The first thing Jan became aware of was a soft, insistent beeping. It was a gentle, melodic chime, a far cry from the blaring alarm clock he had back home. For a moment, wrapped in the warmth of his blankets, he was adrift, forgetting where he was. Then, the scent of the sea drifted in through the slightly ajar window, and it all came rushing back.
He was at Aether Island. He was a student at the Pokémon Master Academy.
His eyes snapped open. The first light of dawn was filtering into the room, painting the opposite wall in soft shades of grey and lavender. Below him, Leo was still fast asleep on the rug, his paws twitching as he likely chased some dream-Pidgey.
With a jolt of energy that defied the early hour, Jan sat up, careful not to hit his head on the ceiling. Today was the day. The real beginning.
He slid down the ladder of his bunk bed as quietly as he could. Across the room, Kent was already awake, sitting on the edge of his bed in perfect posture, performing a series of quiet, focused breathing exercises. His Treecko was perched on his knee, mimicking his trainer's serene concentration.
Kent noticed Jan and gave him a small, silent nod of greeting. He was already the picture of a disciplined Ranger.
In the bunk below sai, Allen was still a lump under his covers, and above him, Sai was snoring with a volume that seemed impossible for his frame, a low, rumbling sound like a Graveler rolling downhill. His Elekid, Sparky, was curled up on the pillow next to his head, its small body occasionally letting off a soft, harmless crackle of electricity in its sleep.
Jan grabbed his new uniform from the wardrobe. The material was a high-quality, durable charcoal grey, cool to the touch. He quickly changed into the trousers and the crisp, white button-up shirt. The final piece was the tie. He held it in his hands for a moment, the fabric a bold, vibrant crimson. The red tie of the Trainer Department. It felt heavy, not just with its own weight, but with the weight of expectation, of ambition. He looped it around his neck, and after a couple of fumbling attempts he wasn't used to wearing one he managed a respectable knot.
Looking in the small mirror by his desk, he saw a different person staring back. The uniform made him look older, more serious. The boy from a small town in Hoenn felt like he was a world away. He was a PMA student now. He ran a hand through his messy black hair, a futile attempt to tame it. Some things, it seemed, never changed.
"Ready for the first day?" Kent asked, his voice a low whisper as he finished his meditation and stood up.
"More than ready," Jan whispered back. "A little nervous, though."
"That's natural," Kent said, his calm demeanor a comforting anchor in the pre-dawn anxiety. "It means we understand the challenge ahead of us. The important thing is to face it."
Their quiet conversation was abruptly shattered.
"RRRAAAAWWWRRR!"
A thunderous, recorded roar of a Tyrantrum blasted through the room. Allen yelped and tumbled out of his bunk in a tangled mess of blankets. Jan jumped, and Leo shot up from his sleep with a startled "Yip!" Kent barely flinched, but his Treecko hissed and puffed out its chest.
The source of the noise was Sai's alarm, which he was now fumbling to silence. He sat up, his spiky red hair somehow even wilder than before.
"Whoops," he said, not sounding sorry at all as he finally shut off the alarm. He grinned down at the room. "Morning, future rivals! Hope you're ready to get crushed on day one!"
Sparky woke up with a cheerful "Kid-kid!" and jumped onto Sai's shoulder, its cheeks sparking with energy.
Allen, now untangled and on his feet, pushed his glasses up his nose, looking pale. "M-my heart," he stammered, clutching his chest. "I think my Porygon's operating system just crashed."
"Ah, toughen up, research-guy!" Sai said as he swung himself out of bed. "You're in the big leagues now! No time for weak hearts!"
Despite the rude awakening, Jan couldn't help but smile. The room was chaotic, and the day hadn't even truly begun, but it felt alive. This was his new, strange, and loud reality.
----
The Academy's dining hall was called the "Grand Commons," and it lived up to its name. The ceiling soared three stories high, supported by white pillars, with massive windows that provided a panoramic view of the ocean. Hundreds of students were already there, the cavernous space filled with the murmur of conversations and the calls of various Pokémon. The air smelled of freshly baked bread, sizzling bacon, and something sweet and fruity that Jan couldn't quite place.
Jan, Kent, Allen, and Sai found an empty table near one of the windows. Leo sat faithfully by Jan's feet, happily munching on a bowl of high-quality Pokémon food from the specialized counter.
"This place is incredible," Jan said, taking a bite of a perfectly fluffy pancake. "They have food from every region."
