The dormitories feel lived in. They smell lived in. Ace stares at the entrance hall. The walls decorated with framed pictures of pokemon have started to peel. The floor is visibly old as well, but it seems to have been recently cleaned. A few sets of uncomfortable looking blue chairs are placed against the walls. He closes in on Joe as the boy walks towards the reception table. He hears him explain to the receptionist that they are looking for their room. Upon checking his trainer's licence, the receptionist dissapears into the back to look for their keys. The two boys stay alone for a few seconds. They are the first ones there, Ace realises. Being left alone with Joe was not his favourite thing. The boy was hard to figure out. He seemed rather mild, but everything that had happened in the hallway has convinced Ace he was not to be taken lightly. Especially since he seemed adamnt on having Riolu following him around so far. Ace, of course, knew a thing or two about pokemon, he had wanted to become a pokemon trainer for as long as he could remember after all. It was hard not to read about Riolu and its evolution, Lucario. It's a strong species of pokemon capable of sensing and even shaping aura, as well as connecting to the emotional state of people and pokemon around them, especially their trainers. Exactly that was what made Joe someone to be weary about. Ace had just watched this boy, supposedly a complete beginner, handle two opponents with ease, commanding a pokemon that acts out on his trainers emotions. The thing that made Joe scary was that he truly wasn't scared. He was either that brave or that stupid.

Less than a minute later the receptionist came back, carrying a stack of 7 keys. Joe accepted three of them, noting that they'll make a deal on who gets to hold on to the reserve ones later. Ace takes one as well. He's not too eager when he realises they have scored a room on the fifth floor, especially since the dormitory had no elevator. Stairs aren't exactly his favourite thing, and considering his future roomates, he had hoped for a room closer to the ground, just so an escape could be possible if things were ever to go south. Climbing the infinite set of stairs, the boy could only be grateful that their luggage has been delivered a few days in advance, as he didn't want to imagine dragging all of that up. His mother had packed two large-sized suitecases, and she would've packed more if it wasn't for Ace protesting the amount of clothes she was sending him off with. Dormitory hallways were narrow and the smell of cleaning supplies lingered in the air. At least the space was kept clean, Ace took any win that he could get. Still, it was imposible for him to escape the fact these hallways reminded him of a hospital. Rows of white doors sunk into the yellowing walls, all placed the same distance from each other. Other than a few sorry looking houseplants, the kind old women buy just to forget about them in two months, the space was empty. To imagine living in a place like this felt strangely dystopian. Even the people he got stuck with felt like they were a part of a bad dream, characters from a terrifyingly mediocore sit-com pilot that never should've seen the light of day. It rattled his mind, he could already see the greyness of days ahead of him, days spent in a small room with two dudes who were a walking temper tantrum, and one who's definitely some kind of a sociopath. And Sam, who he couldn't exactly describe at the moment, but had loathed anyways.

The two boys have found their room, number 55, and Joe unlocked the doors. Walking in behind him, Ace wasn't surprised by the sight. First thing that caught Ace's attention were the beds. Two sets of bunk beds stood opposite from each other, while one single bed was pushed into a far corner of the room, right where the entrance is. Immediately, Ace came to the conclusion there was no winning a situation like this. It was either bunking with someone, or sleeping with your head either to one of his roomates or the hallway wall. He watched the single bed, how the wall above it has detoriated, the room was not painted in years. The air was stale as well, and Joe must've noticed it as well, cause he had already walked up to the window and tried opening it up. It gave a few cracks, but it moved in the end, letting in some fresh air. It made the space smaller, Ace thought, as he watched the small movements of the window pane above a row of 5 small study desks. They were pressed against each other, and it would be nearly impossible for all five of them to sit and work there at the same time. On each side of the row of tables, there were two wardrobes that have definitely seen some better days. They'd have to share them as well, Ace guessed.

"So, you wanna bunk together?", Ace asked approaching one of the bed sets. The one that didn't have the single bed placed right next to it. He isn't having anyone's head or feet near his face. Since they were the first there, it was only natural he makes the decision that most benefits him. Besides, Joe might be a bit of a case, but he's a case that seems to cause the least amount of noise.

"Sure, but what about the others", Joe responds, pulling three suitecases towards the bunk Ace had picked out for them.

"Well, I doubt Teo and Ves want to bunk with you, or me for that matter", Ace shrugs, "and Sam had a chance to come up with us, so he dropped his chance".

"Sounds fair enough", Joe opens up one of the suitecases and starts digging through it, "you mind me having a lower bed, I wake up early, and I wouldn't want to ever wake you up by making my way down to earth".

"Works for me, I wanted the top bunk anyways", Ace says, not adding that he would hate to have anyone sleeping above his head.

"That's good then", Joe picks out a few things from his suitecase and starts undressing. Ace turns his head around, heading for a window. He remembered Joe calling himself an asexual, and, while Ace didn't know what that was exactly, he knew it was some of that gay stuff. It's not that he had anything against gays, really, it was just a bit uncomfortable that a guy like that just started to undress in front of him so casually. And Ace would have to undress in front of him eventually as well, which didn't make him feel more at ease. He remembered he'd have to share a bathroom with these guys as well, which was by far his least favourite thing to share. Even if he forgot Joe was a part of the rainbow gang, he hated the thought of losing privacy. Truth be told, Ace was rather uncomortable around other people when it came to that stuff. All of the other people. He nervously looked around the room, avoiding looking in Joe's direction. He let out a small sigh of relief when he located a bathroom doors. Firstly, he was scared he might have to share a communal bathroom with everyone on the floor, so he was ecstatic to learn they head their own. Secondly, their very own bathroom had doors, which was great news. Slowly walking over, he opened the doors to inspect further. Upon learning the said doors had the key as well, he felt so grateful to the higher power he almost wanted to get down on his knees. He didn't do that though, cause getting down on his knees when there was a half-naked gay guy few feet away from him didn't seem like the smartest thing to do.

"I'm off to take a little walk and get Riolu some snacks", Joe informs him, and Ace finally dares to look at him. He was wearing a white linen shirt and beige bermuda shorts. "you want anything?".

"No, I'm good, thanks", Ace clears his throat.

"Alright then", Joe turns around to leave, "you shouldn't go hungry though".

