🌹Lunchtime Lessons, An Apology Goes Wrong🌹

It didn't take long for the student and his friend to gang up on Grim. Then, the guy that Grim bumped into looked at his lunch tray. "Aw Man! My Carbonara! You made the yolk break!"

'Is he serious?' Lia and her partners deadpanned.

Then his friend joined in, "Dang that's messed up. Poking the yolk is the best part of the meal."

"Hope your planning to fix this, you little runt! I know, I'm taking that grilled chicken of yours as compensation." Delinquent one smirked.

"Say what!? No way punk! This is my grub, you can't have it!" Grim retorted.

"You got a lot of guts talking to an upperclassman like that. How about we take this outside so I can teach you a lesson on respect!" Delinquent two growled.

"You two are seriously the most immature humans I've ever seen. You're making a big deal over some food, just go back to the lunch bar and get another one if you wanted to eat it your way so bad." Persian quipped in a huff.

"Not helping Persian." Lia glared at him.

"Wasn't trying to."

"You certainly got a mouth on you, hairball. You should be put on a tighter leash and placed outside like a good pet." Delinquent one hissed.

"Excuse me, Pet!?" Persian growled, getting ready to pounce on the boy.

Just then, Deuce walked in, seeing that Lia and the others were in trouble. "Hey, excuse me. But the school handbook, clearly states that fighting with magic outside of school staff supervision is prohibited." he pointed out, hoping to avoid unnecessary conflict.

"What's that? Who said anything about fighting? I'm just gonna remind the freshmen about respect!" Delinquent one proclaimed.

"Hey man, let's find out how many ways you cat skin a cat, plus another!" Delinquent two suggested smugly.

Upon hearing that, Lia had finally had it. Underestimating her just because she was a girl was one thing. But threatening to hurt her Pokémon and friends? Let's just say, claiming that she was mad is an understatement. "Deuce, could you please hold my trays for me?" She asked holding her food trays out to him.

"Um, alright,"

She went up to Grim and Persian and stood in front of the two delinquents. "Excuse me, but. You're not laying a finger on them."

"Or what?" Delinquent one asked in a mocking tone. "What are you going to do? Flutter those pretty eyes of yours and walk all over us?" he laughed.

"I'm giving you one last warning to walk away before this gets ugly." Lia hissed at him.

"And why should we listen to you? Just because you are a descendant of the greatest sorcerer who ever lived doesn't mean you can act like you rule the school." the other barked.

"Since coming here, never have I once acted like that. I don't need special privileges to beat some manners into your thick heads. To think that a high-privilege school would let some people like you two in when you're acting no better than a couple of whinnies, immature brats." Lia huffed, folding her arms.

Some of the students, who were watching the scene take place, made 'ooooo sounds as they all just saw the only girl in the said school burn two upperclassmen. The said delinquents were taken aback by her words and started to glare are her in anger.

"What did you call us?" Delinquent one growled.

"Are you hard of hearing? Alright then, I'll spell it out for you. You're ganging up on a fellow student just because he accidentally bumped into you. Instead of telling them to be more careful, you start complaining about something that's as ridiculous as a cracked egg. I mean, come on, it's an egg. You can still eat it, but no. You decided to use your status as an upperclassman to bully those you see as incapable, instead of being an example. If anything, you're the ones who are incapable. Can't you two see how pathetic that is? I've seen ten-year-olds act more adult than the two of you put together."

"You got a lot of guts talking to us like that. You're just a girl with no place here." Delinquent two sneered.

"That may be in some cases. However, that is not your call to make. A person's true value isn't measured by status or gender. It's measured by one's depth of character. Meanwhile, you two have proven to me, that you have absolutely no character at all. It almost makes me feel sorry for you." Lia looked down at them.

With all that said and done, Delinquent one had snapped. "That's it! You're gonna regret disrespecting me you bi -!" before he could finish his sentence, or even make a blow to her. Lia stepped to the side and grabbed the guy's arm. Swinging it around and twisting it to his back, Lia then kicked his leg so that he was now on his knees.

"You know, this whole time I was being patient with you two. But now, you're really getting on my last nerve. So, if you want to walk away in peace. I suggest that you gather up whatever dignity and shame you have left and get out of my sight." she finally lets go of the student and he quickly gathers himself up and begins to make his leave with the others following.

"Didn't think she had so much spunk," Delinquent one uttered.

