Episode 3: World of Power

With a little hop, Kayla slid down the crater while Kari crawled behind her. She expected to be noticed as soon as she reached the base, but the Orbeetle didn’t so much as turn in her direction. They seemed to be hypnotised, staring into the crystal’s entrance while their bodies lined up in perfect formations of three. It was impossible to tell with their eyes naturally being crazed orbs, but they had more swirls than usual.

Careful now, Muffin, Kayla told herself as she slowly approached. She couldn’t sense any threat from them, even when she was right beside their queue. Her heart sped up as she raised an ear to tap one, but it didn’t react. “Huh?”

“Perfect chance for a pre-emptive?” Kari bounced up excitedly.

“Whoa whoa hold on,” Kayla stood in the way. “If they’re not gonna fight us, then why do we need to fight them?”

“Okay… so what instead?” Kari seemed confused.

Kayla grumbled as she pondered her options. “We dive straight in. And if things get dicey, we try the river again.”

“As funny as you look all puffy, I hate getting wet,” Kari pouted as they joined the queue. Another trio of Orbeetle lined up behind them.

“Then let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Kayla gave her a sunny grin. “There’s more Orbeetle here than I can count. Is there always this many?”

“Yeah, and we’re lucky we’re just running into the Orbeetle. This forest is huge and there’s all kindsa bug Pokémon I’ve seen here before,” Kari remarked.

“Uh huh…”

“There’s Ariados, Heracross, Bulbasaur… I’ll show you the data doc later,” Kari played with her paws.

“That last one’s not bug type, you do know that, right?” Kayla raised an eyebrow.

Kari perked up. “No wonder Thunderbolt does fudge all damage!”

“What’s with you and water, too? You were just fine in it earlier,” Kayla asked.

“I just hate gettin’ wet. Don’t you hate getting wet? Then again, if my fur was a sponge, maybe I’d like it too.”

“My fur isn’t still puffed out, is it?” Kayla twisted to get a look at herself. As far as she could see, most of her had dried off.

“Hee hee hee, don’t you carry a mirror? You should take a look at yourself next time!” Kari pointed and laughed. Kayla couldn’t resist blushing again, choosing to style it out by marching along with the line.

“P-pay attention! It’s showtime!” she snapped. Kari kept giggling, so she zoned out again.

It didn’t occur to her how unusual this crystal cave was until she was about to enter. Caves were meant to be dark and imposing, with only their entrances filled with whatever light got in. This crystal on the other hand, the entrance was blinding. It was so blinding that the entire thing was pure white, shining rays into the outside world harshly enough to obscure everything within. Kayla stepped forward anyway, but had to clench her eyes shut lest they burn.

There was that worldly feeling again. Every sound vanished as she advanced into the light. Kari’s giggly noises, the buzzing Orbeetle behind her, even the glistening triangle sounds of the crystal cave. All gone for a few moments, and then gradually returning one by one as the world within the crystal became known to her.

“It’s so bright,” she complained as the light began to die down.

Just like the sounds, the visuals came back one by one. There was a large pedestal a short walk ahead, while the walls of the cavern were black as coal, yet perfectly reflective. Stadium stands made of the same crystal slanted towards the centre, each one rounded and saturated in pink colours. The glistening noise stopped for good as Kayla and Kari wandered into the centre of the aisle, to which Kayla stopped dead on her toes. Kari copied her pose after a moment.

“Tressssss-parrrssers!” hissed the Orbeetle on stage. It pointed a jagged claw at Kayla. “Do you think we will continue to sssstand for our oppressionnnn?”

“Oppression? Trespassing? We just got here; we have no idea what you’re on about!” Kayla cried.

“Do you take us for a foooooools?” Orbeetle raised his claws. His eyes rotated and gleamed madly with blues and greens. “We see you. Passing up us insects. Every time, we’re the most basic assets to you. The tools of the early game. The fools who fail to be more than feral fodder!”

“Er… what is he talking about?” Kari glanced at Kayla, who shrugged.

