Happy New Year, guys! Hopefully, 2023 will be better than last year.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
“Bwah!” Ace cried once he finally turned around, looking as pale as a ghost, “Housewarden!”
“Fletchinder~” the Ember Pokemon chirped from his perch point on his trainer’s shoulder. (You’re in trouble~)
It was safe to say that Riddle Rosehearts, the Housewarden of Heartslabyul, wasn’t amused at all. He had a dollish, heart-shaped face, which Percy thought complimented his last name perfectly, with fair skin and neutral red hair that was cut short in the back and a bit longer around his face. His bangs curve inwards, and two prominent strands of hair on top of his head fall forward and form a heart shape. His eyes were bluish-gray with a stern look.
“Hey, Riddle! What’s shakin’, pal?” Cater made an attempt to diffuse the situation to cover for Ace,” You’re lookin’ adorbs, as always!”
“Hmph. Cater, keep running that mouth and you’ll lose it—” Riddle shot down the orange-haired boy, “Along with the rest of your head.”
“Sorry, sorry!” Cater raised his hands in surrender, “My bad!”
“Myah?!” Grim hid behind Percy for protection when he finally recognized the red-haired boy, “That’s the guy who put that stupid collar on me at the orientation ceremony!”
“And you’re the monster that made a mess, I’ll ask that you not refer to my signature spell as s ‘stupid collar’.” Riddle glared at the feline with his arms crossed, “The headmage’s habit of tolerating rulebreakers like you is going to send this entire campus spiraling into chaos one day. Those who break the rules should have their heads removed immediately, without exception.”
“There is more than one way to discipline someone,” Percy said as she got up to reach out a hand for a swift handshake, “Greetings. Persephone Remmington, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
From up close, Percy noticed that her fellow Housewarden was a lot shorter than his peers, shorter than her, even without adding her heels.
Riddle looked at her for a moment, holding back a blush, before clearing his throat and shaking her hand, “Likewise,”
She was, for the lack of a better word, beautiful, Riddle thought. Her posture was perfect, her accent was smooth like butter, she had gorgeous emerald-green eyes and the fact that her chest was right at his eye level didn’t help.
“At least you have manners,” the red-haired boy then glared at Grim again, “Too bad the same can’t be said about your familiars.”
“Yes, you have to excuse Grim, I’m afraid he’s not as used to human society as my other companions,” Percy gave him a curt smile and scratched Fletchinder’s head, who was still perched on her shoulder. “I assure you; the rest of my familiars are much more well-behaved.”
“The Headmage may have forgiven him, but if he breaks any further rules, I assure you I will not,” Riddle warned her.
And Percy did agree with him, she couldn’t imagine what she would do if the rest of her Pokemon was like the fiery feline. Grim was relatively much worse than her most disobedient Pokemon even. But Grim wasn’t a Pokemon, was he? Pokemons were dignified, loyal, virtuous creatures but Grim reminded her of the team Rocket’s Meowth. And she would rather get eaten alive by wild Pyroars than be the trainer of that kind of lowly creature.
“Riddle, I promise you from the very bottom of my heart,” she grabbed his shoulders firmly and looked him in the eyes, “If he ever pulls something like that ever again, I will chop him to pieces and feed him to the rest of my Pokemon myself.”
She said it so seriously Riddle completely believed her.
“The things you say and the way you look are totally different,” Ace muttered to himself, but then turned to his Housewarden, “So, uh, listen, Housewarden, sir… Any chance I could get you to remove this collar?”
He interrupted the two Housewardens’ battle of wills, which Percy was totally winning by bloodthirst advantage, and made them turn to him.
“I had intended to remove it once you’d taken an opportunity to reflect upon your crimes. But I’ve not detected so much as a hint of remorse in the foolishness I’ve heard you spout today. So, I think I’ll let you keep that for a while.” Riddle shook his head to bring himself back to the situation, “Don’t worry, the freshman curriculum is more focused on magical theory than practice. And your inability to use magic will help prevent incidents along the lines of what happened yesterday. Now, if you’ve finished your meal, you should quit gossiping and prepare for your next class. Rule 271 is quite clear: ‘One must leave the table within fifteen minutes of completing their lunch.’ You DO understand what happens to rulebreakers, I trust?”
“More insane rules…” Ace sighed.
“I believe you mean to say, ‘Yes, Housewarden!’” Riddle boomed with irritation.
“Yes, Housewarden!” Deuce had been so startled by the red-haired boy’s commanding voice that they ended up joining Ace in his chant.
“Very well, then.” Riddle nodded as he crossed his arms.