"Right, I won't", Ace says behind him. Once he's alone in the room, the boy climbs up on his bed, opting to lay down. The ceiling is peeling as well, he discovers. Breathing in, he realises the day is too long. He wasn't sure what to do with himself. He fiddles with Rockruffs pokeball, trying to collect his thoughts. Getting into Old King's didn't surprise him. He was always a good student so it was only expected. Summer went by in a haze, a mix of silent excitement and listening to unsolicited advice coming from his parents. They had been getting on his nerves. They were restlessly repeating how he should be careful, which he already knew. How he shouldn't make a fool of himself, which he also knew. The most annoying were the times they gave him pointers on pokemon training. They weren't trainers. No one in his family is, Ace would be the first. Then there was his cousin, that golden child of the family, who Ace wanted to strangle. Gregory was his name, though everyone insisted on calling him Greg. He was three years older than Ace, and had tried enrolling in Old King's after he finished middle school. Did not make it. Regardless, for the entire summer, he was explaining things away to Ace as if he was some sort of authority on the topic. Even more infuriating was the fact that everyone else around him acted as if Greg's words had any importance. Ace did, on ocassion, remind his cousin that he was the one who actually made it into the school. Greg would then launch himself into his favourite excuse - the year he applied was the hardest year to get accepted in recent history, if not ever. His aunt and uncle would be quick to take their son's side, as well as Ace's own parents, and their grandparents as well. Valerie, Greg's little sister, was the only one taking Ace's side, probably cause she was 7 and failed to understand Greg's family jewel status. Regardless, if she wasn't his favourite family member before, that summer she definitely took a spot. Ace would have to get her a souvenir. Were there even any souvenirs on the island? He'd have to look for a gift shop when he finds some time.

Sam was still not there. Neither were Teo or Ves. Not that he minded being left alone. He jumped off of his bed and headed for his suitecases. Since he was alone, he might as well take an opportunity to take a shower. Better do it now, if he waits for the others to arrive, they might waste all the hot water. He locks their room. Joe has his key, and the other three boys will pick theirs up at the reception, so it's not like they can't enter. Ace wouldn't want anyone else walking into their room while he's in the bathroom. He thinks about letting Rockruff out of his pokeball for a moment, just to have the pokemon keep an eye on things. Ultimately, he decides against it, as he's not willing to risk Rockruff making a mess in the room, and he's definitely not letting the pokemon into the bathroom while he's showering. Closing the window for good measure, Ace walks into the bathroom. Trying to turn the key, he quickly finds out the lock isn't working. He pulls the key out, goes back into the room, opens the window and unceremoniously hurls it away. Only moments later he starts to regret the decision. Maybe he could've made it work somehow. Re-entering the bathroom, he's quick to get under the shower. Thankufully the bathroom seems to be clean, and the boy can only hope he'll manage to convince the other four motherfuckers to keep it as such.

Hot water relaxes him a bit. As it trickles down his body, Ace almost feels like nothing has changed. It lasts for a moment. Opening his eyes, he's faced with a blurry reflection of himself that exists in the white tiles. They're cold to touch, he finds out. His bathroom back home was blue, he remembers. His bathroom back home also had a working lock. It's not that he misses home all of a sudden. It's just a fact that his home was always much cleaner, a much softer place, one he didn't have to share with four other boys. That's a price you pay for your dreams, Ace thinks to himslef, one must surrender himslef to bunk beds and shared bathrooms. He tries shampooing his teammates out of his head, but it doesn't work. He takes a deep breath, convincing himself he'll make it through. He's always made it through. He was the one who made it to Old King's after all, not his golden cousin, but Ace. And he was ranked as on of the top 100 students. He could definitely graduate in top 50, even top 40 if he really puts his mind into it. Given that he doesn't fail because of his teammates, of course. The thought plagues his mind. At least there's Joe, he thinks. The dude is 4th best student right now, and judging by the little altercation in the hallway, Ace was sure that one was capable. Ves was somehow not the worst if he looks at the rankings, he did not place low per say. It riddled Ace, with the boy's appearance and behaviour, and especially his irritating voice, Ves definitely gave an impression of a stupid person. Nevertheless, he wasn't a problem in this regard, for now at least. The real problems were Teo and Sam. Teo was ranked at 255 right now, which was good enough on its own to get them a pass, through the first year, that is. However there was also a chance the boy would flunk, dragging all of them down in turn. Especially since he seemingly couldn't control his partner at all. There was not much to say about Sam. The boy was placed dead last. Unless he miraculously turns out to be a battle pridogy who's simply bad at taking tests, there's no helping that. Ace, of course, guessed the teams would mix people with varying rankings, but he had hoped he wouldn't get stuck with anyone who was in bottom 10, let alone a person who placed last. But there he was now, stuck with two guys in bottom fifty. That's just another thing Greg had used to bring him down to earth that summer.

Ace dries himslef and dresses up, putting on some cotton shorts and a plain black t-shirt. Walking out of the bathroom, he immediately reaches for his backpack, digging out a sandwich that he had brought. Leaving the room just to get food seemed like a bother. He remembers Rockruff could be hungry as well. From his suitecase he excavates a package of pokemon food his mother had packed, specially for his future partner. He lets out the puppy out of the pokeball, just for him to start merrily running around the moment his paws meet the floor. Ace likes Rockruff, save for the biting part. Obviously, he knew a lots about this pokemon, he had always found its evolutions rather cool, and though he'd never admit it out loud, he thought Rockruff was a rather cute pokemon itself. He empties the bag of food on the floor, and Rockruff is quick to dig in. Ace picks up his phone, shooting a quick message to his family group chat. 'Everything' s good, done with introductions' he writes. Pulling back slightly, he snaps a picture of Rockruff, sending it in as well. His mother is fast to reply: 'God, Ace, why is it eating off of the floor'. Ace sighs, writing another message: 'I'll get him a food bowl tomorrow". He throws his phone besides him, and starts eating. He' s occupied Joe's bed, he realises. Not that it matters, it's not like Joe's there to get mad at him.