“Grr! Listen to me, inferior normals. Every time, we bug types are depicted as weak, feral things that exist purely to make other Pokémon stronger. The Charmander prey on us, the Scorbunny laugh, and when they evolve, they leave us with no recognition or respect for the training we gave them,” Orbeetle ranted. With every syllable, his claws were thrust at the girls to emphasize his point. Kayla could’ve sworn they were getting longer every time he pointed. “But this! This is a realm where my dreams can come true. At long last, bug Pokémon will be taken seriously! You will die by my claws, and your corpses ssshall be our example. I will show the world our true threat!”

“This guy is kinda outta his mind…” Kari swayed side to side. “Whatever you’re on about, it’s got nothing to do with me.”

“But it does! It all starts here. Your defeat will give us the experience this time, and upon your graves we shall rise to become the ultimate inseeeeects!” Orbeetle roared.

“Thank goodness readers can’t hear lisps, or this book’s age rating might go up,” Kayla groaned.

“You’re not taking me seriously!” Orbeetle screamed.

“Well yeah, I’ve probably beaten you many times before. I’ve been through Twinight way too many times,” Kari replied. “But if you’re up for a good fight, I’m down! I feel extra confident with Kayla at my side now!”

“I dunno what this cave is, but something about it doesn’t seem right. Can it really make dreams come true?” Kayla asked.

“Dreams of power and amazement, all ours. You will not have this power; you will be first to witness it. To be its victim. Our first stepping stone. Our EXP!” Orbeetle rambled. He raised his claws and the cave began to shine, glistening with glitter, sparkles of light, and the chiming of the triangles again. Sparkles from shards of crystal and particles of bright light filled the room, swirling towards Orbeetle as if he were absorbing the very cave itself.

“Ah, something’s happening!” Kayla shifted back a bit, while Kari started squeaking and bouncing eagerly.

As the energy gathered around Orbeetle, its form was taken over by a shiny silhouette. The process excited the audience of Orbeetle that filled the stands. Each one yelled and buzzed their wings in hype, even when dark shades of red and grey began to swirl around the arena, mostly gathered around the main Orbeetle.

Wait a minute… that’s not – are you serious? Kayla yanked herself back in disbelief.

The Orbeetle was growing in size. Spurts. One second it was normal size, and then all of a sudden, like a pulsating heart, it bumped up to three times the girls’ height. A few seconds later, again it bumped up even larger. Even Kari’s excitement turned into ghostly shock as Orbeetle grew to the size of a skyscraper in a matter of seconds. Its overall appearance changed too, settling on the UFO-styled mushroom pack of a Gigantamaxed Orbeetle. With its new form achieved, it gave a triumphant roar that dispersed the dark fog around it and revealed its distorted, lowered tone.

“Eeeek, what happened what happened what happened? How did he get so big?” Kari squealed.

“It’s Gigantamax. The form’s spoken of in legend. Is it possible this cave gives the power to let Pokémon Dynamax?” Kayla gasped.

“Ooh, does this mean you can grow big, too?” Kari wondered.

“Props to you for knowing what Dynamax is.”

“Mwahaha, fat chance, normals. This power is mine, and mine alone. You cannot have it,” Orbeetle answered. “Now it’s our turn to squash you like a bug!”

“In this context, not sure if that means what you think it means,” Kari replied.

Orbeetle retaliated with a growl and aggressive thrust of a claw, this time much slower due to its size. Psybeam charged at the tip of it and fired down at Kari as a sparkly beam of blues and purples. The Furret squeaked and danced on her toes right up until the beam was about to hit, where she launched herself away as a blur of brown. Kayla hopped away to get some space as well.

That came out as an ordinary Psybeam? Isn’t it meant to be a Max Move? Kayla took note. As soon as she landed, her world of battle took over. Glittery stars a saturated range of greens blurred into the scenery, with herself, Kari, and Orbeetle as the only inhabitants. Whatever. He just wasted one move, so he’s got two left. Just dodge those and I can try something.

“Mwahaha, perish normals!” laughed the giant insect as he thrust both arms this time. An even bigger Psybeam showed up, and the beam sputtered like a bursting tap, gushing and splattering all over as it was fired. With her eyes peeled, Kayla started hopping in preparation to dodge it, only for the beam to hit the ground for a bigger blast than she expected. A water-like wave of energy toward over her, forcing her to turn her back and brace for the worst.

