Midnight

Melrose couldn’t get any sleep. Her arms were crossed beneath her chin as she gazed out the window, the silvery moon staring back at her. Ms. Adeline had instructed the Pikachu to not worry, but that was hardly something a Pokémon could be commanded to do. It would be easier if she knew Headmaster Zephyr had returned, especially if he had some good news, but there was no way she could know anything from the confines of her room. She couldn’t help thinking some pretty nasty things about herself, as if any blame about the situation could logically fall to her. Xander was her first friend, her first real friend, not just some member of her family she learned to love by growing up around. The stars all glared down at her, and the pit in her stomach grew.

The longing glances up at the sky turned into pacing about the room. Thoughts of what exactly she needed to do raced inside of the Pikachu’s head, and they weren’t going to ease unless she could pinpoint something, anything, that would be a good plan of action. Melrose growled to herself, feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty. She couldn’t do this on her own, but her options were extremely slim. Xander couldn’t exactly help her find Xander, and all of the staff within the Academy would just send Melrose back to bed. Her ears fell flat against her head. Melrose knew who she needed to ask for help, but he wasn’t exactly going to be pleased about it.

Melrose stood and stared at His Majesty’s door for a few minutes, occasionally mustering something close to enough confidence to knock… before quickly backing down. Melrose didn’t usually have such difficulty with this sort of thing— asking for favors was commonplace on the farm. This… was different, but Melrose couldn’t exactly place why. Sure, Icarus was of an entirely different social status than her: the HIGHEST, in fact. However, that wasn’t what was shaking the Pikachu up so much. She didn’t really care that he was a Prince, so what was the big deal?

The Pikachu took a long, deep, composing breath and held it in her cheeks as she finally knocked on the door. There was a long silence, signifying that perhaps he had not heard her or was fast asleep. Melrose went to knock again, but her fist merely grazed the door. It was opening! The Tyrunt looked down at her, extremely displeased that he had to answer for someone this late into the night. “What is it, Pikachu? You better not be wasting my precious time.”

“Look, I know we just met-” Melrose choked out, realizing that her breath was still being held. She had to gag on her words before she could continue, and Icarus already looked irritated. “Xander, that Pokémon the Guildmaster was talking about, I’m really worried about him. I want to go and find him! I need to make sure he’s okay…”

“Ugh, are you serious?” Prince Icarus growled and turned his body away, readying himself to slam the door in the Pikachu’s face. “There is absolutely no reason I would ever be inclined to help you. Besides, you sound prepared to sneak out of the Academy! Do you know how much trouble we might get into if we did something like that? I can’t let my reputation or good standing with my Father be ruined by some commoner’s misgivings concerning a lost friend.”

“But!-” Melrose quickly stuck a paw against the door as Icarus went to shut it. She gave him a wide-eyed look, not exactly certain what she was going to say, just sure that she needed to stop him from closing her out. The two Pokémon remained quiet, and the silence was only to be interrupted by Icarus’s sigh. The Prince looked back at his classmate and blinked slowly, encouraging Melrose to actually present some sort of argument. Melrose felt her eyes water up slightly, “Your Highness… please . I can’t do this by myself. I need your help…”

It wasn’t exactly an argument, but Icarus was starting to feel something he couldn’t exactly explain to himself. He glanced back inside his room, at his warm and comfortable bed, before his nostrils twitched as he swung his head back to face Melrose. “Fine. I’ll help you, okay? But so help me, if we get caught-”

Melrose hugged Icarus without thinking, and pulled away quickly. “Thank you!” Her nose wiggled as she tried not to cry. “Hurry! He could be in danger!” The Pikachu scampered off, avoiding receiving an earful from the flustered royal dragon.

The two students slipped out of their wing of the castle quietly. Melrose started to walk towards the front entrance, but Prince Icarus grabbed her tail softly with his jaw and yanked her back. “Don’t be stupid! They’ll see us if we go that way.” Icarus looked around before spotting a separate set of stairs. “There, if we go that way… it will lead to the back gardens. It will be much easier to escape the grounds that way.”

“Oh! Yeah, good point…”

Melrose and Icarus crept as quietly as they could towards the optimal exit. There weren’t many guards patrolling the area, which Icarus assumed was because the semester hadn’t started yet… Though, it was infuriating to know they weren’t immediately willing to up security with his presence at the Academy. He didn’t have time to think about how foolish that was, considering it was extremely convenient for what the current situation called for. However, he would still be reporting this to his Father.

The garden was lit only by the moon and stars above, and the daylight accustomed Pokémon were struggling to navigate it efficiently. It wasn’t impossible for them to see, but it was very easy for the both of them to get lost. Hedges and displays of exotic flowers were difficult to look over, and keeping close to the castle itself would likely get them caught. Icarus cleared his throat quietly, and looked down at his rodent companion. “Stick close to me, and try not to make a sound! Got it?”

