🌹 A Not So Good Unbirthday 🌹

After an eventful evening, of making chestnut tarts, and mandarin tarts, feeding all her Pokémon and friends, cleaning up, playing some games, reading a story, and singing the kids to sleep.

Lia finally got some shuteye of her own after having a nice cool cup of iced herbal tea. However, after a few hours of sleep, the mirror over the fireplace in her room began to glow once again.

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Just like in the last dream, all Lia could see was white for the moment. Until it started to clear up, she was back in the garden maze. But this time she heard a woman shouting, finding the source, Lia gasped at the sight before her.

'The Queen of Hearts?!'

Indeed, it was, the one who represents the strictness of Heartslabyul. However, from where Lia was standing, the woman looked far from an influential idol. Not with that furious glare in her eyes.

"For painting my roses red, someone shall lose their head!" The Queen of Hearts declared vigorously as she swung an actual rose tree over her head!

Then, at that moment, Lia noticed the three playing cards, and the young girl groveling at the Queen's feet.

The Three of Clubs card got up first, "Please your majesty! If anyone's to blame, it's him!" he pointed at Two of Clubs.

Two quickly got up and shook his head, "Oh have mercy your grace! It was Ace!" he pointed at the said card that had a bucket of paint over his head.

"So, it was you?" The Queen questioned as she moved threateningly closer to the group.

Ace got up quickly as he removed the bucket from his eyes. "Gah! No, your majesty! It was their idea!" he panicked.

"Well then, they shall pay!"

"Oh please! It was three I say!" Two of Clubs pleaded.

"Silence! Off with All their Heads!" The Queen of Hearts angrily proclaimed.

Lia gasped in shock, 'What?! But they're just roses!'

Moments later the three cards were being dragged away by some other playing cards, who didn't have an ounce of pity for them as they just marched on. And the Queen of Hearts just laughed at the scene.

"A fitting end, for something you can't mend."

"Everyone knows that roses are supposed to be red."

'Are you kidding me!? All this fuss over a simple mistake!? Why isn't anyone standing up to the Queen and stopping her?!'

Just then, everything started to go dark.

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Lia immediately snapped her eyes open, as she slowly sat herself up. 'Another strange dream. But something tells me there's a meaning behind it.'

"Pika?" (Are you okay Lia?)

"I'm fine Pikachu, just still a bit tired from last night,"

"No kidding, those boys didn't stop their card game till ten-thirty. And I thought the kids were a bit of a handful at night." Persian sighed.

"At least it was just one game."

Pikachu deadpanned. "Pikachu," (That's because that game was the only game Grim knew how to play.)

Suddenly, the three heard a knock on the door and heard Hatterene from the other side. "Lia, breakfast is ready. Everyone else is already in the kitchen."

"Alright Hatterene, thank you, we'll be there in a minute,"

"Be sure to freshen up as well, today is that 'Unbirthday party you were invited to, and you're the guest of honor."

"Not to mention that's kid's last chance to 'properly apologize." Persian snarked, talking about Ace.

"Persian, no need to state the obvious. I'm pretty sure that Ace is nervous enough about it as it is."

"Pika, Pikachu?" (Did you decide who you're taking?)

"Well of course you two. Lucario and Hatterene were my next choice, but I thought it would be better if they stay here and hold down the fort."

Persian nodded, "Makes sense, I mean. Those two are the only ones who can handle everyone and stay calm under pressure."

*THUD* *RUMBLE* *CRASH! *

"What in Arceus's name?"

"Ace! I told you not to touch it!" - Duece.

"That's on you, man! You're the one who shoved me too hard!" - Ace.

"Oooooo, Big Sis is going to be so mad at you two. ~"- Maddie.

"Can't you at least try to help us here? Instead of, you know, just standing there!?"

"Good grief, now I know how Mom felt when she was taking care of me when I fought with Hop and Leon." Lia groaned getting up, and walked over to where the commotion was.