"W-we'll let you guys off the hook this time, only because my pasta is getting cold." Delinquent two said, trying to sound brave.

'Yeah right,' Persian and Pikachu deadpanned.

"Oh, and one more thing,"

The two stopped and looked at her. "If I ever catch wind of you threatening my friends again, I promise, it'll be the last thing you'll ever do. Got it?"

"Y-Yes, mam!"

As the two scurried off, Delinquent ones didn't see Persian lift his paw and swipe his backside with his claws. Now, there was a clear view of Delinquent ones smiley heart underpants. Both Pikachu and Grim did their best not to go hysterical.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Look at them! All bark and no bite! A-and did you see that guy's-"

"Ah, ah, don't say anything or that punk will find out too soon. Now let's go and eat our food." Persian said to Grim, ushering him to their table.

"Also, you better be glad that I stepped in Grim. Cause if I hadn't, you would have made it worse. And we did promise Miss Eva and Headmaster 'no incidents." Lia reminded him. '*sighs* If this is going to be my life now. I better make the most of it.'

"Can we just go and eat as Persian said? I feel like I'm about to collapse." Ace groaned.

As they all went to their table, Lia heard Deuce mutter something, "I can't believe this, I mean; textbook bullies in a school that's meant to be famous for creating exceptional mages. . . "

"Remember what headmaster Crowley said the other day, Deuce? Ninety percent of the boys here are self-reliant and self-centered, so it's natural that some of the upperclassmen would pick on the newcomers. We just got to make sure they don't get to us. and work to the best of our abilities." Lia assured him with a smile. Making him smile back.

Once the group got to their table, Grim didn't waste any time chowing down. "Alright! Finally, I can chow down without a care in the world!" He started eating the omelet Lia got for him, and immediately went to dreamland. "Yummy! So fluffy as a cloud, and practically bursting with cheese in my mouth!"

"Pika! Pikachu!" (And the fruit is so juicy! My tastebuds are dancing with the flavors!) Pikachu chimed as he ate from his fruit bowl.

"I got to say, the ghost cooks do not disappoint." Lia agreed when she took several bites of her food.

"How's that stew tasting for you, Lia?" Deuce asked.

"It's delicious, so much better than imitation meat."

"Still having a tuff time imagining you guys eating Pokémon. I mean, I get that some of them look like some of our regular animals here, but eating creatures like them? That just doesn't sit right with me." Ace said.

"Same here, I can't imagine how hard it must be to have the natural balance of nutrition," Deuce mentioned.

"It's a challenge, but I managed. For meats, I use bean curd to get my daily protein intake. And the fruits and veggies are a big help too. Not to mention the berries that grow in my world. Most of them may look odd, but each one helps restore energy and gets us out of a tight pinch. For example, the Peacham berries help cure you of poison from poison-type attacks, and Chesto berries help those who fall into an induced sleep."

"Eesh, your world almost sounds like a video game." Ace stated.

"Well, if you think about it like that. It does sounds like it is huh?" Lia laughed softly, making the boys blush again.

'Even her laugh is cute.'

"*munch* *munch* By the way, since we saw, your guy's dorm. *munch* *munch* What are, the other dorms like?" Grim asked.

"Don't talk with your mouth full/Pikachu." Lia, Persian, and Pikachu sweat-dropped.

"Actually, I'm curious myself. Are they all as extravagant as Heartslabyul?" Persian asked as well.

"That's easy, you guys are familiar with the statues of the Great Seven, right? Each dorm of Night Raven Collage is themed after each one." questioned a familiar voice from behind Lia.

Ace jumped a bit, "Gah! You're the guy from this morning!"

"Not to mention the one who tricked us into painting the dumb roses red!" Grim scolded.

"Now, now, 'Tricked is such an ugly word. I did ask for help; do you think I want to spend my morning painting roses? Plus, it's dorm policy, I was just following orders as any other person would." Cater stated.

Lia turned around and found that he wasn't alone. Next to him on both sides were two other guys, one was his height, and wearing the same dorm armband, with green hair and glasses. He also had a green Clover mark under his left eye.

The other wore no dorm armband, but a grey ribbon like hers. He had long white hair that was tied into a low ponytail and fancy round silver glasses. His vest was grey with star-shaped pins. But that didn't make Lia gawk at him. When she got a good look at his face, she was feeling a deep sense of nostalgia.

'I've seen him before, but, where?' she snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Deuce speak out.

