From Trainer to Beast Tamer Pokémon Trainer! Reader x Twisted Wonderland

Chapter 70: Wrong School Life Anime

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Chapter 70: Wrong School Life Anime

"Aether signal tracking successful. We have arrived at the designated coordinates."
They all landed in a city and by a fountain (Y/N) recognized as being from Leona's hometown. It was a scene of a monkey presenting a lion cub to a procession of animals. Jack glanced around, looking pretty well for his first dream transport.
"Oh, we're here already?"
"Yes." Silver confirmed with a nod. "How are you holding up?"
"That was weird in a whole different way from flight magic or rollercoasters. But I feel fine."
(Y/N) smiled. "That's good to hear. How about you, Azul?"
"That medicine I took helped. That said..." Azul began fanning himself with his hat. "The heat of this place might get to me more than the dream jump did. Where are we?"
"I'm going out on a limb and saying Sunrise City." (Y/N) answered as Ortho backed her up.
"I concur! Taking the surrounding buildings, temperature, humidity, and other data into account, there's a 99.8 percent chance that we now find ourselves in Sunrise City, the royal capital of the Sunset Savanna."
Silver glanced at their wardrobe. "Our dorm uniforms will look out of place outside Sage's Island. We should probably swap to our school uniforms."
"Wait, I didn't bring mine with me." Jack said as Grim grinned mischievously.
"Gweeheehee... It's finally time for your initiation onto the team."
Jack's ears flattened at his tone, seeing everyone looking a bit too gleeful. "Huh? What're you grinning about, Grim? And Sebek and Ortho... And even you, (Y/N)!"
Idia cackled through the tablet. "Welp, time for the usual. Hee hee..."
The wolf beastman was unsurprisingly mortified when the transformation magic was explained to him and it was quite amusing watching him try to force himself to spit it out.
"D... D... Dreamy..." Jack bit his tongue with a blush. "Nope, I can't say it!"
"You sniveling weakling!" Sebek accosted. "You'll never be able to handle sudden enemy attacks with that attitude!"
"Why does the incantation sound like something outta one of the anime shows my little sister used to watch as a kid?!"
"Idia's the one who designed it, what do you expect?" (Y/N) pointed out. "Come on, Jack. Everyone has to say it. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."
That didn't ease him in the slightest. "Drat, why do I have to do this...?!"
Idia in contrast was having the time of his life. "Hee hee hee, if you don't like it, blame your own inability to do unassisted gear swapping."
"We can't start investigating until you change outfits, Jack." Ortho prompted. "Come on, hurry up!"
"D... Dreamy Magical Makeover..."
"Not so quiet!" Sebek shouted. "Be bold about it!"
"D-DREAMY MAGICAL MAKEOVER!" In a flash, his clothes changed, somewhat relieving his embarrassment. "Whoa, I actually changed clothes. Amazing... But that incantation's still way too embarrassing!"
Sebek crossed his arms. "Hmph! Look at you, dragging it out for the rest of us. It shouldn't take more than a few seconds to get changed and be done with it!"
"Ha, that's rich comin' from the guy who whined the most about it way back when." Grim retorted as Silver held up a hand.
"Go easy on him. He's excited to have a fellow freshman on the team."
Now it was Sebek's turn to blush. "QUIET, YOU! And for the record, I am NOT excited!"
Azul merely rolled his eyes. "That takes care of our attire. Let's get our search underway, shall we? Assuming this is someone from the Sunset Savanna narrows it down to a few contenders."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know Leona and Ruggie are from here."
"My grandfather was born in the Sunset Savanna." Sebek informed, still sweating despite the wardrobe change. "He told me it was a warm place, but I wasn't expecting it to be so hot and dry. I can imagine how rough it was for him to go straight from here to a subarctic region like Briar Valley."
"You seem well built for this, (Y/N)." Jack said as the trainer waved him off.
"Well, I'm from a subtropical region, so while the heat itself isn't new to me, I'm used to more humidity."