"Pikachu?" (Hang on, aren't they in the room where you placed that Pokémon egg you found?)

Pikachu was right. Without a second thought, Lia rushed out and headed straight to one of the spare guest rooms. When she got there, she found the incubator capsule broken on the floor and the Egg in Deuce's arms.

"What's going on?" Everyone jumped.

Before Aceor Deuce could say anything, Matt spoke first. "Ace was letting his curiosity get the better of him and walked in here to see what you were doing last night. When he saw the Egg, Deuce here explained how you found it the other day, while you guys were out at the school store. Ace wanted to take a closer look but Deuce told him to leave it alone, but Ace wouldn't listen and almost touched it. Deuce rushed in and shoved him away from the capsule; however, it caused the table it was on to shake and fell on the floor."

The boys looked at him slightly impressed, "Dang, it's like he has a photographic memory." Ace whispered.

"That's because I technically do, and I'm not hard of hearing either."

Lia sighed, "Ace if you want people to take you seriously in certain things, then you really need to work on thinking things through before you take action. Otherwise, it's going to come back at you and bite."

Then she turned to Deuce, "Deuce, I know me and Theo said that it's okay to let loose once in a while. But you don't need to take things seriously or use force whenever something doesn't go your way."

Deuce solemnly bowed his head. "I understand, I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Just be careful next time alright."

"May I ask, what was this thing the egg was in?"

"Yeah, wouldn't it be better to have one of your bird Pokémon take care of it?" Ace implied.

"It doesn't always work that way," Lia explained as she picked up the broken incubator. "As I've said before, no one in my home world knows how to identify Pokémon eggs. Wherever or however an egg is found, it'll hatch depending on its settings and environment. Take some Ice-Type Pokémon for example, they're found in places where it's cold and livable to their liking. There have been times when I saw some eggs hatched in a volcano or hot-springs, indicating that they were either Dragon or Fire-type Pokémon. However, despite all that, it doesn't really matter how certain eggs are kept warm. As long as it's able to hatch, we should be fine. Plus, it's not like I have a shortage of incubators anyway."

Ace looked over to the said 'Spade boy and smirked at him. "So, if Deuce here keeps hugging the egg the way he is now. It'll still hatch?"

"I-I'm not hugging it! I'm making sure it doesn't break!"

"Yep, and like I said, I have plenty of incubators. So, if you guys ever find a Pokémon egg, you can use one. That is if, you're sure."

Just then, the said egg began to glow. "Wh-what's happening?!"

"The egg is starting to hatch! Your body heat was probably all it needed to get there." Lia said to Deuce, a bit surprised that it was happening this soon.

"W-what do I do?!"

"Calm down first and keep holding the egg, until the Pokémon inside is completely out."

"A-alright." Deuce sits down, and wraps his whole body around the egg, continuing to keep it warm.

Ace walks over and whispers to Lia, "Please tell me whatever comes out won't cry bloody murder as that bat thing did."

"I can't say, it completely depends on the Pokémon. They all react differently when they first hatch."

"In other words, kid, quit your bellyaching, and let's just see what happens,"

Ace grumbled under his breath, not liking how Persian said that reply.

Just then, the egg flashed away, leaving only the newborn Pokémon in Deuce's lap. Everyone in the room walked in closer and looked at the creature. It was blue with a very round head and a yellow beak. It used its tiny flipper-like appendages to rub its eyes.

The said Spade boy was lost for words as he looked into its beady eyes. He couldn't help but blush at not only how cute it was but also how he pretty much had a need to look after it.

The Pokémon tilted its head. "Piplup?"

"Awwww, it's a Piplup!" Maddie gushed.

"It looks like a Penguin. You know, that actually is normal."

"Really?" Matt looked at Ace.

"Well, the part where it came from an egg. All birds here in this world come from eggs. So do reptilians, amphibians, bugs, and most magical creatures. To name one, dragons."