"He says that but earlier he was grinning like a fiend all the while," he uttered. But Cater heard him and laughed.

"Hey now Deucy, we're outside the dorm now. So we don't need to worry about the rules here. Meaning I can be your 'friendly mentor figure!" Cater smiled with a wink.

"Pika," (weirdo,) Pikachu deadpanned in a whisper.

"D-Don't call me Deucy!" Deuce blushed.

"Ha, ha, ha, sorry about that. That's Cater's way of showing that he cares." The clover man said.

"In a very eccentric way." the other guy sweat-dropped with a sigh.

"And um, who are you guys?" Ace asked.

"You this guy's minions or something?" Grim questioned.

"Oh, sorry about that, I probably should have introduced myself first. The name's Tray, Tray Clover. I'm a junior in Heartslabyul like Cater here." Tray introduced.

"And I'm Theo, or at least, that's what I prefer to be called. Fully, I'm Theodore Balin Magus. I'm also a junior here at the school." Theo replied after Tray.

"Magus?! Does that mean you -"

"Yes, I'm also a descendant of Yen Sid. By now you three have already met my father, Professor Xavier?" Theo said, confirming what Ace was probably going to say.

"That guy's your old man!?" Grim stated in shock.

"Grim! That's rude!" Lia scolded.

"That's alright, though, you better make sure he doesn't catch wind of you calling him that. He's not fond of being called that in civil conversations." Theo lightly warned.

"Good to know, actually what I was going to say earlier was, are you related to Lia here?" Ace corrected Theo.

"Yep, my father is her father's younger brother. So that makes me her cousin."

"Have I seen you before? I mean, I figured I had other relatives on my father's side but, I don't recall seeing you or Professor in the past." Lia said.

"Understandable, you were pretty young the last time I saw you." Theo just smiled.

"When was the last time you saw each other?" Deuce asked.

"The first time we met was at her parent's wedding anniversary. She was six at the time, and I was nine." Theo explained.

"Ah, that's why I didn't recognize you so soon. I don't have any memories past that time. But I do remember the important moments I had with my parents." Lia softly said, thinking back on the moments she had with both her parents before her father went missing.

Seeing the somewhat sad look on her face, the boys decided to quickly change the subject.

"So, Lia. I heard from Cater, thank you for keeping these two in check. I'm sorry if they caused you any trouble." Try apologized

"Oh, no. It's alright, if anything I'm used to it. If I don't find 'trouble, it'll find me." Lia joked as the three sat down at their table.

"I don't recall us inviting you guys here," Ace grumbled under his breath.

"Come on now, we're from the same dorm, aren't we? Why not just get along and be pals you know? Here, I'll give ya my digits if you give me yours." Cater suggested, pulling out his phone.

"Sorry Cater, but I left my phone back at my dorm to get charged. Maybe next time?" Lia said.

"No worries little cutie. You can just tell me your info so I can look you up later, plus if you ever need new gadgets for your phone and all. I know a place where you can get the latest models and stuff for cheap. It'll be like a 'phone-shopping date ~." Cater smiled.

Lia shrank down a bit and blushed from that nickname. But then turned to him, surprised by what he said at the end. "Wait, what?!"

"Pika, Pika!" (Heck no!)

"Not happening." Persian and Pikachu glared.

"Cater, take it down a notch or two. You're making Lia and her little friends uncomfortable." Theo said.

"Ah ha, sorry about that. I can get a little extra sometimes when I'm in the moment." Cater lightly laughed.

Truth be told, Lia actually did have her phone on her. But she didn't want to risk showing them it since it still had her Rotom in it. And the only ones who knew about the Pokémon so far were her friends, the headmaster, his wife, and the ghosts at the dorm. She didn't want to risk causing a ruckus or a panic.

"Speaking of dorms, aren't you living in the run down, *clears throat* I mean, the old dorm that's on the school campus Lia, as it's perfect?" Trey asked.

"Yep, and we're actually in the process of remodeling it. The interior is done, thanks to Madame Eva and a friend of hers. All that's left now is the outside and property grounds." Lia explained.

"Hey, weren't you guys just asking about the other dorms just a minute ago?" Cater asked.

"Pi," (Yep) Pikachu nodded.

"Then go ahead! A-M-A, mentoring new students is fun!" Cater beamed.