Silver nodded before glancing at the fountain. "Why is there a statue of a monkey holding up a kitten?"
"And they're surrounded by bowing animals." Azul added as Jack explained.
"It's depicting the famous scene of a baboon announcing to the land's subjects that a lion prince was born. You see it in a lot of children's stories too."
"I understand beastfolk have animal ancestors." The octomere said, adjusting his glasses. "And that lions reigned over the savanna as kings in ancient times."
"Nowadays beastfolk live all over the world, but all of us are supposed to have our roots in the Sunset Savanna. Like my family's ancestors moved from the Sunset Savanna to the Shaftlands and gradually migrated farther northward."
Grim bounded over to a canine-like statue. "Does that mean the statue of the wolf bowin' here could be of one of your ancestors?"
"That's a jackal, not a wolf. They have totally different coats and muzzles. Take a closer look!"
"Still can't tell the difference."
"Jackals outnumber wolves in the Sunset Savanna by an order of magnitude. They're resilient to the heat, so they tend to adapt well to savanna and desert climates. We may not be visually similar at all, but jackals and wolves do have one thing in common. Namely that both mate for life."
"Aw, how romantic!" (Y/N) said as Azul glanced around at each statue.
"Oh, I just remembered—Ruggie's descended from hyenas, isn't he? I've only seen hyenas in pictures and videos. Compounded with the fact that I have trouble differentiating between most furry four-legged animals... Ahem. What I mean to say is, which of these statues is a hyena?"
"I think we have a Pokémon similar to it in my home region." (Y/N) said, pulling out her Dex and searching. "Here! It's called Mightyena."
Azul and Silver looked to see a four legged mammal creature with primarily black and gray fur, fierce red eyes, and upright ears.
"It fits the build, but it looks like a combination of several types of hyenas." Silver explained, glancing around. "We're looking for something with rounded ears and tails, and speckled patterns in their fur. Let's see... Hm? I'm not seeing any."
Ortho did a scan, but found nothing as well. "It doesn't seem there's a single hyena among the animals in the plaza."
"Of course there aren't." Jack explained. "Hyenas originally didn't live in the lions' domain."
Grim tilted his head. "Mrah? Why wouldn't they?"
"From what I know, the hyenas had their own territory called the Shadowland, where they lived by their own rules. If I were to guess, the depiction here is from a time before the hyenas served the King of Beasts."
"Hmm. I've heard such tales from my grandfather." Sebek confirmed. "While the Sunset Savanna as we know it is one vast unified land...Different species formed their own territories all across the continent in ages past. My grandfather lived in wetlands far removed from the capital. The area was home to a great many tree-dwelling bird and primate beastfolk. The Sunset Savanna's culture emphasizes living in harmony with nature, and many of its beastfolk are nocturnal. Hence it made for a suitable environment for nocturnal fae too, by my grandfather's account."
"Merfolk have quite a bit of diversity in our natures and backgrounds." Azul added. "But the Sunset Savanna's beastfolk may very well eclipse us there. They may all fall under the umbrella of "beastfolk," but their origins and lifestyles can differ greatly."
"Well yeah." (Y/N) said. "Think of it this way: I have many Pokémon, but each of them have specific needs for their given species."
"Too turn, and and in turn makes their diets, habitats, and social structures entirely different. It would take a great deal of work to bring such a diverse set of citizens together."
"My understanding is that the Sunset Savanna's current government maintains constant dialogue with its citizens." Ortho said. "They discuss regional revitalization projects, urban development, and other topics together. Land cultivation and mining would bring in profits for them. But many citizens prefer to uphold a more traditional lifestyle and voice strong opposition to such endeavors. So they hold lengthy debates in order to ensure no side's opinions get dismissed out of hand. That gets covered a lot in international news."
Silver nodded. "When a country makes unreasonable pushes for mining and cultivation, there will always be people driven from their homes. How wonderful it would be if we could find a way to make progress that suits innovation and tradition both."
