Back in his room, Sage unrolled the scroll. Gin sat beside him, waiting for the contents of the letter to be revealed.

"So... what does it say?" The vocalist asked. He had tried to call Danny and Alain but both of them did not answer again. Then, he focused his gaze on the blue-black words on yellowed paper.

Sage, you belong to me. I don't know when you'll remember me, but when you do, please look for me. I love your face full of despair. You need to learn more about that. Once we're back together again, we can continue everything. From Yvette.

"Your girlfriend?" Gin asked. "Quite a sadist."

"I don't know who Yvette is. The name seems familiar..."

"The notification on the phone back in Amity's room." Blade reminded Sage and the latter smiled weakly.

"I saw a phone belonging to Yvette, but I think it's Yuzu's. Assuming Yuzu is Yvette, what does she want from me?" Sage scratched his chin and glanced at his phone. It's a message from the High Priestess. He had given his number to her before they left so perhaps she was just wishing him well or something of that sorts.

Tarocchi: Sage, you left very quickly and we didn't really catch up with each other. By the way, it's almost midnight. Do you want to meet me? Maybe if you see something I'm also capable of, you might just remember something else.

Sage sank his front teeth into his lips and felt a hint of warmth.

"Why Yuzu?"

"It's a gut feeling." Sage showed his friend the message the he received and Gin smiled at him. "You think I should go then?"

"Yeah. Why not? If it helps, just go."

Sage: where do we meet?

Tarocchi: At the sundial. We'll be heading to a mysterious island some distance away from Kalos. You have no idea how happy I am when she contacted me to help her. It's also been three years since I last saw her.

Sage: Who? What kind of help?

Tarocchi: Yvette. She wants me to exorcise an unquiet spirit on the island. I'll send you the coordinates.

When Sage received the address and coordinates, he almost threw his phone out of his grip.

Sage: we can meet there. By the way, what was my relationship with Yvette?

Tarocchi had not replied.

"She's coming here! I think my theory is right. Yuzu is Yvette. She must have tipped Tarocchi off about the island," Sage told the vocalist.

Gin took a look at the text and narrowed his gaze. "Exorcise? Does that mean that Café Au Lait is doomed? Do you think we'll be next? Music is a powerful influence after all."

Sage stifled a yawn and licked his bleeding lips where the blood was drying. He got up from the bed, stretched his arms and faced the black-haired boy.

"We need to tell Rain. He might know how to help Ria."

"Actually, there's something on my mind since we entered the church." Gin paused. "What is the Alpha Chrysalis?"

"Don't know."

「」

At the edge of the island, the spirit chewed on a sugary donut. It was a peaceful, quiet night, and she liked it that way. Her two Shuppet dolls hovered around her, purple eyes gleaming in the dark. She sneezed, catching their attention as she dropped the half-eaten donut into the sea.

"Why do I have a bad feeling? I better get back to Noryuku."

Slipping past green and gold foliage, she looked up at the darkening sky crackling with life and hastened. It's always like this, like that was the calm before the storm.

It's almost like The Tower in the Major Arcana.

Her eyes ran over to the clock tower in the middle of the city and glimpsed a flicker of light.

"No, I don't have much time. Better not get distracted."

She soon found herself sweeping past coiling ivies and the tendrils grazed her. No matter, for she wasn't very human. The lights in the academy were still on, like numerous eyes were watching her as she shifted deftly to the basketball court after hearing some noise there.

Six boys were seated in a circle in the middle of the court, placing their hands on a basketball in the centre. From afar, it would look like an atom, the basketball the nucleus, the boys the valence electrons. It reminded Ria of a Solosis.

"She's in trouble," Gin said.

"Shit, Tarocchi just reached the island." Sage scrolled through his phone.

Tarocchi...? Three years ago, I saw her run out of the burning church. Ria thought.

"Why is she here?" Ria asked while descending.

"T-To send you away." Rain shot her a look of concern after realising she was there. "I'll protect you."

"I don't need protection." She turned to her dolls. Shiri and Kuri grinned at her. "You think we females need masculine protection? We do just fine."

"No, but—"

"But we're the second sex? But we're more emotional than you? But we are the typical lamenters, the temptress? But—?"

"Anyone here? Is this the place? The haunted academy?" A high-pitched voice echoed throughout Noryuku.

She's here! Nick held his breath.

"Seems like it's unlocked. Wherever you are, darkling, I'll send you off peacefully." Tarocchi raised her voice. A tap. A second tap. "Now... where is Sage?"

Crap! I forgot to meet her. Sage's phone began to vibrate as the thought crossed his mind. Picking up, he released his Gallade from the Poké Ball and the swordsman hugged him, glad that he was out of that tiny capsule.

