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

Chapter 72: Delinquent Days

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Chapter 72: Delinquent Days

"Aether signal tracking successful. We have arrived at the designated coordinates."
The group settled comfortably in the familiar halls of the school, looking fine all things considered.
Leona glanced around. "Hm... Where are we?"
"It looks like Night Raven College." Silver answered as Ortho turned to their newest party member.
"Leona Kingscholar, how are you feeling? A few people have gotten queasy after these trips."
That made the lion man a bit smug. "Hah, what kind of weakling lets a little flight like that make them motion sick? That's a bigger shock to me than what I just experienced. Spare me the useless concern. Let's just get this job over with. So which herbivore are we snappin' outta this dream, anyway?"
Grim suddenly went stiff, nose in the air and sniffing. "I've been smellin' some real delicious meat grillin' since we got here. It's gotta be hamburger day at the cafeteria! Demi-glace sauce and tender mushrooms...Slathered over juicy ground beef in perfect hunger-squashin' harmony...I can't take it anymore! MRAAAH!"
"Get back here, Grim!" Sebek ordered as the cat monster took off down the hall. "Finding the dreamer takes precedence over food... Never mind, he's gone."
Leona shot (Y/N) a look. "Tch. Hey, Herbivore. You should be keeping a tight leash on that furball."
The girl just sighed. "I'm afraid it can't be helped. It's lunchtime."
Silver rubbed his neck, kinda agreeing. "...That's fair. That smell would whet anyone's appetite, not just Grim's. Besides, there's a certain familiar comfort here, like we've gone back to our daily routine. I know it's a dream, but still. The cafeteria should be packed with students if it's lunchtime. And that might include the dreamer too. Let's follow Grim."
"Oh, but first! It'd be weird to wear our dorm uniforms at lunchtime." Ortho pointed out. "Everybody, swap to your school uniforms!"
After changing into their uniforms, the group chased after their companion, finding the cafeteria fairly full, though something was...off.
"There he is." Ortho said, pointing at Grim standing in line.
Sebek rolled his eyes. "And he's at the very head of the line too. What a gluttonous direbeast. Hey, Gr—,"
(Y/N) stopped him before he could step forward, finally clocking what was wrong with this scene. "Wait, why are there only Scarabia students in here?"
Right on cue, a pair of upperclassmen, dressed in a thuggish version of the uniform, confronted Grim angrily.
"Hey, you! Who gave you permission to stand at the front of the line?"
"The cafeteria is Scarabia turf. Non-Scarabia students gotta get behind us."
The dire beast puffed up his fur. "Huh? No way am I lettin' you cut in front of me! In the cafeteria, it's first come, first served!"
"Do I gotta repeat myself? This turf is under Scarabia control. You better respect the hierarchy."
"You ain't the boss of me!" Grim defiantly yelled. "I don't even know what all this "turf" and "hierarchy" stuff is about. Use all the fancy words you want. I'm gettin' that hamburger lunch set before anyone else!"
Leona sighed as the conflict boiled over. "Great. The furball sure wasted no time causing trouble."
"I'll get him." (Y/N) volunteered as she let out Swampert and stepped up to the other students, Leona close behind her just in case. "Oi! Quit picking on the little guy!"
They just glared at her, even as Swampert geared up to fight.
"You might be tough, Stone, but even you have to honor turf rules!"
"What nonsense are you guys spoutin'?!" A familiar voice called out, baffling Sebek.
"Ah, it's..."
"Deuce!" Grim called out.
Their friend stepped into sight with some notable changes. He had his delinquent face on as he cracked his knuckles, and more noticeable with his bleach blonde hair with a blue patch.
He immediately got into the upperclassmen's faces. "Last I checked, you guys swapped places with our dorm in the cafeteria hierarchy after the hostilities three days ago. Which means you're currently ranked second. And Heartslabyul is ranked first. So stop tryin' to act like you're hot stuff."
The Scarabia students continued to talk nonsense. "Hey, wait a minute... Ain't you the freshman that chickened out and no-showed in the turf war three days ago?"
"Don't go talkin' smack to us, freshman. Or you might just earn yourself some hazing."
"Oh yeah?" Deuce challenged, looking ready to start a brawl.
Both (Y/N) and Swampert stepped between them, shocked at Deuce's eagerness to start something when two more familiar faces joined in.
"Deucey was actually at a track meet three days ago, just FYI."
"He wanted to be there with us, but Heartslabyul's Dorm Leader has dictated that schoolwork and club activities always take priority over turf wars."
Cater and Trey stepped forward, but (Y/N) had enough experience to know these were obviously shadows. Still, the Scarabia students finally seemed to get a clue and backed up.
"Hey, I know you guys. You're Heartslabyul's vice prez Trey Clover, and the vice prez's assistant Cater Diamond!"
