The enormous academy towered over Castelia City's central, upper-class residential district. It was like... the whole world revolved around that place... Castelia Tech... This federally accredited, super privileged academy gathers students of the highest caliber in all fields... so it can groom them to be the best of the best. Graduating is said to guarantee a life of success. Castelia Tech has been producing top-tier prospects in every discipline for as long as anyone can remember.

Fostering students in whom the country can place their hope, it is aptly referred to as "Hope's Academy". There are two qualifications one must meet to enroll:

1) You must be in high school.

2) You must excel in all subjects.

There is no application process- all new students are scouted by the academy. And yet, there I was... standing before the gates to an academy as superbly, supremely amazing as that...

Of course, I wasn't enrolling there. I don't think I would have been able to handle that. But even so... an invitation to attend the annual Conference of Interregional Progress is... astounding...

It's a little by the books, but I want to start off by introducing myself. My name is Touya Black. I am just as I sound to be, a helplessly ordinary average high school student. I'm not a whole lot different on the inside, either. I'm not particularly skilled in anything. I'm not very eccentric, nothing really "extraordinary" at all. I don't have many tastes, or interests. I'm not a Gym Leader or a Champion- I don't even have a pokemon. If you want to know my favorite actor, comic, band, or movie, just look at the charts and there you go. Whatever's number one, that's more than likely it. Ordinary to an almost cliche degree, the most average of the average... that's me. Starting things off so by-the-books with an introduction is a great example of that.

And there I was- normal, everyday me standing in front of Castelia Tech, a far cry from what you'd call an "ordinary" school. I've really... come to an amazing place...I'm not getting in over my head, am I? I felt like a very small basculin lost in a very, very large ocean. I didn't feel prepared for this— though I doubt anyone could blame me. Now, you might think I'm blowing things out of proportion, but I'm not. Just look at the preparations I did last night:

I didn't do anything.

I should have, I know. It's not like there was a lack of information of the people attending. A dedicated thread on a certain online message board has been updating for weeks, but every time I tried to prepare myself, I got cold feet. I kept pushing it off further and further until I didn't have time to even glance at a single post. All I knew going into this was that this conference would be the most terrifying, stressful three days of my life. For as elitist and selective the process is to enroll in the academy... receiving an invitation to attend the conference was even harder.

Anyway, that aside, the real question is: how did a normal kid like me end up being selected to join the ranks of these elite people? To find your answer, you just need to glance at my admissions notice.

"The Bureau of the Conference of Interregional Progress has selected by lottery a single candidate from a pool of average citizens. Your name was chosen, and so we invite you to join us this year as the Super High School Level Lucky Ducklett."

It was luck, and nothing more. Even the title was condescending.

In all honesty, I should have declined. But there was no way I could- my mom was so excited for me, and my friends wouldn't let me hear the end of how lucky I was. Bianca babbled on about it for weeks, hardly letting me get a word in. Cheren was mad at first- he really should have been invited, not me. But in the end, he supported me. Them and my mom managed to convince me that maybe I wouldn't be so out of my element.

But standing there, with the school before my very eyes... I realized that I really was out of my league, without a doubt...

"I can't just... loiter outside of the gate forever..."

Mumbling to myself, I dropped my gaze to the conference schedule in my hand.

'Conference attendees meet in the entrance hall for registration at 8:00 a.m.'

There's still some time before we're scheduled to meet up, but... I guess I should get going.

After mustering together far more resolve than should be necessary for entering a building...

I headed towards the entrance hall.

"Well... here I am..."

It doesn't look like anyone else is here, though.

I looked at the entrance hall's gorgeous clock. 7:10, it said.

Registration doesn't start until 8:00, meaning I still had fifty minutes.

Of course no one else is here.

I was so nervous, I caught a train that was much too early. There was still plenty of time, and I really didn't feel like just standing here until then. Maybe I could wander a bit.

It might help me loosen up.

I mean, technically I'm allowed to be here, right? There shouldn't be a problem... right?

All I'm doing is killing some time.

Having convinced myself it wasn't such a big deal, I took my first step into the heart of Castelia Tech.

The first step, overflowing with hope for the days to come.

Or... that's how it was supposed to be.

However, the moment my foot touched the floor...

The world began to twist and spin... until finally it all blended together, melting like a CasteliaCone. Swirling and twirling and whirling and curling into a thick, syrupy, viscous pulp.

And the next second...

Darkness.

That was the beginning and the end of my everyday life. I should've realized it then. I wasn't there because I was the Super High School Level Lucky Ducklett. I was there because I was the Super High School Level Unlucky Ducklett.