"Rii~olu!"
Orin couldn't stop grinning as the little Pokémon let out a cheerful cry, leaning into his hand while he rubbed its head. Its fur was softer than he expected, and the way it pressed against his palm made his heart swell.
"Heh, guess I'm luckier than Ash," he chuckled to himself, recalling the anime scene where Riolu hatched from an egg only to blast Ash back the moment he touched it. His own Riolu, by contrast, looked perfectly content—almost purring under his pats.
When Orin paused to take a breath, Riolu tilted its head, opening those striking red eyes to stare up at him. The look was almost questioning, as if wondering why the headpats had suddenly stopped.
"Alright, alright," Orin laughed softly, lowering himself onto both knees so they were eye-to-eye. "But first things first…"
He placed a hand on his chest and smiled warmly. "Hello, Riolu. My name's Orin. Orin Murasaki. From today on, I'll be your partner and trainer. Thank you… for choosing me."
And he truly meant it. Without the way its Pokéball had reacted to him earlier, he might have picked someone else entirely. Now that he knew Riolu was inside that pokeball, he could only assume that it had resonated with his Aura.
That thought gave him pause. Aura…? He hadn't even considered that he might be sensitive to it. Being a reincarnator, he had already been overjoyed to be born a psychic, even if his abilities were clumsy and hard to control. The idea that he might also have a strong Aura affinity was beyond his expectations.
Still, he couldn't be sure how much of his meta-knowledge about Aura was even accurate. The internet here too was riddled with theories and half-baked explanations. Nexus Academy would no doubt have the real answers—and until then, there was no sense in overthinking it.
"Ree-olu!" Riolu declared, patting its chest proudly with a paw.
Orin grinned. He could tell the little Pokémon understood what he had meant and was formally introducing itself back—at least, that was the feeling he got.
It reminded him of Mimi and Kaddi back home. Even though they only ever spoke their names like any other Pokémon, after years together he could understand them almost perfectly. It wasn't about words—it was about the bond.
People online called it the Trainer–Pokémon bond, or sometimes the Human–Pokémon bond. The idea was simple: the more time you spent together, the deeper your bond became, and the easier it was to understand one another.
Obviously, it would take time for him to reach that level with Riolu. But this was a start.
"Okay, so just Riolu for now," Orin said with a nod. "But maybe you'd like a nickname someday? Or even a new name?"
"Ri?" Riolu tilted its head, ears twitching in confusion.
"Never mind," Orin chuckled. "We'll talk about it later." Clearly, the concept hadn't clicked yet. Well there was no need to hurry about choosing a name.
"Anyway, let me show you our first picture together." He gestured toward his phone, which floated over from where it rested near the tree.
"Reee!" Riolu yelped in surprise, springing back a step and dropping into a combat stance, little forepaws raised as it glared at the hovering device.
Orin laughed and quickly reassured it, holding up his hands. "Easy, no need to be alarmed! I'm moving it with my psychic power."
"Ri?" Riolu tilted its head, eyes narrowing in confusion.
"Look, I'm controlling it," Orin explained, pointing a finger at the floating phone. He moved his hand in a slow figure-eight, the device tracing the same path through the air.
"Reee!" Riolu gasped, red eyes widening in shock.
"Ri-Ri?" It pointed one of its little forepaws at Orin, then at the phone.
"Yes," Orin said with a grin, "I'm moving it with my mind." To demonstrate, he made the phone bob up and down.
"Ree-oo!" Riolu quickly stretched out its paw, mimicking his gesture.
"Oh, you wanna try too? Sure," Orin chuckled, lowering his finger.
Riolu pointed to the right—and Orin, playing along, made the phone drift right.
"Oluu!!" Riolu's eyes lit up, tail wagging as it looked back and forth between him and the phone, practically bouncing with joy.
"Hah, guess you're a Psychic-type now," Orin joked, laughing softly. He felt a little guilty for tricking it, but Riolu's excitement was too pure to spoil just yet.
The little Pokémon waved its paw again, and Orin followed, making the phone circle in the air, rise and fall, even spin once dramatically. Riolu clapped its paws together in delight.
But then Riolu suddenly pointed its paw straight at a nearby tree, eyes focused and expectant. Orin, deciding the game had gone far enough, let the phone drift gently back into his hand.
"Riolu?" The pup blinked, tilting its head. It kept pointing forward, then glanced at its own paw in bafflement.
"Uh… yeah," Orin admitted sheepishly, scratching his cheek, "that was actually just me moving it with my mind."
Riolu let out a confused little "Rii…?" and stared at him.
