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

Chapter 73: The Upside Down Court

I'm not even gonna pretend I don't find Cater super hot in this outfit. I own nothing.
Chapter 73: The Upside Down Court

"Aether signal tracking successful. We have arrived at the designated coordinates."
The group touched down as the air was filled with the familiar scent of roses.
Silver glanced around. "Ortho, thank you as always for your guidance. It looks like we're in...Heartslabyul?"
(Y/N) noted the familiar local, but before she could comment, Leona was growling at Grim.
"Hey, furball! What were you doin' tuggin' at my necklace like that? You almost strangled me!"
The cat monster leapt to his dormmate, knowing the tall male wouldn't lay a hand on him with her watching.
"What? I wasn't tuggin' at nothin'! That jingly thing you wear and your hair were both smacking me in the face. I was just holdin' it down 'cuz it hurt!"
"True, your hair whipping in the wind blocks my vision." Sebek shockingly agreed. "Next time we make the jump, you should tie it back!"
"Huh? Why should I do that? If anything's to blame here, it's our cramped transportation method. Do somethin' about THAT, Radish Sprout. You're the guy leaving us to do all the real work while you have a cushy gig workin' from the comfort of your dorm room."
That made Idia mad. "Uh? Buh? WUT? I'm evading Malleus's detection, coordinating with Styx HQ, providing you guys with support, AND developing cheat tools. All concurrently. Who's the busiest guy here? ME! ME, AND NO ONE ELSE! Got it? Devising an improved user experience for a jump that takes literal moments is NOT high on my priority list. Maybe you should act your age, Leona, ever thought of that? Spare us the spoiled second prince act during a genuine emergency."
The second prince huffed. "You sure know how to cop an attitude when you're safe and sound behind a monitor. Think you can back that up the next time we meet in person?"
"All right, that's more than enough bickering between Dorm Leader!" Ortho butted in. "Deuce Spade? You've been quiet this whole time. Did you pass out like Azul?"
Deuce was shaking. "I...just..."
(Y/N) touched his arm, concerned. "Deuce, are you okay?"
He broke into a bright smile. "I JUST BECAME ONE WITH THE WIND! It's incredible hitting that level of speed without a blastcycle or broom! It takes SERIOUS guts to take a curve in mid-air without any deceleration at all. The lateral g's almost blew me away, but I've never felt more ALIVE! You rode with the wind and told gravity to get outta town. Silver, that was one of the best rides I've ever had!"
The pale haired boy rubbed his head bashfully. "I'm not really in control of my speed, but... I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Yes, I had a blast!"
"Not only is Deuce not ill, he's actually in higher spirits now." Ortho whispered to Grim.
"Okay, let's find who's havin' this dream. If this is Heartslabyul, that means..."
A familiar voice called out to them.
"Oh, hey Deuce. And Grim and (Y/N)." Ace came to a halt in front of them, cheeky as ever. "What brings you to our dorm?"
"Ace!" The trio greeted cheerfully as he looked over at the rest of the group, confused.
"Wait, you've also got Leona with you. And Ortho, and some Diasomnia guys... Okay, what gives?"
"Well, uh..." Deuce was trying to come up with a lie. "We happened to run into each other, and we decided to get together for tea..."
Ace just turned to (Y/N). "Are you finally just trying to domesticate him?"
Leona snapped. "Oi!"
"Crowley wants me to try to curve his bad behavior." (Y/N) quickly pivoted. "I figured tea time at Heartslabyul was a good place to start."
"Talk about a save." Idia noted. "Only (Y/N) would be able to make it sound believable."
"Uh, but enough about us." Deuce finally interrupted. "What are you up to?"
"I'm heading to the courtroom." Ace answered cryptically. "Got a Magicam message that there's an emergency trial. Didn't you get it?"
Both Deuce and (Y/N) looked at each other, not understanding this at all, but the blue haired boy managed a more convincing lie this time.
"Someone sent a notice that important over Magicam messaging? This really must be an emergency. Good thing I just found out. The dorm leader would have my head if I showed up late. Wait a minute, Ace. Why are you in your regular school uniform if you're going to a trial? The dorm leader said we're supposed to always wear our dorm uniforms to unbirthday parties and trials, remember?"
"Oh, he did? Eh, whatever. I can always get changed if he gets on my case."
"Huh?! Whoa, you're seriously reckless..."
"Say, Ace Trappola?" Ortho interjected, trying to get more information. "We're all very curious what Heartslabyul's trials are like. Would it be okay for us to sit in?"
"Trials are one of the biggest deals in Heartslabyul." Deuce explained. "Of course it's not okay for other dorm students to sit in!"
Ace brushed him off with a smile. "I don't see the problem. Our dorm leader would probably welcome it."
"Huh?! Our strict dorm leader?" Deuce shouted before mumbling to himself. "Hmm... Then again... He might also be like, "You're interested in another dorm's traditions? That's commendable." Maybe..."
"Why are you muttering to yourself? Weirdo. Then again, that's nothing new!"
"Oh yeah?" Ace immediately ran, leaving the blue haired boy in the dust. "...Hey, get back here, Ace! Let's just head to the courtroom, guys!"
(Y/N) crossed her arms. "And there he goes."
"We'd better follow them." Ortho sighed, getting a nod of agreement from Silver.
"Right. If all of Heartslabyul is gathering there, that should make the dreamer easy to find."
Before they could follow, another set of foot came from behind them, and to their shock, it was Deuce.
"Huh? Grim, (Y/N), what brings you here?"
Grim looked over his shoulder then back, confused. "Deuce, didn't you just run off after Ace?"
"I haven't seen Ace. I gotta say, this is a pretty odd group of people."
Sebek made a face, leaning towards Ortho. "That human may be dense, but he wouldn't forget our objective in a matter of seconds."
"That means this is the Deuce that exists in this dream. He might be a harmless NPC right now, but if he detects foreign elements present, he'll turn into a darkness-GM. Then he'll try to eliminate us.
Leona rubbed his temples. "It'd be a hassle if he ran into the real one in the courtroom. We should take him out now."
The boys all nodded, but before they could even draw their pens, there was a sharp thwack and a thud. Looking up, they saw the now unconscious double lying limp in front of (Y/N), who was wielding some gardening tools. They all stared at her, a bit scared.
"What? He was going to give us away. I had to get the jump on him."
"Where did you even get those?" Sebek demanded as she rolled her eyes.
"I've been friends with the Heartslabyul Dorm pretty much the whole year. I know where they hide the extra tools."
Leona was all too pleased. "That's cold blooded, Herbivore. Still I thought he'd turn to coal tar and melt away, but he's stickin' around."
"The way it works isn't entirely certain, but since we haven't made contact with the dreamer quite yet..." Ortho nodded his head. "...it could be that he doesn't perceive us as hindrances to the dream."
"We can't be too careful, though." Silver reminded. "Let's tie him up so he can't go anywhere if he wakes up. Sebek, you get his legs."
"Human, I assume you know where they keep the ropes?"
"Of course I do!"