After lunch in the cafeteria, everyone eventually went their separate ways.
The girls decided to explore more of the Lumina Dorms, while Victor and Sawyer headed back to their rooms to finish unpacking.
Orin still had his own luggage to sort out, so he bid the others goodbye and returned to his room with Riolu.
The moment they arrived, Riolu began bouncing on the bed again, as if she needed to burn off the extra energy from lunch. Leaving her to it for the moment, Orin focused on organizing his belongings.
He hadn't brought much with him, yet it still took him a couple of hours to unpack.
The main reason, of course, was Riolu—who kept "helping" in ways that only made things harder.
At one point, while Orin was freshening up, she opened the cupboard and started pulling out his clothes one by one, trying them on herself.
When he stepped out, he was greeted by the sight of his neatly packed wardrobe now scattered across the bed and floor…
and Riolu standing in the middle of the chaos, looking up at him innocently—with his underwear perched proudly on her head.
The scene was so absurd that Orin just laughed aloud and couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed.
He immediately snapped a photo to immortalize the moment before kneeling down to start folding everything again.
He did his best to explain that she shouldn't open the cupboard without his permission, though he wasn't entirely sure how much of it she truly understood.
Riolu only seemed to grow more restless the longer she stayed indoors, darting and bouncing around the room like a tiny blue whirlwind.
"How about you go play outside in the garden for a while?" Orin suggested, sliding open the glass door.
"Rio!!"
With a delighted cry, she dashed past him and leapt straight off the balcony toward the garden.
"Don't go too far!" he called after her, before picking up the Student Handbook and settling into a chair.
Sawyer had mentioned how useful it was, so Orin figured he should at least go through it once. Sitting out on the balcony would also let him keep an eye on Riolu while he read.
[Orin Murasaki Encounter Rolls: 5/20]
Just as he adjusted himself more comfortably, his gaze drifted toward the left.
On a neighbouring balcony—almost identical to his own—a beautiful girl was seated with a book in her hands.
She had long raven-dark hair that brushed softly against her shoulders, and warm, lightly tanned skin that seemed to glow in the afternoon light. She wore a simple maroon dress that showed off her deep cleavage, while a loose shawl rested carelessly along her bare fair shoulders.
Reclining in an unguarded, languid posture, she had stretched her long, shapely legs against the balcony railing, the movement drawing the eye along the smooth line of her thighs and the graceful curve of her hips.
Though she was doing nothing more than reading in quiet comfort, Orin found her breathtaking.
As if sensing his gaze, her brown eyes lifted from the page and met his.
And in that instant, Orin felt a jolt of recognition.
She looked remarkably like Robin… from One Piece.
"Hello~"
Orin blinked, suddenly realizing he had been staring at her without a word.
[Orin Murasaki : Social Butterfly (Trait)]
Instead of getting flustered, he offered an easy smile.
"Hi. Sorry… you just looked so beautiful and peaceful that I ended up getting lost in the view."
A faint, knowing smile curved her lips — the kind that made her seem even more captivating.
"That is not a bad pick-up line," she said softly.
She closed her book with unhurried grace, adjusting her shawl as she straightened and lowered her legs from the railing, covering herself just enough to restore a sense of composure.
"I was only stating the truth," Orin replied lightly, though he couldn't help feeling a hint of regret at the disappearance of that effortlessly alluring scene.
"I'm Orin. Looks like we're going to be neighbours from now on."
"I am Robin," she answered, her voice calm. "And yes… it would appear so."
Orin raised an eyebrow at her name.
"Robin is a beautiful name," he said honestly. "I can also hear a slight accent. May I ask where you're from?"
If she suddenly said she was from Ohara or something, he might actually lose his mind.
"I am from Sinnoh," she replied serenely.
That made sense. There was a faint, Eastern-European almost Russian lilt to her tone. If he remembered correctly, parts of Sinnoh were inspired by regions like that in the games.
"And judging by your name and speech… I would guess you are from either Kanto or Johto." Her perceptive gaze remained fixed on him.
"Impressive," Orin said with an appreciative smile.
"Yes — I'm from Saffron City in Kanto."
"Aipom~!"
Just then, a purple monkey Pokémon with a hand-shaped tail swung gracefully over the railing and landed squarely against Robin's cleavage.
"Oh? What's the matter?" Robin asked with a gentle smile, absently stroking its head. "Are you hungry? Would you like a banana… or perhaps a Nanab Berry?"
"Aipom, aipom!"
The monkey nodded cheerfully, its tail-hand wagging in excitement.
"Alright then, let's go inside," Robin said as she rose smoothly to her feet, holding both her book and the eager Pokémon.