"Before that, could you two tell me more about our dorm first? For instance, what the heck is the deal with all the 'Queen of Hearts rule numbers or whatever junk." Ace asked Trey and Cater.

"You're already familiar with the legend of the Queen of Hearts, right? As said, she ruled over a kingdom filled with weirdos and chaotic people. And did so by making strict rules and emphasizing order." Trey started to explain.

"Our dorm is pretty much a homage to her. By tradition, we wear armbands that are red and black like her dress. In addition, we also live by the rules she created." Cater added.

" *groans*, can you guys not make me any more bored?" Grim drawls. Lia flicked his ears and glared at him for his rudeness.

"Currently the degree to which we adhere to the rules depends on the current house warden. Back then the later house wardens were much laxer. Riddle though," Cater hesitated.

"Riddle doesn't mess around with tradition. Honestly, we're bas honoring our houses rules and rites to the utmost extent possible." Trey finished.

"Seriously? Gah, just my luck." Ace groaned.

"So, what are the other dorms like?" Grim asked.

"I'd like to know myself," Lia said.

"Well, as Cater mentioned before, each dorm is themed after each of the Great Seven. First, we have Trey's, Cater's, and the other's dorm, Heartslabyul. Modeled after the firm strictness of the Queen of Hearts. Next, we have Savanaclaw, based on the persistent spirit of the King of Beasts. Then there's Octevinelle, themed after the benevolent heart of the Sea Witch. Scarabia is based on the mindful personality of the Sorcerer of the Sands. Pomefiore is modeled after the tenacity of the Fairest Queen. Ignihyde takes after the diligence of the King of the Underworld. And finally, we have Diasomnia, solely modeled after the noble spirit of the Thorn Fairy." Theo explained.

"That's certainly a lot of titles to take in," Lia sweat-dropped a bit.

"Pikachu," (So many names to remember,) Pikachu groaned, feeling a headache.

"No kidding! Each of their names are too long! Exactly how are anyone supposed to remember them?!" Grim complained, agreeing with Pikachu.

Cater laughed at the two, "Ah, ha, ha, ha! At least you guys get the idea. Either way, whether you want to or not. You'll learn and know all about them soon enough."

"At the beginning of the year, at orientation. The Dark Mirror specifically picks one of the dorms for you, based on the essence of your being. As a result, each dorm ends of with a distinct sort of . . . trait if you will." Trey continues.

"So true, I totes see it everywhere I go." Cater adds.

"Distinct trait?" Deuce wonders.

"For example, take a look at that guy over there," Theo points out,

Looking over their shoulders, Lia, Pikachu, and Persian almost yelped in surprise. Down a few tables from theirs was the tall boy with the ears and tail they saw back at gym class. At first, they honestly thought they were part of a costume, that is till now as they see the appendages move.

"Wait, those ears and tail are real? Not part of some costume?" Persian questioned.

"Have you guys not seen anyone like him before?" Cater asked.

"No, where I come from, everyone is human except for creatures like Pikachu and Persian here," Lia told him.

"Well, as you can see, that rough-and-tough vibe he's giving has Savanaclaw all over it. Basically, ninety percent of the students in that dorm are beastmen." Trey exclaimed.

'Beastmen huh, similar to humans. But at the same time not. Sounds like I'll need to be careful around them.' Lia thought. She snapped out of it when she heard Cater put in his statement.

"For real, that dorm is full of scrappy dudes who pretty much like to work out and fight. Their vibe is described as macho, gruff big brothers, or something along those lines. Their black and yellow gold armbands are also another giveaway."

"Okay, what about that guy? The one with the grey and purple band around his arm?" Grim asked next.

"Wait a minute, wasn't he at the orientation?" Persian questioned.

Lia looked, and sure enough, the guy they were talking about was Azul from orientation. Lia shivered a bit when she remembered the look, he gave her. 'It was almost like he wanted to possess me for some reason.'

"He's from Octevinelle, in fact, he's actually the house warden of the dorm. Now, the two students that are sitting by him are from Scarabia. Their armbands are red and gold yellow." Theo told them.

'Wait a minute, it's him! That's the boy Squirtle helped the other night!' Lia realized as she looked at the said boy more closely.

Feeling like he was being watched, the boy looked over and noticed it was Lia. Recognizing her, he beamed a big smiled and waved at her. Laughing a bit at his enthusiasm, Lia waved back and gave him a smile in return. The boy next to him noticed what he was doing and looked over to where he was looking at. The minute he saw Lia, his eye's widened and he couldn't help but blush a bit. He heard the rumors from his fellow dormmate, but they do not do her justice.

