments that grew more and more scared as the minutes ticked by. Was this guy really that terrifying?
Hearing the excuses that the Dorm Heads came up with for not inviting him made Soni feel a tinge of guilt for Malleus, even if she had no idea of who he was. Just because he seemed hard to approach didn't mean they could exclude him because of it, especially if he was a Dorm Head. By all accounts, he should have been invited on the basis of his position, no questions asked. That was no better than what some people did when she just became the Champion of Kalos.
"Too young, this one. She does not need to attend these social events."
"I don't think she needs to be invited to the Pokémon World Tournament just yet. After all, she needs more credibility than just being the Champion of Kalos or her formal title."
"How can someone so young be so frighteningly powerful? She must've done something to her Pokémon to make them perform that well."
It wasn't as if that sort of situation hadn't been spoken about before her. When Red became Champion of Kanto, he was notorious for his battle style as well as his strength that made many people question the then-ten year old Red on what he did with his Pokémon. In the end, Red was deemed a Champion who trained his Pokémon through legitimate means, and that was the end of that. Meanwhile, Soni struggled to get past certain regulations due to internal prejudice within the region. This caused Soni to miss her first year in the Pokémon World Tournament as a Champion with the official reasoning being official regional matters that conflicted with her schedule.
She didn't realize how her hands curled into fists nor did she realize how some people glanced at her with various looks on their faces. Some gazes lingered on Nimbus who returned to her spot on Soni's head or at Mila who glared at the onlookers from her bucket. As much as Mila could glare, given her limited facial expressions as a Feebas.
As people slowly filed out of the room, the same person from before- Kalim, Soni's brain chimed in- ran up to her with a big smile on his face. "When you have time, let's hang out in Scarabia, and I'll let you meet the others! I really owe you one for helping me out!"
"Mm, I'll try and make time to visit you." Soni waved goodbye to the energetic teen.
Eventually, the only ones who remained in the Mirror Chamber were Soni, her Pokémon, and the Headmaster of Night Raven College, Dire Crowley.
"I'm sorry to say this, but-" Crowley began the conversation.
"Soni Monet," Her long, dark ponytail fell out of the hood as she pulled it back to finally look at the masked figure properly.
"Miss Monet," The Headmaster continued, undeterred by her interruption, "not only do you not have magic, but this is an all-boys school."
She couldn't disagree with his logic there, given that her soul was apparently nothing at all, according to a mask in a mirror. Aside from that, she didn't belong here in the first place. She needed to get back to Kalos as soon as possible. Otherwise, her Granny or her mom would get worried for her. That, and there was this... feeling that bothered her the entire time. There was no real way to describe it than it feeling so weirdly empty. Soni couldn't explain what exactly was missing, but there was something off about her surroundings that didn't feel quite right.
"Do not fret, Miss Monet. We shall send you directly home with the Dark Mirror." With a nod, Crowley gestured to the Dark Mirror. "Picture your home in your mind, and your familiars will follow you."
"Ah, gimme a second." In a flash of light, Mila and Nimbus were tucked away in their Pokéballs. Soni nodded, "Alright, ready to go."
"What in the world..." The bafflement in Crowley's muttered phrase only made Soni's growing nerves worse. "I've never seen-"
"I'm ready, sir." She cut him off, shutting her eyes.
She breathed in. The apartment that she lived in with her mother, the view of the balcony overlooking the expanse of Lumiose City in all its glory. The comfort of the local café around the corner that she sometimes ate at with her team, the pressure of her duties slipping away for that moment in time. The blindingly beautiful city that was alive with Pokémon living amongst humans and thriving. A city that she helped rebuild in the first months of being Champion of Kalos after the disasters left in the wake of Team Flare. Even with everything that threatened to sink her and drown her in the internal problems that resided behind gilded facades, the reconstruction of her home had been worth every second with rebuilding her region next on her agenda.
But now? All she wished was to go home.
"Oh, Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place they belong!"
Deafening silence.
For the first time in a long time, her heart began to race. Please, please, please.
"...Once more." Crowley looked nervous, "Oh, Dark mirror! Guide this..."
"The place they belong is nowhere..." The stoic mask that lived in the mirror said with a tone that conveyed nothing but the absolute truth. "It does not exist."
"This is unbelievable, but it's been a rather strange night all around. Where exactly did you come from, Miss Monet?" Crowley turned towards Soni who stared at the mirror, a glaze forming over her eyes. "Miss Monet?"
"Lumiose City." The answer came out in a deceptively calm voice despite her internal panic, "I'm from the Kalos region."
The man hummed, although there was an undercurrent of disbelief that made the noise strained. "I have a general understanding of where students come from, but those names-"
"What about Laverre City? Santalune City? Geosenge Town?" It took everything Soni had to not freak out. "Do those sound familiar?"
"...I believe that we may get some answers from the library. Follow me."
When Soni pored over the history books and maps, nothing could stop her from the shock of seeing an entirely different world to the one she knew. There was no Lumiose City. No Kalos. Not any other place she could name that was close to her home of sixteen years. Not even Galar where her Granny could help her get back home, even if it took an airplane ride to do so. There was no war from thousands of years ago. Most of all, there was no mention of Pokémon anywhere, but that couldn't be true-
Because a world without Pokémon was-
Heart thudding against her rib cage, she continued her search because there had to be something. Eventually, there were places that were similar enough to places in Kalos that she had to at least try to check if they were the same. Because the alternative meant-
Keep calm, she thought as her hands shook while turning through the encyclopedias. It would be far more efficient to have an assistant that could cross-reference the information in front of her. "Hey Rotophone, can you check if these places are a match?"
"Roto Toto Rotom Ro!" There's no places that match the data stored within my databank. These places are unlike any that have been recorded!
"Great Seven," the Headmaster jumped back as her phone came to life, "what is that device?!"
"It's a Rotom Phone." The Headmaster's look of confusion was one that Soni was getting used to in a very short amount of time, and she didn't like what that implied. "Like Pokéballs for catching Pokémon?"
Please let me be wrong.
Crowley's next words were the final nail on the coffin. "What in Twisted Wonderland is a Pokémon?"
She already knew it in the back of her mind, but having it confirmed by someone else was another thing altogether. When Crowley said that she most likely had come from another world, Soni pulled out her belongings from her bag. There was a spark of hope in her heart when pulling out her Pokémon Trainer card that had the official symbol of her Champion status printed on it as well as the Researcher ID from Professor Sycamore.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
It was truly a night of unbelievable events as Soni realized that she had been taken away from her original world into this one.