“Don’t worry,” Trey reassured the redhead, “I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“Hmm. As Vice-Housewarden, I trust you’ll avoid any further indiscreet conversation. Now, as per rule 339… ‘The post-meal beverage is to be lemon tea with two sugar cubes.’ Thus, I must go to acquire my sugar cubes. Farewell.” Riddle excused himself, making quick eye contact with Percy, who already sat back down and was nonchalantly petting her Pokemon partner, “Don’t even get me started on their violation of running out of sugar cubes…!”
“Yeesh!” Cater sighed as he collapsed on the table in relief, “That was terrifying.”
“You and that guy…” Grim started to Percy, as he climbed back on the table, “Has some serious issues!”
“Hey, don’t disrespect them!” Deuce scolded the fiery feline.
And he wasn’t alone, Mimikyu and Fletchinder were glaring at the feline that insulted their trainer.
“Pray tell, what issues do I have?” Percy calmly asked as she rubbed her partner’s head to calm him.
“You said that you’d chop me up and feed me to your monsters!” Grim yelled at the blonde girl.
“And I meant it,” Percy told him with icy cold eyes, “I don’t tolerate disobedience, so if you don’t want to be my Pokemons’ chewing toy behave yourself and don’t cause trouble.”
After that Percy didn’t pay him any mind as he kept complaining about how cruel she was. She listened to the chatter inside the Cafeteria. Yes, she could be cruel from time to time, but whatever she did was for the betterment of her people. As the Champion of Kanto and its neighboring region Johto, she had a duty to protect the wellbeings of both people and Pokemon. When she put a rule, it was only for their safety, she could never take away their freedom of choice though.
But it seemed that the same couldn’t be said about the Queen of Hearts’ rules. To Percy, rules, like not eating a hamburger on Tuesday or drinking the with only two sugar cubes, were ridiculous and redundant. And it seemed to her that the students in Heartslabyul thought the same as her. She could see that their nerves were stretched like a spring, they could snap at any given moment. They were resenting Riddle, if nothing was done it might as well be off with HIS head.
And it wasn’t just her, Cater and Trey could see it too. The two boys shared an uneasy look before the latter sighed.
“Riddle managed to secure the Housewarden title before the end of his very first week at school. I know he can come off a bit harsh, but he’s not a bad guy.” The green-haired boy tried to defend his red-headed friend, “Everything he does, he does because he thinks it’ll improve the dorm.”
“I don’t see how dictating people’s eating habits or collaring them can improve a dorm,” Percy commented.
“Yeah! Would a good guy go around putting collars on strangers’ necks?” Grim argued, flicking his forked tail in annoyance.
“That was your fault for causing trouble, Grim.” Percy reminded the fiery feline, making the boys chuckle.
“Grrrrr…” Grim gritted his teeth, “But that collar really hurt, and it shut off all my magic! That’s just rude!”
“Hm? You’re curious about Riddle’s signature spell?” Cater perked up.
“That means, like… it’s a spell that only he can cast, right?” Deuce asked unsurely after he pondered for a bit.
“I doubt he’s the only person in the whole world…” Trey pushed up his glasses, “but yes, a signature spell is a magical ability that is, generally speaking, unique to its user. You’ll learn about them in class soon enough.
“Riddle’s signature spell allows him to temporarily seal away the magic of another.” Cater explained, “The spell is named—”
“Off With Your Head,” Percy answered for the orange-haired boy. She still remembered how he collared Grim.
“Yes. To a mage, losing the ability to use magic is about as painful as losing your head completely.” The orange-haired boy gently grasped his own neck, was it because he knew the feeling personally, or was it that he imagined how it was? Percy couldn’t tell. “Which is why all of us at Heartslabyul House try hard not to violate Riddle’s rules.”
“And as long as you are following the rules, Riddle isn’t so scary.” Trey continued.
“Chinder Fletch Fletchinder, Fletch?” the Ember Pokemon commented. (He’s deep in denial, isn’t he?)
“Absolutely.” The blonde girl agreed with her Pokemon.
“Speaking of which— are you still not gonna let me into the dorm until I buy a tart, Cater?” Ace asked, yet it was obvious that he already knew the answer.
“Don’t @ me, but… yeah. That’s rule 53, so my hands are tied.” Cater shrugged apologetically with a small smile. “Also, Riddle always looks forward to having the first slice of a tart. So if you want him to forgive you, you had better bring a whole tart!”
“What happened to ‘We’re all from the same dorm, let’s try to get along’?” Ace retorted, “Throw me a bone here!”
“That’s one thing. This is another.” The upperclassman laughed at the groaning ginger.
“A whole tart has gotta be pretty expensive.” Deuce guessed.