Melrose nodded her head and pretended to zip her mouth shut like a Banette. Icarus hunched his body over, keeping close to the ground and ensuring he could feel the Pikachu’s breathing near his tail. He needed to listen for any sign of movement aside from his own that couldn’t be chalked down to Melrose, which would only be made difficult if she randomly decided not to behave herself.

The stealth mission was proving to be rather successful, as the only signs of other Pokémon were from those way up in the air. Icarus knew the distinct sounds made by certain Flying Types, like the calls of bird Pokémon or the hovering buzzes produced by Yanma and Yanmega. Using his knowledge of those Pokémon, combined with what he knew about R.E.D. Academy’s staff, Icarus could remain calm. That, in turn, helped Melrose stay calm.

That was until the Pikachu’s cheeks sparked suddenly, which accidentally electrocuted the end of Icarus’s tail. The dinosaur Pokémon swung around sharply and growled, but was silenced by Melrose grabbing his snout and pointing wildly towards the center of the garden. At first Icarus was much too angry to care, but he quickly recognized the Gardevoir– even from a distance. The Prince shoved past Melrose and tucked himself within a bush to watch. Melrose crept into the plant beside him.

“Brother, It’s good to see you.” The other Pokémon, a Gallade dressed in royal armor, was giving Aster a small smile as a greeting. It faded quickly. “You don’t usually ask to meet up on such short notice. Is something the matter?”

Melrose whispered. “Princey, who are those two?”

“Don’t Fucking Call Me–” Icarus shook his head quickly. “Princey is unbecoming. If you insist on nicknaming me, choose something more official and elite sounding.” The Tyrunt took a sharp breath before looking at the two other Pokémon. “That Gardevoir is the Prime Minister. Surely, you know of him?” Icarus laughed quietly. “Though, you didn’t even know I was the Prince.”

“That’s Prime Minister Aster?” Melrose tilted her head. “I guess that makes sense… He looks way more like I envisioned than you did.”

Icarus growled again, “Silence! I’m trying to hear what they’re saying.”

Melrose gave a hushed apology as the two of them tried to once again pay attention to the mysterious meeting.

“I apologize, Rosaline. You know how it is around this time of year. Everything seems to fall on my shoulders.” Aster moved closer and whispered something, which Icarus couldn’t even hope to hear. Whatever it was, Rosaline seemed taken aback.

“It’s time?…” Melrose’s large ears twitched. “Prince Icarus, what does that mean?”

“Hell if I should know!” He grumbled. “Wait, you could hear that? I can’t hear a damn thing they’re saying.”

“No, Aster, you didn’t…” Rosaline stared down at the ground, but her brother moved closer and pointed her head towards the sky. “I just, I can’t believe this. You…”

“I know, and I was certain it would be a shock to you. I need your support, Rosaline.” The Prime Minister placed both his hands on his sister’s shoulders, and the Gallade slowly looked back at his face. “I hardly ask anything of you, please do this one thing for your older brother.”

“I… I can’t!” The Gallade pulled away, a grimace on her face. “Dammit, Aster, I knew your ambitions would get the better of you! Red Academy, the royal army, hell– Adstrum itself matters too much to me!” She grabbed her spear from its holster on her back, pointing it at her brother. The Prime Minister didn’t react much, shaking his head in disappointment as his own flesh and blood looked just about ready to spike him through the throat.

Icarus was extremely perplexed, too lost in his own curiosity to realize he had stepped out of the bush to hear better. A twig beneath his massive claws cracked in half, sending a sharp noise through the hushed gardens. Melrose pulled the Prince quickly back into the plants with her as the Gardevoir and Gallade turned quickly towards the sound.

“Someone is here with us.” Aster sighed. “We will talk about this another time.”

“There is no ‘another time’ Ast–” But before Rosaline could finish her remark, the Prime Minister had Teleported away. She tightened up her fists in a rage, gripping her spear. The Gallade was quick to pursue wherever the sound came from, figuring she could release her fury on some trespassers.

Melrose squeaked, “We need to get out of here!”

“No! She’ll see us if we run. We need to be still and hide!”

“But–”

“No buts! That’s a royal order!” Icarus tucked against the ground, “If we shuffle over to that bush, maybe we can–”

Melrose grabbed Icarus’s stubby hand and used Quick Attack to send them at top speed out of the plant. Adstrum’s Prince was much too startled at such a bold action to struggle, and Melrose was trying her best to pull the heavy Pokémon towards the nearest cover. Rosaline could easily see the commotion, and was rushing towards the assumed evil-doers. Melrose continued to use Quick Attack to get her and Icarus from bush to bush, and didn’t seem to mind how much noise she was making on the way.