"The caloric and nutritional information for every dish is available on the academy network," Allen noted, poking at a small, perfectly crafted Castelia Cone with his fork. "The efficiency is remarkable."
Sai, meanwhile, had returned from the buffet with a plate piled so high with sausages, eggs, and toast that it defied gravity. "A champion needs fuel!" he declared between massive mouthfuls. "Gotta be in peak condition to wipe the floor with all you amateurs."
"You do realize that the practical battle sessions don't start until ten, right?" Kent said dryly, sipping a cup of herbal tea he'd brought with him. "It is generally considered poor strategy to expend all your energy on breakfast."
"Nonsense!" Sai retorted, pointing a half-eaten sausage at him. "This isn't expending energy, it's absorbing it. Pure power!"
As they ate, Jan took in the scene. The color-coded ties were everywhere, a visual representation of the academy's diverse student body. The red ties of the Trainer Department were the most numerous and, he noticed, generally the loudest. The green-tied Ranger students, like kent, seemed more observant and serious, often sitting in quieter groups. The yellow ties of the Coordinators were vibrant and expressive, their tables filled with laughter and gestures, their Pokémon often ones known for their beauty like Roselia or Finneon preening and showing off. And the blue-tied Research students, like Allen, were typically in more subdued groups, many with tablets out, already studying or engaged in deep, technical conversations. He even saw a few first-year students in brown ties, the Breeders, carefully feeding their younger Pokémon with specialized formulas.
"So, what class do you guys have first?" Jan asked, turning back to his roommates.
"Wilderness Survival 101," Kent answered. "We're heading to the simulation rooms on the edge of the Wild Area."
"Pokémon Theoretical Biology," Allen said, his eyes lighting up for the first time that morning. "The lecture is on the new polymorphic energy signatures found in recently discovered Pokémon species! The professor is a leading expert from Paldea. It's going to be fascinating!"
"Boring!" Sai scoffed. "We've got the best class. Battle Theory and Strategy!. That's where the real action starts."
Jan felt a familiar thrill of anticipation. "Yeah. I'll see you there, Sai."
"Just try to keep up," Sai said with a wink, before stuffing the last of his toast into his mouth.
---
The Trainer Department was housed in a sleek, modern building adjacent to the Grand Arena. The corridors were wide, lined with holographic displays showcasing famous battles from history. The air hummed with a low, electric energy. Jan found class 1-A easily enough. The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a tiered lecture hall, far more advanced than any classroom he had ever been in.
Each desk was a personal console with a built-in screen. The front of the room was dominated by a massive smartboard, and the floor was made of a durable, non-slip material, as if a Pokémon could be called out at any moment.
About half the class was already there. Jan recognized a few faces from the orientation. He chose a seat in the middle tier, next to the window, which offered a side-view of the arena's exterior. Leo curled up on the floor beside his desk, his presence a comforting weight.
A moment later, the door hissed open again, and Sai strode in. He paused at the entrance, arms crossed, and surveyed the room like a king surveying his domain.
"Alright, Class 1-A!" he announced to the room at large. "Your future champion has arrived! Try to contain your applause."
A few students snickered, one or two rolled their eyes, but most just ignored him. Undeterred, Sai swaggered down the aisle and took a seat in the front row, dead center. Sparky hopped onto the desk and struck a dramatic pose, little sparks dancing between its horns.
Jan shook his head with a small smile and turned his attention back to his surroundings. He glanced at the student to his left. It was a girl with sharp, intelligent features and a cascade of straight, dark purple hair that fell to her shoulders. She was staring straight ahead, her posture perfectly erect, her expression a mask of cool neutrality. A Kirlia sat beside her desk, not on the floor, but on a specially brought, velvet-lined stool. The Pokémon was just as still and poised as its trainer, its red eyes forward, mirroring her stoic demeanor.
"Hey," Jan said, offering a friendly smile. "I'm Jan."
The girl's eyes flickered towards him for a fraction of a second, her gaze analytical and dismissive. "Okay..." she said, her voice soft but clipped, with no hint of warmth. " She then turned her attention back to the front of the room, the conversation clearly over. Her Kirlia didn't even twitch.
Jan blinked, taken aback. "Oh. Okay then." He slumped back in his seat, feeling the awkward silence and little bit embarrassed. Leo nudged his hand with his nose, as if to say, Well, that went well.