Jack rubbed his head. "I'm still a student, but even I know how hard of a tightrope that is to walk."
(Y/N) nudged his arm. "Take it from someone who has had to sit on those types of debates: doesn't get any less perilous or convoluted to navigate even when you're in the thick of it. If anything, it's worse."
"Ahh, so that's why Leona was interning at a mining and energy research institute." Idia pointed out. "It must be rough being part of a government that can't run things from the top down. Just thinking about it gives me a major headache."
Grim looked a bit dizzy. "Hmm? All this talk's goin' way over my head, but does that mean this's Leona's dream?"
Ortho shook his head. "No, the dreamer here is..."
"Oh crud, oh crud! I overslept!" Their heads all turned to see Reggie wearing glasses and in a well organized uniform running past them, the silver bird following him. "If I'm late, I can kiss my perfect attendance record goodbye! Outta my way!"
Jack slowly blinked, not believing his eyes. "Is that Ruggie?!"
"I don't recall Ruggie wearing glasses." Azul said, also caught off guard. "He looks somewhat different from normal here..."
"I've never seen him in eyewear unless it's protective goggles." Jack informed them. "And he's supposed to have some of the best eyesight out of anyone in Savanaclaw. You sure this is him?"
"Yes, he had the glowing bird that identifies the dreamer." Silver informed him. "That's definitely Ruggie."
"Then why are we standing around?" (Y/N) said, already following the hyena. "Come on!"
The group chased Ruggie through the nearby market place, the stand owners greeting him as he went.
"What's the hurry, Ruggie? I've got chilled hibiscus juice here! Have a drink."
"Thanks, ma'am, but I'm running late!"
"My, that's rare for a model student like you."
"I was up late studying for a test and overslept."
"You can't study on an empty stomach, Ruggie." A fruit vendor called, handing him some food. "Have some steamed bananas for the road!"
Ruggie beamed. "Whoa, that's a lot! How much for the bunch?"
"Don't worry about it. Your grandma did a lot to keep me fed back when I was a kid. Once you graduate and get a good job, you can treat me to a dinner at the Sunset Villa."
"Ah, yeah, I'll pay you back when I'm rich!" Ruggie called, heading on his way. "Thanks!"
Another vendor handed him a crepe. "Take some of these for your lunch, Ruggie."
"Ahaha, I can't eat all that!"
"Then give 'em to your grandma and dad!"
The hyena grinned. "Well, if you insist. They do love this stuff."
"Isn't it nice that your dad managed to strike it rich while he was off working away from home?" The fruit vendor asked. "Now your grandma's in comfortable retirement, and you've grown into such a fine young man... Ooh, my eyes get so leaky at my age."
"Aww, you're bein' far too nice, sir."
The crepe vendor slapped his shoulder. "Not nice enough, if you ask me. We all expect great things from you."
The drink vendor joined back in. "That's right. Eat up and study hard!"
"I will! Thanks, gotta go!"
As he ran off, (Y/N) clutched her chest, her heart hurting with empathy.
"Oh, Ruggie..."
Sebek took no notice. "The locals seem to really care for Ruggie."
"Yeah, huh." Jack agreed, his ears pinned back as he understood how this dream came about. "Let's hurry. Wouldn't wanna lose him in these crowds."
"Excuse me, coming through!" Azul called, struggling. "Argh, it's so hard to get anywhere. Meanwhile, Ruggie's dodging and weaving through the crowds at top speed...!"
(Y/N) shook her head, steeling herself before demonstrating how to weave through a crowd. "Keep up, gentlemen!"
A mercifully short time later, the gang found themselves at the gates of what looked to be a school, Ruggie at the front with a few students dressed in the same uniform as him.
"Morning, Ruggie. What's with all that stuff?"
Reggie was trying to find a way to balance all the goodies he got. "Morning! The folks in Raintree Market loaded me up when I was passing through on a shortcut."
"Ooh, something smells real good!" Another student said, drooling. "Are those steamed bananas?"