As Ace worked his way through his lunch, he heard the lock twisting. His spirit sunk a bit with a sound. Hopefully it weren't Teo or Ves. "Oh, God, it's so hot in here", he heard Sam's voice, "I was sitting outside in the sun for so long, I think I'm about to die". Ace looked his way, the brown haired boy seemed to have worked up quite a bit of sweat. Jersey shirt and running shorts were sticking to his skin. His breath was heavy, so the trip up the stairs probably didn't help much either. Sam stood looking around the room, as if he's looking for something. "What bed's mine?", he asks, scratching his head.

"Joe and I took these two", Ace gestures at the bunk bed he's sitting on, "you can take your pick, just know you're sharing with either Teo or Ves if you pick the second bunk".

"Right then this one's mine, I don't think those two really like me", he stops for a second, approaching the single bed right next to the doors. "Oh, I need to cool off a bit", the boy sighs, quickly starting to undress. Ace quickly looks away. Sam's way too comfortable with this too, it seems, and Ace could only hope Teo and Ves had some modesty. He wouldn't bet on it, though. He hears Sam walking around, and flinches once the boy drops down right next to him. "God, that's better, I was literally dying", Sam lets out a breath of relief, "how are you doing, Ace right?".

Ace looks at Sam just to be sure, and yes, the other boy had apparently deicded to sit right next to him wearing only his underwear. "I'm fine", Ace replies shortly, shuffling around in place, trying to get away from Sam. The boy sat way too close, their shoulders were touching. Other than being almost naked, Sam also didn't carry a pleasant smell right now. This one might just be worse than Joe. And Sam could be swinging for another team as well, you never know these days.

"What did you think of all of this today?", Sam wondered out loud, "it was a bit crazy, and those three are a bit weird honestly, but I don't think they are really bad guys".

"Hey, I didn't think you were that chatty", Ace ignores his questions.

"Right", Sam laughs, "I mean, I usually like talking to people, but I was nervous today, honestly, I mean, first I was late, and then I was nervous to meet you guys, and then you saw how those three were, and...".

"Alright, alright", Ace sighed, "calm down". Sam seemed to be one of those people who just couldn't shut up. And he was dead last in the rankings. So. He was both incompetent and annoying, Ace concluded.

"Sorry", Sam scrathes his head, and Ace catches the whiff of his sweat. Right. It's not only that he'll have to share this tiny room with four other people, but four teenage boys. Those did not smell good. And this one in particular seemed to be stranger to the concepts of both personal space and hygiene. "Guess I'm just a bit excited, I guess", Sam admits.

"It's alright", Ace says, "just slow down a bit".

"Right", Sam replies, not slowing down at all. Instead, he jumps up as he's been struck by lightning and starts digging through his stuff. He returns back to the bed, once again sitting down way too close to Ace. He all but shoves his pokedex into Ace's face: "could you show me how to scan Yamper's moves with this, I can't figure out how to do that".

Ace takes the opportunity to stand up and get away from Sam, grabbing his own pokedex. "Sure, I didn't do it either, actually", he says. At first he stands facing Sam, unwilling to sit back down, until he realises he's forced to look at the other boy that way. Ace sits down, making sure to leave some space between sam and himself. "So, basically, you fire up a scanner", Ace extends his pokedex, showing him where the scanner option is. Sam follows along. "Then you just place your pokedex on top of the pokeball like this", Ace picks up Rockruffs pokeball showing the motion to Sam, "make sure this red orb on the pokedex touches the top region of the pokeball, cause that's part's a scanner, and the top region is where the micro-chips that carry information are built in".

"Wow, you're like an expert in this dude", Sam sounds amazed, "I didn't know any of that". Both of their screens flash up. "Here, Yamper knows moves Nuzzle, Bite, Howl and Sand Attack", the boy says out loud, "and its ability is called Rattled, wait, I think that one's a bit stupid".

"Yeah, it kind of is", Ace thinks about it, "I mean it's good when it works, but it only works when you're hit with a. Bug, Ghost or a Dark type move".

"Right, so not too useful", Sam scratches his head, and Ace really wants to force him to go and take a shower.

"It is a hidden ability, I think", Ace says instead, "wait, let me check". He leans over and presses a few buttons. "There, it is a hidden ability", Ace states, "so when you evolve it into Boltund, it will get Competetive".

"Oh, that one's better", Sam says excitedly, "right?".

"If you make it into a special attacker, then it's great", Ace explains, "cause it raises its special attack".

"Right cool, thanks man", Sam smiles wrapping his arm around Aces shoulder. Ace flinches, quickly pulling back, realising he was leaning over and basically being hugged by another boy, who was barely a step above being naked. And he still smelled very bad. "Hey, what moves does Rockruff have?", Sam was now leaning over him to peek at his pokedex.

Ace raised his arm almost defensively, creating some space between the two. Clearing his throat in an attemped to seem cool he said: "Accelerock, Quick Attack, Double Team and Sand Attack, eh, not the best, but at least I get evasivness control". Looking deeper into Rockruffs profile Ace goes on. "It has Own Tempo as it's ability, which is fine I guess".

"Oh, I don't know that one", Sam notes.

"It prevents confusion, which is fine, and for Rockruff, it lets it evolve into its midday form, which I don't really care for", Ace explains.

"Oh, you already know what form you want to evolve your Rockruff into?", Sam asks.

"I mean, midnight form looks the coolest", Ace admits, "and I'm hopimg for Sand Rush or Steadfast as its ability, I could use that speed increase".

"Hey, dude, you really know so much", Sam leans back, his voice filled with amazement, "no wonder you're ranked so highly".

"Right", Ace says, trying to hide the fact he enjoys being praised.

The door handle turns again, and Joe walks in, with Riolu following close by. As the boy approaches them, Ace remembers they are both sitting on his bed. He looks them over, without a word, his face as calm as ever. "Hey Sam, if you're going to sit on my bed please do that after you take a shower", the boy says matter of factly, "you don't exactly look or smell clean right now".

"Sorry dude", Sam jumps up from the bed immediately, "I was just trying to cool down, and honestly, didn't know this was your bed, I thought it was Ace's".

"Right", Joe cuts him off, "it's fine if you sit on my bed, just please don't be covered in sweat when you do so, I don't really like that".

