'Here we go,' the black-haired boy said while depositing a slip of paper in a metal box. He moved to the side, next to his sister, and his brother stepped up to the box and did the same. Quietly, the three of them walked back to their mother, who was waiting outside the building. When they stepped into the car, their mother turned around and looked at each of them in turn. 'How did it go?' Her voice was a little higher than usual. The boy knew he must have sounded the same when he replied. 'Okay. It went fine. No sweat.' The day you turned fifteen, you had to take a special test. It was nothing special, except for the fact that if you failed it you were taken away to some weird school where you had to work extremely hard to catch up. Rumor was that the teachers and staff were extremely cruel, and that some people never even returned. So yeah, even if you were pretty smart and had good grades, you were always a little worried. So seeing that the three of them had turned fifteen that day (they were triplets after all), they had taken this special test, and could only hope they had passed.

Leaf Hibiki had very decent grades, just like her brother Flame. But Red, the only one of the three to have black hair instead of brown, was never really paying attention in class and had low grades, like his cousin Gold, who had taken the test earlier that year. During summer break, the children who had failed the test received a letter from that special school, and had to pack up and leave for an island somewhere in the middle of the ocean to stay there for four years and hopefully come back after.

Summer break had started, and Red rushed out of the classroom to get home and finally be able to train with his Pokémon. He rushed out and bumped into Green and Blue Oak's sister, who was standing next to the classroom door, crying. It was obvious she had waited there until the lesson was over. 'What's wrong? Can I help?' He was a little worried. Green was in the same class as he was, and if she was waiting here it was probably for him. If it was something so bad she had to tell her brother… She just shook her head. At that moment, Green walked out of the classroom, and, seeing Red, started to say what an idiot he was to run out of the classroom the moment the bell rang, but he closed his mouth when he saw his sister. 'Daisy! What are you doing here? Why are you crying?' She looked sideways at Red, who was still standing next to them, wiped away the tears from her face. 'Can you leave, Red? I don't want you to hear this.' A little confused, Red nodded and turned around to walk away. But when he was halfway down the hall, he was startled Green's scream from behind him. 'What?! But… how?! I didn't… right?' He lowered his voice and it was impossible to hear what he said next. Red also heard Daisy say something, and Green made another sound. 'Impossible!' He screamed. His footsteps bounced around the hall as he ran past Red and rushed down the stairs, Daisy following him immediately. Red was left behind, more confused than ever, but an uneasy feeling soon creeping up on him.

He was still wondering if he should check up on them (his house was right next to theirs, but Green and his brother Blue definitely wouldn't like his company) when he was welcomed by his mother, who obviously just cried. While Red quickly followed her inside, he couldn't help but wonder why everyone was crying today – until, with a shock, he realized. The uneasy feeling from before came back and pulled his stomach in a knot, and his throat got dry. With difficulty, he whispered: 'mom… did you get a letter?' Biting her lip, she nodded, and the knot in his stomach tightened, but he still needed to confirm. 'Was it from… you know? That… school?' With her eyes, she confirmed exactly what he had feared would happen. But she wasn't done yet. 'But not just you.' Her voice shook, and she breathed in deeply to steady it. 'Leaf and Flame received the same letter.' Red felt the blood drain from his face. 'But they have good grades! What… how…' She shook her head, and he stopped talking immediately. This was hard on her, too, and she didn't have the answers. Asking her would only hurt her. Instead, he asked her in which room they were and rushed up the stairs. He found them next to each other, sitting on Flame's bed, with three envelopes next to them. Quickly, Red crossed the distance between him and the bed and sat down. Leaf handed him an envelope without even making a sound. His name was written on it in an elegant handwriting. His fingers trembling slightly, he opened it an began to read.

To Red Nobunaga Hibiki

This letter is your invitation to the Origin Island Academy, often abbreviated as OIA. Take it with you as you go there, or you will not be let into the grounds.

You will stay at the Academy for four years. During the breaks (summer break, autumn break, winter break, and spring break) you are allowed to go home or stay at school, but otherwise (excluding field trips) it is prohibited to leave the school grounds, even in the weekends.

Prohibited are:

Alcohol, drugs etc.

Weapons

Pets

A washer and clothes dryer are present in the dormitory, as is a kitchen with a dishwasher.

The male and female students are divided between two dorms, and you will be sharing your room with one roommate.

We look forward to teaching you,

Origin Island Academy headmaster A.Z.

They were silent for a few minutes. 'Well, looks like we probably won't be breaking the rules,' Red said finally, to lift the tense atmosphere. 'I mean, it's not like we're constantly carrying guns around or get wasted all the time, right?' They laughed, even though it sounded a little forced. But to be honest, Red was a little relieved. It didn't seem like a school where students were tortured. Of course, he'd have to see for himself, but he felt a little better. 'I hope this goes well,' Flame muttered. He had pulled up his legs and had put his chin on his knees. 'Me too,' Leaf said. 'We'll just have to hang in there, and then we'll be okay. After all, we'll go there together.' She smiled and looked at her brothers, who nodded and seemed a little reassured. The three of them had been together ever since they were born. That wasn't gonna change just because of this.