"Heck yeah I do! So, did you study for the practical magic quiz we've got in first period?"
Sebek looked around. "Is this...a school?"
"Judging by the ears and tails, it seems to be mostly beastfolk here." Silver noted as Jack narrowed his eyes.
"There's a lot of hyenas... Actually, I think most of the people I'm seein' are hyenas."
Ortho's internal computer whirled. "There's no school at these coordinates in the real world. It must be something that Ruggie's imagination came up with."
"Hey, look further up the way." Jack said, pointing at a statue in the courtyard. "There's a bronze statue of the legendary hyenas."
Silver's brow raised. "The legendary hyenas?"
"Yeah, the ones that served the King of Beasts, one of the Great Seven. They fought together with the King of Beasts to win more rights for themselves. It's said the King of Beasts referred to them as true friends. I've heard they're considered heroes around Ruggie's home region."
Azul seemed less intrigued by the story and more so relieved to be spared the heat in the newly found shade. "Ahh... It's so cool here, it's like the heat back in town barely existed. I suppose we have all these trees and streams to thank for that."
Grim jumped onto the gate, suddenly drooling. "Mrah! (Y/N), look! Those trees have fruit growin' on 'em."
(Y/N) grabbed him by the scruff. "Don't even think about it!"
He whined, pawing at the air. "Maaan... I'm hungry..."
The student Ruggie had shared his food with began scarfing it down with a smile. "Ahh, Raintree Market's steamed bananas are tops! I'm definitely passing that test now!"
"Always lookin' for an angle, huh." Ruggie teased. "I agree that good food can be a big help, though."
"Personally, I love fresh fruit more than stuff that's been processed or cooked. See this?" Another student plunked a mango from a nearby branch. "Doesn't it smell great? Fruit's best straight off the tree. This mango's ready to eat."
The other student rolled their eyes. "Come on, that's apples and oranges! I might get some of these muscat grapes, though."
"The plums look ripe too." Ruggie pointed out. "Maybe I'll grab one for a quick snack."
"I'm so glad I got into a school that lets you eat all the courtyard fruit you want!"
Silver turned to (Y/N), who still had a grasp on Grim. "Looks like it's just fine to eat from the fruit trees here."
"As opposed to OURS, where the Headmaster yells at you for takin' apples off the courtyard trees." Grim yowled. "It ain't fair!"
"Night Raven College's cafeteria does have fruit on the tables that you can help yourself to." Sebek reminded before eyeing the trees. "But everything in this courtyard is all-you-can- eat? That's incredible."
"Mrgh... I can't take it anymore!" Grim wriggled from (Y/N)'s grasp and dove between the gates. "If it's all-you-can-eat, I want in on that fruit action!"
"Hey!" (Y/N) yelled. "Grim!"
Grim bolted for the trees. "I'll start with one of these orange fruits here... AWMPH. Mrah! It's got a buncha little seeds inside... I've never tried it before, but it's sweet and I like popping the seeds in my mouth. This narrow, yellow one here... Oh, that's a banana! It's sweet and refreshing! They're all so sweet and juicy! This's the life!"
The students stumbled back in shock.
"Whoa! What's the—? A wild animal's gotten inside!"
"Is it a warthog? Or an overgrown meerkat?"
"Please tell me it's not another giant badger!"
"I ain't a hog, a cat, or a badger! I'm the great Grim!"
"Wait, badger?" (Y/N) repeated as Ruggie looked ready to call security. "Hey, wait! He's mine!"
Ruggie backed off as the girl, accompanied by Azul, walked in. "Huh? This is your familiar?"
"Yes! We go to an arcane academy, and we're still learning how to properly manage familiars." Azul explained, realizing (Y/N) must have recognized them talking about a different Pokémon. "Normally he's quite clever and reasonable, but he gets like this when he sees appetizing fruit. We have another familiar who can curve his impulses, but they were spooked off during a training session."
