Chapter Text
Ah… My dearly beloved,
My noble and beautiful flower of evil,
You are the fairest in the land,
-Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the most…
-O thee, guided by the Dark Mirror
Follow thy heart’s desire
And take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.
Flames that incinerate even the stars,
Ice that imprisons even time,
The great tree that engulfs even the skies,
Fear not the power of darkness.
Now - demonstrate thy powers.
For me. For them. For you.
We are all running out of time.
No matter what,
Never let go of that hand.
It’s dark, is the first thought that came to Vanya’s mind.
“And tight…” she mumbled, her shoulder pressed up against a hard surface.
Where is she? Why is it so dark? She can’t remember anything that led up to being shoved into a tight, dark space. She squirmed in place to make herself feel less cramped, only to feel something warm next to her body. Huh? Doing her best to turn her head, she could make out the faint silhouette of large, fuzzy body, little triangular ears on top of its head. She could recognize those ears anywhere.
“Lucien?” she whispered. She raised her voice a tone higher in a second attempt. Lucien’s ears twitched, small, triangular red eyes snapped open. “Are you alright, Lucien?”
Lucien nodded, though Vanya couldn’t properly see through the darkness. Noticing, Lucien carefully lit up his flames from the red spots on the back of his neck. With a light source, Vanya was able to see what was covering her head. A dark hood attached to a black robe was in place of her usual outfit. The robe had intricate golden lining along the sleeves fashioned with a belt around her waist. The lapels were purple with key designs scattered all over. Vanya peeked underneath the strange robe and saw a black dress shirt with a high collar. Paired with the shirt were black dress pants and black shoes with similar golden lining.
“What am I wearing…?” Vanya mumbled to herself. Lucien sniffed the robe’s hood, curious of the sudden getup. His trainer never wore stuff like this unless it was a special occasion. It looked weird, but in a good way, if that made sense.
“Ah!” Vanya placed her hands around her hips, frantically feeling around for something. Attached to the belt were spherical objects painted in red and white. “Thank Arceus,” Vanya sighed out in relief, “I still have their Pokeballs.”
Satisfied with that, Vanya knew she had to escape from…wherever this was. “Lucien, think you can open this…?” Vanya pinched her brows together as she stared at what was trapping her inside. “...Door? I think it’s a door.”
Lucien nodded and faced the door. He braced his shoulder and, with a hard shove of his arm…
BAM!
…they were freed.
“Whaaaaaaaaa!!!!”
Lucien stepped out first, followed by Vanya. Lucien blinked. Standing just a bit away from them was a strange looking Meowth. Or is it more of Purrloin? It seemed that this Meowth was the one who screamed just now. Lucien took a step forward, watching the Meowth stumble back.
“What the- What the hell are you?!” the feline screamed, pointing a stubby paw at Lucien. Lucien snorted and rolled his eyes.
“Phlo, sion?” Um, a Typhlosion?
“You can talk too?!” the feline’s blue eyes widened even further, if that was possible.
As Lucien was sizing up the weird cat, Vanya brushed herself off and glanced over her shoulder to see what she was trapped inside of. She raised a brow at the dark coffin that was suspended mid-air somehow. A bit morbid to be placed in a coffin , of all things, but somehow she wasn’t that put off. The only weird thing was how was the coffin floating like that?
‘Technology, maybe?’
“Hey you!”
It seemed that the cat noticed her. Redirecting her attention to the cat, Vanya couldn’t help the smile that spreaded across her lips. This Meowth(?) was so cute. Vanya patted Lucien’s arm, signaling to relax, and crouched down in front of the feline, meeting vibrant blue eyes.
“Yes?”
The cat placed his paws on his hips, glaring at the girl. Or at least, he would be if it wasn’t for the bangs covering Vanya’s eyes. How could she even see past all that hair? “Why are you up?” the cat demanded. “You weren’t supposed to be awake so I could steal your clothes!”
Vanya blinked. “My…clothes?”
“Yeah!” He pointed a paw at the black robe Vanya was wearing. “I need that robe so you better hand it over right now! Or else I’ll roast ya!”
“Phlo?” You’ll what?
