After class, the three of us wandered the courtyard until we found a bench near the gardens. It was quiet, shaded, and felt like the right place to sit and let our thoughts catch up.

  “Instructor Knight’s class today was… a lot,” I said, breaking the silence. “I had no idea that kind of bond stuff even existed.”

  “I already knew,” Flavio replied with a casual shrug. “My dad’s a researcher. That’s why he made sure I got my starter from an egg.”

  “Same,” Melody added. “My brother explained a bit when he gave me mine. Not in that much detail, but I had the gist.”

  I blinked. So they both knew?

  Did my mom know too?

  She must’ve—she gave me Teddy’s egg. But if she did, she never explained why. Just handed it over and let me figure things out on my own.

  “I didn’t know,” I said. “But yeah—Teddy came from an egg too.” I looked between them. “I’ve talked plenty about my Teddiursa, but I don’t even know what Pokémon you two have.”

  Flavio smirked, and Melody didn’t say anything.

  “Oh come on,” I groaned. “That’s not fair. Spill it.”

  “You’ll find out tomorrow anyway,” Flavio teased. “Can’t you wait?”

  Melody sighed. “Fine. Mine’s an Alolan Vulpix. Her name’s Meli.”

  I smiled. That fit her, somehow—graceful, calm, but cold when she wanted to be.

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  Flavio leaned forward. “Mine’s a Fighting-type. One you might not know in Johto. I could’ve picked from my dad’s Pokémon, but none of them looked cool. I’m a big fan of the Super Pokémon Battle Show. Ever heard of it?”

  I shook my head. “Should I have?”

  “It’s this show from Alola,” Melody explained. “Fighting-types battling in scripted matches. Pretty flashy. Basically wrestling for Pokémon.”

  Flavio grinned. “Exactly! It’s all about showmanship. When I saw Hawlucha battling there, I knew I wanted one. Took forever to convince my dad, but he got me an egg. His name’s Koa.”

  He looked like he was vibrating with excitement. I chuckled.

  “I might check it out sometime.”

  Flavio lit up. “Dude! I’ll send you some of the best episodes—wait, right. No PoryNet connection. I’ll get my dad to mail me physical copies. We’ll do a watch party.”

  Melody changed the subject. “Did you notice who stayed after class?”

  I thought back. “There were nine students. Alicia was one of them.”

  “She has a Cleffa,” Flavio said. “Fairy-type.”

  “How do you even know that?”

  “I talk to people.”

  I raised an eyebrow. When?

  “I spoke to Ayumi,” Melody said. “She mentioned having a Psychic-type. Didn’t say which one.”

  “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” I said. “Feels weird, though. Like… I haven’t really talked to anyone outside you two.”

  Back home, I was fine socially. Friends came easy. But here, I feel like I’m always catching up. Like everyone already knows the game, and I’m still reading the rules.

  “You calling your parents tonight?” Flavio asked.

  “Tomorrow,” Melody said. “They go to bed early.”

  “I’m calling my mom tonight,” I said. “There’s… a lot I need to ask.”

  I thought about the message from my dad. About the things I’d learned this week—things no one ever told me.

  “That’s going to be an interesting talk,” Flavio said. “Still wild to me you never saw Santos Adventure Time.”

  “It was huge,” Melody added. “Pretty much every region aired it.”

  I looked down at my hands. “It’s strange—realizing that everyone here seems to know more about my parents than I do.”

  No one responded to that. Maybe there wasn’t anything to say.

  We sat in silence for a bit longer, until the sky started to shift toward evening.

  Eventually, we stood and headed back to the dorms.

  Tomorrow, everyone would have their partners. And tonight, I was finally going to talk to my mom.

  I just hoped I was ready for the answers.