"Look, I hadn't had anything to eat since Jack's dream!" Grim complained. "I'm hungry!"
This time Sebek grabbed his scruff. "That doesn't mean you can walk up and start eating fruit on someone else's private property!"
There was a deep rumbling as all eyes turned to the green haired male, whose face went red.
"...Was that you, Sebek?" Jack asked.
"N...No!"
Silver didn't hesitate. "That was him, all right."
"IT ABSOLUTELY WAS NOT!"
Ruggie laughed. "Ahahaha! If you're that hungry, take all you want."
"Huh?" They all asked.
"Here at Ivorycliff Academy, all the food on campus is fair game for anyone to eat."
"But we don't go here..." Silver pointed out.
"It's cool, it's cool. Sometimes local kids come by for food, too. This school's all about the spirit of solidarity. You know the three hyenas that served the King of Beasts, one of the Great Seven? Before they got connected with the king, they used to go hungry all the time. So here, we share food with anyone who's hungry in honor of the hyenas' spirits of solidarity. Whether or not they're enrolled here."
Jack looked at his senior like he had sprouted a second head. "Whoa... You're really offering us food for free?!"
Finally, Ruggie's eyes narrowed in a hint of recognition. "Hm? Have we met before?"
"Uh, not exactly..."
Azul pushed forward. "Oh dear, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce everyone. My name is Azul Ashengrotto. This is (Y/N), a direbeast trainer, and her familiar, Grim."
"Nice to meet you." The trainer greeted as Azul kept up the introductions.
"This is my fellow sophomore Silver, and this is Ortho, Sebek, Jack, all freshmen. We attend an arcane academy in the Land of Dawning called Night Raven College. We're here on a student exchange."
"I'm Ruggie Bucchi. Please, call me Ruggie. The Land of Dawning, though... That's pretty far. I've never been abroad before, so I guess this really must be the first time we've met. Though even if you did know me from years back, you might not recognize me now."
"What do you mean by that?" Jack asked.
"Well... It's kinda embarrassing to admit, but I used to be a bit of a troublemaker. Before my dad came back from his job away from home, we barely had anything to eat. I was hungry every day. I had a one-track mind for food back then... Those days were rough. And that's why I always take it seriously when I see other people who're hungry. Oh, I know! We've got a ton of other good stuff besides fruit."
(Y/N) bit back the groan, knowing exactly how Ruggie felt as Grim didn't even notice.
"Mrah, like what? I want some!"
"Look over there." Ruggie towards the front entrance. "See the stall by the school entrance? They have freshly made donuts here!"
"Donuts?!" Silver and Sebek shouted.
"Sugar's great when you need brainpower! And there's a topping bar, too." He led them over, demonstrating everything. "If you want my rec, get a plain donut, drizzle on some donut sauce, then add some sliced nuts. Then add custard cream and whipped cream, and top it all off with some tart berry jam like so...And, done! The Ruggie Special!"
Grim looked ready to pounce. "Wow! That's the fanciest donut I've ever seen in my life!"
"It does look really good." (Y/N) admitted.
Ruggie handed her the donut. "Pretty lady first!"
The guys all stared at him, not used to Ruggie of all people flirting with (Y/N). Usually, he was the one teasing Leona for their spats. Still, (Y/N) gratefully took it and split it with Grim as Sebek followed suit.
"Mrgh... All right, if you insist." He pretty much inhaled it in one bite and beamed. "Mmm, delicious!"
"Dang, that donut was bigger than my hand, and you ate the whole thing in one bite?" He teased. "That's what I call a healthy appetite, shyeheehee!"
Grim was obviously stuffing his face with every topping he could. "That thick custard and bitter chocolate sauce. It's all minglin' with the tangy berry jam... I could eat these all day!"
"Fair enough. Simple donuts have their own appeal. A plain donut dusted with nothin' but cinnamon and sugar... Yeah, can't get enough!"
"I'd like one of those better than one with cream and custard." Jack admitted.
