Reise Academy

Reise Academy is an educational institution situated in the city of Port Alda, in the region of Norrvalo.

History

The academy's long and storied history begins with its legendary founder. An adventurer and trainer born in Port Alda, Doran Reise traveled the length and breadth of Norrvalo with their Pokémon, penning one of the most comprehensive accounts (at the time) of the region, its flora and fauna, and its regional mythology - all the while lending an ear to the tales and the woes of locals and lending a hand to folk in need wheresoever they went. Once they completed their survey of the island, they set out and explored the world at large – and have done so for many years, until at some point they decided to retire from adventuring and pass the torch on. They returned home and established a small institution – half school and half adventurers' guild – where they would impart the things that they have learned on their journeys throughout the world about traveling the wilds and pokemon training to a new generation of trainers and explorers, in the hopes that those trainers would do the same for future hopefuls just starting out on their journeys. This institution eventually blossomed into the academy that now bears their name, and follows the goals for which they had founded it – to grant its students all the knowledge and tools they’ll need in their own adventures, and to foster the qualities of creativity, perseverance and communication between a trainer and their partners as core values that each and every trainer should hold close to their hearts.

Reise Academy's Academic Program for Trainers

Open to enrollees ages 16 and up, the program's curriculum combines frontal education in all pertinent aspects of trainer life (including wilderness survival and wayfinding, first aid, Pokémon care, basic and advanced battle techniques, and so on) and practical hands-on experience gained from travel across the island and taking on a variety of challenges as they do so.

Traditionally, students who enroll in this program are provided by the Academy with a Pokémon to serve as their first partner - a Carbright, a Fairy-type native to the island and favored for its versatility. The Academy's staff has maintained a breeding program for the creatures for many years, and it is said that some of its lineages can even claim descent from the very same Carbright that was the first partner of Doran Reise themself. Not merely breeding the creatures, though, the staff of the Academy are also well versed in the process of manufacturing the "Arcane Gemstones" that Carbright require in order to bring out their full potential by transforming into other elemental forms. These gemstones serve an important part in the Academy's program - as students are awarded these gems as proof of successfully completing what came to be known as the Three Trials of Reise Academy. Designed to be undertaken by a trainer and their partner Carbright, each of the trials is tailored to serve as a test of one of the Academy's three core values, and each awards the passing student a different type of gem. Completion of all Three Trials is a prerequisite for taking the Academy's Final Trial and to graduation from the program.

The Trial of Ruby

“There will be times in any trainer’s journey where they shall be placed at a position of disadvantage by circumstances beyond their control. It precisely under such circumstances, where the path to victory seems unclear, that creativity and resourcefulness – alongside technique and knowledge – must light the way.”

Challengers who would face the Trial of Ruby must travel to The Crucible and vanquish a powerful Fire-type Pokémon in battle. The Fire type’s natural resistance to Fairy-type moves and the natural benefits the volcanic area provides to Fire-Type Pokémon serve to put the challengers at an unfavorable situation, which they must surmount to triumph in this trial by combat.

The Trial of Ruby is a test of the core tenet of Creativity, and students who clear it are rewarded with an Arcane Ruby, allowing their Carbright to transform into its Fairy/Fire-type Ruby Form.

Trial of Topaz

“An old legend claims that Norrvalo’s greatest mountain is the final resting place of a true titan among Golem that once walked the island, before the coming of human settlers – a creature that had lived so long and in life, drank so deep of the wellsprings of Rock and Ground energies, that even in death, crystals teeming with the essences of these elements still grow out of the rocks that once comprised its shell. Whether such a creature had truly once lived, or whether the legend was born as a fanciful explanation for the great crystal caverns of Mount Ravuori, it cannot be denied that gemstones replete with the energies of the earth may certainly be had in the heart of the mountain... Steel yourself, face the mountain and all obstacles that it may place in your way, and return with a gemstone worthy of the journey.”

Challengers who would face the Trial of Topaz must venture into the labyrinthine depths of Mount Ravouri and retrieve a shard of crystal charged with Rock and Ground elemental energies from within. Many paths lead to the mountain and many still lead through the mountain – and one must ever keep their wits about them, and use what they learned about survival and wayfinding to locate a path to their prize – while being ever mindful of the dangers they may face in such environments, and of the creatures that dwell within.

The Trial of Topaz is a test of the core tenet of Perseverance, and students who clear it are rewarded with an Arcane Topaz (which is, in fact, a polished and especially prepared form of the very gem that they have retrieved themselves), allowing their Carbright to transform into its Fairy/Ground Topaz Form.

Trial of Emerald

“The gales blow fiercely through the harsh mountain passes of Olmvindur Cliffs, and at times, the most straightforward roads that lead through them simply cannot be used – necessitating one to traverse more treacherous paths to cross them. To tread such ground alone is foolhardiness at its worst - but one must choose their companions well. Communication is the foundation of trust - and without it, companions meant to pull each other through to safe passage may yet drag each other down to disastrous ends. Heed this lesson of the mountains well.

Challengers who would face the Trial of Emerald must sojourn to Olmvindur Cliffs, where a ravine between two cliffs has been adapted to serve as a unique challenge. Twin obstacle courses – one designed for a trainer and another for a Pokémon – have been set along opposite walls of the ravine, close enough for the Pokémon and the trainer to see what's on the other side and communicate across the gap in between, but too far for them to reach each other directly. The obstacles along these two courses are linked together, necessitating cooperation between trainer and Pokémon to clear the barriers in each other’s path and reach the finish line together, while taking shelter from the winds when they must. At the end of the path, however - the eye of the storm, as it were - lies one more challenge to face in the form of a powerful Valkyroir that stands poised to test the true strength of the bond between those who made it through this gauntlet.

The trial of Emerald is a test of the core tenet of Communication, and students who clear it are rewarded with an Arcane Emerald, allowing their Carbright to transform into its Fairy/Flying Emerald form.

The Final Trial

The Final Trial – as its name suggests - is the final examination of the program, open to students whom have met certain prerequisites (successful completion of the Three Trials and all frontal instruction classes). Held once to twice per year (depending on the amount of eligible students), the Final Trial is somewhat of a scavenger hunt - the tasks and goals to be accomplished as a part thereof vary with each iteration of the Trial, and the clues for which are rooted in the accounts of Doran Reise's adventures in Norrvalo. Unlike the preceding Three Trials, which are largely tailored as individual trials for a student and their Carbright partner, the Final Trial casts a broader net. At the start of each iteration, the final goal is described to all challengers, and each challenger gets an individual clue to start them off. These individual clues are all but a piece of a greater picture, and the challengers are thus encouraged to join forces in order to piece the clues together and solve the puzzles, supporting each other's individual strengths and weaknesses to achieve feats that they could not accomplish alone (or do so with much greater difficulty, at any rate). In addition, rather than relying only on their Carbright partners, students are encouraged (and at times, even required!) to catch additional Pokémon and utilize their unique abilities for a variety of purposes. In a sense, the Final Trial's purpose is for the students to put everything that they have learned into practice and to foster cooperation and mutual support among trainers.

Upon clearing the Final Trial, a student is eligible for graduation - and as an additional reward, their Carbright is taught to harness an additional technique said to have been developed by the Academy itself - one that allows the creature to draw upon Dragon-type energies, temporarily accelerating them within their bodies and releasing them in a devastating blast.