"Yeah, okay, sorry again, I'll hop in the shower right now", Sam says hurriedly. Ace can see the boy turning red, and is frankly amazed of how unfiltered Joe is. Just straight up telling someone they stink is next level. Maybe having a gay roomate won't be that bad, most of them are metrosexuals as well. And Joe seems to be rather capable of scaring people off as well, so maybe he could scare the rest of the boys into keeping the room and themselves clean. Joe sits down next to Ace without saying anything, but Ace makes sure he finishes his sandwich quickly and escape to his own bed. Just for good measure, he recalls Rockruff once the pokemon is done eating, so he doesn't accidentaly tick off Riolu. Ace is not sure why Joe's still keeping Riolu out of the pokeball anyways, but he's too unnerved to ask.

Minutes later, Sam is peeking through the bathroom doors. "Hey, guys, um, I forgot to bring in the towel", he says sheepishly, "hope you don't mind me coming out like this".

"Dude cmon", Ace wails, "are you for real".

"What, I forgot, I'm sorry", Sam responds, "just don't look if you mind it".

"Oh my God", Ace scoffs, "I mean dude, we're really not close enough for you to be giving us a full frontal".

"Just don't look", Sam repeats.

"Well, it's your ass, you know, and Joe is gay, in case you forgot", Ace tries to scare him off.

"I'm an asexual", Joe sighs standing up and starting to look through his stuff.

"Hey, I was wondering what's that?", Sam says, "if you don't mind me asking".

"I'm not sexually attracted to anyone", Joe says simply, "not girls and not boys, or really anyone else".

"Right, so it's cool if I walk out like this, you won't mind it", Sam concludes.

"I will mind it, you're wet, and I don't want this room turning into a swamp", Joe says calmly. He digs up a towel, and approaches the doors. "Here, you can use one of mine, I don't really want to dig through your stuff, just dry yourself, and then you can come out however you want, I don't mind".

"Oh, right", Sam says slightly confused, "thanks dude".

"Hey, maybe land him some underwear as well", Ace chimmes in, "you might be into people walking around naked, but I'm really not".

"Right, sorry", Sam says, "could you hand me some underwear as well, I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, my suitecases are the two big green ones, just check both, I don't know what's in which one".

"Right", Joe quickly makes his way over to the suitecases. Expertly opening one, he starts digging through. Raising what he was looking for into the air, he states with a calm of a Tibetan monk: "Luvdisc briefs? Interesting choice". Ace can't help but laugh.

"Hey, they are funny and comfortable", Sam defends his choices as Joe hands him off the piece of clothing.

"Alright, buddy, this is not a conversation we're getting into", Ace warns, "just get dressed please".

As Sam dissapears back into the bathroom, the doors to their room open again, and Teo and Ves enter, both looking rather unimpressed. Ves takes a quick glance at the room, noticing Sam's dirty clothes on the single bed, and Ace and Joe hanging on their own beds. "So, I guess you guys couldn't wait for the two of us before you decided who's getting what bed", the boy says.

"Just don't start", Ace rolls his eyes, and is happy the two boys can't see the gesture.

"Why not, it's our room as well", Ves retorts angrily.

"Well, it doesn't matter, the bunks are the same anyways", Ace replies, "and I don't think you want to bukn with either three of us anyways, the two of you are buddies, so you'd end up bunking together even if we talked about it".

"We're not buddies", Teo says simply, approaching the bunk, "I'm taking the top bed".

"Hey, now you're starting as well", Ves turns his attention to Teo, "so what, I'm the only one who doesn't get a say in this?".

"Hey, I called this bed, so miss me with your shit", Teo replies, "you can argue with those three all you want".

"Well, maybe I want a single bed", Ves huffs, "not that I want to bunk with you buddy".

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"The single bed's mine", Sam picks the worst time to walk out of the bathroom.

Ves sizes him up, immediately bursting into a laughter. "My God, Teo, just look at this idiot", he barely manages to say.

Teo peeks his head over the frame of his bed shortly noting: "for future refrence, I'm not interested in stuff like that Ves, though I'm sure you enjoy the view".

"Oh, fuck off", Ves retorts, "the only one who enjoys this is Joe, probably, he's gay".

"I'm asexual", Joe reiterates.

"Yeah, make up as many words you want buddy, you're gay", Ves waves him off, "tell you what, the best option would be if Ace bunked with Teo, you give me the single bed, so these two dick lovers can bunk together".

"I'm not bunking with Teo", Ace basically yells out.

"I frankly do not care", Joe flats out.

"I'm not gay", Sam says confused, "I like women, I really like women".

"Yeah, well, the Luvdisc undies tell a whole different story buddy", Ves chuckles.

"Oh, quit it, Ves, you didn't think this through", Ace explains, "you really wanna sleep with your head to the hallway wall in a dormitory?"

"Well, I'll just turn the other way around", Ves shrugs.

"Yeah, sure, and if I take the bottom bunk, you'll be sleeping with my feet to your face, I can promise you that much", Ace raises his eyebrows.

Ves seems to think about it, and Ace knows he's got him. He's always had a knack for dimplomacy. "Right, fine, I'll bunk with Teo then", Ves gives in, "who cares either way".

"Exactly", Ace says with a satisfied smile. Maybe he'll make it through these four years after all.

*****

Sunday morning was a hot mess. Ace had discovered that the window in their room was facing east, by the virtue of sunlight piercing through his eyelids at 6 AM. Throwing a pillow over his head, he tried sinking back to sleep. Ves and Sam, however, rendered his attempt useless, as the two proved to be quite efficent in using snore. In his head, Ace titled the pair 'Snorlax Brothers', silently laughing at his own joke. Nevertheless, he took a mental note on getting himself some sun-proof curtains as well as ear-plugs. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, when he heard the doors silently open. A jolt of fear left him feeling fully awake, as he turned around to see who was intruding at this time of the day. Joe looked up at him, his eyes as blank as ever. "Went for a morning run", the boy almost whispered as he approached their bunk, "sorry if I woke you up".

"No, you didn't", Ace said, painfully aware of the fact his voice was cracking. It always did in the mornings. He hated it.

"It's 7 AM", Joe continued, "I'm going to take a shower, then I'm off to cafeteria to get some breakfast, I'd recommend you get ready for breakfast as well, we have to be off to the assembly, and it's better we don't go hungry".