From her home that was filled with the wondrous creatures known as Pokémon in every single corner, she was brought to a world that lived on without any of them. It was a world where magic was the dominant source of power, none of which existed within Soni. At least, none that belonged to her. The power that ran through her veins was not hers and will never be hers. And the mask in the mirror knew it. She couldn't create rain to put out fire. She couldn't create collars out of thin air. Soni was at the mercy of the whims in this world of magic.
And this world of magic that Soni found herself in was named Twisted Wonderland.
Amongst the buildings that resided on the grounds of Night Raven College, there was one that stood out the most. Nestled between gravestones and cobwebs on a hill that was separated from everything else at the magical academy was Ramshackle Dorm. Protected with an old, creaking iron fence surrounding the property, it was a fitting nickname for something so rundown. The panels on the outside of the house were rotten and loose from age with the gargoyles that lined the building being an eerie sight in their protective stance of something that could collapse at any minute.
Yet, there the building stood for many years, despite no one caring for it.
At least, not among the living, that is.
That's why those who did inhabit the dorm were curious about the people and mysterious creatures who stood at the front door to Ramshackle Dorm. The most recognizable of the group was the Headmaster of Night Raven College. His clawed fingertips opened the door with a flourish. The man's dark cloak became dotted with dust as he entered the establishment, a gloved hand signaling for the other to follow.
"Right, right, come inside. Make sure your familiars are with you too."
The second wore the ceremonial robes to Night Raven College, so they should be living in one of the seven dorms. And yet here they were, in an abandoned place where not many would dare enter. On them was a black satchel bag, knuckles white from their tight grip. A blue bird on top of their head chirped, the noise echoing in the lounge.
"For the time being, you can stay here, Miss Monet. At the very least, it will keep the rain out." The Headmaster's optimism met a look. "In any case, isn't this place quite charming? With enough elbow grease, it would look quite lovely."
"You-" The familiar burn of irritation built up in the back of Soni's head as she said, "You can't be serious about that. There's so much dust that it's going to take days to get rid of it all. And that's only counting just a few rooms-"
"Nonetheless, I'm going back to the library to do more research. I'll be sure to bring back some cleaning supplies for you. As boorish as it may be of me to make a helpless teen such as yourself stay in a dusty place, we have no other spaces on campus to put you, Miss Monet." He began to close the door, "In the meantime, make yourself at home."
"Wait, Mr. Crowley-!"
THUD!
"...Ugh." There was a beat of silence before Soni sighed, immediately coughing afterward. Soni's eyes looked upward at the Pokemon that sat on her head, "What do you think, Nimbus? Think you can help me out on cleaning- Ah, there she goes. Never underestimate a Swablu's cleaning instinct."
"Swablu! Blu!" White, puffy wings became immediately a dusk gray as Nimbus swept away the dust from the cloth-lined couch. Small Y-shaped feet marked the dusty couch as the bird Pokemon hopped around. The excitement in Nimbus' voice was palpable. Leave it to me, Miss! I can clean everything!
"Alright, but you're not doing this alone." With a soft click, multiple Pokéballs were flung into the air. "Mila, Aegis, I need your assistance! Let's get this place cleaned up! Pike and Gene, get a look at our new home for the time being!"
Soni's current team wasn't her Championship Team, but the one she was building to reach that level. She hadn't been lying to Professor Sycamore about taking time on training them. It paid off to have more diversity in her roster since people would learn to counter her. It also let her experiment on new ideas with new Pokémon. Despite that, she had at least one of her Championship Pokémon on her team to deal with any major problems that her current team couldn't handle. At the current moment, her one Championship Pokemon was Aegis, her Aegislash.
Granted, I do have that PC that I'm supposed to test, Soni pressed her temples, trying to soothe the forming headache, Never been a better time to test something out. Arceus, what is this whole- I can't get angry. This is happening. I just need to push through it. I'll be fine.
"Feebas!" Mila flopped to the floor with a grimace on her face. This place is disgusting!
"Mmmmmm." A hum resonated from the sword Pokémon, his sole eye sweeping the area. The Aegislash was attentive as ever. I don't think we're alone either, Miss Soni. That is often the case in places like this.
Pike and Gene sneezed at the same time.
"Gib Gible!" Pike, her Gible, pointed at Nimbus who was going ham on the chandelier. Should we clean too?
"Vee!" Her Eevee, Gene, already began sweeping the floor with Tail Whip. It's so dusty here!
"As much as I don't want to stay here, we've got no choice. If there's hostile ghosts around, then we'll deal with them accordingly. If they're nice, we'll leave them be. Our top priority is to clean the following areas: the kitchen, the lounge, one bedroom, and a bathroom. Pike, use your massive strength to push some of the larger pieces of broken furniture. We need to move around this place without accidentally tripping into a pile of junk."
Pulling the bucket that Mila used earlier out of her bag along with Grimer Beware [1], a face mask, and elbow-length cleaning gloves, Soni tied her ponytail into a bun. "Good thing I still have the bucket and several bottles of Grimer Beware. Arceus knows if the buckets in this place have holes in them-"
KABOOM!
Lightning flashed across the sky, a deluge of rain crashing down onto the rickety building that creaked ominously.
Soni resisted the urge to sigh. "...Honestly, I expected nothing less from my terrible luck, given what's happened recently-"
"My adorable ears!" A gratingly familiar voice echoed in the lounge. The same cat creature from earlier who was supposed to be thrown out of Night Raven College hurried into the room. Grim laughed, "Haha! Look at your dumb face! It looks like a spider got sprayed on- GAH! YOU STUPID FISH! Stop spraying me!"
"Feebas?!" Mila puffed up in irritation at the smug cat creature who did not notice the ominously floating sword just yet. Who's the stupid one?!
"Alright." Soni put herself between the two of them, her voice lowering as to make them listen. She was already too tired to deal with this type of confrontation. The faster she intervened between them, the faster that the dorm could be cleaned up. "Stop fighting, you two. Fighting isn't going to help us in a productive way. Grim, if you want stay in this house, you need to cooperate and help out-"
"Do it yourself! The Great Grim doesn't clean!" In a flash, the gleaming surface of a sword reflected Grim's terror back at him, the chilling aura of power freezing him in place. "I-I mean, I don't have opposable thumbs! How am I supposed to clean?!"
"Just follow my orders. We can figure out what you can do with your paws as we go along." It was a standard practice in Soni's world that Pokemon were assigned to chores that suited their Typings and their limited body movements. "And even so, there's plenty for you to do."