"Okay, have one of these cinnamon sugar donuts here." Ruggie handed him one. "Or more, if you like."
Jack looked at it like it was an armed bomb. "...Thanks...is this really safe to take, though? We're not gonna get billed like fifty thaumarks as soon as we take a bite, are we?"
"It literally says "FREE" on the stall's signboard, so you're probably in the clear." Idia pointed out, not really soothing the freshman.
"One of my roommates once swiped a bread roll from the dorm fridge. It turned out to be Ruggie's. Once he got caught, Ruggie put the screws to him big time. I watched him have to buy Ruggie around 10 of that same roll to replace it..."
"Don't have to tell me twice." (Y/N) said. "I got bit by him over a malasada."
Azul looked personally offended by all this. "Yeek... the horror! A donut piled high with chocolate and cream? Can you imagine how many calories are in just one of those concoctions?!"
"Well, we're dreaming, so it's technically worth zero calories in the real world." Ortho pointed out, changing the male's tune.
"Excuse me, Ruggie. May I have one of those donuts as well?"
Idia laughed. "Look at that immediate 180, lawl."
"Uh, by the way, Ruggie." (Y/N) suddenly interjected. "I overheard someone mention a badger earlier. By chance, did it have a collar made of fire?"
Ruggie swallowed the donut he was munching on. "Oh, so that one's also yours? Yeah, he showed up not too long ago and freaked everyone out! But then he just kinda sat in the shade and watched us and we realized he was pretty cool. Actually, he's right here!"
Ruggie pointed over the stand and sure enough, Typhlosion was lazily curled up, being used as a heat source.
"Typhlosion!" She snapped as the vendor smiled.
"I gotta thank you, ma'am. He certainly saves me on electricity! Still, we hyenas are some big eaters! Shyeheehee! You should all be grateful to Prince Leona for establishing this school!"
"HUH!?" That caught everyone else off guard as Typhlosion squeezed his way out and back to his trainer.
"Wait, Leona built this school?!" Jack yelled, getting a look from Ruggie.
"Hm? You guys know who Prince Leona is?"
"Ah, yes..." Azul recovered. "Though I never knew he was the one to establish this school."
"I hear he studied at an arcane academy abroad, then graduated last year and came back home. This isn't the only project he's had. He's been establishing schools and spelldrive teams and stuff all over the country! "When you all take on your duties, our future will be littered with prizes." That's the kind of stuff he says! Man, isn't he the coolest? The younger generation here likes Second Prince Leona way more than First Prince Falena."
"How is Kitty graduating on his own the most unbelievable thing about this dream?" (Y/N) muttered, getting a nudge from Azul who was grateful Ruggie didn't hear her.
"Ooh, I see." Ortho played along. "Have you met Prince Leona, Ruggie?"
"In person? No way. A regular student would never meet a guy like that, right?" Bells started tolling as Ruggie gathered his supplies along with his classmates. "Oh crud, class is about to start! Gotta go, bye!"
The students bolted off as the donut vendor held out some more tasty treats.
"Would you kids like some more donuts?"
Before anyone could say anything, (Y/N) saw Typhlosion gearing up and barely had any time to pull the group away before he fired off a point blank, full power Eruption, leveling the stand and horrifying everyone.
"WHAT THE HECK, TYPHLOSION!?" Jack roared before the Volcano Pokémon motioned towards the destruction.
"I'd take a closer look before you start screaming."
"He's right." (Y/N) confirmed, seeing the remaining of goo still dissolving and evaporating. "Darkness. It was probably trying to catch us off guard."
Typhlosion bellowed smoke from her nose. "They like to do that here. They lull you in and hit you when you're guard's down. They nearly got me the first time with some fake students. I figured out the best way to deal with this is to catch them off guard and take 'em down in one blow. Helps that this place repairs itself and doesn't ask questions if you're sneaky."
Sure enough, the area quickly repaired itself as if Typhlosion hadn't left a smoking crater not a minute ago. Jack could only scratch his head.