"Whatever, mom", Ace rubs his eyes, "just bring your clothes with you, please".

"Right, I will", Joe replies, "I'll try to keep it quiet as well".

"Well, I'm already awake, so I don't care about that", Ace snarks. Joe is quick to pick out his clothes and leave for the bathroom. Ace closes his eyes again, but he can't fall back asleep. The sound of running water only adds to the cacophony caused by the snores of the Snorlax Brothers. Teo seems to be the only one of his roomates who's not a bother in the morning. Being fair, Joe wasn't the worst either in that regard. Ace truly did not hear him waking up and leaving. And if he gets a habbit of coming back to the room at this time, that's not the worst thing, their classes do start at 8 AM. Coming to his senses a bit, Ace jolts up, quickly making hisnway off of his bed. He double-checks the other three boys, making sure they are all still asleep. Digging up the clothes for the day, Ace quickly changes. Better do it now, he thinks, he doesn't want anyone else looking at him. He shudders, as he realises Riolu is sitting on Joe's bed, watching him intently. He'll have to have a talk with his teammate about keeping his pokemon out at all times. Joe walks out into the room, and Ace doesn't bring it up. Instead, he quickly takes his turn in the bathroom, adding to Joe: "Hey, if you're going for breakfast, wait up for me".

"Alright", Joe says distantly. The lack of reaction to anything is slowly but surely starting to get on Ace's nerves. The thought of hanging out with Joe definitely doesn't bring him any joy. Eating alone, however, could possibly be social suicide, this is a high school after all, and Ace had seen enough movies to know how things work. Having someone eat with you meant you weren't a social reject, and at this point, he didn't exactly have a big pool of acquaintances to pick from.

Making their way down the series of stairs, the two boys don't talk. Ace thinks about how soulless the halls look in the morning, first lights make everything look grey, and the last remains of sleep still stuck in his eyes make the boy feel like the world is fading in and out. He focuses his eyes in front of himself. The cafeteria is wast, filled with various smells. They fight through the air, coming together to form a strange yet weirdly familiar feeling. There's barely anyone there. It's Sunday, no one has to wake up this early. Most of the older students probably didn't arrive yet either, Ace concludes. Sat far apart, there are only few other people in there. Three girls sat on the far right end of the room, Ace could tell they were giggling about something. They passed two boys who were sitting together and eating in silence. Near the counter, another boy sat with a Mienfoo that Ace concluded was his partner. He shuddered at the thought of eating alone with his pokemon. That was social reject behaviour. Joe was ready to do it, though Ace thought. If he hadn't tag along, the boy would probably end up eating breakfast with his Riolu, who was still out of his pokemon. Maybe it was some sort of fighting type trainer thing, the whole having your pokemon out at all times and being a social case.

There was no line so they were quick to get their food. They looked surprisingly good. Ace had gotten a steak, made out of Pomeg and Aguav berries. There were, of course, numerous combinations of berry-synthesised meats, but this was one of Ace's favourite combination. Made him feel energised. They were delicious. Sometimes though, Ace had wished eating pokemon wasn't outlawed. He was highly curious about how certain pokemon species tasted. Getting that thought off of his mind, he put a bowl filled with food down for Rockruff. As they took their place at the table, as far from the other occupants of the cafeteria as possible, Ace let his partner out of the pokeball. Watching the small dog eat, he felt guilty over his imagined culinary conquests. Joe was, thankfully, not a talker. As Ace dug into his steak, enriching the meal with giant gulps of orange juice, he thought about that personality test. How did it work? The questions weren't anything out of the ordinary, and he could barely remember them or his answers. He did put down watching movies as his hobby. How did that lead to him being paired with Rockruff, he had no idea. Taking glances at his partner, he tried to figure it out. A rock type. Maybe the school board thought he was tough? Or boring? Maybe stubborn?

He remembered what Joe had said yesterday, he was expecting a psychic type. Ace thought about it. With the way Joe is, Ace would've given him an Ice type. Then, again, the boy was ranked in the top 5 students, maybe he was smart, so it wouldn't be strange if he had recieved a psychic type either. Ace didn't have any personal preferences when it came to types of pokemon, he thought every type had some cool pokemon. Objectively, though, he would've paired himself with a poison type. Those were more his style, realistically. Rock was way too straightforward, come to think of it. He saw himself as more of a long game type of person, fight with brains, not brawn. Maybe a psychic type would've fit him as well. He looked at Rockruff again, recalling all that he knew about his partner. His evolution line is one of those that are basically meant to hit hard and hit fast. Not exactly Ace's way of doing things. Trying to make it make sense, he thought about other three boys. Sam getting a Yamper made sense straight off the bath. The boy was hyperenergetic, childish and had no idea about personal boundaries. An electric type was a perfect fit. Teo, whatever his deal was, seemed to fit the dark type profile, so that one made perfect sense. It might've been the way he dresses. Ves was, well, Ves. Surprisingly, that boy was hard to pin down. He definitely knew how to run his mouth, and had his temper working, so a fire typing fits. Dark, however, was a bit stranger. Ace couldn't desribe it exactly, but there was definitely a huge difference between Ves and Teo. Ves's bite was more of an act.

The two were done eating quickly. Joe stood up and went for the counter again. The line was slowly starting to form. It was almost 8 AM, Ace realised. Joe came back, carrying three lunch boxes. Ace figured out what he was going for. "Really, dude", he scoffed, "are you really going to baby those three?".

"Just making sure nobody goes hungry for the assembly", Joe states, "we don't know how long it will last".

"Well, they should be able to take care of themselves, you know, maybe let them go hungry", Ace retorts, "besides, I'm not climbing all those stairs again".

"You don't have to", Joe simply says.

Ace rolls his eyes. Of course he'll come along. He's not going to hang out in the cafeteria all alone. Or anywhere else really. "Let's just go", he sighs in defeat, "let's herd those Wooloo".