Grim was about to complain again, but stopped when Aegis moved closer. His ghostly aura made Grim's fur stand up on end. Between maintaining his defiance towards Soni and facing a giant sword or cleaning something and gaining a place to rest for the night, the choice was obvious. "Fnyah... fine. You win this time, stupid human."
"Fee Bas Bas!" Mila shouted. You can't be serious about letting him stay here!
"For starters, Grim, go search for old rags that we can use to wipe up the place. They should be in the hallway closet. If you find other cleaning supplies, I'll make sure to give you something nice as a reward, alright?" That last part was tacked on to incentivize Grim, but she wasn't wrong about giving him a reward. After all, any work from someone as reluctant as Grim was good work, especially since their current surroundings couldn't get any worse than they were at the moment.
"Alright. You better gimme a good reward for this, human! The Great Grim definitely can find some rags in this beatdown dorm! Nyahaha!" Grim's bright blue ears faded from view, vanishing down the dark hallways.
"Good luck with that." Soni poured a small amount of the cleaning solution into the bucket, "Mila, alternate between Scald and Ice Beam. We need warm water to kill any bacteria that the Grimer Beware won't, but I still need to pick up the bucket without burning my hands."
The fish Pokémon put on a long-suffering look of annoyance before doing as she was told. After all, nothing would change Soni's mind once she was dead-set on something. That was something that all of Soni's Pokémon learned eventually. "Feebas." As you wish.
Waiting for the bucket to fill up, Soni took out the portable PC from her bag and stared at the attachments before putting it together. The items secured tightly onto the electronic device, clicking into place. She knew the risk was worth taking. Gaining access to all her Pokémon meant more variety and more survivability in this world. Given that she had no idea of what to expect, that meant everything to her at the moment. From how Crowley reacted to her Pokémon, the tamer looking ones would fit in easily, so that meant her Championship team would definitely gain some weird looks if she brought them out at all times. Power or stealth, the choice was obvious. The pros outweighed the cons, and Soni was already preparing herself for conversations with potential visitors that "accidentally" stumbled by their doorstep.
Among those logical reasons, Soni had an admittedly selfish reason for going through with this. She missed her starter, plain and simple.
The Pokémon that had been with her since the very beginning of her Journey, Dior, was a companion that had been with Soni through everything. The Gardevoir was definitely going to be a great help in all aspects. Handling Grim would be easy with her starter around, making incidents like what happened with the Mirror Chamber nonexistent in the future. Dior could literally stop him in his tracks without even moving using Psychic, but the extent of the Pokémon's abilities went beyond simple monster wrangling. Cleaning the dorm would be far less of an impossible feat with Dior around. And most of all, the Pokémon herself was good at keeping Soni calm in her worst of moments, which felt very needed in this precarious situation that they were in currently. Given that it would be inevitable that something terrible would happen around her, Soni needed her best partner.
Booting up the device with the exchange attachment, the familiar Login screen greeted her with a ding. Feeling her nerves more than ever, she entered her Trainer ID and connected her Rotophone to the device. "Alright, Rotom, are you connect the communication line between this world and our world for the transfer?"
A zap of electricity connected from Soni's Rotophone into the portable PC. The fan whirred to life, the electronic device making noises as Rotom's recognizable orange darted around on the computer screen. For a moment, Soni wondered if this was even possible. After all, devices like these were supposed to work around the same area of existence in theory. Not to mention, this is a prototype. Bugs and glitches were bound to happen. Professor Sycamore said so himself, and the idea of the failure in this moment was all too real.
Finally, the verdict was reached.
"Roto Toto Rotom!" The responding chirp from Rotom made her sigh in relief. If I continuously pump electrical energy to match it up with our world and adjust the frequency to synchronize a stable connection, there's a chance that we can make the PC work as intended.
That was more than enough. She nodded. "Let's take that bet."
After what felt like an eternity of the Loading Screen ticking away, a cheerful chime rang out.
Seeing the PC screen, she moved the mouse and scrolled through the log. Eventually, Soni picked up her Dior's Pokeball, switching the status to Active Party Member [2]. Relief filled Soni, but then came the waiting game. After immediately clicking 'Yes', Soni waited. Rotom's blue eyes were closed in concentration as the fan sped up. The loading screen began to fill up at a steady rate. And after it was completely filled, a beam of light materialized her longtime partner's Pokeball in the holding station.
Once it was all done, she turned off the portable PC. Handling it with the utmost of care as she placed it back into her bag, Soni took Dior's Pokeball and held it for a minute. It sat comfortably in her hand, the familiar, worn grooves of the device making Soni smile. She threw the sphere into the air. "Alright, Dior. We have a situation."
"Gar. Devoir. Gardevoir?" The Pokémon looked around the surroundings with a touch of concern in her voice. Soni. You realize this place is likely to be haunted. Are you here because you want to be, or were you forced?
"Long story short," Soni started, "we got teleported to another world. We're stranded here until further notice."
Dior gave her an exasperated expression.
Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen that look on her face. Soni could only sheepishly smile in response.
"And from what I've researched so far, there's no Pokémon in this world, so I can't go anywhere else without endangering the rest of you." Soni looked away from the green-haired Pokémon who looked more and more disapproving by the second. From the corner of her eye, Soni saw Nimbus carefully sweeping the chandelier above them. It was honestly impressive how dedicated the bird Pokémon was to cleaning. "The Headmaster told me that the school will take responsibility for this. As for why he's not here, he went back to do some tasks. And he'll bring in more cleaning supplies, so it's not that terrible in comparison to what we've done before-"
"GHOOOSTS! AAH!? GHOSTS...! " A burst of blue flame erupts from the hallway as unfamiliar laughter rung out in the air. "AAAAAA-!"
Dior teleported away.
A yelp of 'Where the heck did you come from!?' could be heard while the laughter immediately turned into shrieks of fear. The sounds of a fight reverberated throughout the hallway, carrying the noise to the lounge. Mila continued to fill up the bucket without batting an eye. Aegis was torn between Soni and the encounter in the hallway, not sure of what to do at the moment. Pike and Gene stopped for a few seconds at the noise before going back to work. Gene made content sounds while he swept the place with his tail, the Eevee making soft cheers under his breath. Furniture was moved around by the Land Shark Pokémon with Pike being careful to not accidentally run into someone in the process. Dust fell from the ceiling with the chandelier trembling from the resounding thuds from afar.
Perched on top of the chandelier, Nimbus sneezed. "Blu!" Achoo!
"Wanna go outside and wash off in the rain?" Soni asked the little bird who nodded in response. "Alright, I'll leave the door open for you, so you can go in-and-out as you please. Mila, let's get you outside. I don't want you to dry out. You're a hardy Pokémon, but you still need water. Aegis, can you check the rooms upstairs and see if there's any other otherworldly visitors in this place?"
