Skrtch.

Skrtch.

Skrrrttttcch.

"Ugh... screw it if I'm late, just five more minutes..." You mutter quietly, your eyes remaining shut as you grumble in annoyance.

You don't wanna wake up... you were having the strangest dream your new mirror just dragged you into it after an awesome (although chaotic) picnic with your friends.

Skrtch.

Skrtttch.

Skrrrrttttttcch.

You huff a bit and try to roll over, "Oh... to Arceus' name, it won't be that bad if I'm only a few minutes late, Moonstone- huh, what the..?"

You pause at the fact that you can't really turn yourself over, since you're trapped in some kinda... tight and thin rectangular-esc box?

Oh Arceus- that wasn't a dream-

Your eyes fly open to an area that's just as dark as what you saw when your eyes were closed. You frantically feel around, your eyes widening in panic.

What's going on? What's happening?

The feeling of how tight the room is seems to increase as more panic fills your senses.

Oh dear Arceus, I beg of you to please help me...

"I better hurry up and find that uniform before someone spots me." A slightly high-pitched voice is heard from outside wherever you're trapped in.

There's a few more scratches, and then a quiet groan.

"Uggh... This lid weighs a ton," The voice says again, "Try this on for size! Mya-ha!"

Then whatever your in shakes suddenly from an unexplained force-

Did someone just send a Pokémon to attack this thing?

-And the lid of the coffin flies off, filling your senses with sudden light. You blink blearily as sudden heat hits your feet. You look down and see-

Fuck, blue fire.

...

FUCK, BLUE FIRE!

You panic as you stamp out the flames, "Fire! FIRE!"

"Now to grab the goods... What? You aren't supposed to be awake!"

You look down and see... a little dark grey fluffy Meowth looking creature, with ice-blue eyes and blue fire filling it's ears. It has a white chest and it's tail ends in a pitch-fork like shape.

What a strange looking Pokémon? Maybe a regional variant of Meowth?

You glance around for it's trainer and don't see it. But you do see coffins floating around the edge of the room, and a large strange mirror (similar to your own mirror before it dragged you here) floating in the dead center of the room. How strange...

"...aw..." You say as you crouch down, a gentle smile on your face, "Where's your trainer, little fella?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" The creature says with a stomp of it's foot, it's face morphing into an angry snarl, "The great Grim needs no... NO "TRAINER"!"

You flinch back and stand back up, your eyes widening in shock.

Did that Pokémon just... talk? What the..?

"Whatever... human! Just gimme your uniform, and be quick about it!"

You instinctively look down at your body, seeing...

Huh!? This isn't your school outfit!

A long black and purple robe, with beautiful golden highlights. You hesitantly reach up and feel a large hood on your head, and yank off the hood.

You stare down at the little creature in shock, who's impatiently stamping it's foot and glaring up at you.

"'Cause if you don't... You're gonna regret it!"

The Meowth-looking thing says, a cruel sneer on it's little face as it's tail lashes.

You quickly nudge it aside with your foot, and start running immediately, yelling, "SOMEBODY HEEELLLPPP!"

You dash down the long hallway, panicking.

"HEY! Get back! I'm on a tight schedule here!"

You glance behind you and notice the creature tearing after you. OH ARCEUS THIS THING IS FAST!

"Uh-" You sputter out as you keep running. Okay, this thing looks like a... Fire and dark type. Seems like it's about as strong as a Houndour, so pretty newly trained. Water, ground, rock, or fighting will be good for this...

"CHOMPERS!" You say as you pull out your Garchomp's Pokéball from your bag, "Sorry to wake you up from your nap, but HELP!"

"Myah? What- WOAH!"

The strange Meowth looks startled as it hops back from the Mach Pokémon, the Pokémon towering over the small creature as he snarls quietly.

You scuttle behind Chompers, tightly hugging him from behind as you glance at the Meowth looking thing, who's stomping it's foot.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN SCARE THE GREAT GRIM? THINK AGAIN! NOW GIMME THAT OUTFIT UNLESS YOU AND SHARK-FACE HERE WANNA GET BURNED TO A- ME-YEOW!"

You flinch back when a fancy leash appears out of nowhere, suddenly wrapping itself tightly around the creature. It yelps in pain and starts struggling frantically.

Some variant of the move Coil..?

"Consider it tough love." You flinch yet again at a new voice, looking it up to see... a very strange looking man. And you saw Clavell pretend to be Clive for roughly two months around you during the time you were sent by Cassopia- er- Penny- to shut down Team Star. He's wearing some kinda dark purple-blue suit with some kinda large coat. The coat seems made out of black-esc material, with large Honchkrow-like feathers potruding from from the collar. His gloved hands ended with little gold claw-like things on his fingertips and the top-hat on his head is black with a little mirror on the side.

Though, the most interesting thing about him (to you at least) is the Murkrow-like mask on his face, completely covering the upper part of it, and the two- almost glowing- bright yellow eyes that were visible.

Who in the name of Arceus is this strange looking man who's dressing up like some kinda humanoid Murkrow?

You instinctively shrink back as the man turns his attention to you and Chompers.

"Ah, I've found you... two?" He hesitates for a moment at the sight of Chompers before flawlessly continuing, "At last. I trust you're both one of the new year's students?"

You try to speak, but he immediately resumes talking. Even Clavell gave you opportunities to talk when you spoke to him...