"Tch, Heartslabyul's second and third top dogs... C'mon, let's go."
"Hmph. You lucked out today, freshman."
The two skulked off as Deuce turned to Trey and Cater. "Cater. Trey. I'm sorry you had to step in there."
"S'all good!" Cater assured. "No need to apologize. Gotta look out for my cute lil' underclassman, right? So. (Y/N), care to explain why you and Grim are with Leona? Don't tell me Ramshackle Dorm decided to swear fealty to Savanaclaw."
Obviously, Leona and (Y/N) were still a bit confused by this new system in Deuce's dream, but they both looked at each other from the corner of their eyes and silently agreed to play along.
"...Heh." Leona huffed. "Yeah, right. You think my dorm would want this furball and Herbivore? Our students would eat them alive in no time."
She crossed her arms. "You wish, Kitty. My Pokémon would smear half the dorm before your guys could blink."
Trey sighed. "That's good to hear. After all, (Y/N) and Grim run with our freshmen pretty often. If they HAD joined up with Savanaclaw...I was ready to reconsider our whole relationship."
"Not to mention we'd have to tell Tyranitar to find some place else to hang out." Cater mentioned off handedly. "And I don't want to know how that would go."
"Get outta here with that paranoia." Leona brushed off. "We just happened to step into the cafeteria at the same time. On that note, later."
He headed off as Deuce faced his friends with a look of concern. "(Y/N). Grim. I keep warning you guys, your posse's just too small. Even if you have Swampert to back you up, you're up against sheer numbers. You're supposed to reach out to me or Ace when you head into non-Heartslabyul turf, remember?"
"Right, our posse." (Y/N) played along, leaning on Swampert's head. "I keep telling you guys I can handle myself. Most guys at this school can't take one hit from my partner here. Right, Swampert?"
"Pert."
"Regardless, (Y/N), would you and Grim like to join the Heartslabyul table for lunch?" Trey offered as their freshman friend nodded.
"You totally should! Ace should be here soon too."
Grim scrambled up Swampert to whisper to (Y/N). "Whaddaya think? We got separated from Leona, Ortho, and the others. With Deuce it's obvious, but I think Cater 'n Trey are actin' kinda different from normal too."
"...play along." She ordered both of them. "Deuce is definitely the dreamer, and of our group, we're the ones best suited to wake him up."
"Yeah, okay." Grim agreed, standing on his hindlegs to address the others. "Uh... Yeah, sure. If you guys insist on havin' us, I GUESS we could join ya for lunch."
"Great, that settles it!" Cater cheered, dragging (Y/N) along and ignoring Swampert's warning growl. "Let's pick out our food. If we keep Riddle waiting too long, it'll be off with our heads."
As they were led away, Leona headed back to the group, getting confronted by Sebek.
"Hey, Leona! Did you fail to see the glowing bird flying around that human? The dreamer is Deuce Spade. If we are to wake him, we must first get an idea of the situation we're currently in..."
"Yeah, that's the reason I stepped away." Leona shot back, getting a surprised look from Silver and Sebek. "At first glance this dream seems like the same old school, but something's definitely up. They were talkin' about "turf," "hierarchy," "turf wars," and "fealty"... Better to give (Y/N) and the furball some free rein until we've got a better picture of what's goin' on. Hey, Radish Sprout."
Idia's tablet peaked out of its hiding place. "Excuse me, I'm in turbo crunch mode developing cheats right now. Could you please not demand my immediate attention like I'm some retainer of yours?"
"Get us an audio feed of (Y/N)'s chat with the Heartslabyul punks. That should be easy enough for you, right?"
"See that? No regard whatsoever for how busy I am. I mean, I COULD in theory, but... Ortho. I've added mini-transmitter earbuds to your inventory. Could you hand them out to everyone?"
His brother saluted. "Roger!"
(Y/N), Grim, and Swampert were led to a gathering of Heartslabyul students, with Riddle at the center along with Tyranitar.
"We're back, Riddle!" Cater shouted as Deuce nodded.
"Greetings, Boss!"
(Y/N) ran past them, immediately heading over to her Pokémon, who greeted her with a nuzzle. "Hey, girl. How are you doing?"
The Psuedo legendary grunted. "Well, all things considered."
Behind them, fake Trey handed fake Riddle lunch. "I got you a simple sandwich and salad, just as requested. Will this be enough food for you?"
The red head nodded. "Yes, that will suffice nicely. The blue-plate special is hamburgers... But it's Tuesday. As the housewarden, I must honor rule 186: "Never eat a hamburger on Tuesday.""
Grim crossed his arms. "Heya, Riddle. Are you still followin' all those goofy rules? Well, I ain't part of Heartslabyul, so I'm havin' that hamburger."