“I don’t have that much money!” Ace cried, throwing his head back.
“You can always bake it yourself,” Percy suggested not looking up from her Pokemon partner as she petted him.
“Oh yeah,” Ace said with newfound excitement, “You can bake right? You made those delicious pancakes this morning, please help me Housewarden Remmington!” he begged.
This made Percy smile and slowly looked up, “I can help you, Ace.”
Ace smiled in relief only for it to drop with the blonde trainer’s next words.
“I’d be delighted to bake you a tart,” Percy said, but then her smile turned into a sadistic grin, “In exchange for a chocolate croissant and iced latte.”
“Seriously?!” Ace cried, and looked at Percy like she just killed his Lillipup in front of him, “You’re cruel Housewarden,”
“I told you I would remember it, Gingernuts.” Percy leered, another thing about her she tended to hold grudges. For a very long time, might I add?
“Trey can help you,” Cater chimed in, jabbing a thumb at the boy with glasses, “He made those three tarts by hand, after all.
“You made those tarts, Trey?” the ginger boy looked at his Vice-Housewarden as if he was his salvation, “That’s incredible! That was like something you’d find at a bakery!”
“Heh. I appreciate that.” Trey blushed at the compliment, “We do have most of the stuff you’d need, but… I’m afraid I’ll need something from you in return.”
“Not you too,” Ace reared back in fear, “You’re really gonna charge me to make it?!”
“Nah, I wouldn’t take money from a freshman!” the green-haired boy reassured him, “But I’m gonna need you to gather a ton of chestnuts.”
“Like that’s any less of a hassle.” The ginger boy whined, “But… fine. How many do you need?”
“Well, it’s for the unbirthday party, so…” Trey made a mental calculation, “Probably two or three hundred?”
“Did you say HUNDRED?!” Deuce and Grim shouted.
“And they’re all gonna need to be roasted, shelled, and pureed.” Trey continued.
“All right, can we head out?” Grim asked Percy, having lost interest.
“I’m leaving too.” Deuce joined the fiery feline without hesitation.
“You heartless cowards!” Ace scowled.
“Hold up!” Cater stopped them, “Haven’t you ever heard that food tastes better if you make it whit your friends? This’ll be a memory to treasure! It could even be your chance to make a splash as a cooking blogger!”
“Don’t tell Riddle, but chestnut tarts are at their tastiest when eaten right out of the oven.” Trey fixed his glasses into place with a knowing smirk and uttered the words that lit a fire in Grim’s eyes, “And the only people who get to experience that culinary privilege are the ones who make it.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” The fiery feline was already drooling, “Come on, humans, let’s do this!”
“You sure changed your tune quickly.” Percy muttered to herself then turned to the boy with glasses, “A Mont Blanc, huh? A bit of a risky choice if you ask me, the tart he ate was a strawberry one.”
“Well yes, but Riddle wanted a chestnut tart next, so I’m trying to hit two birds with one stone here.” Trey sheepishly scratched the back of his head, “I heard there’s a whole bunch of chestnut trees in the woods behind the campus’ botanical garden.”
“Hmm, the botanical garden is really close to Ramshackle,” Percy hummed, then turned to the group, “I’ll stop at the dorm really quick to pick up some of my Pokemon for help, then I’ll meet you guys there.”
“You said you weren’t gonna help, what changed your mind?” Ace asked the blonde girl.
“I never said that I wasn’t going to help, gingernuts. I just said that I would do it in exchange for a chocolate croissant and iced latte.” Percy reminded him with a grin, “You can give those to me tomorrow at lunch, and plus, the sooner you apologize to your Housewarden, the sooner you leave my dorm.”
“Ugh, fine, whatever,” Ace groaned, annoyed at his words being used against him, “Plan made. Let’s meet at the botanical garden after the last period.”
“We’re gonna be up to our ears in chestnuts!” Grim cheered.
Trey was right. Behind the botanical gardens, there was a large clearing of chestnut trees among the apple trees.
After the last bell, Percy ran to the Ramshackle dorm and gathered the Pokemon she thought would be helpful. She kept Fletchinder to roast the chestnuts and got Alreamie, Mary the Indeedee, and Sneasel because they loved to cook and bake, Sebastian the Indeedee to help pick the chestnuts, and Gastly who just wanted to follow his beloved trainer. She also grabbed a gallon of Moo Moo milk for good measure.
The trees were covering most sunlight but some of it still managed to filter through, so she gave her parasol to Mimikyu on her shoulder to work comfortably.