This Orbeetle wasn’t joking about his goal. Even though it was only the splash of that Psybeam, the sheer force of it against Kayla’s back was like a punch from several fists all covered in flames. She was shoved forward hard enough to almost fall, and hissed a curse under her breath as a searing sensation coursed through her form. She stayed on her feet though, twisting around to focus on her enemy.

Just one more attack… don’t play about! She chanted to herself.

“Hmm… worthy opponents, you two. You must be suffering already, so I’ll put you out of your misery soon,” Orbeetle teased. He began to admire his claws. “You’ll have to forgive me for torturing you so. I’m ssstill getting used to this.”

“Do you have to sound so edgy? You’re not doing it right, y’know,” Kari replied. The Furret was unharmed and still dancing on her toes.

“You got a plan?” Kayla asked.

“Nope! Just wingin’ it as always,” Kari got even more excited.

“So much for being responsible for me,” Kayla commented.

For his last attack, Orbeetle crossed both claws to charge Psybeam using both of them. An orb of energy twice the size of the previous one formed, to which Kayla hyper-fixated. If just the splash damage of the last attack hurt as much as it did, then she couldn’t afford to be hit by this one. Fortunately for her, her ears were doing God’s work. She knew how fast the beam would be, when it would fire, and how big its blasts would be.

That is, if the beam fired the way it should have. Instead of coming out as giant ray, the charged orb began to sputter and spurt all over the place. Like a disco ball that shone show-lights across a party floor, Orbeetle’s attack fired Psybeam after Psybeam all over. The beams fired off in random directions, and all so rapidly it sounded like a machine gun was going off.

The beams sprayed against the walls, ceiling, even onto Orbeetle himself. Kayla could only gawk and stand on her toes in preparation to dodge a beam that came her way, but there was no way she would react to it in time. Each Psybeam was strong enough to blow up when it hit something too, and the surrounding blasts shrouded her in smoke and energy that burnt her.

“Gack!” Kayla turned to her side to brace, but it was too much. Her bones felt like they withered as pain seared over her, and she fell on one knee. She could only open one eye, and that one had gone blurry thanks to all the light, smoke, and other flashy effects going on. “Wha-what?”

The next thing she knew, it looked like Kari’s tail was wrapped around her and the Furret was posed defensively. Kayla shook herself off, but it was exactly that. The pain had stopped because Kari had stood guard over her, but that wasn’t the end of the surprise. The Furret’s body glowed with a light-yellow outline and then began to grow. It wasn’t like Orbeetle’s dynamax, hers was gradual, almost as though she was stretching herself into a giant Furret.

“Uuuuhhhh,” Kayla stood back with eyes widened. Before she knew it, she was stood below the swaying tail of a colossal Furret who was faced off against a Gigantamaxed Orbeetle. The Psybeam continued to spray everywhere, but Kayla was safe behind Kari as she took them all to her front. The tiny, rapid-fire spray of the beams didn’t look like it dealt much damage. Did I die and I’m dreaming? What in the world is going on?

“What is thisss? I was promished!” Orbeetle yelled. “You should not be able to use this power. This power is mine! Mine I shay! My dream, and mine alone!”

There he goes again, talking about dreams and powers again. Unless this is Kari’s extraordinary power? To grow really big? Kayla thought about it. The Furret began to stumble back and forth, making Kayla hop back to avoid being squashed. “Whoa hey, watch it! Keep it together!”

Her shout must’ve gone unheard. Kari kept stumbling and her head was slowly twirling. She kept gurgling jargon too, to which Kayla’s mind clicked.

“Wait a minute, don’t tell me…” she shuddered, daring to run around the battle.

“Aha… that’s what you get for trying to best me!” Orbeetle lost his nervousness.

“You’re confused? Seriously?” Kayla cried. Kari’s eyes were swirls and she was drooling as she stumbled about aimlessly. “And how comes you’re still giant? Attacking in dynamax consumes too much energy for more than three attacks!”

“Mwahahahaha! Stupid normals. This is not your silly regional gimmick; this is my dream! Mine, and mine alone! It does not adhere to your lousy mechanics!” Orbeetle bragged, and thrust a claw again. Psybeam charged, and Kayla flew into panic.