Ace walks the stairs again, hating every step. The three boys are still fast asleep when they return into the room. Ace climbs up onto his bed, letting Joe do the dirty work of waking them up and getting them in order. It's not a pretty picture. Sam stumbles around, trying to get dressed. Ves is loudly complaining about the sun and being woken up against his wishes. Teo silently stares at all of them, presumably plotting how to murder them. After it comes a series of small fights. Who gets to go to the bathroom first. Who gets what breakfast. Joe straight up forbids Ves and Teo from feeding their pokemon in the room. Ves complains about it, but ultimately obliges. Teo doesn't say a word. It takes them about half an hour, but eventually, all five of them are ready to go.

Walking as a group feels weird. Everyone else is doing it, though. "How long will this thing last?", Sam is wondering out loud.

"No idea", Teo answers.

The path towards the main building isn't long, much to Ace's gratification. Joe walks in front, Riolu by his side. Three boys have made a priority not to walk too close to him. Sam's the only one unaware, making his way forward every now and again, with Yamper running around his feet. "What do you think they'll talk about?", the boy's still adamant about striking a conversation. Likely, Sam has realised Joe's the only one willing to humour him. The two had gotten into an altercation that morning, as Sam had picked out some cargo shorts and a shirt that desperately needed ironing to wear to the assembly. Joe made him change. Ace enjoyed watching him. Sam had seemingly thought of Joe as a de-facto leader of the group after that. Ace did not enjoy that.

"Monologue about what it means to be a Pokemon, most likely", Joe answers flatly, "that's how these things usually go, I'm pretty sure".

"Right", Sam's enthusiasm flattens after hearing Joe's uninterested tone.

The main building looks dissapointingly ordinary. Not that it looks bad. Series of tall white towers, connected with mermer tunnels certainly created the effect of grandour. Bathed in sun, the humongous white construction had seemed almost otherworldly. It was, however, too modern, Ace concluded, too clean. Isn't this school called the Old King's? The boy had no other choice but to deem the architectural choices soulless. The five made their way into the building, following the crowd that was already starting to form. Ace was dissapointed the assembly wasn't held in the stadium, the construction that stood in the center of the main building and was used for official battles and tournaments held by the school.

Instead, they followed the stream of people into the main amphitheatre. That's what the plate on the wide white doors had read. The room was much more to Ace's liking. The walls were worked in wood and had antique looking lamps placed alongside them. In the front of the room stood a high platform, made out of wood and carpeted in red, it was a place dedicated to the speakers. Opposite to it, the rows of chairs ascended, lined with connecting table tops. The amphiteatre was probably used for lectures as well, Ace realised. Looking at the chairs, it was clear that the first few rows were filled up. Walking through the scattering chatter, the group climb their way to one of the top rows. Joe took a turn into the first completely empty row, and Sam went after him. Ace felt a jolt of relief as both recalled their Pokemon. Walking after them, he took a seat next to Sam. Ves followed behind him, opting to sit down leaving a single chair between them, a rather rude gesture in Ace's book. Teo took a row above them, leaning over the table uninterested, hovering over the single empty chair between Ace and Ves. "We have to wait for this to start now", Sam starts whining immediately, "why couldn't we come in later?".

"This is a one time thing", Ace retorts, "you'll survive".

"Just shut up you three", Teo scoffs at them.

"I wasn't even talking", Joe comments.

"Yeah, and that should stay the case", Teo says under his breath.

"Whatever, just don't get tough with me", Joe seems uninterested.

"Why not, I'm not like these three pussies", Teo smirks, "you don't scare me".

"Well, that's your lack of judgement", Joe remains calm.

"Hey, you two, we ain't turning this into a ghetto Breakfast Club", Ace rolls his eyes.

"Hey, you keep quiet", Teo chucks him over the head, "you're a literal lap dog who runs his mouth way too much".

"Don't hit me, you asshole", Ace flinches a bit.

"Why not, it's not like you're gonna fight back, cmon, I've got you all figured out Ace, I've got you all figured out", Teo laughs lightly.

"Firstly, this isn't Fight Club, so you should chill out", Ace snarks.

"Wow, a second movie reference in a row, slow down Ace", Ves raises his eyebrow.

"Secondly", Ace ignores him, "I've figured you out as well, tough guy, you act all high and mighty, but you were too scared to let your partner out of the pokeball this earlier, huh, weren't you".

"What do you know, asshole", Teo scoffs, pulling back.

"Hey, cmon guys don't fight", Sam chimes in, "we're teammates, we're all this together, remember?".

"Fat chance", Ace gives him a sharp look, "this isn't High School Musical, buddy".

"Yeah, Get'cha head in the game Sam", Ves laughs.

"Hey, you, don't tie into my movie references", Ace scoffs, "we're not that close".

"Chill, dude", Ves raises his hands defensively, "I didn't know you were that emotionally invested".

"If the four of you don't stop yapping, I'm letting Riolu deal with you", Joe informs them. The three sink into an unsettling silence.

"Wait, you'd really let Riolu beat us up", Sam asks almost innocently.

Joe gives him an empty stare: "not beat you up, just discipline you a bit".

"Well that's kinky", Ves comments quietly enough for Joe not to hear, causing Teo to chuckle.

Ace is grateful for the quiet that follows. All this bickering isn't exactly his favourite thing. As the room fills up even more, and the chater grows all around them, the boy recollects his feelings. These kinds of ceremonies were never his cup of tea, he had found them tacky and unnecessary. Growing pride pulsing through his limbs told a different story this time around. Somehow, this day felt important. Ace felt important. As he watched speakers take their place on the podium, he remembered the feeling he had in June. All-consuming confidence that came with the realisation he was accepted into one of the most prestigious Pokemon schools in the world. With that, the boy felt himself grow bigger in his chair.

Woman, looking to be around sixty, dressed in pants and a white blouse, made her way to the mic, signing for the room to quiet down. As the chatter slowly died, Ace took note on people standing on the podium. There were six people up there, he recognised one of them as professor Nolan. Five more people stood right next to the stage, seemengly getting ready to climb up. They weren't all going to give a speech, Ace hoped, otherwise this might last for a whole day.