"Mmm." Aegis bowed slightly. I shall do so, Miss Soni.
Nimbus flew over to the open door before coming back, looking as clean as she could be. That was until Nimbus started cleaning again, her wings becoming grey with dust. Mila only had to sit outside for a few minutes before she was satisfied. A few minutes later, Dior strode back into the living area with Grim tucked under one arm and the other holding a trio of ghosts in a Psychic barrier. Dior's intense rose-colored stare made Soni shrink.
Calm but annoyed, not like I can really blame her for feeling that way, given the circumstances. It wasn't the worst reaction that Dior could've had, so Soni considered that a win. That being said, she needed to intervene now while there was an opening.
"Introduction time, that's Grim," Soni pointed to the cat monster in question whose blue wide-eyed stare spoke of how stunned he was at the moment. She does not mention how he nearly roasted her in a coffin earlier that night nor does she mention how he lit an entire room on fire. "He looks like a cat, but he's not a cat. Grim, the one holding you is Dior, one of my strongest companions. Those three ghosts... I have no idea who they are-"
"Miss, we weren't trying to harm your little friend here!" One of the ghosts who was skinnier than the other two called out to her. "We were just a little bored after no one's come around this place in a while. We just wanted to give him a little fright!"
"Who knew we'd be the ones to get scared instead? Hehe!" The roundest of the three ghosts laughed. "We weren't expecting a monster to pop outta nowhere like that! That's not something you'd see everyday. We just wanted to say hello to the newcomers!"
"...So," Soni started slowly, taking in the appearance of the ghosts, "you aren't going to suck out our souls?"
"No?" The first one said.
Soni wondered if that was why the building was so run down. Was it a place that connected to the Twisted Wonderland equilvalent to the Distortion World? "You aren't going to take me to the underworld?"
"No?" The second one said.
Soni's mind came to another potential outcome, "You aren't going to turn me into a ghost to haunt the dorm for the rest of eternity until my soul degrades into nothing?"
Grim just stared at Soni in horror. "What the heck, human?!"
"If you want to be a ghost, we don't mind having another pal, but no." The last of the three spoke, looking at Soni with a raised eyebrow. "Where in Twisted Wonderland did you get those ideas, kiddo? That's some pretty dark thoughts ya got there."
Soni had gotten accustomed to Ghost Pokémon doing that sort of thing, whether intentionally or otherwise. She'd honestly thought that those sorts of acts were common among ghosts, no matter the world. Apparently not, if the reactions to her comment were anything to go off of. "Oh, some Pokémon are rumored to do that to humans, so I just figured-"
The already open door to the dorm was slammed wide open, revealing Crowley with several bags of items. "I'm back with groceries, some dinner, and the cleaning supplies! Aren't I gracio- AHHH! The monster from the ceremony! The ghosts?! Who's that creature?! What in the world is going on in here?!"
"MMMMMM...!" Aegis reappeared in an instant, swinging the blade at the adult. INTRUDER!
"No! Aegis, he's friendly!" Soni held up her hands in a defensive motion, trying to prevent the sword Pokémon from shanking Crowley. "No stabbing allies! Remember, that's the Headmaster of this school?"
The bloodthirsty aura that Aegis emitted dimmed down with the sole purple eye trained on the three ghosts who looked at the Pokémon in fear and awe.
Grim curled up under Dior's hold, shivering. "S-So scary..."
Soni smiled at Aegis' restraint. Aegis had come a long way since being a Honedge who would brandish his blade at anyone that showed the slightest bit of aggression. "While he's not an intruder, I'm glad that you came to my defense so quickly. Thanks, Aegis."
The Aegislash hummed at that, saying nothing.
Crowley stepped back, his eyes bulging at the sight before him. "Great Seven, what exactly happened in the time that I was doing research and getting your things, Miss Monet?!"
"...And that's basically what happened." Soni finished her explanation, eating the delicious beef stew on the very clean couch, courtesy of a still-cleaning Nimbus. "Mmm, this is delicious. Compliments to the chef for their hard work."
Crowley could only bury his face in his hands. "...Miss Monet, do you understand that your monsters-"
"Pokémon."
"-have incredible power that magicians can only dream of after years and years of training? To have creatures like that roaming freely would cause a public scandal for Night Raven College!"
"Really? Pokémon roaming around like that is normal." Granted, final form Pokémon in the Wild were rarer than their younger ones, but they did exist. "They're everywhere. And I'm assuming that there's plenty of creatures that do the same around here."
"In your original world, yes. However, most would gawk at the pure control that your monsters possess, given how they stopped ghosts without damaging the area in the process. And most oridinary animals don't have abilities such as telekinesis!" Pulling his hat on straight, Crowley looked at the flaming cat creature that was behaving without any complaints, although that might've been because of the food. "Not to mention, this cat-"
"I keep telling ya that I'm not a cat!" Looking up from his food, Grim growled. "I'm the Great Grim!"
"-is behaving far better than he was a few hours ago." Crowley finished, a hand on his chin in contemplation. "Are you, by any chance, a Beast Tamer, Miss Monet?"
"Pokémon Trainer, Champion status. We already went over this, Headmaster." She corrected him as she tore a piece of the bread and dipped it into the soup. The bread softened just enough for her to bite it, "I'm going to assume that being a Beast Tamer and a Pokémon Trainer are objectively the same thing? That they take care of monsters?"
"In essence, yes. They are capable of such acts," Leaning back in the creaky old chair, Crowley continued, "However, I cannot allow Grim to stay at the school, no matter the level of your beast-handling prowess."
Grim pouted. "Hey-!"
"And I can't really fault you for thinking like that," Soni cut Grim off, making the cat monster grumble unhappily. "But Grim's determined to stay in this school. Whether you want him here or not, he'll just sneak in on his own and cause chaos that way. It's better to keep him with me. I can tell he's a little monster with good albeit skewed intentions. If anything else, he'll be good at protecting me from intruders."
That last part caught Crowley's attention. It seemed that the thought never crossed his mind, "...Intruders?"
That was exactly what Soni was aiming for. After all, he had to have known about the ghosts living in the dorm. It felt like an oversight if that was the case, given his position. Yet the Headmaster didn't mention their existence to her. She was willing to let it go for the time being, but that was no excuse for the potential damages that could've erupted from the potential fight between Grim and the ghosts. And it was this loophole that Soni honed on for her argument.