Kari’s confused and I’m gonna get seriously hurt if I try to take any more of those… think, Muffin, think! She growled as Orbeetle’s attack grew before her. It would be charged in a moment, so she frowned and shifted a foot back. Looks like I’m just gonna have to keep it cool.

She wouldn’t be caught by the same trick twice. More Psybeams sprayed off as it charged, each one as explosive as ever. Kayla bounced on her toes to lighten her gait and sprung away the moment one of those beams threatened to hit her. Darting to the left avoided three, a hop backwards avoided another, and then a shift to the right avoided two more blasts. The final Psybeam went off and she backflipped, but the wind from the blast sent her onto her backside.

“Kari!” she cried as the Furret groaned a slumped in front of her. Kari shrunk back to normal size, but was covered in black marks from the many beam blasts. She could only shiver on the floor as Kayla fretted over her.

“It’s over, normals. We bugs are the high tiers, now!” Orbeetle announced. His claw was out and yet another Psybeam grew at the tip. Kayla glared at it fiercely, but she was out of ideas.

Just then, a flash of light pierced Orbeetle’s Psybeam while it was charging, causing the entire attack to explode prematurely. Orbeetle himself yelled and shifted back, while a glitzy blast showered the sky. Kayla shifted again to shield her face, but was unharmed.

“WHO DARES?” Orbeetle roared.

He was distracted as Kari returned to her senses. She gurgled sickly as she tried to get up, still shivering on her hind legs. Stood beside her was Mum. The Hatterene’s nails were bared to imply she had thrown something, but she promptly calmed and brushed herself off.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, young miss,” she began.

“Uh, Mum? Is now really the time?” Kayla flinched.

“Do not mind him. I’ve assessed his threat. He is weaker than a Rattata,” she replied. She pulled both girls to their feet with her claw, and then turned her back to leave. “Come, girls. Let’s go.”

“You? One lucky go and you think you’ve won?” I have an advantage over you, psychic!” Orbeetle thrust a claw.

Mum glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes were colder than the deepest reaches of space. “Look around you.”

Orbeetle began to respond, but cut himself off with the mother of all screeches. Even Kayla was surprised enough to gasp and freeze. All around the battle were spears of light pink energy. Spears, blades, harpoons. It was Mum’s Harpoon Monsoon. Each one crackled with energy and jittered like a spring trap that was barely held back. Orbeetle uttered sounds at the extreme number of these harpoons. At his size, dodging them would take a miracle.

“If you attempt to leave this cave, the Harpoon Monsoon will strike. If you stay until we are far away enough, the attack will dissipate,” she explained. Her eyes narrowed. “Select your next move wisely.”

When did she have time to fire all those off? Kayla was astonished as her mother returned to leaving. Kari didn’t say anything either, so she nervously joined them. And for someone who’s apparently as weak as a Rattata, this is a bit overkill, ain’t it?

“So, Kayla. I told you to go out and play, but you wound up all the way over here,” Mum began. Her cold tone vanished immediately, but Kayla could sense the indirect message. Outwardly, Mum appeared as homely as a Hatterene could be. Maybe it was because a guest was here that she chose this method instead of outright telling her off. That didn’t make things sting any less.

“We were gonna get through the dungeon. I er, bumped into Kari here and some stuff happened. But then we found that crystal cavern, and everything got all weird,” Kayla explained. “Seriously, what was that? He Gigantamaxed, and then…”

“I’m still here, you know!” Orbeetle cried. “You fools really think you can make a mockery of me? I’ll show you!”

Mum didn’t even turn around, and her claw stretched to Kayla’s back to shove her along, telling the Buneary not to turn around. Whatever Orbeetle did, it set off Mum’s Harpoon Monsoon. What sounded like futuristic lasers fired rapidly, and each hit exploded against its target. Orbeetle screamed briefly and then was silenced, followed by a loud rumble as his massive form collapsed to the ground. The other Orbeetle must have buzzed over to help, as their wings and feral cries were the last thing Kayla heard before they left the cavern.