"Anyway—look at this," Orin quickly said, changing the subject as he pulled up the photo he had snapped earlier and turned the screen so Riolu could see.
"Ree!" Riolu pointed at the phone screen, then at Orin, eyes sparkling.
"Yes, that's me," Orin said with a smile, pointing between himself and the picture. "This is a photo of our very first meeting just now. See? You're in it too."
"Riolu?" The little Pokémon leaned closer, studying the screen carefully, before pointing at its own tiny figure in the picture.
"Yep, that's you," Orin chuckled. "Should I call you handsome? Beautiful? …Or maybe just plain cool?" he murmured, realizing he didn't even know Riolu's gender yet.
"Ri!" Riolu pressed its paw against the screen—and the photo suddenly zoomed in. The little Pokémon gasped in surprise, eyes going wide.
"Hah, looks like I'll have to teach you how to use a phone," Orin said warmly. Every reaction, every tilt of Riolu's head filled him with joy. He couldn't help but smile—again and again.
And why wouldn't he? This was his very first Pokémon. Something he had dreamed about across both of his lives. He considered himself unbelievably lucky that it was Riolu of all Pokémon. Honestly, even if it had been something simple—like a Caterpie or a Rattata—he would have been happy. But with Riolu, a rare and powerful partner… he was over the moon.
Just then, a voice crackled from a speaker hidden in the trees nearby, making him glance up. A mounted camera sat just above it, blinking red. The voice was unmistakable.
It was Professor Oak.
"Students," the announcement began, "by now you should have received your room number in your Pokédex. You can reach your dorm using the built-in navigation system. A starter bag has been provided in every room—please check its contents carefully. If you're missing anything or have trouble with your room, contact your Dorm Manager immediately."
There was a pause, then Oak added with a gentler tone, "And remember—take good care of your Pokémon. Oh, and don't forget to have lunch at your dorm's cafeteria."
"Lemme check my Pokédex," Orin said, pulling it from his pocket.
Riolu tilted his head, ears flicking at the voice overhead. Another announcement rang out—this time a cooler, more refined female voice. It was Lorelei.
"Students are reminded not to engage in unofficial Pokémon battles outside training grounds. Violators will be fined. Also, there is a mandatory Pokédex Workshop running in multiple classrooms throughout the day. You can book a slot through your Pokédex. Help out your batchmates if someone's stuck," she said, and the announcement cut off.
"Oh, there are so many notifications here…" Orin muttered, scrolling through the old-style interface with its oversized app icons. The Pokédex wasn't touch screen, which meant clunky button navigation. Riolu leaned closer, watching curiously.
"Oh, here it is," Orin said, opening the notification with his room info. With a click, the map app popped up, highlighting the route.
"First we need to find the bus number 22. Can't forget my luggage," he muttered, searching for the Nexus bus parking spot in the map app. He still had Zoey's number if he couldn't find it.
"Ree—" Riolu tugged at his shirt, clearly impatient.
"Just a sec… got it! Bus zone's right by the Nexus Gates." Orin frowned at the map. They were in the gardens which sat on the other side of the Nexus Spire, which meant they would need to cut through or circle around the Main Building.
"Let's get moving, Riolu!" he said, slinging on his backpack and holding out a hand.
"Rio~!" Riolu placed his soft paw in his palm, making Orin grin as they strolled past the garden, watching other students interact with their Pokémon.
---
Back inside the building—
"Jessica, shouldn't we pick our Pokémon now?" Jamie whispered, glancing nervously at the rows of empty desks. "Most of the others have already chosen. We might be the only ones left."
"Patience," Jessica replied smoothly, adjusting her glasses with a faint smile. "See? There are still three kids choosing. Let them grab the weak ones first, and then we'll swoop in for the strongest."
"But… what if they pick the good ones instead?" Jamie muttered, biting his lip nervously.
Jessica's eyes narrowed, her tone suddenly sharp. "Are you… doubting my plan?"
"N-no, of course not!" Jamie said quickly, scratching the back of his head. "It's just… I've never had any luck with this kind of thing. I've been losing lottery draws since I was a kid."
"Why didn't you two just grab all the Poké Balls earlier and run?" came a grumbling voice from the cage. "Then I wouldn't be still stuck in here like this."
Jessica's polite smile dropped as her eyes twitched. She rattled the cage sharply. "Quiet, you fool. Or did you forget what our mission is?"
"Alright, alright! I get it! Just stop shaking, I'll be sick!" Meowth groaned, clutching his head.
"Look—those kids are leaving with their Poké Balls," Jamie said quickly, pointing at the group heading out.