"Who knows what'll happen if someone breaks into this dorm? You saw how Aegis reacted earlier, not to mention how Dior's capable of handling the threats." She pointed out. "What if someone manages to injure me? That'd be an even bigger mess. You just mentioned how I can't use my Pokémon freely because it'd draw negative attention towards the school. Nimbus and Mila are capable in their own right, but they aren't very intimidating in appearance."
From what little she knew of the man in front of her, he didn't think much of her more mundane-looking Pokémon. Basing one's capabilities on their appearances was a universal concept, no matter the world. And that suited Soni just fine. After all, it wasn't like she was wrong. Who would leave her alone with Nimbus and Mila by her side? No one knew her or what her Pokemon were truly capable of. In her experience, gossip would spread around the school like wildfire. What was better gossip than about the magicless girl who was picked up as a mistake to an all-boys magic academy? There would be people who would be curious about her to seek her out, and it'd reflect poorly on Soni's abilities as a Champion to not prepare for the inevitable fights to come.
She could feel her Pokémon's disapproving stares from where they ate in the lounge, but this was necessary. Aside from the protection that Grim provided for Soni's impromptu kidnapping into Twisted Wonderland, Grim did have potential. His flames looked more and more reminiscent of a Pokémon move when Soni looked back on it. In the way the flames were created and spread out, but lacking in the execution, accuracy, and firepower, it was a weaker form of Inferno [3]. In short, Grim just needed someone to guide him on his abilities. That might be the reason why he was so desperate to get the school's recognition. Maybe it was her own heart saying that it wasn't right to just leave Grim on his own.
"Well..." Crowley muttered to himself. "Perhaps if... maybe..."
In the meantime, Soni opened her bag, glancing over at the Torracat-like monster. She wasn't sure if she could keep calling him as such since he didn't like being called a cat, but it was the only Pokemon that came to mind. While she didn't know much about Alola, most people learned about all the different starter Pokémon. "Hey, Grim. You found the cleaning supplies in the closet like I asked, right?"
He huffed, "Of course! I found mops, brooms, and a whole bunch of stuff too!"
"For all your hard work and good behavior, here's your prize." She pulled out a strawberry-flavored Pokepuff, stifling a laugh at the way Grim's eyes widened at the treat. "If you continue to behave this well, then you can get another one of these. Dig in, little buddy."
"Oooh!" Grim gobbled the dessert with stars in his eyes. "The frosting isn't overly sweet while the creamy insides are rich and decadent! The fruity flavor of the strawberry is tart, yet that only lends itself well to the overall sweetness of the dessert! It's delicious! What is this thing?"
"I..." Soni was stunned by the change in vocabulary, "I think that's the longest sentence I've ever heard you say that didn't talk about you being 'the best magician ever'."
"Hey!"
"But, Grim, you're going to do your best to behave, right?" Grim's pronged tail swished side-to-side, his ears flattening. "Give me an answer, Grim."
"...I better get some tuna cans for my effort." That was a good enough confirmation for Soni.
"Good boy." She scratched his ears, earning an immediate purr from the not-cat monster who swatted the hand away with his tail once he realized what he was doing. "You're pretty cute, Grim."
"I'm not cute! I'm cool!" Grim yelled at her with crumbs around his mouth.
"Considering that the school is responsible for summoning your soul here, it is only natural that we take care of you!" Crowley waved a hand towards them both.
"That guy's still talking?" Grim licked the frosting from his paws.
"Since you have no magic, you cannot be admitted to the school as a student nor can Grim be admitted in your place since he's a monster. Not only that, but I cannot allow someone to simply live on the campus for free." Crowley's voice grew louder and louder with his enthusiasm. "However, I have a solution to these problems!"
Crowley pointed at Soni who stopped mid-chew. "You and Grim will do odd jobs on behalf of the school as a pair of assistants! I recall that you have some experience in that sort of work, Miss Monet?"
She finished chewing her food before speaking, "Yeah, I'm a part-time researcher."
Being a part-time researcher for Professor Sycamore meant different types of jobs. Given her position as Champion of Kalos, she couldn't be of much use in long-term studies doing field work unless it was in conjunction with the Pokémon League's projects, but she could file paperwork efficiently and do so within a 24-hour turnaround. Given how many researchers, both within Kalos and out of region, were interested in working with the Kalosian Professor, paperwork was in abundance and so was the need to test technology that would help Trainers. As a result, Soni had plenty of products to be tested and reviewed.
"Excellent! Those jobs will include procuring special items for potion classes, secretarial work for teachers that need assistance in distributing homework and other documents, making sure that the students behave, and the occasional cleaning job!" Crowley's cape swished along with the man's arm, "Once you're done with your duties, Miss Monet can look for a way home in the library while Grim can study whatever he wishes in the meantime. Am I not kind?"
"I wanna wear the fancy uniform and be a student," Grim grumbled out, his paws crossing his chest in a huff.
"If such a thing is unpleasant for you, I can simply throw you out," Crowley smiled brightly despite the threat. "For Grim, you will clean Main Street to the Library tomorrow as punishment for what happened tonight."
"Grr! Fine! I'll do it!" Grim finished off his meal a while ago and made his way over to Soni. "Human, you better gimme tuna cans ASAP! I'm going to do a lot of hard work!"
"Miss Monet, I'll give you the rundown of the assistant job tomorrow morning since the first day of classes is more of an introduction to the courses than actual lessons. The school itself is rather large, so make sure to take advantage of the first day to get acquainted with the layout." Seeing the girl nod in response, Crowley returned it. "Any more questions?"
"Is it okay if I made a Berry Garden for my Pokémon?" Given that she only had a week's worth of Pokémon food left, that was a huge priority. While her Pokémon could hunt in the wilderness, she didn't want them to be seen by other people if she could help it. The logical solution was to make her own blend of Pokémon food using the berries that she had on hand. "I remember seeing a greenhouse on our way over here earlier."
"I will allow it on one condition." Crowley held up one finger, "You must sell a portion of the berries to the school, given that you're using space in the Botanical Gardens. You can also attempt making a garden here at the dorm, but I assume you're worried about your berry supply in the winter, correct?"
"Yes, although you don't worry about protecting the Berries on my account." Soni had enough experience back home about dealing with anyone who wished to steal her Berries without permission, both human and Pokémon alike. "I'll bring out one of my Pokémon to lay traps for thieves. I'll make sure that they'll get the message the first time around. Don't worry, Mr. Crowley, I'll make sure that the traps won't interfere with the other plants in the greenhouse."
"...Miss Monet, I worry that your prevention methods will be volatile and cause more victims than necessary." Crowley nervously chuckled. "Perhaps, signs alone are good enough?"