“Whoa! There really are a ton of chestnuts just layin’ around. I’m gonna be livin’ large on chestnut tarts! Mmm! Let’s get grabbin’—YOWCH!” Grim exclaimed as he climbed one of the trees to grab a chestnut, only to recoil instantly and whipped around to face his human counterpart, “Myah! Percy the chestnut spines pricked my paws!”
“Be careful Grim,” Percy scolded him and kneeled down to hold his paw to inspect it for injury, “There’s no blood, you’re lucky the spines didn’t puncture that deep.”
“I don’t think we can do this with our bare hands. And we need something to put them in too.” Deuce pointed out.
“Maybe we can find some supplies in the botanical garden?” Ace suggested pointing back to the building behind them.
“Let’s take a look inside.” Percy said as she stood up and reached down to her belt, “Gastly, Come on out!”
In comparison with the Ramshackle building, the greenhouse-like structure was quite gigantic. It was filled with vibrant and colorful plants normally only found in tropical regions like Alola.
“Whoa, I didn’t realize this place was so huge.” Ace was awed as he looked around the area.
On both sides of the main path, there were two paths that crossed a flowing stream.
“If it’s this large, it’s got to have a groundskeeper.” The blue-haired boy muttered, “Let’s split up and look.”
“Sure.” Ace shrugged, “Dibs on the right side.”
“Then how about we’ll go straight ahead,” Percy then turned to Deuce, “While you go left?”
The group parted ways, Percy and her companions followed the main path down to the center of the gardens, and immediately the Gas Pokemon took off to search for the supplies his trainer needed with Grim on his tail.
“Hey, come look at this!” Grim said as he sniffed the air and found some delicious-looking fruits, “There’s a ton of fruit growing here! Smells like they’re ripe too!”
“Don’t pick anything you don’t know, Grim.” The blonde trainer sighed and quickly walked towards the feline monster to stop him from accidentally poisoning himself, not noticing the brown tail in her path in her haste.
“Ouch!” a low voice hissed.
“Feels like I just stepped on something…” Percy muttered and looked at her feet to see that she stepped on a tail with brown fur sticking along the brick path.
“Hey!” the low voice hissed again; this time Percy noticed that the voice was coming from behind the bushes. “You got some nerve steppin’ on my tail and just walkin’ away!”
When the owner of the voice emerged from the bushes Percy realized that she recognized the boy from the orientation ceremony, the Housewarden of Savanaclaw, if she wasn’t mistaken. His voice was raspy as if he was just woken up, and judging by his drowsy eyes, he was.
On Leona’s side, he smelled them before he saw them. He picked up on a human, a feline, a creature with a faint sweet smell before the human stepped on his tail and woke him up from his nap. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt him, but it was still an annoying sensation.
“Ain’t nothin’ worse than bein’ in the middle of a good nap and havin’ some jerk step on your tail.” He scowled as he rose up from his napping spot with his fists clenched to find out one more thing about the intruders, the human was a female.
Leona's home country, the Sunset Savanna, had its own cultural customs. Having respect for women was the law everyone had to follow, and for good reason as well. The women in his country were fearsome and outspoken. Many of them served as royal household soldiers of the highest rank.
When news broke about a girl attending the school, there was a huge commotion, but Leona didn't care. It is against the law in his country to fight her, and he doesn't intend to help her either.
“I’m terribly sorry,” Percy apologized, and she was genuine about it too. She knew how sensitive tails can be if you stepped on a Pyroar’s tail it would most likely fry you on the spot, “I didn’t see it, I apologize.”
“You… I know you.” Leona’s frown turned into a smirk, “You’re that herbivore with the beasts from orientation who couldn’t use magic.”
He then did something that caught Percy by surprise, she had to admit. He leaned down, getting uncomfortably close, and sniffed her. Making her step back in shock, while Mimikyu clawed at him, hissing from his partner’s shoulder. All of her Pokemon were now angry at the boy with Pyroar ears.
“Huh. It’s true.” He hummed at himself as he pulled away with a smirk, “You don’t have magic at all.”
“I dunno what’s up with this guy,” Grim trembled as he hid behind the blond trainer’s leg, “But when he looks at me, it makes every follicle of fur stand on end…”
“No one gets to stomp on my tail and just walk away without payin’ the price,” Leona growled; he might not be able to touch her, but her beasts were fair game.
Okay, she tried to be nice but now he started to get on her nerves.
“I would love to tumble with you Skitty, but I have a job to do right now, I’m afraid,” Percy snapped her fingers to signal Gastly, and he understood exactly what she wanted him to do, “So just go back to your sleep.”
“Gastly,” the Gas Pokemon got in Leona’s face and his eyes started to glow red, putting his opponent to sleep in a matter of seconds. (Look into my eyes,)
“Good job, sweetie,” Percy praised Gastly who beamed at the compliment, then turned around and walked away from the boy with Pyroar ears.