The small cat yelped as the Typhlosion growled down at him in a threatening manner. Vanya held a hand up, which Lucien took as a hint to back down. Lucien huffed and looked away from the cat.
“Before we continue, um, are you a new regional form Meowth? Or Purrloin?” Vanya asked with a curious tilt of her head.
“What the heck is a Meowth?” The cat raised a brow. He placed a paw against his fuzzy chest and arrogantly smirked. “I’m the Great Grim, future greatest magician in Twisted Wonderland!”
Vanya blinked but gave the small feline a nod, choosing to play along. “Ah yes, my mistake. I’m sorry for not realizing, o Great Grim.” Lucien snorted and rolled his eyes at the silly display.
“Heh! At least one human recognizes my greatness,” Grim puffed his chest out with pride. He then deflated back into an aggressive stance. “Hey wait! Don’t distract me all of a sudden! Hand over your robe already!”
Vanya felt a bead of sweat form at the sudden change in Grim’s attitude. “Um, sorry, but these are the only clothes I have on me right now, maybe. I kind of need them.”
“You’re not even sure?! Sheesh, what a dumb human,” Grim shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. If you won’t hand them over…I’ll just roast ya!”
With a inhale of breath, Grim expelled a burst of blue flames towards the girl. Lucien yanked his trainer by the back of her robe and took the fire straight to the face with a glare. Grim watched in building dread as his flames were absorbed by the Typhlosion, the flames on the back of Lucien’s neck briefly shining brighter.
“What the heck!? What did ya do to my fire, you giant rat?!” Grim yelled. He flinched as the Typhlosion snarled, raising an arm. Lucien’s fist sparked, bright electricity engulfing it. Grim screamed and narrowly dodged the punch. Grim nearly whimpered at the sight of cracks forming on the polished floor.
“Lucien!” Vanya straightened herself and called out to her partner. “Stop!”
Lucien ignored his trainer and moved once more. Grim scrambled out of the way, desperate to dodge the barrage of Thunder Punch aimed towards him. The small cat attempted to use fire magic against the Typhlosion, but was met with the same result as before. What the heck was this giant rat?! Vanya barreled towards the Typhlosion, wrapping her arms around his torso.
“Lucien! That’s enough!” Vanya urged. She failed to notice the doors opening. She gasped as a leather whip wrapped around Grim’s small body. The cat sputtered as he was yanked backwards, away from the girl and the Typhlosion.
“Ow! What’s with the rope?!” Grim kicked his legs and pulled at the tight leather.
“This is no mere rope! It is a Lash of Love!”
Vanya looked at the source of the new voice standing at the doors, seeing a man holding the whip. The man wore a suit that’s bedazzled at the vest, a coat decorated with black feathers at the collar on his shoulders. On top of his head is a black top hat with a small mirror-like accessory attached to the side. One of his hands is holding a golden cane in the shape of a key, the cane’s handle seems to be in the shape of a bird.
What stood out the most to Vanya was the mask the man was wearing. The mask almost resembled a Murkrow, yet the eerie glowing eyes behind the mask reminded her of a Corviknight’s. Overall the man’s outfit was very over the top with its Murkrow/Corviknight theme. Maybe he liked to match his outfits with his pokemon? Though that’s assuming he has either pokemon on his team.
“Goodness, what a mess,” the masked man loudly sighed out. He completely ignored Grim struggling in the whip’s hold. The man strided over to the girl and her partner but let out a squawk as Lucien growled at him, sharp canines glinting in the low light of the room. “Great Seven- What is that?” he pointed a clawed finger at Lucien.
Vanya gently squeezed the Typhlosion still in her hold. Lucien clenched his jaw but relented, finally easing back into a more guarded state. Vanya released him and maneuvered around him, taking her place next to her partner. The girl grabbed Lucien’s paw and rubbed her thumb over the soft fur.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Vanya bowed her head at the man. “This is my partner, Lucien. He’s a bit protective so please pardon the hostility.”