"What about all the other creatures in this world?" Maddie asked him.

"No different than how all mammals are born."

"Mammals?" the twins tilted their heads at him.

"He means how humans are born," Theo said, walking in on the scene.

"Theo, where have you been?" Lia asked.

"Down in the kitchen helping Hatterene with breakfast. Grim's already there waiting for all of you guys to show up. And let me tell you, his patients are running thin, not sure how long Indeedee can hold him back before he devours everything."

"What?! No way is that furball getting first dibs!" Ace ran out of the room, and Maddie and Matt followed thinking the same thing.

"Pika, Pikachu?" (What's for breakfast anyway?)

"Seasoned scrambled eggs, with hashbrowns, English muffins, and French toast."

Lia quietly asked. "With homemade maple syrup and orange juice?"

"Yep, I see we have a new friend joining us," Theo looked over to the Piplup.

"Mmhmm and it seems very clear that it will want Deuce as its trainer. After all, like most newly hatched Pokémon, they bond with whoever they see first after hatching."

That made the said spade boy, snap out of his daze. "Really?! I can,"

"As long as you promise to take good care of it and keep it out of trouble. Piplups are very difficult to deal with as they're very proud Pokémon. They don't really like to be treated like helpless babies. In other words, they can be pretty stubborn when it counts."

"Pi, hi, hi, hica chu!" (Sounds like a younger, Pokémon version of Deuce!) Pikachu laughed.

The said spade boy blushed, "I'm now having regrets telling you my story."

"Come on now, let's go eat. Like I said before, Grim's patience is getting thin." Theo motioned; Lia told him she'll be with them in a moment as soon as she gets dressed.

As everyone was eating in the dining hall, Theo suggested bringing some Mandarin tarts to the party. As a token of thanks for the invitation. Lia thought it was a great idea because she made a little too much. Maddie looked over to Lia, about to say something, but.

"No,"

"You didn't even let me say anything."

"Because I knew what you were going to ask. You were going to ask if you can come to the Unbirthday party too, and my answer was 'No."

"Why not?"

"Because whenever there's a party of any kind, you tend to go a little extreme. Even the formal ones."

"Yeah, last time when we went to Opal's tea party. You started a cake fight near the end." Matt flatly pointed out. "I don't think there was a single inch of the room that wasn't covered in cake."

"I was trying to get the last mini lemon pie! But noooooooo! Someone's Snubbull snatched it out of my hands! So, I had to retaliate!"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Suuuuuure, that's your reason."

"Which is why Matt will come, I'll be needing someone to help me bring the tarts with me."

Maddie pouted. "Humph!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. "Magearna, could you go get that please?" Lia kindly asked.

The said 'Artificial Pokémon nodded and walked out to get the door, a few minutes later, she came back with Cater following not far behind. His Fennekin went to join the other Pokémon. "Morning everyone! How was everything last night? Did you all have one blast of a sleepover? Bond over pillow fights and card games?" he asked, being as optimistic as ever.

Ace yawned once he finished with his plate. "Morning Cater, we played card games, but only Old Maid. Cause it was the only game Grim knew how to play."

Grim hissed. "And yet no matter how many rounds we did, I still got old maid every time! Dang it!" Pikachu laughs at him.

"Pi, hi, hi, hica chu. Pika." (Not like you were any good, to begin with. Really.)

"No one asked you pipsqueak!"

Deuce smirked. "Well, to be frank, you don't have a very good 'poker face,"

"Definitely wouldn't survive some of the students in Heartslabyul. They can be pretty competitive when it comes to card games." Theo whispered to Cater, who nodded in agreement.

"True that, true that, anyway, hope you guys are ready for the party. Lia, I heard from Theo that you wanted to head over early?"

"Yeah, I want to drop off some of the tarts I made to Riddle as a 'thank-you for the invite."