"Oh hey, I'm already here," Tarocchi said.

"Hi. I'm in the city right now. What about we meet at the café? It's still open." Sage did not blink.

"Sure. I'll be there in a jiffy."

The line went dead.

"Seems like I'll have to go there. Best of luck, all of you." Sage turned to his Pokémon and nodded. Then, within seconds, they were in the café, waiting for the woman.

"What now?" Blade shot him a look. "Herb-herb, we're gonna die!"

"That's an overstatement." Sage turned away and stared at the door. They took a seat near the window and waited.

The door was pushed open softly and the android at the coffee machine whirled around as he whistled to the patron.

Immediately, a familiar voice entered Sage's ears. Blade maintained a mask of anger and held his protruding blades out.

"What did I say, herb-herb?"

"You're right that I'm wrong." Sage faced the female in front of him and smiled weakly.

"You're not going to foil my plans, Sage." The female's dark red hair swayed as she walked into the café, towards Sage, and pressed her breasts onto the rectangular table as she leant forward, caressing the boy's cheeks with a scorn.

"If it isn't the racist," Sage spat and signalled for Blade to settle down beside him, passing the Pokémon a cushion with red and black stripes. "Yuzu... no, Yvette."

"What dreams may come in your sleep, Sage."

「」

Tarocchi Gardner did not go to the café as promised. Yvette told her to enter the academy through the unlocked gates.

"Seems like Yvette wants to talk to Sage, huh? I wonder how she's doing after that incident." The High Priestess licked his lips and hit the earth with her staff. The blood ruby encrusted in her staff glistened under the waning moon's light. Leaves spiralled off the earth in a tornado, red, orange, yellow. She liked autumn, but fall sounded better.

Energy swirled around her and she sensed a pair of amethyst eyes brimming with fear.

"Why don't we kill her?" A brute with fair skin combed his black hair up with his fingers. Tarocchi switched her gaze to the direction of the voice, seeing a group of five boys.

Her? The woman frowned. The sprite?

"This is trespassing, isn't it? Our privacy is a right." The same boy punched a basketball.

Yes, that's right. I'm here to protect your privacy. That trespassing sprite will not dare to hurt you. Tarocchi hardened her gaze.

"Nick, we can't let outsiders know about us. You know what Mad—"

"Rain, if you bloody want to save that damned girl, do something and stop screwing around like a coward! Man up!"

The woman watched Nick roar at the bald student. What secrets do they have? What girl?

Then, Tarocchi saw her. The ghost girl's grey hair flowed down her shoulders. Two Shuppet dolls, one black and one white, danced around her. The girl hovered closer to the boys.

The evil spirit! Those students need to be careful!

The High Priestess of the Alpha Chrysalis stormed hurriedly to Ria and swung her staff to the spirit who bent over, amethyst eyes glowing. Gritting her teeth, she tried again and a hand grabbed her silver staff.

"Hurry, get Ria away from her!" Rain turned to his friends as he twisted the object in his hand.

"You're protecting that evil one? You're bewitched! I must cleanse you first." Tarocchi muttered an incantation and the gem on her staff outshone the moon. Red energy surged from the gem and shot right into the bald student's forehead. The boy became limp as he collapsed, his consciousness stolen from him. "You're not under her evil spell? Then I have killed an innocent..."

"No! Rain!" Ria gasped and floated toward her cousin but Nick and Gin pulled her away. "Let me down! No! Don't do that to Rain!"

"I get it now..." Tarocchi knitted her brows in a fit of rage. "You are a succubus! How dare you try snatch the innocence of youth? A male harem, at that!"

The priestess growled and her white robe flew in the wind. Charging forward, she aimed her staff at the girl. She closed in like lightning. It was a few centimetres left till the staff would come into contact with the evil spirit. Then, the succubus spirit would finally be expelled.

The blood ruby flickered. The priestess could not budge. Looking down, her feet were frozen to the ground.

How? There aren't any Ice-types here.

"Gin! Why?" Ria shook the vocalist. "Please save Rain! Please!"

Ferro and Clay glanced at each other. Titan was exhausted so he did not come, and Clay came over instead. Ferro may have thrown his Stun Gun away but he still had his Flame Boomerang in his pocket. The brown-haired boy hardened his gaze at the intruder and jabbed his middle finger at her neck. The weapon in his other hand stroke her flesh.

"Ha?" Tarocchi stiffened as the boy with short grey-white hair on her right had a change in expression and build. His skin turned from peach to red and blue. It was refractory.

"Do you like corundum?" Clay sneered as he pounded his fist into a huge rock and broke it into large chunks with cracks. "Don't get me wrong. It's corundum, not conundrum. Go ahead, entertain your moral conundrum if you want. Corundum's a nine on the Mohs scale of hardness."