The masked man wrinkled his nose at Lucien, still wary. Lucien’s red eyes were watching him, waiting for any sign of aggression. Shaking his head, the man turned back to Vanya to address her. “It seems I came just in time to find you, young man. You are one of the new students, yes?” Vanya opened her mouth to deny the claim but was interrupted by the man. “That just won’t do. You mustn’t leave the Gate on your own!”
He raised the whip, the tied up Grim still struggling to escape. “Not only that, but you’ve also brought your familiars to school despite it being against the regulations.”
Vanya pursed her lips. She didn’t like seeing Grim wriggling around. “Sir, maybe you can- “
“Lemme go! I’m not their frickin’ familiar!” Grim cut off the girl and protested. The masked man promptly shut the cat up by gagging him with the upper half of the whip. Vanya flinched at the rough treatment the cat was receiving.
“Yes, yes, that’s what all the rebellious ones say,” the man dismissed Grim’s comment. “Just quiet down for a moment.”
Vanya carefully crept up to the man, hand reached out towards the gagged feline. She frowned when the man tucked Grim underneath his arm.
“My goodness. It’s unprecedented for a new student to leave the Gate on their own,” the man sighed. “How impatient can you be to begin school?”
“Sir, I’m not -”
“Now isn’t the time to dilly dally. The entrance ceremony will soon come to a close. Let's move on, young man.” The masked man continued to not let the girl speak, already moving to leave the room. Seeing how he wasn’t going to wait for them, Vanya and Lucien followed behind.
The man’s long legs made it hard for Vanya to catch up with his rushed steps. Lucien scanned their surroundings as the two trailed behind the man. They were led through dark corridors, a few paintings hanging on the stone walls. The area changed to a courtyard; a well was placed in the center with neatly trimmed topiary planted nearby. A few apple trees were growing, ruby red apples hanging from the trees. Some benches were placed here and there.
The strange man began to explain about the Mirror Chamber and this so-called “Night Raven College” . “This is Night Raven College, a prestigious magical academy where budding mages blessed with magical talent gather. Only mages deemed worthy by the Dark Mirror can attend this school.” With what the man might consider a charming smile, he placed a hand on his chest, “My name is Dire Crowley, the board chairman-appointed headmaster in charge of looking after this college.”
Vanya tried to wrap her head around Crowley’s explanation. “Mages? College? Sir, just where exactly am I?” Vanya asked, trying to hide the unease in her voice.
“Oh my, the teleportation magic must have left you more dazed than I thought. No matter, it is exactly as I said, young man. The Ebony Carriage goes to welcome new students chosen by the Dark Mirror by carrying them in a Gate. The same has been done with you, of course.”
‘Ebony Carriage? I can kinda remember a weird carriage with some strange looking Ponyta…’
Vanya shook her head. “Sir, I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be a student…”
“Of course you are! Why else would you be here if the Dark Mirror hasn’t chosen you?” That’s not the response she wanted. “By the way, how did you manage to open your door without a special key? That’s the only way to open them…”
Vanya pointed at Lucien, who simply waved a paw at the confused man. “Lucien opened it.” Crowley opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head.
“Right. Well, let’s go to the entrance ceremony.”
Vanya and Lucien continued to follow Crowley, Vanya glancing at the still struggling Grim every now and then. Maybe if she got close enough, she could release him from the whip…
In a room filled with floating coffins and crowds of robed students stood a group of five students near the giant mirror at the center of the room. “This ends the dorm assignment for the new students, I presume?” A boy with a lovely shade of red hair asked. “Listen up new students. Here in Heartslaybul, I am the rules. Break them and it’s off with your head,” the red haired boy finished with a stern look in his slate grey eyes.
“..Uuugghh. The stuffy ceremony is finally over,” a man with lion ears groaned, obviously tired. “We’re going back to the dorm. Savanaclaw, follow me.”
“To the new students, congratulations on entering this academy. Enjoy your life here to its fullest,” a boy with glasses says with a polite(?) smile. “As the dormitory leader of Octavinelle, I will support you to the best of my ability.”
“Which reminds me, where did the headmaster go? He flew out right in the middle of the ceremony…” a beautiful man sighed, arms crossed with a frown painted on his pretty face.