"Speaking of 'tarts, Ace; hope you have the tart you made yesterday ready to apologize to Riddle. Hope you make it a good one, especially after the little 'snag we had yesterday." Cater muttered that last bit.

"What was that?" Ace asked.

"Nothing! Don't worry much, everything totes under control. Now, let's go! We've got a party to go to!"

As outgoing and optimistic as Cater was, Lia and Theo definitely heard the 'downer tone in his voice a second ago. Something must have happened last night, something that had to involve a certain dorm head.

________________________________________________________________________________

Later that morning, on their way to the Heartslabyul dorm; Ace was practicing his 'apology plan "Okay, I'll just swing by, hand this tart over to dorm head, say 'I'm sorry, and -" "Hey-a! It's about time you all got here! Especially you, 'me; It's good to see 'me!" he was cut off when they all heard a familiar voice before them.

The 'Cater next to them waved back. "And to 'me as well! Looking good as always, 'me!"

Everyone jumped. "Huh!?/What the Heck!?/Pika!?"

Deuce's jaw dropped, "T-Two Caters!?"

"You saying you had a twin this whole time!? Ace jumped.

"and here I thought one set was enough,"

"Persian," Lia hissed.

The 'Cater next to them just laughed. "Nope! No brother siblings. What you guys are seeing is my signature spell 'Split Card. It lets me make duplicates of myself."

"Is this what you guys were telling me and Maddie the other night? This whole, Unique Magic thing?" Matt asked, looking fascinated at the two.

Deuce sighed, "It is; so that's how Cater kept coming back at us after we 'did beat him multiple times yesterday."

"It's almost like 'Double team."

"I take it that's a move some Pokémon can use?" Theo asked.

Lia nodded, then, all of a sudden, more Cater's showed up. "Since I'm guessing that these duplicates are physical and not an illusion. I can't imagine how exhausting it must be for you to keep up."

"That's right, little cutie! It's suuuuper exhausting, so I can't maintain them long. But we've been running late and short on several people. And I'm sure I've told you before that 'Heads will roll if we're late. Thankfully, Arty and Morphy helped us get a head start."

"What are you doing that's got you in such a hurry?" Matt asked.

"Hmm? Why we're trying to get all the roses done for the party little man." 'Cater beamed.

"More roses?"

"And you want us to 'Help you again?" Grim and Ace complained.

"Just you guys, Lia, you and the little man here can go on ahead to see Riddle. LeeLee will lead the way for you."

"Alright, thank's Cater." And with that, Lia and her group walked off. When they entered the dorm, no words were spoken after seeing the. . . 'unique interior.

"It's like we walked into a live card game, or some sort of upside-down dimension," Matt stated, adjusting his glasses.

"Fennekin." (This way please.) Leelee leads them through the confusing hallways. 'Good thing she knows where to go, I would have gotten us lost here for sure.'

A few moments later, the group finally made it to their destination. Lia went up and knocked on the door, "Come in," said Riddle. Upon entering, the group found Riddle decked out in very lavish attire. The same was said for Trey as he was in the room as well. "Thank you for escorting Miss Lia and companions here LeeLee, you may return to Cater now."

LeeLee bowed her head to Riddle and left, "I'm very pleased that you accepted my invitation, Miss Lia."

"Thank you for the invite, Riddle. Oh, and this is Matt. I had him accompany me to help hand over my 'Thanks." Lia presented a box to Riddle when he walked over and opened it. "Their mandarin orange tarts. My mother's recipe, we made a little too much the other day. I thought these would be a nice addition to your Unbirthday party."

"I appreciate the gesture. Though, I don't believe I've ever had tarts made from mandarins." Riddle said.

"Neither have I, well, I would but I can never seem to pick them at a good time. When I did try, they ended up being sour." Trey mentioned.

"That's because they're mostly a late spring, early summer treat. It's around that time the oranges are at their best for harvest. At least, that's what big sis and other good gardeners have been telling me."

