The Academy was huge. It honestly looked like a castle. Big, huge building with many floors, and a stone wall around the rest. When we passed through this wall we then went through a big, open area. There was a forest on the right.

The academy was huge. Not just a huge building, but huge spires as well. When the Gogoat Shuttle dropped us off at the door, I was told that inside, there would be a dinner waiting in honor of all their new students, including me, and a few words by the headmaster, whose name was Zoey. (She did not like being called by her last name.) I was also asked to not sit until instructed. What the hell does that mean?

Nevertheless, we passed through a huge set of automatic doors, then ascended a wide staircase up to the second level, where I saw the banquet tables all set up. There were four of them, arranged in a circle. All the food was out, but no one was eating. But, like they told me, I walked to the left near the podium, and was told to wait there. There were a huge number of people there, Trainers just like me. What would happen next?

I could not hear the doors opening. But — oh my Arceus, that's a Salamence! A really big Salamence, too. It banked left above everybody's heads, and sat down behind the podium. I could not see anyone dismount, but the people on the tables could. Finally someone stepped up to the microphone.

She was dressed in what looked to be a white suit, although a very unusual one. She had blazing orange hair, and I could tell from the spring in her step that she was very young.

"Greetings, my campus! I see we're all ready to eat tonight." I could hear something like 'ain't that the truth' from the back. "But first, is time to welcome in our new Pokémon Trainers! Twenty-six young new souls who will experience what is truly like to be a Trainer, starting tonight! I bid you welcome…" and then she called out someone's name. Clearly one of this group, as one of the Trainers here walked out to below the podium. He stood there and waved. Clearly he knew what was going on here. I didn't.

As the number of Trainers began to dwindle, someone looked at me and whispered, "Go up there and wave. You will be asked to make a choice. Choose whichever one you want; it really doesn't matter for someone like you. Good luck!" and then he was called. Soon I was the only one left.

"…and Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town!"

I walked up and waved like everybody else, with great energy. Now that I had some semblance of what I was supposed to do, the adoration was amazing. He'd never felt it before, and he wanted it to continue.

"Now that all twenty-eight new students have been announced, it is time to the sorting. Each of you will make a choice between Suicune, Entei, or Raikou. This choice determines what house will live in for your entire time at the academy. It is with great honor that some of our new students will make their choice. Grandive Oliver!"

He stepped up, cleared his throat and said, "Suicune." One of the tables cheered, and he went to go sit down over there. "James Froake." The same thing happened. "DeMartin DeVeers!" Now that was a pompous-sounding name. "Entei!" The others were called in the same order they were called up to the stage, which meant I was last. Most of the were very certain in their choice before they walked up to the podium. I was not. This decision was clearly not as trivial as I thought to believe. I wanted to look confident out there like everyone else, so I made my final decision when I was second in line. I would choose Raikou, because that Pokémon embodies energy and that's what I was feeling right now, energy.

I stepped up and called it out, as loudly as I could. The right table cheered, so I walked and sat down over there like everyone else did. Zoey spoke again.

"And now, considering the fact that none of you ate your dinners, I pronounce this speech concluded!" I could see her getting back onto her Salamence, along with someone else I didn't see before. A small figure. Possibly a Pokémon.

The Salamence flushed its wings imperiously, then took off back out of the same entrance this lady came in. Once the door was closed, everyone immediately took to eating. I did not have a dinner, unfortunately. The person to my right started to chat.

"Hi, Ash! I'm Skyler. Pleasure to meet you, Ash."

I hesitated, as I was still very confused. I said to him, "What on Earth just happened?"

"That was the sorting ceremony. It happens every year with the Trainers selected. This year there were twenty-eight. I've seen sortings up to thirty. The House these people is kind of our hangout, our club of sorts. To be honest, I'm really glad you picked me. Entei is nothing but trouble. You not being as rich as they are, would probably be picked on constantly. Your decision isn't permanent-permanent; should there be cause, a student can be relocated to a different house. Sometimes this means someone is escaping bullying; sometimes this means that a bully is pulled out of his home and sent to someone else as punishment. That someone else over there? Entei? Half of those jerks came to them as punishment students. They'll never admit it, though.

"But you're here in Raikou, quite honestly the best place to be on this campus. We're the tinkerers, the explorers, the people who don't-always-quite-fit-in. What's your story?"

I was confused. "No story, really. I was accepted into the school after Professor Oak put in an application for me. I came here because school started. That is all."

"And that's a mighty fine story to have. I bet you're quite something, probably on the battlefield. Am I right?

"I want to be the very best, like no one ever was."

Arceus, did I just say that?

"And that's a mighty fine goal to have, but you'll never reach the top, no matter how good you are on the battlefield."

"Why?"

"Politics. Politics, politics, politics. You probably don't know this, but most of the people you heard make their choice right now did not choose freely."

"Oh?"

"Some are told to choose the same house their father was in, and his father before that, and so on. They're almost always Enteis. Parents who tell their child to go to Suicune usually do it because they think it's best for their child. Suicune is the most boring house on campus, and some parents worry too much. Over here, every one of us chose of our own volition. Every single one."

"Really?"

"Yep. Even to the point where they piss off their parents. Some do it specifically to piss off their parents."

"I never grew up enough to do that. You won't believe me when I tell you, but I am actually ten. Not sixteen. I was let in early."

"Well, kudos to you if you're really that strong. Not that I was saying you were weak or anything."

"Don't worry about it."

"Now, there's a few more things that I need to tell you. More practical things. Each house's area — and we get a lot of area — is located behind a closed entrance. Even faculty have to request entering the area, although they almost always do so. Suicune just has a pair of double doors. We, on the other hand, have a secret entrance."

"A secret entrance? What's the secret? Tell me the password. I swear I won't share it."

"Calm down, son. Not that kind of secret entrance. That would be against the rules. Our space is located behind an otherwise blank wall in an otherwise boring hallway."

"Huh."

"I'll take you there later. Just touch the door, and it will open for you. We've had zero incidents of inter-house fighting since. No one would ever think of looking there, right?"

Good idea, actually. I like Skyler. He thinks like me. Maybe settling into this house won't be so hard.

"Anyway, I just finished my dinner."

"Just like that?"

"You'll be trained on how to keep multiple things in your head during a double battle. For me this is trivial."

He stood up and took his dishes.

"Follow me."