A floating blue tablet let out a small crackle as a voice spoke through its mic. “Abandoning his post…”
“Did he get a stomachache or something?” a boy with a purple turban wrapped around his white hair suggested, arms crossed behind his head.
“Not at all!”
Crowley bursted through the doors with a loud slam , everyone in the room turning their attention to the loud man. Behind him stood Vanya and Lucien, awkwardly sweat dropping at the man’s dramatic entrance.
“Ah, he’s here.”
“I cannot believe you all. We were missing one new student, so I went to find him,” Crowley sighed, walking past the crowds of students in the room. Vanya and Lucien followed him quietly, trying to ignore the eyes watching them. Vanya pursed her lips at the feeling of so many eyes watching her every move. Noticing the discomfort of his trainer, Lucien edged closer to her, placing a paw on her arm. She sent him a shaky smile in thanks.
Students whispered and murmured as they gazed at the strange creature following the missing student. The group of five students took notice of the Typhlosion, their eyes widening in shock. The boy with the turban smiled in awe at the strange creature, noticing the ever present flames on the back of its neck. It looked so cool! The others, however, scrutinized the creature with wariness. They’ve never seen an animal like this before…
“You are the only one yet to be assigned a dormitory,” Crowley said, glancing back at Vanya. “I shall watch over the tanuki, so step in front of the Dark Mirror.”
Grim let out a muffled cry, still struggling to free himself from the whip.
Vanya furrowed her brows. She dared to reach out once again to free Grim, but Crowley held the cat high up, away from the girl’s outstretched hand. The Headmaster tutted. “The Dark Mirror, please.”
Vanay bit back a sigh but nodded nevertheless. Vanya walked past the five students and the Headmaster, each step feeling heavier than the last. Lucien lingered behind her in case something went wrong. Approaching the center of the room where the giant mirror floated, she watched as an ominous glowing green face emerged from green flames. The face stared back at her with an ever present frown.
“State thy name,” its voice boomed in the quiet room.
Vanya played with the ends of her robe’s sleeve. “...Vanya Amano.”
“The shape of thy soul is…”
She waited with bated breath, hating every second the tension in the room grew.
“...is unknown.”
What?
“Come again?” Crowley uttered, shock written on his face. Is that even possible with a mask covering a majority of his face?
“I sense not a spark of magic from this one…” the Mirror drawled, “the color, the shape, are all nothing. Therefore, they are not suited for any dormitory.”
‘Obviously I don’t have magic. I’m human- ‘
“However, I sense something else within this child. An almost divine spark resides in thy soul.”
‘Huh?’
Despite the audience of students whispering amongst themselves about the revelation, Vanya felt as if she couldn’t hear anything. Her mind was spiraling with questions, eyes staring at the mirror with distress. Did it know? Could it tell what she was? That’s -
“Impossible!” She jumped at the shout from Crowley, turning her head in his direction.
“In 100 years, there has not once been a mistake in student selection,” Crowley objected, “an Ebony Carriage would absolutely never go to meet someone who can’t use magic!” He groaned to himself, clutching his head with his hand. “So why in the world…”
‘Sir, I am just as confused as you are…’
With a last tug at the whip’s grasp, Grim managed to free himself. “Mghmgh… Pah! Then I’ll take their place!” He smirked, pointing at himself. “Unlike that dumb human, I can use magic! Let me in the school instead! If you need proof, I’ll show you right now!”
Realizing what he was about to do, the red haired boy shouted to the rest of the students. “Everyone, get down!”
With a inhale of breath, Grim released a burst of flames. Everyone dodged the blue flames with startled screams, Lucien takingguard in front of Vanya. All but one student was left unharmed.
“Waaaah! Hottttttt! My butt’s on fire!” the boy with the turban screamed.
Crowley watched in horror as the flames spread in the room. “At this rate the school will be a sea of fire!” His hands grasped his dark locks of hair beneath his top hat. “Somebody, catch that tanuki!”
The man with lion ears clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Che! What a pain.”
“Hmm? Aren’t you good at hunting?” The beautiful man smiled mockingly at the lion man, “doesn’t it look like a nice, plump snack?”
“Why me? Do it yourself.”