Trey smiled at Matt, "You seem to know your stuff."

"Someone has to."

Just then, Lia felt something tugging at her shoes. Looking down, she was shocked to see not one, but two familiar bushy Grass-Type 'Mythical Pokémon!

"Shaymin?!"

"What the?!" "Pika?!"

"Ah yes, this is one of the other reasons I invited you." Riddle said, picking up the 'Gratitude Pokémon. "I found these two, along with two others in the gardens when I was having my afternoon tea. Just before the orientation ceremony, I may add."

"Two others?" Lia questioned.

Riddle turned to Trey, nodding to him, Trey walked to the other side of the room. When opening a door, a Shiny Lopunny and a Floette came in and went to Riddle. "You see, I've been doing my best to take good care of them, but I can't seem to figure out their preferred diet."

"Well, it really depends on the Pokémon." Lia began to explain.

"Pokémon?"

"That's what they are, at least, their main creature species. What you have here is a Lopunny" she pointed to the 'Bunny Pokémon, "A Floette," Then the 'Single Bloom, "And those two, as I said earlier, are Shaymin. And from the looks of it, one's a boy and the other is a girl. Anyway, each of them is a different type of Pokémon. Lopunny's falls under the category of Normal-Types, Floette's a Fairy-Type, and Shaymin are Grass-Type."

"That last one seems pretty obvious considering their appearance." Trey laughed.

"So, I take it that their 'type determines their food?" Riddle asked, getting back on track.

"Yes, Normal-Types are okay with any kind of food. But like us, they do have their preferred flavor or taste. This Lopunny here, which by the way is a girl, is okay with both fruits and vegetables as long as they're ripe and not moldy. Her favorite food is carrot cake. But be warned, she's very particular about how it's prepared."

Trey nodded, "Good to know,"

"Now for Floette, like all Fairy-Types, she prefers sweets. But to be more specific in her case, honey. She loves fresh drizzling honey. For our Shaymins here, they also like sweets but they're also okay with fruits and grains."

"That last explanation is what I wanted to know the most. By their appearances, I first thought that they were some sort of relative species of Hedgehog, and tried to feed them the same way. However, at the first attempt, they ran away."

"What did you try feeding them with?" Persian asked.

"Just the usual bugs and grubs we get from our gardens. And occasional fruits like strawberries." Riddle answered.

Lia and the group made faces of disgust, "Okay, the fruits and stuff are fine. But bugs? Then it's no wonder they ran off." Persian gagged.

"Pikachu," (No kidding,)

"But we can understand why you assumed. While it's true that most Pokémon appeared like the normal animals you see every day. However, it doesn't always mean that they'll be the same."

Matt adjusted his glasses. "Not that we can say exactly, we're still learning the ropes about the creature species here."

"Thank you all for your help on the matter. I was beginning to grow concerned for this lot's well-being." Riddle politely bowed.

Lia just smiled, "Glad we could help."

"Now that's out of the way, let us all now be off. It's almost time for the Unbirthday party."

"Wait, Mr. Riddle sir." Matt waved.

"Yes?"

"Do we also have to dress up? From the looks of yours and Trey's clothes, there seems to be a dress code."

"Ah yes, in Heartslabyul, we traditionally dress in our dorm's uniforms when we hold our events. As invited guests, we prepared a little something for you." Riddle held his scepter high as he pointed it to the group. With one wave of it, a light suddenly flashed out of nowhere blinding them for a moment. When they opened their eyes, their attire had completely changed. Matt's was like Trey's only with a red vest, Pikachu and Persian were wearing bows. Lia's attire was similar to the boy's but with a skirt.

"Oh Cool!" "Not bad." "Pika, Pi!"

"You didn't need to do this Riddle." Lia humbly replied.

"Nonsense, one of the Queen of Hearts rules clearly states, one must dress accordingly in any event. That includes guests as well."