"My, were you two excited to make your debut. And both bringing a poorly trained familar and using a banned transformation potion? Both clear violations of school rules." He shakes his head, looking disappointed in you...

"...what's a transformation potion?" You ask hesitantly, and he raises an eyebrow.

"...I'm sure you saw it when your companion here used it?"

You shake your head, "Nope. Chompers always looked like this since he fully evolved."

Before anyone can say anything else, the Meowth-looking thing angrily speaks up, and everyone turns their attention to it as it struggles against the whip.

Whips... you read about them in history books. Used to force Pokémon to do humans bidding and were quickly made illegal worldwide after Pokémon training became widespread.

"As if I'd serve some lowly human with a strange monster that came out of a ball!" The Meowth variant hisses, "Now lemme go!"

"...ball?" The man utters after a moment, looking at you with a look you can't quite place...

"Well, Pokéball," You say, holding up Chompers' Pokéball you're still holding, "Speaking of which... Chompers, return."

Chompers reenters the Pokéball in the flash of red and white, and you look back at the man and still-struggling Meowth.

...you don't like the curious look the man is giving you.

"Well, you certainly have some unorthodox familars," The man says, "And quite impatient too... stepping out of your gate before everyone. But I shall willingly allow these grievances to be overlooked. Oh! How kind I am!"

You give him the blankest look you can muster. This is stranger than the time the late Pokémon Professors explained what Koraidon and Miraidon were to you...

You don't get an opportunity to ask any more questions about what in the name of the Distortion World he's talking about before the man says.

"Come along now, young man. Your orientation has already begun. Let us return to the mirror chamber."

And with that, he spins around on his heel and starts briskly walking away, dragging the squirming Meowth variant behind him.

You hesitate for a moment before jogging after the man.

"Student? Gate? Mirror chamber? Familar? Wh- pardon me for asking, but what are you talking about?"

The man glances down at you, the inquisitive look from earlier back on his face. "You awakened in a room full of Gates, did you not?" He asks.

You tilt your head, tightening the straps of your bag slightly as you walk, "You mean those coffins? Those were "gates"?"

"The design is intended to symbolize a parting with your former world, and a rebirth into a new one. But now is not the time for such prattle." He responds simply.

Dramatic, but okay. Who are you to judge?

He nudges you towards the room once you get a bit closer with a hand, "You've got a student orientation to attend! Go on now, make haste."

You dig your heels into the floor, "Wait! Can you at least explain where en nombre del todopoderoso Arceus I am and who you are?"

The man seems to blank at your use of Spanish to avoid saying the slight-swear out loud in a way everyone can understand, but quickly regains his composure.

"Hm? Have you not fully regained consciousness? Perhaps your memories have become muddled from the process. Well... these things happen, I suppose." He resumes walking, and you resume jogging slightly to stay near him.

Good thing you spent a good amount of time just walking around Paldea off of Koraidon or Miraidon. Your stamina is off the charts. As well as your strength, considering how much Chile- your Skeledirge- loves being carried by you. And he's no small Pokémon by any means.

"I shall walk you back to the Mirror Chamber and explain this to you as we walk. Truly, my magnanimity is boundless."

He seems pretty narcissistic to be honest...

He suddenly spins around and you follow after him, slightly confused but deciding not to ask as to where you're going now.

You glance down at the strange Meowth who's finally stopped struggling, just sitting their with an annoyed frown on it's face and it's blue-fire ears drooping down.

"...that's one strange looking Meowth. Is that a regional variant of some kind?"

The man glances back to you, the inquisitive look back on his face, "What is this "Meowth"? That, young man, is a cat."

What's a cat..?

Also, you're not a man. Are you gonna correct him? Not yet. You kinda wanna see how far you can go until he realizes you're a girl.

You know it's kinda rude, but he's the one who hasn't realized yet. Because you definitely don't sound like a guy.

He leads you out into a courtyard, and you look around in slight awe at the giant building surrounding you, under the grey and cloudy sky...

It's like... Pomelo Academy. Except so much bigger... like a dark castle. Looks much more imposing and less welcoming than the Academy is...

"This is Night Raven College," The man says with a gesture of his hands, "It is an institution for students the world over who demonstrate a rare aptitude for magic. It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland." 

He places his hand on his chest, a pleased smile on his face as he seems quite proud, "And I am Dire Crowley. Having been entrusted with it's care, I serve as the Headmage."

...so many questions flood your brain. Twisted Wonderland, where's that? College, is that like Pomelo Academy? Magic, is that what they call Pokémon moves here? Why hasn't he mentioned Pokémon? Is a Headmage like a Headmaster?

Instead of asking all your questions, you clear your throat and ask, "Magic?"

"Only those the Dark Mirror perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted to the college. Those who are selected are summoned to this college through those "gates", which can appear anywhere." Crowley tilts his head down at you, a slight smile on his face, "A black carriage bearing one of those gates should had come to meet you."

...explain to him you got dragged here through a mirror? Hm... nah, bad idea, for now at least. First, figure out where you are. Then figure out why there's no Pokémon and why Crowley didn't know what an Arceus-damned Meowth is.

"Right... yeah. Totally happened to me, Mago de cabeza, señor."

Crowley smiles, obviously not understanding anything you just said in Paldean, "Now, let us attend to your orientation."