By the time we stepped into the cafeteria, the place was buzzing.

  Not just loud—buzzing. The kind of sound that fills every inch of space, a dozen conversations all overlapping with the clatter of trays, the laughter of trainers, and the one girl’s voice “Lechonk, stop that!” echoing across the hall.

  Teddy was perched on my shoulder again, still drowsy from the Rookidee match. He didn’t care about the noise. He cared about food. He spotted the line ahead and tapped my cheek with a paw like, Get moving, slowpoke.

  “I think we earned dessert today,” Flavio announced behind me as we shuffled forward. “Maybe something chocolate.”

  “You’re going to share with Koa, aren’t you?” Melody asked dryly.

  Flavio looked personally offended. “Obviously. He needs chocolate.”

  We finally reached the front of the line. Teddy’s tray was automatically filled with honey-glazed kibble and a scoop of something berry-flavored. Mine was more sensible—steamed veggies, rice, and a tofu stir-fry. I barely had time to balance my tray before a cheerful voice cut through the cafeteria chaos.

  “Melody! Over here!”

  I turned just as a hand shot up from across the hall. Lidia Betti, bouncing in her seat like she had been waiting all day. Her long white hair was tied up in a fluffy high ponytail, and her partner Minccino was perched on the table, brushing its tail obsessively with a polished little comb.

  Beside her were Alicia Young, face calm but kind, and her pink Cleffa already halfway through a cupcake. Next to them sat Hugo King, quietly spooning curry into his mouth while his Petilil snoozed in his lap. And finally—Max Anderson.

  Max gave me a small nod. His Machop sat cross-legged beside him, arms folded, meditating like this was a dojo and not the middle of dinner.

  “Hey!” Flavio greeted, leading the way toward their table. “Room for three?”

  Lidia grinned. “Of course! We saved the whole end of the bench—Alicia said you guys might show up.”

  Alicia gave a slight shrug. “Just a guess.”

  We slid into our spots, and trays clattered softly against the table.

  “Alright,” Lidia said, clapping her hands together. “Battle report time!”

  “Oh no,” Melody groaned playfully. “You’re one of those dinner people.”

  Lidia winked. “Always.”

  “Fine,” Flavio sighed. “We’ll go in order. Who’s first?”

  “I’ll start!” Lidia beamed. “Three wins today.”

  “Three?” I blinked. “Damn. Who’d you fight?”

  “Frederika’s Emolga, Andrea’s Dunsparce, and Pulmari’s Alolan Vulpix,” she said proudly. “Honestly, Minccino just outpaced them. Especially the Vulpix.”

  Melody tensed just slightly beside me. “Interesting,” she said, not looking up from her tray.

  “Want to fight Meli?” Melody’s eyes flicked up, sharp. “How about first thing tomorrow?”

  Lidia’s grin widened. “You’re on.”

  I felt the table shift slightly—energy crackling like a spark before a match even started. Across from them, Alicia gave a small sigh.

  “I’ve got two wins,” she said. “Agnus’ Hoppip and… Hugo. Sorry.”

  Hugo just nodded. “It was a good match. Cleffa’s trickier than she looks.”

  “She’s very persuasive,” Alicia said, watching her Cleffa attempt to convince Teddy to share his kibble. It wasn’t working.

  “My turn,” Max said, straightening a little. “Two wins today. Beat Flavio—”

  “Thanks for the reminder,” Flavio cut in, stabbing a fork into his food.

  “—and Topaz’ Pawniard.”

  “That’s a tough one,” I said. “Dark and Steel?”

  Max nodded. “We trained against type counters. Machop's Low Kick helped.”

  “What about you?” Lidia asked, turning to me. “We heard the Jeremy match was… dramatic.”

  I blinked. “That’s one word for it. Yeah, three wins so far—Jeremy’s Bagon, Lily’s Shinx, and Yash’s Rookidee.”

  “Strong record,” Hugo murmured.

  “Looks like your Teddy’s stronger than people think,” Alicia said, smiling softly.

  Teddy, still munching, paused to wave a paw—then went back to eating like nothing happened.

