The Raikou common room was indeed hidden in the least obvious place on campus one would expect to find it: behind a corner wall in a small out-of-the-way hallway containing office blocks. Skyler pushed on the wall, just as Ash was told, and entered his new home.
It was disorganized. Large, carpeted, and a number of large tables and machinery were scattered around the room. There were side rooms with more of the same. There was a side room of food and cleaning supplies. There was a side room of furniture. At this point Ash reached the common room. Lots of yellows and golds. Very homey. Very lived-in. Very welcoming. There were two spiral staircases in the rear going up to sleeping areas. Skyler said that these were gender-separated. There were what looked like paintings on the walls, but when Ash looked at them, he saw that they were really large bulletin and messaging boards. I walked past a table in the common room with a television on it. It looked like it weighed a million pounds.
"I'm just curious. How did they get that television and table there? They look heavy."
"With Psychic, of course."
Ash knew that the Psychic move could be used to manipulate physical objects; he saw it used a couple times when watching the Pokémon Contest channel with Mom back home. But the only uses of Psychic outside a contest he'd ever seen was to flitter about and bring stuff in the room directly to their Trainer. But it could be used to also move heavy objects, right? Fascinating!
Skyler smiled at his realization.
"That's one of the things you'll need to get used to here in Raikou House. Everyone comes up with bizarre but wonderful solutions to theoretical and practical problems. Other people? They would have the table moved by a Machoke gang. Us? Monica's Mismagius and the problem is solved."
"Amazing."
"In fact, there's one last thing I want you to all to do." Ash remembered he was not the only student coming from the banquet hall. There was a gaggle of other students behind him, listening to the same story. Skyler took a total of ten books out of a cabinet. Five were named Raikou House Jargon Dictionary and the other History of Theoretical Practical Jokes. We were asked to read both. I asked for the dictionary first. Practical jokes were never something I really approved of, but it seemed to be a time-honored tradition here at Raikou House. Knowing the inclinations of his housemates, Ash could be certain that that history book contained the most complex and fiendish plans ever concocted by the hands of men. I dove in.