“Headmaster Crowley,” the bespectacled boy approached the distressed headmaster, a practiced business smile apparent on his face, “please leave it to me. I’m sure the others couldn’t stomach harassing the poor creature, so I will take it upon myself.”
“That’s Azul for you. Always trying to earn himself points,” the tablet said, sounding as if it was rolling its eyes at the glasses-wearing boy.
“Ummm, hey, could someone put out the fire on my butt already!?”
“Are you all even listening!?” Crowley shouted at the five students and tablet, having reached his boiling point. Honestly, why must he be forced to deal with such troubles?
Vanya and Lucien looked at the absolute messy state this ceremony had become. With a repressed sigh, Vanya reached for one of her Pokeballs attached to her belt, plucking it off. With a click of the center button she released a pokemon.
Emerging from the capsule was a light blue bipedal creature, almost resembling an amphibian. It blinked its small black eyes innocently, not caring much for the disaster occurring in the room. The creature waved at the shocked students with a dopey smile on its face.
“Reece, please help put out the fire on that boy,” Vanya pleaded with the Quagsire.
With a happy cry, the Quagsire ran up to the flailing boy and shot out a spray of water, easily dousing the flames on the boy’s rear.
The boy sighed in relief, rubbing his butt in comfort. “Thanks so much! That feels so much better.” Turning his attention to Vanya, he grabbed the girl’s hands with his, a big grin stretching his face. “My name’s Kalim Al-Asim! Nice to meet you.”
Vanya slowly nodded her head, gently taking her hands out of Kalim’s hold. “...nice to meet you too. I’m Vanya Amano. Um, excuse me…” She turned away from Kalim, waving Reece over to follow her.
Looking back at the boy, Reece waved happily at Kalim with its usual smile, Kalim returning it tenfold with amazement in his eyes. Such a cute animal! And it was friendly too! He needed to tell Jamil about this silly creature and its nice owner.
“Lucien, Reece.” Both pokemon looked up at their trainer obediently. “Let's try and catch Grim, okay?” The pokemon nodded at her.
Following after the rampaging cat, Vanya directed where Reece had to put out the fire while Lucien catched up with Grim. The students watched in wonder as the weird blue creature did as she says and put out the surrounding flames in the venue. What is this blue animal?
Sensing someone was following, Grim turned his head back to see Lucien gaining leverage on him. Letting out a yelp, he desperately tried to outspeed the Typhlosion. Lucien’s eyes narrowed at the small feline. Did he really think he could outrun him? Lucien almost laughed at the thought. With a giant leap, Lucien tackled Grim, effectively caging the cat in his arms.
“Hey! Let me go, you big rat!” Grim shouted, wriggling around in the Typhlosion’s arms. Lucien only rolled his eyes at the cat’s yells.
The red haired boy marched up to the Typhlosion albeit wary to get too close. Taking out a pen from his sleeve, he waved it at the cat.
“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”
With white sparkles shimmering around Grim, a red and black heart shaped collar formed itself around the cat’s neck.
“Nygah! What the heck is this!?” Grim grabbed at the strange collar, attempting to yank it off with no result.
“Laws of the Queen of Hearts: Number 23 “One shall never bring a cat into a festival.” You being a cat means you’ve broken the rule,” the red haired boy sternly looked down at Grim with crossed arms. “I shall have you leave at once.”
“I’m not a cat!”
Grim snarled down at the collar. “I’ll burn this collar right up and…” He huffed, yet nothing came out. Blinking, Grim huffed and puffed, and still not a single ember came from his mouth.
“E-eh? I can’t use my fire!”
Grim wailed as the red haired boy smirked at the cat’s defeated look.
“Hmph! You won’t be using any magic until I remove the collar. Just like an ordinary cat.”
“Wh-What?! I’m not some pet!”
Lucien tilted his head, staring at the red and black collar. How was this human boy able to do that? Taking a step closer to Grim, he sniffed at the collar, resulting in Grim jumping away from him from surprise.
“Hey, back off you giant rat!”
The glasses-wearing boy strutted up to the red haired boy, his ever present business smile never falling, “Wow, as wonderful as ever. Any and all magic gets sealed by your Unique Magic, Riddle.”