"Kalim, do you know her?" he asked the bright boy.

"Not exactly, but she's the one who had that super cute turtle creature help me back in the mirror chamber during orientation. You should have been there Jamil, it was sooooo adorable! And she looked so cool when she fought off the little monster that set the place on fire. She used something that was similar to magic but at the same time, it wasn't. Almost like what Raji used to do." Kalim explained.

"If that's the case, we need to make sure she doesn't run into him. You know how he is with those who use that technique." Jamil said, he turned his attention back to Lia. He couldn't help but gaze at her luminous eyes. They gleamed like priceless gems, and her hair looked as soft and enchanting as the lilies he's seen in their homeland.

"Did you, by chance catch her name?" Jamil asked.

"Huh? Oh, um. Oh yeah! I think it was Lia or something, I can't remember her full name but she's definitely related to Theo and Professor."

'Lia,' Jamil sighed her name in thought.

"So, were you able to confirm your hunch Azul?" Asked one of the boys at Azul's table. He had short, straight-cut teal hair with short bangs and one long streak of dark-gray hair framing his left side. His left eye was yellow, and his right eye was olive-brown.

"Yes, Jade I was." Said Azul.

"Think like little Angelfish will tell us where our old grade school elementary school teacher went MIA too?" asked a boy whose appearance mirrored Jade's, looking over his shoulder to glance at Lia.

"I'm sure she will Floyde, after all, I'm sure she has lots of questions herself," Azul assured his friend. He looked over to Lia and started to feel a bit of excitement deep down as if he couldn't wait to speak with her, "And I intend to answer them." he smirked.

Anyways, back to the group. "Those two dorms are pretty much filled with the smartest students. They're always neck-and-neck when it comes to academic rankings. However, Scarabia's current house warden isn't that great of a student." Cater mentions.

"Cater, don't be rude. Just because he's more laid back than most house wardens, doesn't mean he's not good educational-wise." Theo defended.

"Is that a habit of his? Going off on a tangent?" Persian asked.

"Sounds like it." Ace replied.

"Ah, ha, ha, you two ate learning fast. Anyway, you see those two flashy folks over there. The ones with the purple and red armbands? They bore the colors of Pomefiore." Trey explained, pointing to the said two students.

Lia recognized them initially. It was Rook and Epel from earlier, from the looks of it, Rook was giving Epel a small lesson on table etiquette along with a few books with them.

"Whoa! Check out the girl with the potion books! So pretty!" Grim said, making Lia and Pikachu give him a 'Are you serious? look.

"W-what!? I thought Lia was the only exception in this 'all-boys school!" Deuce replied, shocked.

"I can't tell if you two are blind, or just naturally short-minded," Persian stated.

"Hey!"

"I'm with Persian, you two are total morons. No other girl other than Lia is enrolled here." Ace confirmed.

"Huuuuh!?" the two gasped.

Epel seemed to hear them shout and turned to their table. Thinking quickly, Pikachu just gave him a little wave while smiling his signature smile. Epel lightly chuckled and waved back at him.

"Whew, you two are lucky he didn't hear you. You could have hurt his feelings." Lia scolded them.

"More like wound his pride," Persian added.

"You know, speaking of girls. There's this portrait in the west hall who's a real eye-catcher, her name's Rosaria. And let's not forget Madame Eva and the other female staff that here." Cater mentioned.

"There are other woman teachers here beside Madame Eva?" Lia questioned.

"Yep, there's our head nurse/doctor Ms. McPhee. Though she mainly stays in the infirmary. Then we have Miss Mac, the Beastology professor. Who I believe is your next and last class for the day." Theo exclaimed.

"Pika?" (Are they nice?) Pikachu asked.

"Oh, Ms. McPhee is a real peach. She's like the perfect nanny or grandmother figure you could hope for. As for Miss Mac, well, let's just say she's one tough cookie. You do not want to get on her bad side, she's ten times scarier than Madame Eve when she's ticked off." Cater tells them.

"Noted." Lia nodded, and Pikachu and Persian did the same.

"Anyways, this Rosaria's portrait, hard pass. No matter how cute or pretty she is, I'm not into two-dimensional chicks." 'Besides, we already have Lia here.' Ace thought.