Before he could dwell on it, the final bell chimed, and the classroom door hissed shut. At the same moment, a man walked in from a side office. He was tall and lean, with sharp green eyes and glasses perched on his nose. He wore a lab coat over his instructor's uniform, and a thick, brown notebook was tucked under his arm. A powerful Sceptile followed at his heels, its leafy tail swaying with quiet confidence. The Pokémon's eyes scanned the room, as sharp and analytical as its trainer's.
The man walked to the podium at the front, placed his notebook down, and looked out at the twenty assembled students. The room fell silent.
"Good morning," he said, his voice calm and precise. "My name is Professor Sawyer. I will be your primary instructor for Battle Theory and Strategy for the next three years. It is my job to take the raw talent that got you into this academy and shape it into true, strategic mastery."
Jan's eyes widened. Sawyer? He knew that name. He'd seen him on TV, years ago, in the Kalos League. He was Ash Ketchum's rival, the one who used data analysis and meticulous notes to push the future champion to his limits. Seeing him in person, older, more seasoned, was surreal.
Just as Sawyer was about to continue, the classroom door hissed open again.
"Sorry I'm late!" a cheerful voice called out. A boy with messy, raven-black hair and a perpetually energetic grin jogged into the room. He wasn't wearing his uniform jacket, and his red tie was loosely skewed to one side. A Riolu, looking equally energetic, trotted alongside him. "The moving walkway near the west dorms was going the wrong way, and we ended up in the Coordinator's district. You should see the ribbons they have! Anyway, we're here now!"
Professor Sawyer didn't look surprised. He simply pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, weary sigh that spoke of years of experience with this exact situation.
"Asher ketchum, you have a direct path from your dorm to this building. It is, according to my data, a seven-minute walk," he said, his voice flat.
"Yeah, but where's the adventure in that?" the boy, Asher, replied with an unshakeable grin.
The name sent a ripple of whispers through the classroom. Asher Ketchum. It couldn't be a coincidence. The last name of the Pokémon Master himself. Jan stared, trying to see a resemblance. The hair was similar, as was the seemingly boundless energy.
"Just find a seat, Asher," Sawyer said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"You got it, Professor S!" Asher said, giving a mock salute. He spotted an empty seat in the back row and jogged up the stairs, his Riolu hopping up after him.
Sawyer watched him go, then took a deep breath to compose himself. "Right. As I was saying. Before we dive into the curriculum, it is imperative that we know who we are sharing the battlefield with. We will go around the room. State your name, your home region, and the Pokémon partner you have with you today feel free to talk about yourself. We will start here, in the front."
He gestured to the first student in the front row. A girl with bright, sunny blonde hair and a friendly smile stood up. A cheerful Pachirisu was perched on her shoulder.
"Hi everyone! I'm Belle from Kalos!" she said, her voice bubbly. "And this is Pachi! I'm super excited to be here and make lots of new friends!" She gave a little curtsy before sitting down.
The next was a boy with slicked-back black hair and a serious expression. His uniform was immaculate. A Deino was curled up at his feet, its face-obscuring fringe making it look as shy as its trainer seemed stern.
"Xavier, from Unova," he said, his voice a low, serious monotone. "My partner is Deino. I am here to master the tactical nuances of dragon-type combat." He sat down abruptly.
And so it began. Jan watched intently, trying to commit each face, name, and Pokémon to memory. These were his classmates, his rivals for the next three years.
A girl with a fiery orange side-ponytail and a confident smirk stood up. "The name's Melia, from Kalos. My partner's Litleo," she said, gesturing to the lion cub who was playfully batting at her shoelaces. "Just so we're clear, Belle, I'm here to win, not make friends." Belle just smiled back, unfazed.
A quiet boy from Johto named Saiki introduced his elegant Espeon. A girl from Paldea named Maya, bubbling with energy, talked about how she couldn't wait to have academy battles that were as fun as the Treasure Hunt back home, her Fidough yapping in agreement. There was Kento from Hoenn, a big, broad-shouldered kid with a Mudkip who looked as solid and dependable as he did. And Ester from Galar, a chic girl with a Morpeko on her shoulder that kept switching between its Full Belly and Hangry modes, much to her exasperation.
Then it was Sai's turn. He shot up from his seat, striking a pose with Sparky. "SAI, FROM THE GREAT REGION OF KANTO!" he boomed, making a few students wince. "My partner Sparky and I are the lightning that will strike the peak of this academy! We're undefeated, unmatched, and soon to be undisputed champions! Remember the name!" He sat down with a flourish. Sawyer simply made a note in his book, his expression unchanging.