'Again, with the rules? Even just for a little bit, can't he loosen up from them??' she sighed, still not getting used to his sternness.

"Now then, let us be off. The Unbirthday party is about to begin."

Reluctantly, Lia took Riddle's hand as they all left the room to get to the gardens. However, deep down Lia felt like something was going to happen. And she was pretty sure it wasn't going to be good.

________________________________________________________________________________

The sound of trumpeting was heard at Lia, Riddle, and the rest of the group stood before a large heart-shaped gate.

"All hail our leader! The Red Rose Sovereign ruler himself. . . Housewarden Riddle! And his honored guest, Lady Lianara!"

Lia flinched at the sound of her full name, which didn't go unnoticed by a certain person. Riddle lead Lia and the group to a long table that had a few chairs, well, one of them looked like a throne, making Lia sweat drop. 'Well, this place is based on the lifestyle of a queen.'

"Ah yes, the roses bathed in red, the tablecloths decked in white. A proper Unbirthday indeed. And there is a dormouse asleep in the teapot, correct?"

"Yes, and we've ensured there was jam on its nose, just in case," Trey replied as he poured tea for everyone at the table.

As someone else was pouring Lia a drink, she noticed that they were wearing a collar like Ace. Actually, as she was looking around the party, she found a good hand full of students wearing collars. 'Is this what Cater meant earlier?' Off from the corner of her eye, Lia found the rest of her friends, including Theo in the area. Their appearances had changed to Heartslabyul uniforms as well.

"Don't they clean up nice," Persian smirked, noticing the boys too.

"Pika, Pika," (Even Grim looks neat,)

Everyone soon went quiet when Riddle raised his cup, "Now before we begin the croquet tournament; Let us make a toast, everyone has their teacup, yes? Good, on this most signifying unauspicious of days, I bid ye and all attendance. . . A Very Merry Unbirthday! Cheers!"

"CHEERS!"

"Um, Mr. Riddle, sir. What is croquet?"

Riddle looked over to Matt with slightly wide eyes, "You do not know croquet? Do you not have that sport in your homeland?"

"This is actually our first time hearing it. We may have a few sports that you've heard of, like baseball, golfing, swim racing, and wrestling. But not croquet, is it complicated?"

"On the contrary, it's actually similar to golf. It's better explained once you see it for yourself."

"That would make it easier for us to understand, Thank you. Also, Riddle. Thank you for keeping my allergies in mind for this." Lia took a sip from her cup, liking the aroma. 'A fine blend of ginger, orange, and clove.'

"Think not of it, after all, Queen's Law clearly states that hosts should always keep guests' well-being in mind."

"now that's a rule I'm okay with," Persian whispered to Pikachu.

"pi," (same)

"Um excuse me, House warden, sir."

Everyone turned to see Ace nervously smiling at Riddle with his hands behind him, no doubt holding the box with the tart. Seeing what he was doing, Lia signaled him to come over to their table.

"Ah, if it isn't the 'Tart Thief. You request an audience with me?"

"Yeah, I mean - yes! I wanted to apologize for eating that tart the other night. So, I made a new one to replace it."

"Oh, did you now? What kind of tart exactly? Is it a Mandarin Tart? If so, Lady Lia has already given me one."

"Uh, no, it's not. It's a homemade Chestnut tart. And I promise you, we were very good with the chestnuts."

Lia noticed Riddle's demeanor had completely changed. He looked like he was overly offended. 'Oh no,'

"A, a chestnut tart! UNACCEPTABLE!!"

"Huh!?"

"Pika!" (Say what!?)

"Queen of Heart's law, rule number 562: "One must never bring a chestnut tart to an Unbirthday party. This is a strict violation of the rules! Now you have ruined a perfectly ideal Unbirthday party!" Riddle slammed his hand on the table, making Matt jump in fear.

"F-five hundred and sixty-two?! How many Queen of Heart's Laws are there?!" Deuce nervously sweated.