When the both of them had reached a bush close to the garden’s exit, Icarus finally used the entirety of his body weight to stop the Pikachu. Rosaline was gaining on them, hardly a few meters from their current hiding spot. Melrose gave the Prince a desperate look, but the Tyrunt looked confident about a silent decision. A rock was pulled from the earth below them, something Melrose could actually recognize thanks to her encounter with Tangrowth: Ancient Power. The Prince sent the rock hurtling towards a nearby bush to create a diversion, which worked. Rosaline was hurrying over to the bush she thought the mysterious garden goers were skulking away in, but was genuinely surprised when no one was there.

Icarus covered Melrose’s mouth with his hand and held his own breath as the armored Gallade continued to search the premises. He watched the puzzling expression on her face turn to irritation, and Rosaline hurried out the gate to see if she could catch the Pokémon escaping. Once she was far enough away, Icarus released Melrose’s mouth.

“Whoa… that was some smart thinkin’!” Melrose smiled up at him.

“We need to go back to our rooms.” The Tyrunt declared.

“Wh-what?” Melrose started to pout immediately. “But you said– We can’t– What about–”

“If they can’t catch what they presume to be intruders, that Pokémon is going to report to the rest of the staff. They will check the entire Academy, and that includes making sure the students haven’t been harmed in any way.” Icarus peaked out of the bush, and started to make the walk back towards the building. “They will know something is up, Melrose.”

Melrose wanted to argue, she really did, but everything Icarus was saying made a lot of sense. She slowly walked up beside him, carrying a rain cloud above her. The Tyrunt avoided looking at her— he would not let guilt force him to make a rash decision twice in one night.

The two of them carefully made it back to the common area, and Icarus paid particular attention to leaving little to no evidence they even left the room to begin with. “I’m going back to sleep. Do not bother me again tonight.” The Prince walked over to the hallway, but stopped when he could hear Melrose start to cry. Aggressive remarks formed at his lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to say any of them. His tail flicked, and his claws twitched slightly as he glanced back over his shoulder.

Melrose was at the door still. If her tail and ears could droop any lower, they would. Tears fell to her paws as she stared down at them, and Melrose’s quiet sniffling was just embarrassing her. The Pikachu could feel Icarus’s eyes on her, but she couldn’t muster up the energy to make it back to her room. Her attention was suddenly drawn by an agitated scoff.

“You shouldn’t worry so much about someone else like this.” The Tyrunt’s gaze was cold, but the target of his sentiment was vague. “Go to bed. It will do you no good to trouble yourself all night with this.”

Icarus finally turned tail and returned to his room, the door closing softly this time. Melrose used her hands to wipe away her tears. Icarus was right, and it made her feel even more stupid. The Pikachu slowly made her way to her Academy room, walking on her fours to stabilize herself. It took her quite a while to make it to her bed, and she could no longer feel excited about how nice the mattress was. She laid down in the complete silence of the night and shivered from anxiety, wrapped up in a cycle of feeling bad… then feeling worse for even feeling bad.

“You telling me some lousy nobody Pokémon shedded your ear like this? What a joke.” The Nidorina laughed as she hit the table, “the boss had you snatch that Coin like it was nothing! Then you go back and get your ass kicked?” She laughed harder, and harder, until Lune could hardly stand it. His claws started to glow, becoming longer and sharper, before the Nickit lunged at his teammate. Nidorina snarled as the two of them entered their scuffle, and the Cinccino at the table with them just rolled her eyes.

“You two wonder why we’re the lowest rung of Team Outlier, then go ahead and behave like this?” Her tail swished back and forth as she used a paw to brush some dust that had been kicked up out of her fur.

“Jessie, you’re a riot! Actin’ all snobby like that when you’re on Outlier C just like Lune and I are!” The Nidorina cackled as she used a Double Kick to send Lune against a wall. The super effective move took a lot out of him, so the little fox Pokémon stayed on the floor for a moment.

“That’s Jessabelle Von Opalescence to you , pointy!” The Cinccino scoffed and brushed the fluff on her head down with a paw. “And, I behave in a more dignified manner than you both because I am more dignified.”

The Nidorina leered at her teammate, readying a Poison Sting to get her back for such a statement, but was suddenly shoved aside by a blur of silver and blue. Lune’s Quick Attack took her completely off guard, and she toppled to the floor. Jessabelle couldn’t help laughing at the Nidorina’s failings.

“Why I outta–!” The Nidorina scrambled to her feet and got ready to attack Lune again, but was interrupted by a door opening up from behind her. “Ah– Boss– We was just–”

“Shut it. I got some new intel, so you losers better listen up.” The Pokémon tossed a handful of polaroids onto the table, each showing a crown bearing Tyrunt in various locations outside of the palace. Most notably was the one of him being escorted to R.E.D. Academy. Each member of Outlier Team C inspected the pictures, then looked up at their chuckling boss.

“Looks like the little birdie has left the nest.”