Jessica paused, then gave a cool smile. "Good. That means it's our turn."
The two walked through the wide, echoing aisles with confident strides—only to find desk after desk completely empty. Not a single Poké Ball remained.
Jamie shot a nervous glance at Jessica—her clenched jaw told him her temper was about to explode. But before she could snap, he froze mid-step, his eyes lighting up.
"Hey—look! I found the Poké Balls!" Jamie exclaimed with relief, hurrying toward the exit.
Jessica's anger melted instantly into a sly smile. "So they were here all along. Hmph, keeping the best ones right by the gate… clever."
"But why are there three left instead of two?" Meowth asked, squinting through the gaps of his cage.
"Who cares? These are the ones that remained—and that just means they're the cream of the crop!" Jessica said with a confident laugh. "Maybe they are the royal Kanto starters—Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle!"
"Or maybe…" Jamie's eyes sparkled, "one of them's a Chimecho."
Jessica snapped her head toward him, glaring. "What? Who in their right mind would want a useless Pokémon like that?!"
Jamie deflated, looking down. "…It was my childhood dream."
Jessica groaned. "Forget your dreams! What we need is something powerful. They said only the basic pokemons were being were given to us, so if we are super lucky we might even get a pseudo legendary like a Dratini or a Larvitar!" Her eyes gleamed as she stared at the Poké Balls.
"Will you two knuckleheads just pick already?!" Meowth snapped from the cage—only to yelp when Jessica rattled the cage again in warning.
"Fine, I'll go first. I choose this one," Jessica declared, snatching the left Poké Ball.
"Then I'll take this one!" Jamie said quickly, grabbing the one on the right.
Just as they held their new Poké Balls with smug smiles, a boy came running toward them in a hurry. They both had to step back, or else he would have plowed straight into them.
The boy was short, with messy black hair sticking out under a red-and-white cap. A backpack bounced on his shoulders, and his blue jacket was half unzipped as he skidded to a stop.
"Oh no—please tell me there are still Poké Balls left!" the boy gasped, adjusting his cap. "I—I overslept on the plane, and by the time I got off, the Academy bus had already left! I had to get the train and then run all the way here from the train station!"
Jamie blinked, then pointed. "Uh… there's still one left over there."
"Thank Arceus!" The boy dashed to it, clutching the Poké Ball to his chest. "Please, please let it be a Squirtle… or even a Bulbasaur! Or a Charmander would be awesome too!" he muttered, eyes shut tight in prayer.
Jessica rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "What a weirdo."
But the boy beamed at them anyway. "Oh—sorry, I forgot! I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, I am going to be the Pokémon Master!" He did a victory sign with a grin. "Thanks for saving this Poké Ball for me!"
Jessica and Jamie exchanged fake smiles and introduced themselves with sugary politeness.
The three of them walked out of the room together, where Ash immediately stopped, brimming with excitement.
"Alright—come on out, partner!" Ash shouted twisting his cap and tossing his Poké Ball.
With a flash of light, a small yellow Pokémon landed on the ground, its lightning-bolt tail flicking lazily.
"Pika…" the Pokémon yawned, looking around like it couldn't care less.
"Hah—it's a Pikachu," Jamie muttered.
Jessica snorted. "Isn't that the cutesy mascot rat the girls usually keep as a pet?"
"Yeah, ours will definitely be stronger than that punk kid's," Jamie said smugly as he tossed his Poké Ball.
"Koffing!" A cloud of purple smoke puffed out as the round, floating Poison-type appeared.
Jessica released hers right after.
"Ekansss!" A purple serpent slithered forward, hissing as its tongue flicked in the air.
"Oh—a Koffing and an Ekans," Meowth muttered from inside the cage, sounding unimpressed.
"Well, not a pseudo-legendary, but I suppose it'll do," Jessica said, folding her arms as she eyed the snake.
"At least it's better than that rat," Jamie scoffed, glancing back at the boy hugging his Pikachu with a dopey grin.
"Pi–ka–chuuuuuu!"
In an instant, sparks exploded into a massive thunderbolt. The electricity surged across the floor, frying Ash, Ekans, and Koffing all at once. Both Poison-types collapsed in a heap, knocked out on the spot.
"H-Huh?! What the hell just—" Jamie stammered, frozen in shock.
"That kid's Pikachu is so powerful…" Meowth whispered, wide-eyed in his cage.
Jessica's expression twisted into fury, her eyes practically sparking with venom. "No… that Pikachu was supposed to be ours! That little twerp stole it right out from under us!"
Ash, his hair singed and smoking, just grinned through the pain as he held his equally annoyed Pikachu close.