“Not sure the groundskeepers oughta be talkin’ to students that way,” Grim squicked as he followed her, “What is up with that nutso?”
“I don’t think he’s the groundskeeper, Grim.” Percy answered right before Ace and Deuce emerged from the foliage.
“Yo, guys,” Ace called out, “We found baskets and tongs.”
“What in the world happened to you two?” Deuce asked seeing Grim was still shaking a bit.
“Oh nothing, just encountered a wild Skitty is all,” Percy simply explained.
“Oh, right, the chestnuts! We gotta gather those chestnuts so I can get my tart on!” Grim exclaimed, suddenly remembering why they were here, to begin with, “We’ll fill ‘em in on the crazy groundskeeper while we forage.”
They got back to the woods behind campus and get to work immediately, the humans and Grim used tongs, and Gastly and Sebastian used Psychic to pick the chestnuts while Mimikyu held Percy’s parasol for her so she could work without worrying about the sun.
“Yeah, no way was that guy the groundskeeper.” Ace muttered after Grim finished them what happened.
“Y’know, now that I think about it, he WAS wearin’ the golden vest of that Pajama-clog dorm.” Grim concluded.
“I told you he wasn’t, Grim,” Percy said as she put the last chestnut in her basket, “And it’s Savanaclaw.”
“You know, I’m starting to think that there’s an awful lot of delinquents here at Night Raven…” Deuce muttered to himself.
Percy agreed with him, she was no stranger to fighting with street rules. Heck, she did pick a lot of fights herself to mark her turf in the backstreets of the Lavender Town, but she never in the 19 years she had been alive, ever picked a fight she couldn’t win. She watched and learn about her opponents before challenging them to a battle. The guys in this school, however, jumped into fights all blind, without knowing the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. Which, to Percy, was a very clear sign of arrogance and stupidity.
“All right, that should be enough chestnuts.” Ace announced as he picked up his basket from the ground, “Let’s get these baskets over to Trey!”
“Myahaha! Now that we’re all gassed up,” Grim punched the air in excitement, “It’s destination: Flavortown, baby!”
When they reached the school kitchen, they saw that Trey was already set up and was waiting for them.
“Welcome back. Looks like you got plenty!” He greeted them with a warm smile and looked impressed at the sight of their baskets full of chestnuts, but then he noticed the Gas and the Emotion Pokemons who were following them, “And who’s your new friends?”
“This is Gastly,” The female trainer introduced each by gesturing to them, “He and a few of my other Pokemons will help us with backing. Say hello honey.”
“Never mind him,” Grim said impatiently as he scampered up the counter, “Now you can make us some massive tarts!”
“Well, the bigger the tarts, the harder it’ll be to peel all these nuts, So…” Trey commented once he looked away from the black spherical Pokemon surrounded by a haze, “Good luck with that!”
“We have to peel all of these…?” Deuce looked at the baskets overflowing with chestnuts and groaned, “Suddenly the whole room is spinning…”
“Don’t worry Deuce this is why I brought these guys,” Percy reassured him and reached into her belt, “Mary, Sebastian, Sneasel, Alcremie, Fletchinder, come on out!”
As she threw their Pokeballs in the air, all four Pokemon appeared in a flash of light with a cry of their names. The first and Second ones were dark purple and white bipedal creatures, both had white faces, rounded heads, pear-shaped bodies, and white hands and feet with three digits on each of them. But one of the had upward-turned spiral horns, blue markings in-between its eyes, a generally more navy body, and whiter around the legs. While the other had downward-turned spiral horns, pink markings above its eyes, and the white markings on her body were in the shape of an apron.
The third one had a white body with purple colorations on her face, chest, shoulders, and forelimbs, the feathers on her tail and ear were light purple, there was a yellow gem on her forehead and chest, and she had very sharp-looking claws.
The fourth one was vaguely anthropomorphic and her body looked like it was made of whipped cream, its head resembled several clumps of whipped cream styled like hair, with a large crowning blob flanked by two loop-like ‘bangs’, each of those bangs were topped with purple ribbon shaped sweets, her lower body was similarly composed of two dollops of whipped cream resembling a dress, she had two stout arms with three fingers each extending between the dollops of her body.
“Wow, these are the ones in the kitchen this morning, right?” Deuce asked with awe and took Percy’s Pokedex out of his jacket’s inner pocket and pointed it to the cream-looking creature.