"That's what thieves get for stealing food, especially if it's for someone else." Soni wouldn't change her stance on this. If someone thought that they could steal from her without suffering any repercussions, they were wrong.
"Food thieves are the worst," Grim agreed. "Show'em no mercy, human."
"Why is it that that's the one thing you two agree on?!" Crowley cried out in distress.
Looking around the abandoned dorm was an adventure in and of itself.
From the outside, there were at least three floors to the building, and after a close call with Grim nearly falling down the stairs, a basement. At the moment, the kitchen and dining room weren't usable since no one had cleaned the place in a long time, hence why they ate in the living room earlier. After Crowley promised with 'all the kindness in his heart' that he would ensure that no one would take her Berries as well as provide enough space for the plants to thrive, he left. Of course, Soni was still going to set-up a prevention system, but that was in the future. For now, they would focus on the dorm's current condition.
The lounge area was clean enough that Soni considered it their starting point. The more cosmetic things like the peeling wallpaper, the broken picture frames, and the light fixtures would come later on when they had enough money saved up from her job as a teacher's assistant. After checking to see if the fireplace was still functional and wasn't clogged up from years of disuse, Grim lit the gathered up firewood. The blue glow of the fire felt familiar to the flame of a Litwick [4]. She only hoped that's not the case with Grim's fire. Then again, the same could be said for Aegis, although the Pokémon in question never tried to harm her, not even as a Honedge.
Once they had enough light, the cleaning progress picked up. The coffee table was placed up-right, the severely-stained carpets drying by the roaring blue fireplace. Picture frames that weren't damaged were cleaned gently before being levitated back on the walls. The striped couch, while significantly cleaner, sat close to the fireplace after being thoroughly washed with the watered down Grimer Beware to ensure that there was nothing else on it. The rocking chair in particular would be a nice centerpiece to the space once it was restored, but for the time being, it was placed to the side. Each step that Soni took around the lounge had the floor dipping slightly before straightening once more. Having hardwood floors that didn't buckle every time anyone moved was a thing that they would have to do once the paycheck came in, especially since Soni wasn't entirely sure if she had medical insurance. The floors were wiped down with Dior's Psychic as well as Pike, Gene, and Nimbus cleaning everything that they could reach.
Thanks to Dior, they were able to do a lot of cleaning in a short amount of time and moved onto the kitchen.
Similar to the lounge, it was dusty as hell. Using the cleaning products Crowley had brought along, the kitchen was clean enough that there shouldn't be any hazards to leaving their groceries there for the night. While the fridge looked newer than the rest of the dorm- which wasn't saying much- the appliance itself (surprisingly) still worked. It just wasn't cold. Before she could tell Rotom to possess the fridge for their groceries, Mila shot two Ice Beams into the freezer and refrigerator without any hesitation.
"At least it'll be cold now?" Soni stared at the sharp icicles that covered the interior. "Hopefully, it'll stay like that until tomorrow morning."
"Your stupid fish can shoot ice?!" Grim screeched.
Until Crowley got the electricity and gas running through the building, Ice Beaming it would be a decent solution. Looking through the kitchen cabinets, she managed to find plates, bowls, glasses and more tucked away. The designs reminded her of her Granny's plate collection from the 30s. Washing a few pieces of remaining silverware with dish soap and Scald water cooled down with the Ice Beam icicles in the freezer was easy enough.
"Alright Grim, can you dry these? Here's your dish rag." Soni held out the cloth to the cat monster who frowned.
"This is so much work..." Grim grumbled, "and then there's that whole statue thing 'morrow... Ugh...."
"I'm not making you wash and dry things, just drying them." She petted his ears, her eyes focusing on the way his tail flicking sharply in displeasure. "I don't know about you, but inhaling dust every time I breathe isn't very pleasant nor is it good for our health."
"...Fine." Soni could hear the pout in Grim's words. "You really owe me tuna cans for working so hard, human."
"Mm," She washed away the dust and grime from the plates, handing them off to Grim. "Here you go."
The kitchen had a table that could easily fit the two of them for their meals since her Pokémon could eat in the lounge for the time being. The dining area wasn't a priority since it was only the two of them and her party, but they'll get it done eventually. After that came the greatest discovery of the night.
Even if the lounge was clear of debris and dust, Soni would've been covered in filth. Sleeping like that was going to bother her, so she was thankful that her Pokemon found a bathroom. With black-and-white chess tiles, the clawed tub feet that hid a dusty but usable wicker basket, and immense potential, Soni went to investigate the space. Inside was a shower-tub combo, a functioning toilet, a sink, and a mirror that had additional space for a medicine cabinet, all of which received an extensive cleaning job and simply needed to be power-washed with Scald to be usable. Similarly to the electricity and gas situation, the water wasn't running. That wasn't a problem since Mila would produce hot water with Scald and cool it down with Ice Beam. Out of all the places that Soni wanted to clean the most, the bathroom held first place.
"Fnyah," Grim grimaced at the amount of soap suds around and nearly slipped had it not been for Dior catching him with Psychic. "Ugh, why is she going so crazy over a bathroom? Do humans really like being clean that much?"
"Voir Gardevoir." Dior added her own two cents while keeping an eye on the other Pokémon. Yes, and it is more than just being clean.
"Remember to control the power behind your Scald, so you don't accidentally shatter the mirror from the sudden temperature change." In the bathroom, Soni told Mila who was sitting in the sink. The thought of a warm bath after the day's events sounded enticing, so Soni added, "I want take a nice, long bath after today, so clean the tub thoroughly."
"Feebas!" Mila nodded. I will!
Coincidentally, the bathroom was attached to a sizable bedroom, making it easier to find a place to rest for the time that they'd be there.
That left cleaning the bedroom itself.
"Vee! Vee!" Gene tracked down dust, making sure to swipe it away with a swish of his tail. Clean up! Clean up!
Soft snores came from Pike who had a blanket. The Land Shark Pokémon had moved every piece of broken furniture to be scrapped for later, leaving the once crowded area into a more spacious bedroom. Now that Soni could see, the blanket that Pike was using was the cloth that once covered the furniture. The side table had a wobble to it, but that was temporarily remedied by placing an old book underneath it. Next to the cushioned armchair that Pike slept on, the unlit fireplace had a large mirror above it. The glass reflected Soni's current appearance.
Her bun came loose over time, black stray hairs sticking to her forehead from sweat. With the face mask tight around her mouth, Soni looked as tired as she felt. Her outer ceremonial robes were dusty, although there was no damage from what she could see despite what happened earlier. The cleaning gloves she wore earlier were drying on the nightstand, next to her Rotophone where it charged quietly. A candleholder that they'd found in the dining room was lit with Grim's blue flame. The cat monster himself was fast asleep in the middle of the bed like the little gremlin he was.