His smile turned more devious, blue eyes glinting with a calculating look. “I simply must have it… Err, I mean I wouldn't ever want that cast on me.” He sent a fleeting glance at Lucien, memorizing the creature’s strong build. And perhaps maybe find a way to obtain this animal as well…
Lucien wrinkled his nose at the look he noticed the bespectacled boy gave him. Something felt off about this guy…
Crowley marched up to Vanya, who was ordering Reece to put out the last bit of the fire, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around to look straight down at her. He pointed at Grim who continued to fumble around with his bounded collar.
“You must do something about this! It is your familiar, after all! Properly discip- “
“Sir!
The sudden shout from Vanya quickly shut up Crowley, even attracting some nearby students’ attention. The masked headmaster blinked, confused eyes watching the girl huff to herself. Clearing her throat, she tugged her hood further down her face.
“Apologies for my outburst, sir, but he’s not a member of my team.”
“Eh? It’s not yours?”
“I have been trying to tell you since you first accused him of being one of mine.”
“Y-You did?” Crowley croaked, feeling the stares from the students digging deep into his person. “But you kept trying to free him.”
“That’s because you were being too rough on him,” Vanya frowned. “Even if he wasn’t part of my team, it’s still wrong to treat him like that.”
Crowley clamped his mouth shut. The stares intensified as the students awaited his reaction. He quickly cleared his throat in an attempt to compose himself. “Anyways, let’s get it out of the school at any rate. Someone help, please.”
The red haired boy, Riddle, walked up to the Headmaster and handled Grim out of the man’s hold. The gray feline squirmed in the boy’s grasp, limbs waving around in a futile attempt of escaping.
“Gyaaaa! Let me go!”
As the two approached the chamber’s doors, Grim shouted one last declaration.
“I’m going to, going to… become the greatest mage!”
The doors closed behind the pair, the loud slam echoing in the chamber. Vanya frowned, taking in Grim’s self declared promise.
‘Poor guy. Why does he want to attend this college so badly?’
Crowley let out a sigh, sounding as if he wanted nothing more than to go home and take a century long nap. Honestly, how can so much already happen on the first day of school?
“We had a bit of trouble along the way, but this brings the entrance ceremony to a close,” Crowley peered over to the group of six boys over by the Dark Mirror, “Dormitory Heads, please show the new students back to the dormitories.”
Noticing something amiss, the headmaster glanced around the room, looking for something, or someone . “...Hm?” the masked man tilted his head, “now that I think about it, I don’t see the leader for Diasomnia, Mr. Draconia, around at all… “
The man with lion ears rolled his eyes, disinterest written all over his face. “That’s no different from usual, is it?”
“What? Did nobody tell him about the ceremony?” Kalim asked aloud.
“If you’re going to complain, you should have done it yourself,” the beautiful blonde man frowned.
“Hmmm. But I don’t really know anything about that guy.”
Lucien trudged up to Vanya and Reece, the trio glancing around at the whispering students. Vanya made note of the way their faces grimaced with what appeared to be fear.
“By Draconia… Do they mean “that” Malleus Draconia?”
“So he really is attending this school.”
“Scary…”
A sigh startled the girl and her pokemon, the three looking behind them to see a shorter boy. From the brief strands of hair peeking from beneath the boy’s hood, he had black hair with magenta colored highlights scattered here and there. Vanya was mainly taken with the boy’s blood red eyes, stunned from how pretty they were.
“Oh, I knew it.”
Ok, scratch that. That’s not a boy, that’s a man, judging from how deep the voice is.
“I came here to check if my suspicion was right, and sure enough Malleus isn’t around,” the boy(?) sent an unimpressed stare at the six dormitory leaders, “it seems the invitation “never arrived” again.”
The glasses-wearing boy attempted to look apologetic, but it came off as more fake than genuine. “My deepest apologies. I promise, we didn’t intend to exclude you.”
“His aura makes it hard to approach him.”