“All kinds of strange things happen inside of mystery dungeons. Many Pokémon don’t understand that to this day, they’re still being thoroughly researched and experimented with – we don’t know the full concrete facts about them,” Mum replied. As they left, Kayla returned to the world of the Twinight Woods, but couldn’t hear the jingling triangles anymore. “What you saw in there might have been a new discovery. It might have been something many Pokémon have found but never reported. It might even be knowledge kept out of the public database.”

“So it was,” Kayla glanced back, and her heart jumped. The cavern was gone. In its place was a natural crater that even had trees where the cavern was. “Where did it go?”

“Whoa yeah, the cave disappeared! Did we get kicked outta the party?” Kari squeaked.

“It is best not to worry about it. What you just experienced was real, but just one of the many things that make mystery dungeons… well, mysterious,” Mum grinned. “If you wanted to get to school that badly though, you’d have been better off going straight there. Like I said before; RSE Academy just needs to see you being you, not being somebody that’s an ace at what they teach. Your impatience has gotten another Pokémon hurt.”

“… Sorry Mum,” Kayla slumped.

“Ooh, you’re Kayla’s Mother? Nice to meet you!” Kari perked right up. “No need to worry about me, I’m a well-seasoned curry when it comes to mystery dungeon stuff. I had it aaaaall under control.”

“Did you now?” Mum grinned at her.

“I wasn’t gonna let Kayla get hurt, honest! And I sorta promised her we’d get to the school and this whole thing’s sorta my fault, so…”

“It is?” Mum cocked her head.

“Y-yeah! I made a mistake bringing some of the rowdy bugs into town, so I took responsibility! Then I saw the cavern and got a little too confident and then yeah, you know the rest. But it’s cool, right?” Kari continued. Kayla glanced at her.

“If that’s how it is, then there’s nothing else to it. Let’s go before it gets any later, shall we, girls?” Mum smiled as she slid ahead.

“Any later?” Kayla questioned. Her stomach rumbled aloud, making her blush. “How long have we been at this? I just realised I didn’t get to eat breakfast.”

“Or lunch. And if we dawdle, dinner too,” Mum giggled. “The sun’s setting.”

“It’s the evening already?” Kayla gasped.

“That’s mystery dungeons for you! Ya never know what you’re gonna experience next,” Kari started bouncing happily alongside them.

“You recovered fast,” Kayla snickered to herself. Yet still, all this feels stranger than strange. Seriously, what was that crystal cavern? That guy bringing up dreams so much… That’s gotta be related to that dream where I met Jirachi, but how?

“If it’s okay to ask, how are you Kayla’s mum? I’ve never met a Pokémon whose mum isn’t the same Pokémon as them. Or an evo, y’know,” Kari asked, still bouncing along.

“Oh, have you not heard of adoption?” Mum cocked her head. Kari copied. “My extraordinary power seems to have stopped me from having children, so I adopted Kayla when she was young. I found her when she was abandoned and raised her like I would my own.”

“… Oh,” Kari quietened.

I guess it’s fine to take it as cool as these two are right now. Not like overthinking is gonna get me anywhere, Kayla concluded, and then nodded. “My past is as mysterious as mystery dungeons, too. But I was probably just abandoned for being an extraordinary Pokémon.”

For some reason, Kari stopped bouncing and her forepaws prodded one another. She made a few noises, though they were quiet enough that only Kayla would hear them. Nervous humming and the slightest moans.

“Speaking of, what’s your extraordinary power, Kari? I saw you sorta grow really big back there, but then you didn’t get to do anything,” Kayla wondered.

“Ack! I, er, ehee hee, it’s like I said before! I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” Kari played with her paws even more.

“I saw you do stuff! You might as well say now,” Kayla bounced up to her, but she turned away.

“Na uh.”

“Are you nervous or what? Geez okay, whatever,” Kayla rolled her eyes. I’ll find out eventually.

Now that Mum guided the duo, their trip was a lot more focused. For Kayla, that was only a good thing as her hunger caught up to her big time. The Twinight Woods changed layout behind their backs once again, yet remained unchanged in that it was still sunset. Woodland with shades of blue, feral bug types peeked and hid as the group passed; everything was the same as earlier.