"Ace that's rude, just because there's just a picture of someone, doesn't mean you can judge them from that." Lia scolded him.

"Yeah, how cares about dimensions? Anyway, those guys take vanity pretty seriously at Pomefiore. Their dorm is basically home to models. Take their house warden for example, on Magicam, he has over five million followers!" Cater mentioned.

'If this Magicam is anything like Pokévision in Kalos, then this guy would have Aria the run for her money.' Lia thought impressively.

"Hey now Cater, let's not forget that they're not just all pretty faces. They're also among the best at making potions and casting curses." Trey reminded him.

"True dat, true dat. Okay, next we have Ignihyde; their armbands are blue and black. But I don't see any around here to show you guys. They are, as you say, not the most outgoing among students here. Even I don't have a single friend from that dorm." Cater says.

"That's not true, there's Decoda Makeshift," Theo mentioned.

"Oh yeah! Him! I think he and his little brother are the only ones who interact with other students outside of classes. The rest of the students in that dorm, they're pretty much the total opposite of us sunny and fun-loving Heartslabyuls." he concluded.

"Soooo, they're like the gloomy and miserable type?" Grim questions.

"Sounds more like shut-ins to me," Persian said.

"Whoa, whoa there, don't assume such things. They just have a more serious reputation that makes them tend to make them keep to themselves. That's all, also their dorm pretty much attracts most of the magical-energy engineers and students who are phenomenal with technology." Trey rephrases.

"Pika, Pika pi." (They sound really good at what they do.) Pikachu thought.

"Now that leaves the last dorm, Diahonyalara or whatever right?" Deuce asked.

"It's Diasomnia, you were off to a good start there. But then you rammed it right into the guardrails." Ace corrected him.

"Pika, pika." (Hey at least he tried.) Pikachu defended.

"Y-yeah I knew it! I just misspoke, okay." Deuce said.

"Ah yes, the House of Diasomnia. If you look over there at the special seating area, you'll see the students of that dorm. You can tell easily who they are by their neon green and black armbands. They're pretty much the most known on campus." Theo pointed.

"Yeah but, the vibe they give off makes it hard to be approachable for schmucks like us. Their house warden is that, but times a thousand." Cater added with a sweat-drop.

"Oh come on they can't be that bad." Persian sighed.

"You'd be eating those words once you've seen what they can do." Cater replied.

Lia looked over to the said 'special eating area. Some of the students looked familiar to her, and some were new. One of the familiar ones was the guy who insulted her back in gym class. 'Hope the others aren't like him.' she begrudgingly thought.

"Huh? They got a kid with them?" Ace questioned.

"The school actually does get some child prodigies from time to time, just so you know. However, that guy isn't a child. He's actually in the same year as us." Theo explained.

"Huh? So wait, that means he's -"

"Indeed, I'm a fellow third year. ~ Lilia Vanrouge. ~"

Lia and the others jumped in shock when the said junior just suddenly appeared right between Ace and Deuce. Pikachu jumped onto Lia's shoulder and hid behind her hair.

"PIKACHU!?" (WHAT THE ARCEUS!?)

"HE-HE TELEPORTED!!" Pikachu and Grim freaked out.

'Did he have to do that so suddenly?' Lia heaved as she tried to calm down her heart.

"Apologies for the scare but couldn't help but notice that you all are so interested in my age. As our glasses-wearing Heartslabyul friend here stated, despite my fresh-faced, handsomely boyish looks; it would be inaccurate to refer to me as a 'child." Lilia exclaimed.

"fresh-faced he says," Trey mutters.

"well, you know how much he likes to tease," Theo tells him.

"Also, there's no need to gawk at us from afar, you are free to come and talk with us at our table directly. After all, we are schoolmates are we not? We members of Diasomnia will welcome you with open arms without reservation." Lilia beams. However, his fellow dormmates say otherwise with the glares they're giving.

While the boys were feeling a bit intimidated by them, Lia on the other hand was giving one of the Diasomnia members a glare of her own. Making the said member flinch back from her.

"As nice as that sounds Lilia sir, some of your dormmates seem to dislike the idea," Lia says, not letting up her glare.

"Hmm? Did you get off on the wrong foot with some of them?" Lilia asks.

"You could say that," Ace and Deuce say at the same time while sweat-dropping. Remembering the recent events that happened earlier.

At that Diasomnia table, "Sebek, did something happen between you and that woman?" the semi-blue silver boy asks.