The introductions continued. Corrin from Unova, a lanky boy with a bookish look and a Golett standing stiffly beside him. Kimmy, also from Unova, a girl with twin pigtails and a hyperactive Minccino. Zayn from Paldea, a cool, laid-back boy with a Quaxly that was meticulously grooming its crest. A tanned laid back boy named koa from Alola with a terrocat who introduced himself with full enthusiasm " howzit guys name's Koa, lookin forward to knowin y'all!"
When it was the purple-haired girl's turn, she stood with a fluid, economical motion. "Paula. Sinnoh," she stated, her voice as devoid of emotion as her expression. "My partner is Kirlia." She immediately sat back down, the entire introduction taking less than five seconds. Her Kirlia bowed its head slightly before resuming its still posture. Jan got the distinct impression that she saw this entire exercise as a waste of time.
Finally, it was Jan's turn. He stood up, feeling twenty pairs of eyes on him. "I'm Jan, from Hoenn," he said, his voice steadier than he expected. "And this is my partner, Leo." Leo stood up at the sound of his name and gave a proud, strong bark. Jan felt a swell of pride. "We've trained hard to get here, and we're ready to learn." He sat down, his heart thumping.
The last few students went. Izumi from Kanto, a graceful girl with a female Nidoran. Alma from Paldea, a shy girl who mumbled her introduction while her Smoliv hid behind her leg. Niana from Alola, a girl with a tan and a flower in her hair, who introduced her Rockruff with a cheerful "Alola, everyone!". A stoic boy named Aren from kanto who introduced himself briefly before sitting down .Then, all eyes turned to the back of the room. Asher Ketchum stood up, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. His Riolu stood on the desk, striking a small, determined pose.
"Heya. I'm Asher, from Pallet Town in Kanto," he said, his voice easygoing and friendly. "This is Rio. My dream is to travel the world, meet tons of new Pokémon, and become a Pokémon Master, just like my dad!"
The classroom erupted in hushed, frantic whispers. His dad? It was true. He was the son of the legend. Suddenly, his late arrival, his casual attitude, it all clicked into place. He wasn't just another student; he was royalty.
Sawyer tapped his pen on the podium, the sharp sound cutting through the chatter. "Thank you, Asher. Now that we're all acquainted, let's discuss how you will be living here."
The screen behind him lit up, displaying two large, stylized letters: AP.
"This is Academy Point, or AP," Sawyer explained, his voice drawing everyone's focus back to the front. "This is the currency of your academic life. It is the metric by which your progress, your effort, and your success will be quantified. You earn AP for everything. High scores on theoretical exams, victories in practical battles, completing special assignments, even volunteering for campus duties. Conversely, you can lose AP for breaking rules, poor grades, or unsportsmanlike conduct in battle."
He clicked a button, and the screen changed to show a list of items and services.
"AP is what you will use to purchase everything for basic necessities," he continued, his tone deadly serious. " Poké Balls. TMs,Food,item,Advanced training equipment in the gym. Access to restricted areas of the Wild Area for training. Even the better-quality desserts in the Grand Commons. If you want to excel here, you need AP. If you run out of AP, your academy life will become… difficult."
Jan could feel the competitive tension in the room ratchet up a notch. This wasn't just about grades anymore; it was a resource to be fought over. He glanced at Sai, who was practically vibrating in his seat, a hungry look in his eyes.
"Finally, your schedule," Sawyer said, changing the slide one last time. "As Trainer Department students, your schedule is battle-focused. Every morning, from Monday to Friday, you will begin here with me for Battle Theory and Strategy. We will cover everything from basic type matchups to advanced meta-game analysis. After my lecture, you will proceed to the practical training fields for live battle exercises. Lunch is at noon. Your afternoons will consist of General Education—yes, you still need to learn math and history—and your chosen Electives. Your performance in all of these areas will contribute to your AP balance. Any questions?"
No one moved. The scope of what lay ahead was beginning to sink in. It was going to be a relentless, competitive grind.
"Good," Sawyer said with a curt nod. "Then let's begin our first lesson. Open your tablets to Chapter One: 'Understanding Win Conditions.' The most common mistake a novice trainer makes is believing that a battle is won simply by reducing the opponent's Pokémon to zero hit points..."
Jan opened his tablet, his mind racing. He looked at the faces around him. The confident Sai, the aloof Paula, the legendary Asher, and seventeen others, all with their own goals and strengths. He looked down at Leo, who met his gaze with unwavering loyalty. This was it. The challenge was immense, the competition was fierce, but he had never felt more ready. The first bell had rung, and his journey had truly begun.