"I don't appreciate you calling them "goofy." Following those rules is to be expected. Are (Y/N), Swampert, and Grim sitting at the Heartslabyul table today?"
"If we don't give them a place to sit, they'll be subject to hazing from other dorms." Deuce explained. "May they join us, Boss?"
Riddle nodded. "I'll allow it. Just mind your manners and have your lunch with proper etiquette."
Deuce looked relieved. "Thank you, sir!"
"Thank you for having us." (Y/N) said, slipping in as shadow Ace also joined in.
"Hey, (Y/N). Grim. You guys started a scene with another dorm in the lunch line, huh? Always the troublemakers, you two."
Grim's fur stood on end. "Ace! You saw what happened?"
"I wasn't tryin' to, but Deuce was so stupidly loud, it was kinda hard not to notice."
"It wasn't stupid." Deuce insisted. "If someone doesn't honor the hierarchy, you gotta teach 'em to respect it."
Ace rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. They only went away 'cuz Trey and Cater came over to stare 'em down. Plus, Swampert would've smeared them long before you did."
Riddle placed down the teacup, now on alert. "You were in a dispute with students from another dorm? Was this a personal matter?"
"Some Scarabia guys were talking nonsense, sir."
"I get why they'd be disgruntled." Cater admitted. "The cafeteria was Scarabia turf for a pretty long time. And according to Cay-Cay's intel, they plan on instigating more hostilities to get it back sometime soon."
The Vice dorm leader was also in agreement. "Makes sense. The cafeteria was a critical base of operations in Scarabia's turf. But we needed this place too. Specifically, we needed access to its ovens after school for our next unbirthday party."
"And they refused to give us that since they had their own party prep to do, right?" Ace asked, getting a nod from Cater.
"Yup, exactly. Scarabia's one of the more reasonable dorms on campus when it comes to talking things out, but..."
"If something is non-negotiable for both sides, fighting is the only resolution." Riddle explained. "That is the rule on campus."
Deuce pounded his fists together. "I'll definitely be there for the next throwdown. We'll show 'em Heartslabyul unity!"
(Y/N) held her head, shaking it. "Oh my Arceus, the school's even more of a war zone than it usually is."
Grim still did not get it. "Are Heartslabyul and Scarabia feudin' or somethin'?"
Ace shot him a look. "Are you kidding? Did you sleep so soundly in Trein's magic history class that you haven't woken up yet?"
"Night Raven College's seven dorms are locked in a nonstop battle over turf." Deuce explained. "Disputes between dorms happen on the daily. If you wanna learn something or use a certain facility, you gotta challenge the dorm posse that controls it and win the right to access it."
Grim nearly freaked out before Tyranitar covered his mouth to keep him from giving them away as Trey looked over at (Y/N).
"The headmage designated Ramshackle Dorm as off-limits to other dorms. And you two hang out a lot with Ace and Deuce as it is. That's probably why you don't get in many fights. That, and everyone kinda realized fighting the Pokémon was a painful losing battle."
"But since you attend this school, you should know the rules so you're able to protect yourselves." Riddle turned his head to his two freshmen. "You two, give them a quick refresher course."
"Yessir!" Deuce agreed, listing off each of the dorms and their ridiculous names.
It was an absolute battle to keep a straight face and (Y/N) was starting to suspect Deuce was more of a fan of battle manga and anime than he let on. She stroked Tyranitar's arm.
"You have to have the fortitude of a saint to sit through this and not laugh."
Nearby, the rest of the team was watching with great curiosity, Silver especially surprised by the content of Deuce's dream.
"Deuce Spade... He always struck me as a diligent honor student."
Ortho tilted his head in disbelief. "Deuce? An honor student? I've never seen his name in the top 100 scorers in the exam results postings in the hallway. Though I have often seen Riddle tutoring him in the library..."
"Joint lessons are the only time I'm in the same class as him, but I've seen him stay after class somewhat frequently." Sebek explained. "He presents himself well enough, but I've always suspected he wasn't entirely upstanding. And here we are, in a dream where everything is resolved through violence. My assumption was right on the mark!"
"Hmm... But what's at stake in these fights isn't money or physical objects. It's mainly access to school facilities and classes, right? That seems at odds with what a real delinquent would want."
"The logic of brawling in order to study is beyond me, but I guess this is diligent in its own way?" Idia asked as Leona held a hand to his head.
"It's hard to tell if he wants to be an honor student or a punk in this dream. So. How do we wake him up from this?"
"If fights are an everyday occurrence here, engaging in violence with him might not trigger any dissonance at all." Silver examined. "That means if we want to deliver a heavy shock to his systems, we'll probably need to find a non-violent approach."
"Since his enrollment, (Y/N) and Grim are the ones Deuce has spent the most time around." Ortho pointed out. "And Tyranitar is the Pokémon most associated with him. But it's very likely that Ace and the other upperclassmen sitting with them at the table are all darkness."