  Melody and Flavio reported their one win and one loss each. No one teased Flavio this time. The loss against Max had clearly stung, but he handled it with more dignity than I expected.

  “Alright,” Lidia said, leaning forward with a grin. “We’ve got four legacy students at one table. This is officially the most interesting group in the room.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  I glanced around—and realized she wasn’t wrong.

  Other students were definitely sneaking looks our way. There was a tight Kantoan circle near the vending stations. A group of Sinnoh kids huddled around a steaming pot of curry. Even the Kalosian crowd had claimed the window seats, chattering softly in accented tones.

  Most students had gravitated to their regional groups.

  We hadn’t.

  The Johto kids were all scattered. Same with Paldea, apparently.

  And yet here we were—Johto, Alola, and… wait.

  “You’re all from Unova, right?” I asked, glancing across the table.

  Lidia nodded. “Yep. All four of us.”

  “Alicia, Max, and I grew up together,” she added, gesturing to the others.

  “I met them during the third exam,” Hugo said with a small smile. “Been stuck with them ever since.”

  “Voluntarily stuck,” Alicia corrected, nudging him.

  “Still stuck,” Hugo muttered, but he didn’t sound unhappy about it.

  I leaned back. “Huh. So you guys already had a squad before school even started.”

  “More like a home team,” Max said with a shrug.

  “I don’t really get the region cliques,” I admitted. “Feels a little… I don’t know. Divisive?”

  “Comfort,” Alicia said simply. “You speak the same dialect, watched the same shows, ate the same food. It’s not about shutting others out. It’s just familiar.”

  “I’m just here for the food,” Flavio said, raising his fork like a toast.

  “You’re Johtoan, right?” Lidia asked me.

  “Yeah. But my village’s kind of… remote. We didn’t exactly have a lot of kids my age around.”

  “I’m from Lumiose,” she said, flicking a strand of white hair over her shoulder. “Big city. So this whole academy thing? Piece of cake.”

  “Must be nice,” I said. “You’ve already got your crew, your bearings, your favorite lunch table—”

  “Speaking of crew,” Hugo interrupted softly, glancing across the table. “Flavio.”

  Flavio looked up mid-bite. “What?”

  “I want a match,” Hugo said, voice calm but firm. “Tomorrow. Petilil versus Koa.”

  Flavio blinked. “You sure? That’s a rough type matchup.”

  “I know.”

  There wasn’t any false bravado in Hugo’s voice. Just quiet certainty.

  Alicia turned slightly toward him. “You’ve been thinking about it all day, haven’t you?”

  He nodded. “I want to test how Petilil handles pressure.”

  Flavio looked between us, then leaned back and stretched. “Alright. I respect it. Win or lose, we’ll make it flashy.”

  Koa gave a soft chirp, already preparing for a performance.

  “I’m putting that on the board for second match,” Lidia said, as if this had all been decided already. “After Melody and I kick things off.”

  Melody didn’t even blink. “We’re starting at eight. Don’t be late.”

  “That rhymed,” I muttered.

  “No it didn’t,” Melody said.

  I let it go.

  Meanwhile, something softer was happening at the edge of the table.

  Teddy and Alicia’s Cleffa now sat side by side, sharing quiet space like two clouds deciding whether to merge. Teddy nibbled a berry slowly. Cleffa reached over with a chubby hand, offered her half-eaten cupcake. Teddy sniffed, then leaned his head against her shoulder with a satisfied “Ted-di…”

  Alicia watched them quietly, her expression softening.

  “They’re not sizing each other up,” she murmured. “They’re just… being.”

  I glanced over. “So no battle?”

  Alicia shook her head with a small smile. “Not everything’s a fight.”

  Teddy let out a low, dreamy huff. Cleffa leaned into him a little more, humming something too soft to name. It felt like music, but not for performance—just for him.

  Sure enough, Teddy didn’t move. He looked half-asleep, cheek still resting against Cleffa’s side, while Cleffa hummed a lullaby only she could hear.

  “They’re having a vibe match,” Alicia added.

  “A what?”

  “They’re just… vibing. That’s how Cleffa trains best. She doesn’t fight to win. She fights to connect.”

  I blinked. “That’s… weirdly poetic.”