A fair while of walking later, the patterns of the dungeon began to fade into something more natural. There was a dirt path that swerved amidst the thinning trees, and a cooler shade of orange light came from it. Kayla sped up to check it out and emerged at the foot of a hill. The sunset was behind her, illuminating the peak of a fancy structure at the top of the hill.

“There it is,” Mum breathed out in relief. “Got there without any more hitches.”

“You mean?” Kayla whispered.

“Yep, that’s RSE Academy! We made it home at last,” Kari cheered. She started giggling to herself and ran ahead.

“K-Kari, wait up!” Kayla cried. She glanced at Mum who nodded, and then giggled as she ran off too.

This must have been normal to Kari. Too normal. Kayla almost tripped up once she got to the top of the hill and the academy grounds become visible. It was a historic painting in reality, a structure of aged design that stood taller and prouder than any structure she’d ever laid eyes on. Obelisks stretched high at every corner of the academy, connected via grand hallways. All of it was made of clean, functional material, from stone blocks to tough wood and even some brick sections. All of the windows were glass, some even tinted or stained glass. The school grounds were well protected by metal fencing with strange devices hanging at every interval. Kayla guessed the devices somehow made jagged rocks float above the fence.

The stones are glowing like stars. Is someone using some kinda fancy Stealth Rock? Kayla realised as she admired their shimmering sparkle. Staring at the rocks above the fence was almost like staring at a sunset ocean, even though there wasn’t any water in sight. With these cool summer winds, the evening lighting, and the grandness of the school behind this glittering view, Kayla had once again entered another world unlike any she had seen before. A wondrous world that was like adventuring into fantastic times passed, yet this was the present. She was too excited.

A rumble in her stomach brought her down to reality quick. Mum giggled and shoved her along with her claw. “Come on now, you little troublemaker.”

“This way, over here! C’mon, c’mon, hurry up Slowpoke!” Kari waved to them from an entrance in the fence. Kayla wanted to jog over, but she couldn’t take her paws off her belly.

She grew slightly concerned once they hit the academy grounds. Within the fencing was short grass, fields upon fields of short grass as far as the eye could see. Sections of the outside were clearly relegated to certain apparatus: track and field stuff was on one side, complete with its own makeshift Olympic track, while gym equipment lay scattered or pegged into the ground not far off. Opposite that was a field with targets stuck to trees and boards. There was even a hedge maze in one corner, and a few gazebos and rain cover tents in another corner.

But not one Pokémon, Kayla’s concern grew as she scouted side to side. Kari didn’t seem to be bothered though, bouncing several steps ahead. We didn’t see anyone else in the forest, so they can’t all be on the bug problem… besides, we just fixed that. Is there a curfew?

“Stop right there!” boomed a woman’s voice above the sudden explosion of thunder. Kayla’s ears flicked and she froze to the spot. “Intruder! You’re awfully green to be using the front entrance and at this time of the evening!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Kari rushed back over, flailing her arms and tail so fast her whole body blurred. “They’re with me, don’t shoot any lasers!”

“Lasers?” Kayla gasped.

There was a pause. “This is you we’re talking about Kari, so… NEWCOMER! State your business!”

Kayla pulled a pose as best she could, as if she were trying to fold her arms and turn away. “I’m meant to be a new student here, but your little problem with the bugs in the forest tried to delay me. This is quite the welcome.”

“Kayla, please,” Mum swayed her claw. “Forgive my daughter, but she is correct. She was meant to enrol today, but an incident should have delayed us until tomorrow. You will find us in your database. I am Beaurette Noel, and my daughter, the one enrolling, is Kayla Brunswick.”

There was another moment of quiet, though Kayla could make out mumbles this time. More than one Pokémon was behind that speaker. Three lights popped up in front of the group, which promptly formed into three similar Pokémon.

“Well why didn’t you just say so, silly? Not like a Pokémon to be around Kari and still be shy,” the centre one, a pink-haired Pokémon remarked, spinning around with glee.

“As if I had a chance?” Kayla cried, and then flinched. “Wa-wait a minute, aren’t you three?”

“Ms. Mesprit, you may call me!” the pink Pokémon introduced. She sounded nothing like the commanding thunder that came from the speaker.