The deep voiced boy(?) sighed and shook his head, “it’s fine. Members of the Diasomnia Dormitory can come with me. …I hope this doesn’t upset him…”
As the deep voiced boy(?) began to lead out students, Vanya felt a twinge of sympathy for whoever this “Draconia” person was. Kalim skipped over to Vanya, a bright grin on his lips. Reece turned to him with a smile and waved its arms happily. Kalim returned the gesture with his own wave of his hand.
“Thanks again for helping me out. You guys should come over to Scarabia later! Oh, I can have Jamil prepare a feast as thanks, and we can even have a parade!” Kalim rambled, not noticing Vanya stiffening up.
A feast? Parade? That’s a little…
“I appreciate the offer, but that seems a bit too excessive, Al-Asim-san. Besides, I think your dormitory needs you?” Vanya trailed off, hoping the boy would take the hint.
He blinked, his eyes lighting up in realization. “You’re right! I need to take the students back to Scarabia first,” he chuckled with a sheepish grin. “Then we can have the feast and parade tomorrow!”
“I don’t think that’s necessary -“
“See you later!” Kalim sent one last wave before running off, most likely to lead his students back to their dorm.
“...”
Vanya didn’t really know what to make of what just occurred.
With that, the rest of the students filed out of the room, leaving behind only her, her pokemon, and the mysterious Headmaster. Vanya looked at the Headmaster, awaiting for any answer to what will happen now.
“Then, Mr. Amano, I’m terribly sorry about this, but…” Crowley sighed, “we must have you leave the school.”
‘Oh, finally.’
“Those without any talent for magic cannot be allowed to attend class here.” The man perked up, reassured(?) smile on his face, “not to worry. The Dark Mirror will send you directly back from whence you came.”
He guided the girl and her pokemon over to the Dark Mirror. He took a step back and cleared his throat.
“Enter the Gate, and picture your home clearly in your mind…”
Intaking a deep breath, Vanya began to picture the Johto region, images of her home vividly detailed in her head.
‘Johto region, New Bark Town, Mama, Gold, Silver, my pokemon…’
“Oh, Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place they belong!”
“......”
The Dark Mirror did nothing but stare back at the girl.
Crowley could feel a bead of sweat comically trail down the side of his face.
“Once more. Oh, Dark Mirror! Guide this…”
“It is nowhere…”
Vanya opened her eyes, everyone looking at the mirror with shock.
“Eh?”
“The place they belong to is nowhere in this world… It does not exist.”
Her heart felt like it was about to fall out of her ribcage. Nowhere? It doesn't exist? Does that mean she’s stuck here? Wherever the fuck ‘here’ is even supposed to be!
‘I’m sorry, but what…?’
Her mini breakdown was interrupted by the headmaster screeching right next to her.
“What did you say? That is unbelievable! Hmm, well, the unbelievable has been on parade today.”
“.......”
“This is the first time it’s ever happened since I became Headmaster. What should be…” he trailed off, glancing at the girl, eyebrow raised.
“Where exactly did you come from?”
Vanya fiddled with the robe’s sleeves, trying to keep herself somewhat calm at this revelation.
“New Bark Town, sir. From the Johto region.”
The dead stare the headmaster was giving her was not doing anything to calm her nerves down. Lucien and Reece, sensing their trainer’s rising panic, huddled around her. They rubbed her arms up and down in a rhythmic pattern, just like she does for them whenever something rattled them.
“I’ve never heard of that place,” Crowley held his chin between his thumb and finger, “I have a general grasp of where all the students came from, but I’ve never heard either of those names before.”
Readjusting his top hat, Crowley held out a hand towards Vanya.
“Let’s go do some research in the library.”
She took his hand, allowing the man to drag her out of the chamber, her pokemon trailing after them.
As she was pulled along, questions were being rapidly fired in her head. Was she in the past again? That would explain why New Bark Town doesn’t “exist”, but that doesn’t explain literally everything else . Like the giant mirror, or the boy who conjured up a collar out of thin air.
‘Or the fact I saw not a single Pokemon besides my own.’
It was like this world just didn’t have any Pokemon. This wasn’t the past, this wasn’t the future; it’s a whole new world with weird collars and floating coffins.
‘Just what are you doing with me, Arceus…’