"Exactly Eight hundred and ten. As House warden, I have memorized all of them as it is mandatory."

"Eight hundred and ten," Lia swallowed in disbelief.

"that's insane, talk about a total T-I-L . . . Hey, Trey, did you know about that?"

Trey shook his head to Cater, "I've only memorized the first three hundred and fifty. I wasn't aware of there being rules for a specific tart. we really botched this one, big time."

"As the House warden of Heartslabyul, it is my duty to establish honor to the Queen of Hearts severity, I absolutely can not turn a blind eye to this insult. Discard this offending tart immediately!"

"Hold up! This is a joke right?! That's seriously a rule?! It makes zero sense!" Ace retorted back as offended.

"Yeah! If you're just going to toss it, just hand it to me and let me eat it." Grim suggested.

"I don't know that's a good idea to say right now, Grim," Matt muttered, trying to get a good distance from Riddle as he was getting too intimidated by his uproar.

Trey tried to handle the situation "House warden wait! I was the one who suggested making the tart, so allow me to apologize for this."

"Yeah, yeah, same here. We had no clue there was a rule for that anyway." Cater jumped in.

But Riddle shrugged them off, "The making of the tart is not the issue here. The issue is that it was brought here today of all days is a serious transgression!"

"Now just a moment Riddle." Everyone turned to Theo as he stepped into the scene.

"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh here? Neither Ace nor any of the others here knew about that rule, nor that there were that many in the first place. Can't you just let this slide just this once? Ace worked really hard to make this apology tart for you and wanted to make amends. I may not be a member of Heartslabyul, however, I do wish for everyone to have a good experience in this school, from all dorms."

"Your opinion is admirable, Theodore. That I will admit, but you of all people should know that when there are rules, they are to be followed, straight to a 'T."

"But, it's just a tart. There's no need to make it into a big deal. Besides, I offered some tarts too, shouldn't I be,"

"The tarts you made were a gesture of appreciation and a gift. They were not in any violation of any of the rules. There is no need for you to be involved in this matter."

"But," Lia was cut off again when she heard Ace scoff.

"Give me a freaken break! All I've seen you do is recite one stupid rule after another, you're the one who sounds totally foolish here!"

"What did you just say? 'Foolish? Me!?" Riddle seethed at him.

"D-Dude! Stop! Don't dig yourself deeper than you already are!" Cater warned, then he nervously smiled, "Hey Riddle, like Theo here said, these guys didn't know. After all, they're still new here, it's only been a few days since joining this dorm."

But Ace didn't budge, "Yeah, no. Sorry, I've got a shovel so I'm Digging. Throwing away a tart just for some stupid insane rule? That is about as foolish as it gets."

"Sorry to say this, but he's right. I understand that rules are made to be followed and all, but this is getting way out of hand." Deuce implied.

"You all got some nerve, mouthing off to me like that. And attempting to debate against me? Bold move, listen very carefully; by breaking even the smallest of rules here you are throwing an even bigger gate of anarchy." Riddle hissed.

Ace turned to the crowd, "Hey, everyone. I get that your all scared to have your magic sealed and everything, but you get that this is all insane right?"

"N-no, w-we just." A student began to stutter.

"Oh really, well, isn't it?" Riddle turned to the crowd, making them all shudder.

"F-Far from it, sir!"

"We all trust your Impeccable Judgement!"

"Are they serious?" Persian scoffed. "I've even seen Slowpokes stand their ground better than these twerps."

"Persian shut it."

"You can't deny that I'm right."

"I know, but don't make the situation worse than it is."

"In my second year since I've become House Warden, not a single student has ever dropped out, expelled, or repeated a year. We have been the only house to have ever accomplished such a feat. Furthermore, I have the best academic standing out of everyone in this dorm. Not only am I the best student, but also the strongest! Hence that makes me the most correct! If you all just heed my rule, we wouldn't need to contend with this!"