The old woman cleared her throat into the mic, causing the last of chater to fade. When she spoke, her voice echoed throughout the room, raspy and low: "Dear student, and respected colleagues, allow me to wish you a warm welcome on this fine day". She made a pause, allowing for an applause to take over. Sam was the only one clapping among the five, making a quick stop when he realised the other four boys were staring at him. "For those of you who do not now me yet, my name is Amelia and I am the director of our school", the woman continued, "I've been in position for three years now, and I would like to think of my time here as successful and productive, with that said, I hope this year will yield the same results". Ace chuckled, remembering the Spiritomb fiasco professor Nolan told them about yesterday. If that counted as a successful and productive year, the boy was not sure what to think. "To our first year students, I hope you'll have a year of growth and learning here at Old King's", she went on, "and to my colleagues, I hope we'll all give our best efforts to shaping these young minds".

The crowd applauded again, while Ace was already losing his nerves. Still, he sat in his chair upright. "Now, what is a Pokemon trainer?", director Amelia firmly launched into the second part of the speech, that Ace was sure she spent significant amount of time crafting. Pausing for tension to rise, she cut right through it: "the real question we should ask is, what is a good Pokemon Trainer". She must've been very proud of that one, Ace decided, as the director took a step back at her own words. "Good trainer must be fearless but not careless", her voice turned mellow yet it carried an anthemic feeling. As if she was re-telling a legend long lost. "In this world of ours, Pokemon trainers do much more than battle for entertainment of masses", she gave the room a sharp look, "and though I am sure that's the aspect that interests you the most, keep in mind, the path you have chosen requiers so much more". She made another stop, waiting for the applause, but the room quickly filled with quiet murmur instead. "Trainers have a duty to our society", she silenced the crowd with a wave of her hand, "duty to protect people from bad pokemon, and protect pokemon from bad people, duty to be strong and clever enough, to be someone people will look up to". Ace feels the speech is definitely taking things a bit too far, but he can't deny its dramatic qualities. The feeling growing inside of him, a feeling of major things to come, was also undeniable. "For all of this, I shall urge you all to act responsibly", she goes on, "I am sure you have already heard this sentiment from your mentors, but the Pokemon you have recieved from the school are not to be taken lightly, just like any other Pokemon out there, your new partners are capable of causing harm to you, or to people around you, if they are mishandled". Carrying on, she talks about the dangers of Pokemon and duties of trainers, occasionally stopping for the applause. Ace stops paying attention after a while. It's nothing that he hasn't heard before. Nothing all of them haven't heard before.

The boy breathes a sigh of relief when director Amelia finally introduces the school's vice principal, Urlich, letting him take his chance at adressing the audience, and explaining the way the school functions in more detail. The man, seemingly in his 60s as well, brings with him a much more relaxed demeanor and a calmer voice. His hair is white and neatly trimmed, as he stands dressed in beige from head to toe. With another warm welcome wished, the man is quick to start explaining how the school works. Ace decides he should pay attention, even though he already did his reasearch and knew most of this stuff. "I am sure many of you are curious as to why we insist on putting our students into teams, why not just let you go through school on your own?", he knowingly glances over the audience. "While we could easily let you go about your education purely as individuals, there are numerous reasons and benefits to forming the teams", the man speaks matter-of-factly, "first reason is that our school is much older than the Pokemon Trainer profession, while our current curriculum revolves around Pokemon battles for entertainment, we had our start with something much different". Right, Ace remembers the history of this place. "Before battling Pokemon had turned into a career, this school produced students who were more of adventurers, rangers per say", the vice principal stated, "their job was to traverst the world, face wild pokemon and discover new things about them, which you would imagine, most of the time had required working together with others". He took a deep breath before continuing. "Of course, those aspects of being a pokemon Trainer still exist, and even for those of you who plan on focusing solely on Pokemon battles learning to work and function as a part of the team is highly beneficial, as many of the tournaments that trainer's make their living off are formated like doubles or tag-team event", he states, "add to that the benefits of social life and the fact teams have been a long running in our school, we hope you can see why we would opt to stay true to this tried formula".

Ace hates to admit it, but the speech is getting him riled up. He didn't give much thought to why he was put into a team up until now, for him it was just a simple function of the school. Vice-principal's speech almost made him excited that he's a part of a team. Almost. Luckily, the guys he was teammed up with sat next to him and served as a great counter-argument for professor's 'benefits of other people' speech.

"As for our grading system, if you could even call it that, I am well aware first year students find it hard to grasp, so I'll do my best to explain it in the most simple way possible", the man continues. Clearing his throat he prepares himself, and Ace gets a feeling this will be another long-winded explanation. He did his research, so he knew how the rankings worked rather well himself. There were, however a few things he was still unclear on, so he decided it would be for the best if he followed along. "I personally like to say that we have a ranking system, not a grading system, here at Old King's", the man starts, "we pride ourselves at being one of the best schools for Pokemon trainers, but, unlike our concurrents, we have decided to take a different approach". He gives a significant stare to the audience. "As I am sure you know already, for our first years, the bottom ranking 5 teams are eliminated", he puts the last word in air quotes, "that's to say, the 30 students belonging to the 5 teams who finish the year on the bottom of list will fail the year". That's the thing Ace was the most scared of. Only the students ranked above 270th place get to move on to the second year. In second year that number grows even smaller. Eventually, only 100 students will graduate from the fourth year. This was what made Old King's special. The competition. While all of the other schools had significantly smaller acceptance rates, a few elite ones only accepting 30 students in a single year, the Old King's School for Pokemon Trainers took much different approach. Let the larger number of students enroll, then have them fight for their spot. He wasn't too worried about himself, he sat comfortably at the place 87, he'd just need to hold on to that spot in order to graduate. Unfortunately, it wasn't all up to him.

He could hear the echo coming from somebody few roads in front of them, but he couldn't make out the words. The vice principal gave a nod of understanding. "Certainly the team dynamics add an interesting layer to this, I'm sure all of you agree on that one", there's a note of mischief in his voice. Someone's apparently voiced what Ace was thinking. "Here's the deal", the man clapped his hands letting his voice loosen up a bit, "the stance of our school on the topic of making the passing requierments dependent on the team performance is pretty clear cut". He pauses and Ace is now certain he likes getting under student's skin. "As we have said, we believe that working with others is one of the core values of a Pokemon Trainers, and the system that decides wheter or not our students pass the year must reflect that", he states, "in our doctrine, a part of what makes someone a capable Pokemon Trainer is being able to work with people and resources that surround him, and, to put it in the perspective, you're not always going to be surrounded by the best of the best, so you must understand why the team dynamic is integral to our philosophy". Ace looked over to Sam, to find the boy sinking deeper into his chair. He must've realised the other four were all staring at him. Ace turned around, giving Teo a raised eyebrow, just to drive home the point.