“Ms. Azelf,” the blue one bowed. Her voice was a little raspy.

“Please call me Mrs. Uxie,” the yellow one waved. She had a jewelled bracelet around her arm. Her voice was soft like a whisper, yet loud enough to be clear.

“Aren’t you three legendary Pokémon?” Kayla gasped. And one of them’s MARRIED? That can’t be legal. But she even has a marriage bracelet… she’s not lying!

That’s right, ain’t it super cool! And they’re only the beginning,” Kari squealed as she popped up between them. “But it’s kinda also not weird since they don’t really have their powers and stuff, but they’re still famous legendary Pokémon so it’s—”

“Kari, please… maybe let us do the intros?” Azelf slumped. Kari giggled, so Azelf ruffled her head fur.

“Don’t worry about our species, it’s a thing of status only. Here, we’re just teachers,” Mesprit smiled.

“Vice teachers!” Azelf chimed in.

“Super fun vice teachers!” Kari added.

“Don’t go acting in awe like we’re gonna destroy the world or something if you guys’re naughty. We’re extraordinary, just like you students,” Mesprit continued. She began to lead the way, floating alongside her fellows with tails swaying. Azelf wrapped an arm around Uxie’s arm, and the two went together. “Uxie will shoot eyebeams at you if you disobey, though.”

“Please stop fear mongering! I cannot shoot eyebeams,” Uxie moaned.

“We can all shoot eyebeams, no need to be shy about it. The Uxie Beam is the real legend about us, thanks to you!” Azelf chuckled.

“I dunno why you don’t wanna shoot eyebeams. Eyebeams are awesome!” Mesprit threw her arms up. “But yeah, we’re extraordinary Pokémon, so we say fudge it all to our ‘roles’ and teach at this academy instead. The headmaster still makes us keep things sorta under wraps, but here we can be ourselves, so you be yourself around us too, alright?”

I think there’s a good reason the headmaster keeps you three secret. I wonder… do I dare try? Kayla went back to rubbing her belly. “I don’t get it. What’s you guys’ extraordinary power? You can already do all kinds of amazing stuff, right?”

“K-Kayla?” Mum gasped.

Mesprit and Azelf glanced at each other and giggled. Mesprit flew up to her with a smug grin. “We’ve got ourselves a brave one here, haven’t we? You just up and ask what someone’s disability is?”

Kayla snuck a glance at Kari behind them, who scratched their back and smiled cheekily. “Sorry. That was out of line.”

“Na-uh, not at all. Kinda hard to tell when they’re all invisible, huh? And I guess you are right… it’s hard to tell at a glance,” Mesprit giggled. She flew back to her partners and exchanged nods. “Our extraordinary power… is that we don’t have powers at all. We’re the most ordinary psychic type Pokémon you’d ever meet.”

“Huh?” Kayla’s eyes widened.

“I’m supposed to invoke willpower or something in Pokémon, right? I understand what it is better than anyone else, but when it comes to actually doing that… nope, just eyebeams,” Azelf clarified.

“Pokémon are scared of me because I can wipe memories. I’m supposed to impart knowledge… but I can’t do either. So I just teach home economics,” Uxie explained. She didn’t face Kayla at all while she spoke.

… I hope she realises the irony in that, Kayla went half-lidded.

“And I’m meant to do emotions and all that, but what even is all that abstract stuff? The other perfectionist legendaries hated us so much we got punted down here and just… never really figured everything out,” Mesprit explained. “So now I’m here with my sisters, vice teachers at RSE Academy, and we’re just doin’ our thing. Livin’ happily ever after.”

Legendary Pokémon whose unknown disability prevents them from doing the very thing that makes them legendary Pokémon… not even a day at school and I’ve already run into something I never could’ve thought of, Kayla realised.

“Ms. Mesprit! Office is all clean for you!” A Brionne called out and waved.

“Cheers, hope you didn’t forget the soap this time!” Mesprit called back with finger gun gestures.

“Uh-um, Mrs. Uxie?” a Leafeon leapt over to the group. “I did as you asked with the library and found the book you were looking for.”