"We could also be looking at a repeat of how Leona was in Jack's dream." Idia added. "They might be stacked with buffs. Especially the upperclassmen—we should avoid any direct conflict with them."
"Yeah, I've had enough violence already." Leona grumbled as Silver crossed his arms.
"But we can't keep observing passively forever..."
"Dorm Leader Riddle! We have a problem!" A student yelled, running in and annoying the short male.
"Must you be so loud? It's hardly good manners to raise your voice during mealtime."
"S-sorry, sir. But there's an emergency! Those Octavinelle punks crashed the library to seize the rights to the study rooms!"
Riddle stood. "An invasion, is it? I can hardly ignore that."
"Tch, must be 'cuz they wanna prep for the quiz next week." Deuce spat. "Bunch of smarmy, low-down punks!"
"Are Octavinelle's Dorm Leader and upper management there?" Trey asked the unnamed student.
"No, sir. It's a team made up solely of freshmen."
"Hmm." Carter hummed. "Then me, Trey, and Riddle are probably better off staying out of this, in the interest of avoiding escalation.Acey. Deucey. You boys round up the freshies and get things under control. TIA!"
"Absolutely!" Both boys agreed.
Riddle pointed his pen at the pair. "I will not accept defeat from either of you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Dorm Leader!"
The boys ran off, the Ramshackle gang and the rest of the rescue team on their tails. By the time they caught up, all out chaos gripped the library, and books were the primary weapon of choice.
"It's a war zone in here!" (Y/N) shouted.
Tyranitar charged in, backing up Deuce despite knowing this was just a dream. The other students were understandably hesitant getting into a fight with the Pokémon.
"Damnit! It's the Armor Tyranitar! We're in trouble!"
"Aw, Deuce even remembered her classification." (Y/N) could help but admire as Grim took cover under Swampert.
"Whoa, geez! A huge book just came flyin' at me!"
"(Y/N)! Grim! Swampert!" Ortho called as Silver took it in.
"I heard there was a fight with Octavinelle over access to the study rooms, but..."
Leona nodded. "There's books scattered all over the floor. This place is a mess."
One could almost feel Idia shiver. "Eep... If Trein or the librarian saw this, they'd make us all write at LEAST 20,000 lines."
"Ah... Aah... AAAH! The invaluable Introduction to Magic Analysis: From Basic Principles to Application has fallen! And its pages are completely crumpled! How could they do such a... Hm?" Sebek froze, actually checking over the book in his hand. "Wait a minute. This book...All the pages are blank!"
"Oh, that makes sense." (Y/N) realized. "Isn't that a normal trick to figure out if you're dreaming or not?"
"You're giving him too much credit." Leona disagreed. "The dreamer hasn't read them, so his imagination can't fill in the contents. That explains the blank pages and garbled text."
"So basically, he hasn't read most of these books?" Sebek shouted. "For all his talk about wanting to be an honor student, THIS is how he treats the books that impart knowledge? Grrr...THAT TEARS IT! HEY, DEUCE SPADE! STOP WHERE YOU-!"
An Octavinelle student cut him off, wielding a rope and hook as a weapon. "Hey Tyranitar! Let's see how tough you are when your mouth's shut!"
He was aiming for her mouth, everyone knew it, but it was an impossible shot. Instead, the rope wrapped around the rock type's neck as everything went still for a moment. The very air grew stagnant like it knew something was wrong as (Y/N), wide eyed in terror, shoved her group.
"BACK! BACK!"
A sandstorm spiraled as Tyranitar let out a window shattering roar, leaving craters in her wake as she rampaged, firing off random Stone Edges. Everyone dove for cover as Grim clung to Swampert.
"MRAH!? WHAT'S WRONG WITH TYRANITAR!?"
(Y/N) didn't answer, diving into the storm without hesitation. "Tyranitar! Calm down, girl! I can get it off."
She ran to her Pokémon, trying to untie the rope, only to have the Pseudo's tail slam into her stomach, sending her flying. (Y/N) crashed into a book case that began to come down as Swampert raced to catch it.
"(Y/N)!" The other boys shouted as they ran to help her.
Meanwhile, Deuce and Ace were huddled to the ground, avoiding the flying stones as Tyranitar roared.
"Geeze!" Ace hissed. "I get she's pissed, but does she have to go this overboard!?"
Deuce froze, actually hearing the tone of Tyranitar's roar. "No! She's not angry!"
"Dude, look around you! How is this not raging!"
"Can't you hear it, moron?! She's scared!"
Deuce got to his feet, charging at Tyranitar leaping onto her back and holding on for dear life.
"Tyranitar! What's wrong?! I can help you, but you need to tell me what's wrong!"