Tarocchi hissed. Are they even human? Were they all devils in disguise? This is way tougher than I thought! The devil princess's guards!

"Should I freeze her blood? Hydro is a good thing." Gin licked his lips.

If only Danny were here. She would be in deeper, hotter water then. Gin thought.

"Don't! Rain is already dead. You can't bring him to life like that," Ria screamed. "If none of you is stopping, I'll hand myself in."

"No, you're not an evil spirit!" Nick grunted. "Gin, leave the freezing to me. Heck, Ice Crystal is cool!"

Chains of transparent ice materialised in the brute's open hands and he lashed them at the woman.

"Go to the Distortion World, motherfucker!" Clay leapt and plunged downward to the priestess.

"No. This is wrong. All of you!" Ria's words were left unheard, except for Gin who fell back and looked her way. "Please, Gin, I know survival can mean throwing morals out of the window. But stop. Do something."

You leave me with no other choice. Gin spat saliva on the ground, at the spots where Nick, Ferro and Clay stood. I'm sorry.

Almost immediately, water spurted out like a geyser and shot the trio into the air.

"I remember you. You brought me to the PC back then." Tarocchi fixed her gaze at the girl staring back at her.

"This is unforgivable! She killed Rain! Why aren't you doing anything? What good is there in forgiveness, in mercy?" Nick yelled at Ria and flung his arms in the air. "Mercy murders those who worship it!"

"I—"

Before she could utter anything else, the staff penetrated her being and the blood ruby absorbed her soul.

"Go, restless one. You're not evil, Ria. You should rest." Tarocchi sniffed. A voice had told her to do that. Someone controlled her movements, against her will, without consent.

What have I just done? She saved me and this is how I repay her? The High Priestess pushed her robes back as she shuffled her feet to Gin upon regaining control of herself. Flames licked her hair at that instant.

"You murderer! You witch! You killed two people!" Ferro screamed as Gin released them and halted the beams of water. Moving on, the brown-haired boy slapped the woman, cracking a bone with his iron palm.

"It wasn't me. I couldn't control myself just now." Tarocchi tilted her head upwards at the moon as her fingers reached for her face. I have blood on my hands. Why?

That voice from just now was familiar. A telepathic message, but it wasn't Sage's Gallade. The Pokémon was just a messaging function. The user was someone else. A tear pricked her right eye. Dread rolled off the tip of her tongue as she muttered the name she came to fear.

"Yvette."

「」

Sage snapped back to reality when Blade shook him.

"What?" The boy slurred.

"She's gone. I don't know, but I think she used me for something. Also, she used your Healer card, though I don't know why."

"What?"

"For the second time! Don't 'what' me. I'm telling you, she can control people and Pokémon! You need to be careful."

"Oh." Sage's eyelids felt so heavy. He thought he needed a rest. "Let's go home."

"The letter on the table wants us to go to the Clock Tower."

"What's there?" Sage shook his head and blinked, trying to adjust his blurry vision.

"I don't know. It's written here that it's a surprise."

"Disgusting."

"You haven't played your cards, so we can't talk about playing them right, you know?"

"Yeah. I know. I think I know what to do."

"Why am I getting a bad aura from you?"

"You don't mind if one more light goes out, right? I want to use the Killer Card to kill myself."

A fist hit his face.

"That's not what I'm hoping to hear. I was expecting a 'welcome back' and a hug since I came back much earlier." Streaks of yellow came into view. Zayn crossed his arms and grunted. "Care to give me a hug, Shitshit?"

"Okay." But Sage did not stand up.

Instead, Zayn bent over and pulled him in. Warmth seeped into the drummer and he felt... refreshed. "Everything's going to be okay." Zayn saw Sage's mouth open in an attempt to deny, but Zayn beat him to it while pulling him closer. Their lips touched, then parted. "Yes."

"Thank you, Zayn," Sage said, rolling his eyes. "I love you. You're the best, really."

"Say cheese!" The Gallade clicked the white circle at the bottom of the phone. "This is going to be your new wallpaper, herb-herb! Aww..."

"Shouldn't have left my phone lying there." Sage rolled his eyes and yawned. "We should head back."

"No, we're going to the clock tower." A woman's voice slithered in between the boys. "Sage, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you."

"What?"

"Yvette is back for you again."

"Tell me something I don't already know, Valencia." Sage rested his chin on Zayn's shoulder and his hands slid down to his abs. "Hey, maybe you should come clean with the all of us, Valencia. About why some of us have disappeared or have missing memories. Actually, why are we even on an island far from all the other regions? And how do you know Yvette?"

"I promise I'll tell you that soon. Now, we have to hurry to the clock tower before something bad happens."