“Alcremie, The Cream Pokemon. The Ruby Cream form with Ribbon Sweets,” The purple device started with a robotic voice, “The cells that compose its cream fluctuated suddenly during evolution, giving the cream a sweet and tart flavor. When a trainer gains Alcremie’s trust, she will treat them to berries with cream. The content of Alcremie’s cream can become richer and sweeter, the happier it feels. Due to the cream it makes being very delicious, many pastry chefs seek to have Alcremie as a partner.”
“No wonder they do, this little cutie is like a walking cream puff,” The boy with glasses walked over to Alcremie, who was on the table, to scratch her chin, “Hello little one.”
“Cremie.” The Cream Pokemon giggled. (Stop.)
Deuce then turned the Pokedex to the dark purple and white creatures.
“Indeedees, The Emotion Pokemons,” the Pokedex said, “These Pokémons willingly serve people and other Pokémon, as they derive energy from feelings of gratitude. They sense emotions by touching their horns to determine others’ needs and serve them better. Males are skilled at being valets while females are excellent babysitters. Indeedee is always bustling around, searching, for and serving those with happy feelings. The Indeedee never leaves its Trainer's side. It uses its psychic power to predict their Trainer's actions and take care of everyday needs. Indeedee dislikes conflict and throws things at any combatant who attempts this using its psychic powers.”
“Cool,” Ace commented, “So, they’re like free butlers.”
And next up was the white creature with claws.
“Hisuian Sneasel, The Sharp Claw Pokemon,” the robotic voice spoke once again, “Hisuian Sneasel’s sturdy and curved claws allow it to climb and travel through the walls of precipitous cliffs where it lives. It has been observed that Hisuian Sneasel lacks the spitefulness of its Johtonian counterpart, and it has been theorized that differences in their environments account for the differing personalities.”
“Those claws look really sharp,” Deuce said as he eyed Sneasel’s razor-sharp claws.
“Yes, they are, which makes her perfect for peeling the chestnuts,” Percy brought them back to the task at hand, “My Pokemon will help but they will not do your job for you, so come on boys get to work. “
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Ace groaned as he took the chestnut clip from her, “We’ve come this far. We’re not giving up now!”
And the group got to peeling. Mary, Sebastian, Gastly, and Alcremie used Psychic to lift the chestnuts, Fletchinder used Air Cutter, Mimikyu used Shadow Claw and Sneasel just used her claws. Percy and Ace just used chestnut clips while Deuce and Grim peeled the chestnuts with their magic. Almost an hour later, they were finally finished.
“My arm is killing me…” Deuce groaned holding his wand holding wrist.
“Nice work.” Trey praised them, the Pokemons more than others, “It still amazes me how your familiars can use magic.”
“We just call it moves in my reality,” Percy said nonchalantly as she gave her Pokemon head pats.
“Your reality?” the green-haired boy asked unsurely with wide eyes.
“Yeah, apparently miss Beast Master over here is from an alternate reality.” Ace rolled his eyes.
“And I thought I saw all the weirdness this place could throw at me…” Trey muttered to himself, still looking at Percy and her Pokemon with wide eyes when Grim prevented him from saying anything more as he stared at the chestnuts Fletchinder was roasting with a hungry expression.
“The smell alone already has me droolin’…” the fiery feline drooled making the green-haired boy shake his head to get a hold of himself again.
“I just need to add butter and sugar to the chestnut paste,” He paused for dramatic effect before saying the ingredient that made others turn to him with a horrified expression, “And a sensible splash of oyster sauce, that’s my secret ingredient!”
“Oyster sauce?!” The group snapped their heads up with alarm.
“I use this one here: Walrus-brand Young Oyster Sauce.” Trey said as he took out a little sauce bottle, “All the best bakers use it in their tarts.”
“Really?” Deuce questioned with an unsure voice, “But isn’t oyster sauce like, super salty?”
“Some folks put chocolate into curry, don’t they? Maybe it’s the same idea.” Ace guessed.
“Seriously, guys!” Percy looked at them with disbelief, her Pokemon looked ready to throw up and so was she, “He’s kidding you, at least he better be!”
“Pfft… Ah ha ha ha!” Trey burst out laughing, “Of course, I’m kidding! No one in their right mind would put oyster sauce into a pastry.”
“What?! So, you were just yankin’ our chain?” the ginger boy glared at his Vice-Housewarden.
“Ah ha ha! I mean, if you’d used your brain, you’d have realized how ridiculous it was!” the third year kept laughing, “Let that be a lesson to you. Don’t believe everything you hear.”
“You’re giving these idiots too much credit.” Percy muttered.
“Next, I’ll put in the cream… Oh!”
Because of the abundance of chestnuts, they had to use three bowls and three food mills to puree all the chestnut paste. As Trey prepared four blind-baked tart crusts for the celebration, he must have taken that into account.