There's a good chance that the electricity will be on tomorrow. If not, we're going to need to hunt for more candles. Would they even be usable...? Taking the candleholder with her, the blue flame swished back and forth, casting everything in a soft blue glow. Better take a look over the inventory.
While there were clothes in the dresser, Soni wanted to sort them out beforehand to see what was still usable. She half-expected most of them to have holes, questionable stains, or otherwise, and she was right. Even so, there were some clothing pieces that she could fix up with enough time and effort. As a Trainer, she'd gotten accustomed to carrying a few outfits with her, so she could use what clothes she had on hand for the time being. Not to mention, she didn't know if there was a washing machine in the dorm, given the age of the place. And even if there was, the chances of it being broken like everything else in the dorm was just as likely. The most likely option for Soni would be to do laundry via clothes line and figure something out from there.
"Fee Feebas!" Mila called out. I'm finished!
"Thank Arceus." Soni muttered under her breath, carrying the candleholder with her.
Entering the bathroom in its freshly cleaned state made Soni feel all the more dirty in comparison. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing more than sparkles. The bathtub shined beautifully in the little light that the candle provided, giving a mystical blue tint everywhere. From the bathtub, steam rose upwards, curling in the air before dissipating entirely.
Testing the water to find it at the perfect temperature, Soni nodded in approval.
The fish Pokémon puffed up with pride, her tail swishing back and forth in the sink's water.
"Rest up for the time being. We have to wake up early tomorrow." Taking off her clothes as well as her gloves and putting them into the wicker basket, Soni submerged herself into the water and sighed, "I will never take a bath for granted ever again."
The longer Soni stayed in the water, the more the tension in her shoulders receded. The dull ache in her arms relaxed in the warmth, her eyes closing to fully indulge in this brief moment of peace. It was because of that, she nearly missed Dior entering the bathroom.
"Voir." Dior handed over her toiletries using Psychic, the telltale blue outline encasing the items. I think these will be rather useful.
"Thanks." Pouring a small amount of shampoo and rubbing it through her hair, the built-up grime from cleaning everything slowly disappeared with every pass of Soni's fingers. As she cleaned herself, the scent of honey filled the bathroom. Looking over at Dior, Soni asked, "I'm going to assume you're going to take a bath? You've earned it after doing all that work earlier."
"Gardevoir Voir." That made the Embrace Pokémon cross her arms, "Gardevoir." Of course, I will. Take time for yourself tonight, Soni. I mean it.
"Feebas." Mila spoke up from the sink. She's right. Quite a lot has happened today.
The phrase was something that her Pokemon, especially her Championship Team, had told her over and over again. From the time that she first encountered Team Flare to the rising discourse in the years following the Kalosian crime syndicate's influence, and especially when she ascended into her position as Champion of Kalos, taking a break, a long one, was a luxury that Soni couldn't often afford for herself. After all, there was always something for her to deal with, whether it was handling the Gym Leaders, internal regional strife, or on the rare occasion, traveling to other regions as a means of showcasing Kalos' strength to other Champions.
Before Soni could say anything, Gene burst into the bathroom. Dior stepped out of the way, the Psychic Type smiling at the young Normal Type.
Despite the dust the covered him, Gene wagged his tail that was clumped with dust, "Vee Eevee! Vee?" I'm done! Is there anything else to do? Is there?
"No, we're finishing up for tonight, Gene." Picking up the dirty, fluffy monster, Soni began to wash the Eevee who immediately splashed her with his paws. She couldn't help but sputter, "Pfft, okay, okay. Calm down, I need to clean you off. How are you so energetic still?"
"Vee? Vee?" Gene closed his eyes when Soni poured water over him. Bubbles quickly covered the brown Pokemon as Soni scrubbed away the dirt. I wanna play though? It's still early?
Dior's words were in a calm and gentle voice as the Embrace Pokemon patted Gene's head, "Gardevoir. Garde." It's been a long day for Soni. She can't play with you tonight, Gene.
At that, Gene laid his head against Soni's chest, the fur sticking onto her skin. Gene yawned softly, "Vee..." Okay...
"Garde Gardevoir." Gene was lifted out of Soni's arms. His little feet kicked slightly in the air, sending water droplets onto the floor. I'll wash off Gene in the kitchen. Go to sleep right after this, Soni.
"Bas Feebas." Mila spoke up for the first time in a bit. Then I shall accompany you. After all, the faucets aren't in working order just yet.
As Mila was also encased in the familiar blue outline of Psychic, the door clicked shut.
Finally alone, Soni sank back into the tub.
It was so strange how much had happened within the past few hours. Getting to Night Raven College in a coffin. Meeting Grim who nearly roasted her in said-coffin and again in a chamber full of people. Being told that she couldn't go home. Being told that there was no Pokémon in this world full of powers she'd never seen before. Staying in a haunted dorm that looked more and more likely to fall apart on her. Staying in a place for an unknown amount of time before someone from her world finally realizes that she wasn't around and begin searching for her.
Despite all of that, here she was: sitting in a bathtub after cleaning the dorm while listening to the snores of Grim who mumbled something about tuna in his sleep.
Lathering her skin with the body wash, Soni closed her eyes and breathed in the remaining bits of steam. She couldn't get angry or frustrated about her situation. There was little to gain from it, especially when there were bigger things to deal with at the moment. Sinking her body further into the water, she relaxed her shoulders and thought out a plan.
Getting home was the foremost important thing. That was a given.
Neo Flare, although an annoyance that had been quelled in the past few years, made her stomach churn at the thought of giving them any chance to grow into a real threat. Adding onto this problem, there was a good chance that she couldn't get home within a month. After all, the Headmaster would be busy since the school year just began. It would take potentially two months for everything to settle down, and that was a rough estimate that had the caveat of constantly researching for a way home.
At best, Soni had to stay in Twisted Wonderland for roughly two months.
At worst...
She refused to think of that. She threaded a light layer of conditioner through her hair, easing out the tangles with her fingers. Next are the best options for defensive operations.
The Pokémon League, no matter how much she disliked letting them handle anything related to Team Flare, could handle them in terms of power. Some of the Gym Leaders were capable enough to handle them on their own terms. There was the International Police who constantly monitored dangerous activity throughout the regions, but that was a given.