Deuce jumped at Riddle's proclamation, "W-We just,"

"It's not that I 'want your heads rolling, I do it because rules must never be broken. In other words, you rulebreakers are the ones who are in the wrong. It'll be off with all your heads when you deliberately disobey me!"

As soon as Riddle said that and whipped out his staff. Lia felt her hand being grabbed. It was Matt, all this commotion had really shaken him to the core. Though it was true that rules are meant to keep order, that didn't mean that people can't enjoy what makes them comfortable and happy. This was above all, out of-control abusive power use.

As everyone, including Trey, was silent; Cater tried to reason the boys and Grim to agree with Riddle and apologize. But they didn't budge so much of an inch. Even Theo stood his ground with them, which Lia could see was causing Riddle to reach his breaking point. What Ace and Grim said next, just sealed the deal.

"Not happening, I'm not gonna 'bow down to a Self-important whinny tyrant!"

"What, did you just call me?"

Grim scoffed, "He called you a tyrant if that wasn't obvious! I mean, wanting to destroy good food just because you're throwing a tantrum like a kid!"

"Whoa, whoa, guys! That's escalating things way too -" But it was too late, that was all that was needed for Riddle to snap.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!!"

In a flash, both Deuce and Grim were wearing the magic seal collar. "GAAAAAAH!!"

"N-not this collar again," Grim choked.

Deuce tried to get it off but it was no use, Theo stopped him before he could hurt himself.

"TREY! CATER! I WANT THEM EJECTED OFF THE PREMISES NOW!!"

". . . . . Yes, Dorm Leader."

Without hesitation, the two upperclassmen, 'literally shoved the boys and Grim out of the gardens.

"I'll leave as well, as it is clear that there's no point in negotiating anymore," Theo said, as he calmly walked out to help the boys up. However, before he did, he heard Trey whisper something to him. He whispered something back while patting the said classmen's shoulder.

"Whelp, we'll T-T-Y-L! You guys should have known better."

"We'll try to calm him down enough for you to come up with a new apology."

As the doors began to close, Lia and the group heard Ace yell at the top of his lungs, saying that he'd rather die than apologies to Riddle. As the gate completely closed, Lia suddenly felt lightheaded as Riddle's demeanor did a total 180.

" *sighs* Now then, let us continue on with the party. After all, we still have our croquet tournament to begin. 'tisk, fifteen minutes late, how outrageous!"

Lia's vision went hassy, the sound of ink droplets was louder and thicker than last time. Matt and her Pokémon rushed over to steady her.

"Pika pi?" (Lia, what's wrong?)

"Nothing Pikachu, just, a bit lightheaded. Didn't realize that I was holding my breath." 'I need to get us out of here.'

"Given what just went down. I can't say that I blame you." Persian stated, then he suddenly stood in front of her on guard as Riddle approached them.

"Apologies you had to witness that Miss. Lia. Please, allow me to escort you to,"

"Actually Riddle, I think it's best that we take our leave now."

"What,"

"Look, I'm very grateful for the invitation and everything; however, given what has happened, I don't what to spend another minute here."

"Are you saying that you're siding with those rulebreakers?" Riddle lightly glared at her.

"No, however, I don't like the atmosphere and your recent behavior is unacceptable, considering you've scared Matt to the point he can barely let go of me."

Snapping his attention to the said boy, Riddle saw Matt shaking with fear and looking at him with tears in his eyes. Images suddenly flashed in his eyes, as if this was familiar to him.

"Maybe another time you can teach us croquet. But for right now, no." As she and her group were heading towards the gate, Lia said one last thing to Riddle as she passed by him.

"Not everything has to be by the book, doing so just makes your life bleak and miserable if you don't make choices of your own."

Once she and the others were out, they ran off to find their friends. Lia looked back to the gate, 'I feel like this is just the start of something much worst.'