Goldenrod City, outside the Battle Academy.
The sleeping boy lifted the hand resting on his body, reached for the manga covering his face, and picked it up. He yawned, stretched, and stood. Tall and slender, with dangerously narrowed eyes and deep purple hair, he had an air of mystery about him. Without a word, he released his Pokémon, Meowstic. His eyes opened slightly, revealing pale purple irises, and the boy who had just caused a scene flew backward into the nearby rock face. After a crash and an agonized scream, the purple-haired boy said calmly, "Those with admission invitations, come here. Those without them, follow Meowstic."
The troublemaker floated out of the rock face and drifted slowly behind Meowstic. The crowd exchanged looks before entering the academy.
Ash and Qing Shao followed the older student. When they reached a battle arena, they found three people waiting there. The boy with narrowed eyes spoke.
"They're all academy teachers. Anyone with an invitation has a clean background and is recognized by the League, so once we confirm you're a Beginner Level Pokémon Trainer, you can enroll. Your battle results will determine your class. You can choose the Elite Four Class, the Gold Class, or the Silver Class."
Qing Shao, standing beside him, asked, "I heard there's a limit on class sizes?"
The boy glanced at him and replied, "That's right. Looks like you did your homework. Everyone in those three classes has to be among the strongest students in their year. The Elite Four Class has six students, and the Gold and Silver Classes have ten each. Those twenty-six students form the Student Council for their year. Everyone else goes into the Regular Class, which has no fixed size. One advantage of enrolling with an invitation is that you become a Student