Someone in the crowd was speaking again, and Ace could barely understand a few words, like "not fair" or "what if", but it was quite enough for him to figure out what the question was.

The vice principal nodds again. "Firstly, let me assure you that we do our best to make the teams balanced when rankings are in question, for the sake of everyone having equal chances", the man says, "of course, big part in forming teams are the personality tests, as well as the gender of our students, so do take into account that forming teams is decided by numerous factors". He takes in a deep breath. "While I can't argue that every team has the same chances, I can say for certain that every team has a chance to pass, and graduate even", he says, "as for those of you who are worried your teammates will drag you down, I can assure you, if you are that great on your own, you won't fail even if your teammates all place in bottom 30". He looked over the crowd again. "Firstly, we are aware that a situation in which a four mediocore students drag down one brilliant one can happen, although that's a very rare occasion, we do know that it can realiatically happen", he adds, "therefore, any student placing within top 50 spots on their own will automatically pass, regardless of how their team does, we're not about to fail somebody who's capable". Another question comes from the audience. "In that case, the student who passes takes a spot in the team of the person who was ranked last on the single list but belongs to one of the passing teams", the vice principal explains. Another voice is heard. "To put it bluntly, the best option for all of you is try and not rank low, I hope that answers all of your questions on passing", the man says sporting a small smile. The bastard is definitely enjoying this.

Realising he had managed to stop the questions from coming, the man went back to his speech. "Now, another thing I should explain, and I promise this is the last you'll hear from me, is the way to actully gather the points", he clears his throat. "Not to waste your time, each semester you will have three main chances of gathering points for yourselves and your team", he states, "two battle tournaments and your written finals as well". The chatter spreads through the room again, and someone is asking another question. "Yes, sometimes the school organises additional events that can lend you points, but those are organised on short notice, I promise you will always be informed about them in time, but I'd advise focusing on these main ones for now", the vise principal gives another explanation. "Now, for you first years", he goes back to his speech, "the first of these events would be a tag team tournament, that is scheduled to start on the third monday of October", he announces. "Please save your opinions for later and your questions for tomorrow", he gestures, "I believe you all have homeroom classes scheduled for tomorrow, so your mentors will be the ones to give you more detail on all of this". He pauses for the chatter to die down. "After that, throughout a month of November, you will take part in the single battle tournament, and I'm telling you this right now, singles are the second battle tournament of every semester, and arguably the most important one", he states, "when that is done, you will be taking your finals some time during December, the schedule of the tests will be worked out closer to the date".

The room fell silent. Ace fidgeted his fingers, doing his best to calculate. Of course he had heard of Old King's battle tournament. He had no idea they were a part of the grading system. He thought they were a fun little side thing. He's never had a pokemon battle. Other than the ones on the simulator. The date of the tournament was too close for comfort. He looked at the other boys. Tag team battle. That one's suppoed to mean all of them battle an opponent from the other team, and the firt one to 3 victories wins the whole thing. Suddenly, he was grateful for Joe's existance. He looked at the other three. Teo looked like the worst prospect to him. Even if he wasn't scared of his Pokemon, which Ace was sure of, he still couldn't control it, let alone use it in battle. Sam didn't bring in much hope either. With a sigh, the boy concluded it would be up to Joe, Ves and himself to get them the points worth passing. Not an easiest of feats.

"With all of that said, and before I give word to your mentors, let me remind you of a rule we have here", the vice principal speaks up, "first years are prohibited from taking part in unsupervised battles, I'm sure you're all eager to start training as soon as possible, but the director Amelia already explained, Pokemon can be dangerous, so we can't have a bunch of kids battling whenever and wherever they want, I hope that much is clear". Clearing his throat he adds: "if you want to battle, you need to ask one of your professors to oversee it, breaking this rule can and most likely will result in expulsion". He pauses for a moment. "That would be all I have to say to you, I wish you all the best of luck, now you'll hear a bit from your mentors", the vice principals says before stepping back.

As the mentors start giving their speeches, Ace finds himself unable to concentrate. The first two had sucked all of the will to live right out of him. He catches professor Nolan talking about dangers of Pokemon again, and reiterating the 'no battling' rule. Mostly, he thinks about how to go about things. The only new piece of information he had learned from these speehes was the fact that the top 50 students in the individual rankings get an automatic pass. He wasn't so sure what the difference between the team list and individual list was, and how the two were connected, the school website didn't explain that in too much detail. He could ask about it tomorrow in homeroom, all that mattered now was that there was a way for him to pass regardless of how his teammates fared. He would need to climb up at least 37 spots, he calculated. The numbers made his hopes seem bleaker by a minute. In theory it was not an impossible task. Reality, however, was that those 37 numbers he had to jump over were people. People who'll be fighting for their own spots as well, people who had already outscored him on the entrance exam. His chances were slim, he knew. Looking over at his teammates, he felt the headache starting up. An argument about all of this is coming as soon as they leave the amphitheatre. Maybe they could pull it off, though? What did they need? If Joe just hangs on to his place, that should earn them quite a bit of points, right? Even if he falls a bit lower, that's still good, even a top 30 position should mean he had gathered a good amount of points. There was still a black hole in his mind, he still had no idea what classified for team points and what went into individual points. He tried to think around it, prepare for the worst case scenario. If Joe didn't fall out of top 20 and Ace managed to cling on to his position as well, that would certainly be enough for them to pass. It had to be. Add Ves to the mixture, say that he keeps his spot as well. That should be enough to push them through the first year, right. Sam and Teo couldn't fuck things up that much. Not right now. The real problem was the second year though. Ace tried to stop himself from thinking that far ahead. His attempts failed. Right, if he advances into top 70 or even top 60 spots this year, next year he can push for that top 50 position that gurantees safety more comfortably. Hanging back in his chair, he finally realxes a bit. He sees the way out. Breathing in deep, Ace lets himself relax.