When she first woke up in the coffin, Soni immediately thought it was done by Neo Flare as a joke. Eternal life, and she was locked in a coffin. Haha, funny joke. She was wrong when the coffin was blasted open by Grim with his signature blue flames and cat-like persona. Quite the wake-up call. With that said, Neo Flare couldn't have sent her to another dimension. That was something that only a Legendary could do, and the thought of another Legendary Pokémon being involved in this mess was just... a lot, to say the least.
Next on the agenda was protecting herself in this new world.
Pokémon, regardless of how powerful they were, couldn't be used too freely. Mila, Gene, and Nimbus would be fine since they didn't look too out-of-the-ordinary in this world, according to the zoology books in the library. Pike was iffy at best and strange at worst, given her shark-like appearance. At least with Mila, she was in a bucket of water, despite the fact that she didn't need as much as a normal Pokémon due to her resilience as a Feebas [5]. Dior and Aegis were out of the question, given Crowley's reaction to them. Grim, being a native to the world as well as possessing incredible power himself, was a good alternative to this problem should anyone get any funny ideas on picking on her and her team in public.
After all, who would be dumb enough to try and provoke a fire-spewing monster willingly, especially after what happened tonight?
Still, taking into account for her healing supplies, that would be covered with the Berries as well as Dior's Heal Pulse. Potions of any kind were expensive, especially the higher recovery ones. It was the reason why she frequented Poké Centers since it was free and often had the necessary Pokémon Care supplies she needed to stock up on. Given that this was a magic school, there was a possibility that there was some type of healing magic or even magical potions that worked similarly to the Potions from her world. After all, the greenhouse on the school grounds had to be there for a more practical reason. What better place to grow potion ingredients than a controlled environment?
Housing was taken care of as well as employment, but being able to gain other sources of income would be good if Grim decided to cause trouble and got them in debt.
If all else failed, and they all got thrown out into the wilderness, Soni could become a farmer.
Pokémon byproducts were a thing that many coveted in her world, mainly because of how time-consuming it was and the effort of getting a Pokémon to maturity. It was the reason why items like Slowpoke Tails were served in high-end restaurants in Lumiose City, which were not only due to how delicious they tasted. Even her Granny mentioned how some people ate Slowpoke Tails in curry in Galar. Despite that, Soni didn't want to think about cutting their tails off. It felt rude, despite the fact that the Pokémon themselves don't feel any pain when they do lose their tails. With that in mind, Soni mentally ran through the Pokemon that were in her care.
There were Miltanks that she caught for the baby Pokémon in the Labs. Given that a single Miltank could produce roughly five gallons of Moomoo Milk a day, that would be a good product to start on a smaller scale market. Moomoo Milk itself was a special treat for all ages and produced all sorts of popular products like cream, butter, and more, which she could then sell for extra cash or use for her own meals.
Using String Shot would be useful for making fabrics, especially for new bedsheets and curtains. The string was durable, flexible, and could be stretched due to the nature of the move itself restricting an opponent's movement. By itself, String Shot would be a simple thread that could be used for sewing clothes or for setting up the Berry Garden system in the greenhouse on campus. Soni wasn't entirely sure if she had a Pokémon in the PC that knew String Shot, but it was a possibility and didn't readily dismiss it.
She had Grass Type Pokémon with Growth in their moveset, which would help immensely on the Berry Garden in terms of growing things faster. Not only that, but regular everyday plants would also be effected by the move. Add in Rapid Growth Fertilizer & additional watering times, and Soni would be able to harvest the Berries in a few days time. Every Pokedollar [6] counts.
Miltanks, Bug Pokémon with String Shot, and Grass Type Pokémon with Growth. Thank Arceus that Pokémon used in agriculture count as Inactive Party Members. She washed off the conditioner in her hair before pausing, Wait a minute, what's the currency of Twisted Wonderland? I need to know it for budgeting everything in the dorm and to ensure that I'm not being underpaid.
Aside from money, safety, and her duties back home, there were still so many unknowns.
Why was she taken here in the first place?
Was she here by total accident, or did someone try to bring her here with the intention of using her in their schemes? If it was the latter, what were those plans and how did they know her?
Was there a Legendary involved who kidnapped her and brought her here?
Was she so tired that her brain was making up theories based on nothing? That was very likely, but that was not the point.
And the Dark Mirror... It noticed.
"I sense magic from this soul, but that magic does not belong to them."
"... This whole thing feels like it's going to get worse before it gets any better." Soni pulled her wrist into the dying blue candlelight. The Key Stone sat in the middle of her wrist. Blue branch-like markings enveloped her entire right forearm, enveloping the stone. Her left hand traced the markings lightly, feeling the energy within thrumming under her touch. "...I'm probably just overthinking things."
Yet that feeling never went away, even when Soni lost herself to dreams that only made her feel like there was more to come.
Notes:
[1] Grimer Beware- it's a cleaning solution that's manufactured specifically for the use of Poison type Pokémon and their potent poisons, but can be watered down for the use of other Pokémon too. It's a general thing to carry Pokémon Cleaning Supplies for trainers for numerous reasons like cleanliness, the smell, their general health, etc.. Given that the environment in Ramshackle Dorm is less than ideal, it's better safe than sorry. For the record, I was very tempted to name it Grimer Bewear instead. I can imagine the mascot being a Bewear that wears a hat.
[2] To make things easier for me in the future, Pokémon that are not in the party and are not used in a combative lifestyle are typically categorized as Inactive, depending on the situation. Some examples include Pokémon like Miltank in the story where they don't engage in battle on a regular basis. Active Party Members are the typical six members that a person can carry and have no limitations to their abilities.
[3] Inferno 🔥 is a Fire Type move that engulfs target "in an intense fire" + always leaves a burn when it hits. I looked up the animation for it and I thought it was fitting for a special move for Grim. As a bonus, some translations call his fire an inferno, so that's why I went with it.
[4] Litwick is a Ghost type Pokémon whose flame grows larger as it consumes a person's life force. Quite the spooky little fellow. 🕯️👻
[5] It is listed in the Pokedex that Feebas are very tough Pokémon that can live in heavily polluted water, giving it a high resilience to a lot of things. Because of this, they can also survive on little water as well, making Feebas a respectable Pokémon in my eyes for being strong 💪
[6] Pokedollars 💴 are the currency in the Pokémon world from what I could find on the internet. In addition to that, it's real life counterpart is most likely the Japanese Yen, which I think Madols are also similar to monetarily.
EDIT:
🌷 This symbol in the chapter title means that it's been revamped extensively. As in, there's additional dialogue, new scenes, and information that will be useful to know in the future. Since this is the first chapter that undergoes such changes, it felt fitting to put it in the footnotes 💪