“Next, I’ll put in the cream… Oh!” However, he didn’t consider how much whipped cream he needed for the chestnut buttercream.
“What’s wrong?” Ace asked.
“You guys gathered so many chestnuts that we may have overdone it with the chestnut paste. I don’t think we have enough cream to mix in.” Trey admitted.
“Can’t Alcremie fill the rest?” Ace asked Percy.
“No, not this much,” the blonde trainer quickly shook her head, “Alcremie’s cream is good for decorating cakes or adding to the existing cream in small doses to enhance the flavor.”
“Then I’ll go buy some.” Deuce volunteered, “Do they sell it at the school store?”
“They sell pretty much everything, so… probably. Can I have you pick me up a few other things?” Trey answered, then picked up a pen and paper to scribble some other ingredients, “I need two cartons of milk, two packs of eggs, some muffin cups, five cans of fruit…”
“You don’t need milk, here…” Percy said as she took 2,5 gallon of Moo Moo milk out of her backpack and put it on the table, “Believe me, whatever creature you get milk from, this is better, and Deuce can’t carry all of that by himself, I’m going with him.”
“Thank you, Housewarden.” Deuce beamed.
“You’re welcome, and besides, I need to learn the way to the store.” Percy shrugged then looked at her Pokemon,” Mimikyu, Gastly, come on.”
“Then I’m comin’ too!” Grim exclaimed as the Ghost Pokemon made their way to their trainer, “I’m getting dizzy from all this stirrin’. I need a break!”
Mister S’s Mystery Shop was very strange, but to Percy, it was a good kind of strange. Upon entering they were greeted with a variety of items on sale. The inside was very spooky, and Percy liked it very much.
The wall was lined with bookshelves containing grimoires and other spellbooks. In one corner of the piano, there was something sticking out that Percy had no idea what it was. The low green light from the overhead lamp added a layer of mystery to the shop by coloring everything the same shade. Along the shelves of the establishment, Percy saw bottles in languages she couldn't read.
“Hello, can I get some he—Whoa. This shop is wild.” Deuce commented as Percy and her Ghost Pokemon eyed the crystal balls and voodoo masks with childlike wonder, “They have crystal skulls, grimoires, taxidermied… Uh, I don’t even know what animal that is!”
“You think they really sell cream here?” Grim asked as he looked around.
“Greetings, my stray imps, how are you today?” A man in purple pooped up in front of them and greeted them cheerfully but when his eyes landed on her, he took his hat off and bowed to her with respect in a theatrical manner, “Ah Persephone Remmington, the Ghost Queen of Ramshackle, Welcome to Mr. Sam’s Mystery Shop.”
Oh, Percy likes this guy, “Greetings to you too, word travels fast among the dead, huh?”
“Indeed, it does,” He agreed then gestured to his shop, “What among my humble selection interests you? A charm from a secluded land? The mummified remains of an ancient king? A cursed tarot card?”
“Not today, I’m afraid,” Percy lightly refused and gave him the list Trey gave them, “We just want the items on this list…”
“Ring up two cans of tuna while you’re at it!” The fiery feline added.
“No, Grim!” The blue-haired boy scolded his feline friend, “We’re not here for tuna!”
“What’s this? Cream and eggs and…” Mr. Sam read out loud then smiled at them and scurried off, “Quite the sacchariferous list! I’ll get everything for you.”
“Whoa…” Deuce awed at the man, “He really does stock that stuff, huh?”
“Here you go. It’s pretty heavy… Are you sure you can carry this?” And the shopkeeper was back as quickly as he was gone, with arms full of grocery bags. He stacked them next to the register with a grunt. And pointed to the miniature UFOs with flashing lights floating up behind the shopkeeper. “Luckily for you, our 1/100th size flying saucers are 30% off today. Perfect for carrying groceries!”
“Ooh, lemme see!” Grim cheered while jumping up and down like an excited kid at a toy store, “That sounds awesome!”
“We’re fine, thank you.” Deuce placed thirty Thaumarks on the counter, scooped Grim up into one arm and two grocery bags into another, and dashed out the door. “Let’s go, Grim.”
“Deuce, wait for us!” Percy said as she gestured to Mimikyu and Gastly to pick up the rest of the bags, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sam.”
“Until next time, my little imps.” The shopkeeper waved her goodbye as she ran after her friend, “Do come again! Ciao!”
The sun was setting by the time they were crossing the Main Street. Which meant Percy didn’t need her parasol, hat, and sunglasses anymore.
“That store was amazing,” Deuce said on the way back.
“Yeah, and you’re amazingly cheap.” Grim stuck out his tongue.