"M-Mind your own business Silver. I'd, I'd rather not discuss it." Sebek rebukes.

Back to the group. "*Chuckles* Well, at any rate, please forgive me for 'dropping in on your meal," Lilia tells them.

"Actually, we should be apologizing to you Lilia sir. We were the ones talking behind your backs without considering talking to you in person." Lia replies, unexpectedly, Lilia just smiles at her.

"No apology needed Miss. In fact, I'm glad to take this opportunity to meet you in person.~" Lilia takes Lia's hand and gently kisses the back of it as a gentleman would.

"Um, thank you. But I'm no one special, really." Lia blushes.

"Oh, I'd begged a differ, it's not every day that you'd meet the famous Brandel's lovely daughter. ~" Lilia purrs.

Suddenly, Pikachu jumps off of Lia's shoulder onto the table and points at Lilia, "Pika, Pikachu. Pika." (Don't be creepy, Lia's not a person you should mess with.)

"Pikachu! Don't be so rude!" Lia scolded him.

"Ah, ha, ha! That's a quite alright miss. My fault for upsetting your intriguing familiar. ~" Lilia apologized as he reached out and started to scratch Pikachu's ears. The said mouse Pokémon did his best not to squeak in pleasure as the scratch felt really comfortable.

"Anyway, hope you all enjoy your meal and the rest of your day. ~" and with that; Lilia disappeared from them, and right back to his seat at his table.

"their table is like over twenty yards away from ours. yet they were able to overhear our conversation?!" Ace whispered in shock.

"In their defense, you guys weren't being the quietest." Persian deadpanned.

"Er, well. . . . . The Diasomnia house in fact has a bit of a reputation for having many special students. Some of them are actually extremely talented at magic. Their house warden, Malleus Draconia, is considered one of the most powerful of the five best mages in the world." Trey says.

"Him and Uncle Brandel. Let's not forget there's a supposed rivalry between them." Theo included.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask, what house are you in Theo?" Persian questioned the white-haired junior.

"I'm actually not in any of the houses. Since my magic is so unique compared to the students of the dorms, I'm pretty much stuck in limbo with not being assigned to any of them." Theo explains.

"Then where do you say in the school?" Lia asks.

"I stay with my father and the rest of the school staff in the staff dormitory. I don't get any kind of special treatment in case you were going to ask. I prefer to do things on my own when it comes to my education."

"Man sounds like being a descendant of the greatest wizard that ever lived has its downsides." Ace thought.

"Yeah, and because of that fact. Some of the house wardens of some of the school dorms have actually tried to poach me into their dorms to not only influence me but also boost their ranked egos." Theo sighed. Feeling exhausted from, the experience.

"Pika," (Eesh)

"That sounds rough," Pikachu and Grim thought.

"Believe me, I know. Even Malleus himself tried to get me into his dorm."

"Yeah, that Malleus is reeeeeeally bad news. Not one you'd ever want to mess with. Though, I guess, the same can be said about our dear house warden, huh?" Cater jokes at the end.

"No freaken kidding! The dude collars me for just eating one measly slice of a tart! His 'must follow all rules' obsession is out of control!" Ace complains, oblivious to who was approaching from behind.

"P-Pika," (U-um Ace,) Pikachu mutters.

"Oh? My 'must follow all rules' obsession' is 'out of control' you say?" questions the very one to who Ace was referring.

"Heh, you darn right it is. Honestly, Riddle's like a petty tyrant who leans on the whole 'rules schtick to a 'T. As a pretext to keep all of us under his puny little thumb." Ace retorts.

"that knucklehead," Persian groans under his breath.

"Ace! Behind you!" Deuce warns.

"Hmm?" Ace looks, and pales when he sees who it was, "BWAH!? H-House warden!"

Cater quickly jumps in to ease the tension that was now in the air. "H-Hey, Hey Riddle! How's it going? Your looking super-duper adorbs as usual!"

Riddle took a glance at him, not amused. "Hump, Cater if you keep running your mouth like that. You're going to lose it. . . along with the rest of your head."

"Hey now, give me a break." Cater sweat-drops.

"You! now I remember! You're that guy who put that stupid collar on me back at the orientation ceremony!" Grim declared, upset.

"Well, he wouldn't have done that if you hadn't run amuck and almost burn the room down." Lia pointed out.

"H-hey! Who's side are you on?!"