  Alicia smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “She picked it up from me.”

  And for just a second, I wasn’t thinking about Cleffa or vibe matches or even battling. I was thinking about the way the light hit her cheek, how it caught the faint dusting of freckles across her nose—like constellations I kept catching myself trying to map. I'd noticed them the first day we met. I kept noticing them.

  I blinked and looked away before I got caught staring.

  I watched Teddy and Cleffa for a moment longer. Teddy’s tail swayed gently, and Cleffa gave a little sparkle-spin without disturbing the moment. It was—quiet. Lovely. And a little surreal.

  Then Lidia broke the spell. “So who’s still undefeated besides me?”

  “I’m 2-0,” Max said, “And so is Alicia.”

  I raised my hand hesitantly. “Technically… me,” I said. And just like that, the pressure started to settle in my chest like extra weight on the tray.

  “Irene’s 4–0 too,” Alicia said, her tone casual, but her eyes sharp.

  That got my attention.

  “Four?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I overheard her talking to her friend earlier. She beat Anders, Amber, Trish, and Theo.”

  I glanced over at the other side of the cafeteria, where Trish and her Lechonk were laughing along Viktor and Claire.

  Melody whistled softly. “Four in one day?”

  “She’s on a mission,” Max added. “And her Electrike is even faster than it looks.”

  “So tomorrow,” Lidia grinned, pointing at me, “you’re going head-to-head with Irene?”

  “Five o’clock,” I said. “Battle Hall.”

  Hugo murmured. “Big pressure.”

  “She is probably the best battler amongst us first years,” Alicia said. “You know that.”

  “It certainly seems that way.”

  The table went quiet for a moment, the tension briefly palpable, before Lidia clapped her hands once.

  “Okay! Morning matches: me and Melody first. Hugo and Flavio second. Let’s get some quality sleep before then.”

  Alicia nodded. “We’ll be there.”

  “We’ll cheer,” Max added.

  One by one, their group began gathering their trays. Petilil was already curled in Hugo’s arms. Cleffa climbed into Alicia’s hoodie pocket like she did this every night. Minccino polished her tail one last time before hopping onto Lidia’s shoulder with the elegance of a tiny gymnast.

  “See you tomorrow,” Lidia said, spinning on her heel and striding off like she was heading to a press conference.

  Max gave us a nod. Hugo raised a hand. Alicia just gave me a look that wasn’t quite a smile—but wasn’t not a smile either.

  Then they were gone.

  Our trio lingered.

  Teddy had crawled back into my lap, full belly and half-lidded eyes. Flavio was still poking at his dessert, letting Koa taste the edge of a chocolate cake with suspicious reverence. Melody stared into her glass of Oran-berry juice like it might reveal tomorrow’s outcome.

  “They’re good,” Flavio said, finally breaking the silence. “Lidia, Hugo, Alicia, Max… That group’s solid.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “They’ve got their rhythm.”

  Melody tilted her head. “So do we.”

  I looked between the three of us—Flavio’s Hawlucha now passed out against his chest like a champion who needed a nap; Melody’s Vulpix tucked beneath the table in a neat, icy spiral; and Teddy, small and snoring in my arms.

  We weren’t flashy. But yeah—we were a team.

  Maybe not a “region crew” like Lidia’s.

  But we were ours.

  We stayed there a little longer, letting the crowd thin around us, the cafeteria noise fading into background hum. Battles discussed, plans set. Tomorrow was already coming fast.

  Later that night, the dorm lights dimmed around me as I slid under the covers, Teddy curled against my chest. The Training Sphere had been removed from his band, set carefully on my nightstand. His breathing was slow and steady, one paw resting on my arm, the other tucked beneath his chin.

  My body felt sore—not from fighting, but from thinking. Watching. Planning.

  I stared at the ceiling, the room dark except for the faint glow of the hallway light bleeding in beneath the door. Teddy shifted once, grumbled something in his sleep, then settled again.

  I wrapped my arms around him a little tighter.

  “Sleep well, partner,” I whispered. “We’ve got a big day ahead.”

  And then, like someone had flipped a switch, sleep pulled me under too.