“I’m a bit busy now,” Uxie said, still facing forward. Azelf pointed back at Kayla and company, to which Leafeon became flustered. “Thank you, though. I have not forgotten you, but this will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Y-yes! Of course, thank you Mrs. Uxie!” Leafeon backed off to let them pass.

Kayla relaxed as more and more Pokémon started to pop up the further into the school they went. All sorts of Pokémon called out and waved as they passed, and the psychic types called and waved back, each having similar encounters.

The halls were wide, decorated with achievements, posters, stained glass windows, and more. Everywhere populated had casual conversation or activity, many coming from teams or duos. Kayla somewhat recognised some species, but most were new to her. A Snivy with tired eyes led a Pikachu with a blue bandana, who was carrying a sack of what she hoped was money. A little further down was a Marshtomp with a large red scarf sat by a windowsill, chatting and laughing with his Quilladin partner. They looked like a cute couple.

The teachers stopped them at a dining hall, currently the biggest room Kayla had seen here. There were benches and tables, more than one could count, areas with mats and cushions, and even a tree growing in the centre of the place. You could seat hundreds, possibly thousands in this room alone. It’s no wonder the entire back wall was dedicated to the cafeteria stands. Busy chatter filled every corner, while a palette of tasty aromas came at her from every angle.

“I can’t take it anymore,” Kayla groaned. “I’m so hungry…”

“Consider it punishment for rushing off without me. You know how it goes, Kayla,” Mum pointed at her.

“But it wasn’t my— Ugh,” she turned away.

“Oh my, on your daughter’s first day? We can’t have that,” Mesprit put a digit to her lip. “If you’re worried about discipline, you should know our track record. You won’t get very far if your belly’s empty, but try to take advantage, and you’ll get even less… far. Or something. Y-y’know, gotta challenge the world with a smile and all that!”

“I don’t appreciate you telling me how to raise my own daughter. Legendary or not, you should stay your place,” Mum replied, and bared a claw at her. Mesprit slowed down, but gave her a half-lidded grin.

“Technically the moment Kayla stepped in here, she became our responsibility. What we do is not your jurisdiction,” Mesprit replied. There was a sudden hint of cockiness in her tone – not like she meant to boast, but as if it were an order.

“Shh! She can hear you!” Mum hissed. Mesprit stared at her with that cocky grin for a moment, and then slowly floated back.

“Better keep quiet and have fun, then. Let’s do this,” Mesprit giggled.

“Wait, we’re doing this? Now?” Azelf asked excitedly.

“Oh no, why now?” Uxie moaned as she shrunk down, but Azelf pulled her back up.

“What’s up? What’s happening?” Kayla asked.

“Oh it’s happening,” Mesprit had a sinister grin.

“It’s happening, it’s happening!” Kari threw her paws up. “… What’s happening? I don’t actually remember.”

“Oh c’mon, you’ve been here for more of them than most Pokémon here,” Mesprit pouted. Clearing her throat, she flew up high to overlook the dining hall. “Attention everyone! It’s an important evening tonight. Our newest member arrived on time after all!”

Oh gods are they gonna introduce me NOW? Kayla shifted back.

“Y’know what that means. Ten hut!” Mesprit stretched up straight. The entire hall silenced in an instant, each and every Pokémon stood straight and tall as a Linoone. “Formation P!”

The Pokémon moved quickly and chaotically. Within just a few seconds, every last Pokémon lined the walls of the room while many positioned themselves on the outer edges of the tables and seats. With a cry from Mesprit, they shoved the tables, benches, and chairs closer to the middle. Pillows were thrown, mats were rolled and unrolled, banners and streamers came out of nowhere and were strung across the walls and ceiling. Some fire attacks went off to light candles and lamps too, creating lights of bright colours across the decorations.

Kayla shook her head. Either she was so hungry she was too dizzy to follow, or what had just happened defied all explanation. Then again, she was in another world – the world of RSE Academy – anything pertaining to the laws of this world was possible here. The once giant dining hall had been turned into a party set right before her eyes, and it was all finished in less than a minute. Balloons, banners, poppers, cake, everything she wanted to see at a party was there.

To finish up, Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie positioned themselves in front of all the other Pokémon and opened their arms out with a cheer. “Welcome to RSE Academy!”