"I...guess you've been here for a bit then. How come you haven't tried to wake up Ruggie?"
"You think he's gonna listen to me?" The Pokémon pointed out. "Kid's stubborn and a talking badger isn't gonna knock him out of it. You and Lycanroc have your understanding, and me and him have ours. I knew you guys would show up eventually and have a better way to snap him out of it."
"Good job on that, Typhlosion." (Y/N) agreed, scratching his head. "You did good."
"Couldn't you have let me get just one more donut!?" Grim complained as Ortho brought his hand beneath his chin.
"If the darkness is attacking us...That suggests the autonomous spell detected foreign elements at these coordinates. We'd better wake up Ruggie fast, before the administrator pays this place a visit."
Jack looked hesitant now. "Ruggie said his dad came back home, right? He's beloved by all the townsfolk and gets to stuff himself with food every day... Do we REALLY have to spoil that dream for him? I know it's the right thing to do. It's just, it seems kinda...I dunno, sad."
(Y/N) looked away dejected. "Speaking as someone who...knows how Ruggie might be feeling, I get it. There's always that desperate wish for the person who left you behind to come back and save you."
Everyone looked at her, having to take a moment to realize what (Y/N) was talking about. Steven Stone had always been in the father role when (Y/N) spoke about it, but they had to remind themselves that she did have a biological father, one she knew nothing about.
Grim tugged on her pants, now worried. "Hey, (Y/N)..."
She shook her head. "Look, Ruggie's dad came back in the dream, but in reality, he never came back, and his grandma is the one who raised him. She's waiting on the other side for Ruggie, probably worried sick! You think Ruggie would hesitate on choosing to stay here or wake up if he remembered that detail?"
Jack did think about it, and remembering all the times Ruggie spoke about her and the community he had back home, he knew the answer.
"No, he wouldn't."
Azul, his smile a bit softer with his own understanding, nodded. "I concur."
Sebek rolled his eyes. "Why is what Ruggie wants even relevant? We need to wake him up, and quickly."
"Okay, but how?" Jack asked. "He doesn't remember us, and Leona's not here. Plus, Typhlosion's right, he's stubborn."
"It's not that he doesn't remember us, rather that his memory is being artificially suppressed." Ortho corrected. "The right stimulus could bring everything back for him. Going by previous experiences in dreams, there are two main approaches that could be effective. Saying things that reach his subconscious, or sharing an unforgettable anecdote to give him a mental shake."
Idia jumped in with his brother. "You're from his dorm, Jack. Got any ideas?"
"An unforgettable anecdote, huh...Ruggie doesn't like talkin' about himself... It's hard to think of any. Hm. We were at odds about it, but I'm sure he's got some strong feelings about last year's spelldrive tournament..."
"In this world, Ruggie's got basically no connection with Leona." Idia reminded. "Even if we laid it out for him like we did with Floyd, it might not spark much reaction."
Silver nodded. "Floyd still had memories of Night Raven College, even if they weren't accurate to the real world. Hence, when we shared memories of people in our year, it resonated strongly with him. Is that what you're saying?"
"Yup. But for the people who weren't going to Night Raven College in their dreams...Talking about school experiences didn't resonate the same way."
Sebek growled. "Argh, this is getting us nowhere! Talking in circles will improve nothing. Let's start by having Jack or one of our sophomores attempt to talk Ruggie out of his stupor! Then we can review our options."
"Ruggie and I are in different classes and different clubs." Silver said. "If I were to think of any anecdotes that stick out in my mind... Hmm..."
"There was that time I taught him how to make malasada." (Y/N) suggested. "I don't know how much of a reaction we'll get from that, but-,"
Azul suddenly butted in. "Everyone, I have an idea."
All eyes turned to him, Jack's the most skeptical.
"You do?"
"For now, we need to find a way to meet up with Ruggie again after class. Let's play along with the dream until class lets out, to avoid drawing the darkness's attention."
Everyone looked at each other wearily, but decided to play along for now.