"Not yours that's for sure." Persian huffed.

"And your one of the new students who was almost expelled the other day. I'll ask you this once, please refrain from calling my 'signature spell 'Stupid collar. I swear, the headmaster is too lenient. If he keeps tolerating rulebreakers like you and overlooking disciplinary violations, this entire campus will spiral into chaos one day. If it were up to me, I'd have all those who break the rules beheaded with no hesitation or exception." Riddle lectures.

"In their defense, Riddle, the events that occurred the other day was my fault. I didn't completely keep Grim under control and things lead to another." Lia tried to defend.

"As much as I admire you taking responsibility, and owning your actions, Miss Lia. I cannot overlook this, especially when some of their actions almost lead you into the infirmary, so I've been told." Riddle hissed at the end as he glared at Ace and Grim. Making the two flinch. "The headmaster and vice principal may have forgiven you, but I assure you if any more rules are broken any further, I certainly will not." He hissed at them.

"His attitude doesn't match his face. Seriously, he looks like a while but sounds like a monster." Ace uttered under his breath.

"Watch your mouth kid," Persian uttered back to him, having to hear what he said.

"So um, house warden sir, any chance I could have this collar removed?" Ace asked, ignoring what Persian said.

"Ace, do you honestly think he'll even consider after what you just said about him? And what happened to that 'apology you owed him?" Lia retorted at him.

"Indeed, I was considering the thought once I've seen you reflect on your previous actions. However, after witnessing your behavior today. I see that you have done nothing of the sort. And let's not forget the foolishness you've just spouted with no remorse. That said, I'll have you keep that on for a little while longer. But do not worry, other than Professor Xavier's class, the freshman curriculum is more focused on magical theory lectures than practices. With your inability to use magic, it'll help you prevent making any further incidents remotely close to what happened yesterday."

"Riddle, don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Theo asked. Trying to ease the tension.

Riddle looked at him, "I am ensuring the order is maintained, Theo. Without it everything would be dysfunctional. Had you been assigned to Heartslabyul you'd understand,"

"I thought we discussed this Riddle.

"Never mind that matter," he turned his attention back to Ace and Deuce. "Now, if you all have finished your meal. I'd suggest you'd quit gossiping and prepare for your next class. As it states in the Queen of Heart's law, rule number 271: "One must leave the table within fifteen minutes when completing their lunch." I trust you now understand what happens to rulebreakers, yes?" he questions them.

"*sighs* Great, another insane rule. . . " Ace groaned.

'Idiot,' Lia and the Pokemon thought, knowing Riddle heard him.

"I believe your reply should be, 'Yes, Dorm Leader!" Riddle scolded him as he shouted.

"Yes, Dorm Leader!" Both Ace and Deuce proclaimed.

"Very well then," Riddle said pleased.

"Don't worry Riddle, I'll keep an eye on them," Trey assured him.

"Hmmm. As Vice house warden of our dorm, I trust that you'll avoid any further indiscreet conversations. Do not be soft-hearted to all new students that enter the dorm."

"Truth be told, Riddle. I was the one who asked what the other dorms of the school were like, and how they are. Things went kind of south from there." Persian said, trying to keep the boys from taking all the blame.

"Then I suggest you be careful with conversations from now on. Do not be a living example of the popular phrase, 'Curiosity kills the Cat." Riddle warns him.

"Duly noted," Persian told him.

"Good, now if you all will excuse me. In the Queen of Heart's law, rule number 339: An after-meal drink must be lemon tea with two sugar cubes. Thus I need to go to the campus store to acquire my sugar cubes. Now, be sure to rise from your seats within the next thirteen minutes, two minutes have already passed during this conversation. Good day."

As Riddle started to make his way out of the cafeteria, Lia could faintly hear him begrudgingly mutter under his breath. "do not get me started on their violation of running this low on sugar cubes. it's a grave offense! honestly, what do they take school dorm rules for! i will not tolerate any more rule violations, i will show them all the right way!"

Just then. Lia's vision went blurry and started to hear something dripping. She suddenly saw thick and heavy drops of ink fall and splatter on something. The feeling of dread and fear started to well up deep down from inside of her. Some of what Professor Xavier said echoed in her mind. "Never lose sight of yourself or your magic."

Then another voice rang out to her. "Never give in to the darkness, otherwise it will consume you and make you less of who you truly are."

That's when it occurred to Lia, something was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be good.