“Who are you calling cheap?!” Deuce yelled then looked over at the blonde girl and the bag in her hand, “Percy, looks like you got the bag with all the cans. That must be heavy. Let me take one. I’ve got a little trick for carrying heavy bags.”
Before she could refuse, he was already carrying the bags and seeing how comfortable he was with it, she did not argue.
“Well, aren’t you quite a gentleman?” Percy mused while smiling at Deuce lightheartedly, “Do you usually buy a lot when you go shopping?”
“Yeah. My mom always used to stock up at sales, and the bags would get ridiculously heavy.” A soft flush spread across his face. As he spoke, his voice softened. Getting fonder. “I was the only man in the house, so I got to do all the heavy lifting, and— Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to monopolize the conversation.”
Deuce felt like he could talk to Percy. Sure, she was strict and sometimes cruel but only to those who treated her badly and to Ace and Grim’s misbehaving. She had been nothing but nice to him ever since he met her. Also, his mama taught him to respect women, all right?
“No, it’s okay, sounds like you took good care of your mom.” She then thought about her own mother, and gave out a hollow laugh, “What a blessing to have a mother who cares.”
Sensing her dark thoughts Mimikyu patted her hair making her smile. Mothers were a sore subject for her, she envied the good ones and despised the bad ones.
Grim's face displayed a strangely calm expression during this conversation. He did not say anything, just looked between them. The sway of his tail looked almost contemplative as it slowed in its sway. Although she had a momentary desire to ask whether the monster had any family, she decided not to. So, she remained silent because Grim would've said anything already if he wanted to. He could do so on his own when he felt like telling them.
“No, it wasn’t like that at all. The truth is, I— Owww!" Deuce started solemnly but before he could continue, he bumped into a student, dropping the eggs in the process.
“Myah! The eggs!” Grim shouted.
“T-the carton of eggs is totally smashed!” Deuce cursed, “And now the bag’s dripping egg good everywhere.”
“Ouch! Why don’t you watch where you’re—Hey!” As Percy raised her head, she stared at the attackers, those same two upperclassmen from the scrimmage. One of them clutched his shoulder when they recognized each other immediately. “You’re the jerks who broke the egg yolk on my carbonara!”
“I’ve had enough of you punks. You need to learn your place!” His friend yelled.
“My place is above you imbeciles.” Percy glared at them, “And I saw you run right into him on purpose.”
“Are you saying it’s my fault, girly? Watch how you talk to your seniors!” the asshole with white hair got into her face.
“I’m older than you, you simpletons!” the blonde trainer and the idiot who dared to anger her were now toe-to-toe. While her Pokemons were hissing at him, if they weren’t carrying bags, they would scratch his eyes out. Actually, Percy was going to do the scratching herself if only Deuce didn’t get between her and the assholes.
“Leave her alone,” the blue-haired boy growled, “Please reimburse us for the eggs. And then apologize to the chickens.”
“Ooh, look who’s got his big boy pants on.” The idiot with red hair scoffed, “You sure are makin’ a big deal outta some stupid eggs.”
“What?” Deuce’s eye twitched and his fists were clenched as he took deep breaths.
“They haven’t even touched the ground, so they’re still edible. Quit whinin’.” The white-haired one snickered.
“You should thank us for savin’ ya the trouble of crackin’ ‘em!” his friend joined in his laughter.
Percy clicked her tongue, annoyed that the idiots hadn’t learned their lesson. But before she could motion for Gastly to attack, she heard Deuce.
“That ain’t funny,” Deuce mumbled.
“I said, THAT AİN’T FUNNY!” Deuce shouted in an uncharacteristic outburst, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles loudly. The expression on his face was livid. “You don’t get to call my eggs stupid. You don’t get to call ANY eggs stupid! Those eggs may not have gotten to be chicks, but they were gonna make some amazing tarts! Do you get it yet? DO YOU?!”
“What is with this guy all of a sudden?!” A cold sweat broke out in the red-haired one, he was taken aback by his change in demeanor, as he backed away from the approaching first-year.
Percy backed away too, but not from fear, just to watch the show more comfortably.
“You owe me six eggs.” Deuce cracked his knuckles, a vein bulging from his head. His low voice gained the same guttural edge that it had back when he’d nearly punched Ace in the Dwarfs’ Mine. “If ya ain’t gonna pay me for ‘em, then you’re gettin’ a bruise for each one!”
“Are you serious right now?!” the white-haired one screamed.
“Among all the shit you're spewin', you're threatenin' someone in my crew! Talkin' crap about the Housewarden is talkin' crap about me, too! So buckle up, jerks!”