"It was very nice meeting you, Orin. I suppose I'll see you around."
"Yeah… see you later," Orin replied.
He watched as she disappeared into her room, the purple Pokémon perched comfortably in her arms.
"So she got an Aipom as her partner Pokémon…" he muttered under his breath, his gaze lingering on the now-empty balcony beside his.
For a few more moments he simply sat there, half-expecting her to step back out.
Eventually, he shook his head and adjusted himself in the seat, opening the Student Handbook.
But no matter how hard he tried to focus, his thoughts kept drifting back to that girl.
Robin from One Piece had always been one of his top waifus back on Earth…
and now a girl who looked like a younger version of her was literally his next-door neighbour.
How insane was that?
Even though it was only his first day here, Orin couldn't help feeling that he was already starting to fall in love with Nexus Academy.
He remained on the balcony long after finishing the handbook, occasionally glancing toward the neighbouring rooms.
Unfortunately, both balconies beside his stayed quiet and empty.
By evening, however, the garden in front had grown lively. Many students were relaxing outside with their Pokémon, chatting or simply enjoying the cool air. Riolu had been running around the whole time. Every half hour or so she would dash back to him, excitedly pointing toward something in the distance and babbling away.
All Orin could really make out was, "Riolu~ Riolu!"
Still, he listened patiently, nodding along and replying as best as he could. From what he had observed, most of her stories seemed to be about the Pokémon she had been chasing.
He had already seen her sprint after a Magnemite, a Minccino, a Furret, and even an Espurr. At one point she had tried climbing a tree to reach a Rowlet perched on a branch — only to slide back down in defeat.
By the time the sun began to set, she was covered in dust and bits of grass. Seeing how dirty she had gotten, Orin finally decided it was time to bring her inside for a bath.
He called out to her, and Riolu came running back happily, not protesting at all when he guided her indoors.
Another thing Orin found fascinating was how the glass doors gradually darkened on their own as the evening light faded, adjusting to the dimmer surroundings.
Not wanting Riolu to track mud all over the room, he led her straight into the bathroom. There was even a full bathtub inside, which once again made him sigh at how extravagant Nexus really was.
"Looks like you'll be the first one to enjoy this bathtub, Riolu," he said with a wry smile.
Riolu simply tilted her head at him in confusion.
Orin had seen videos about these high-tech tubs before. They could prepare a perfectly soapy bath automatically, and the built-in liquid soap reservoir supposedly lasted for months before needing a refill. There were even multiple settings for temperature and fragrance.
He selected a mildly warm option with a rose scent. Within minutes, the tub filled with softly steaming water that carried a gentle floral fragrance.
"Riolu!"
She eagerly placed her paws on the edge of the tub, trying to peek at the rising water level.
"I have a feeling you'll make a mess if I leave you alone," Orin muttered with a chuckle as he lifted her and carefully settled her into the bath. "Looks like I'll have to help you with this."
His prediction proved correct almost instantly, as Riolu began splashing the foamy water around with restless excitement. Orin removed his shirt and grabbed a sponge, patiently washing her fur while getting half soaked himself in the process.
After the bath, he wrapped her in a dry towel and carefully wiped her down before using the hairdryer to speed things up. Riolu seemed fascinated by the warm air. She even tried holding the dryer herself and pointed it toward her open mouth in curiosity.
Orin watched nervously, worried she might toss the dryer aside and break it — especially since it belonged to the university and not to him. Fortunately, she soon lost interest, set it down carefully, and went right back to bouncing energetically on the bed.
Since it was almost dinner time, Riolu began showing signs of hunger again. Orin messaged the others to ask if they wanted to join him at the cafeteria, but unfortunately none of them were near the dorm at the moment. Apparently, they had all gone off to explore more of the academy.
He made a mental note to do the same starting tomorrow.
After a brief hesitation, Orin gathered the courage to walk over and knock on his neighbour's door. But it seemed luck wasn't on his side — as no one answered. Either Robin wasn't in her room, or she was simply choosing not to respond.
Feeling slightly awkward, he quickly headed to the cafeteria with Riolu and enjoyed a hearty dinner together. Now that he knew she could easily finish her portions, he ordered two extra plates of Donuts for her along with her recommended dinner combo.
The way she devoured them with sparkling eyes made it clear that Donuts were quickly becoming her favourite treat. Since they were dining alone this time, Orin even let her sample a bit of food from his own plate. In return, Riolu carefully offered him a tiny piece of her donut.
Knowing how much she loved them, Orin still accepted it with a grateful smile and happily took a bite.
After returning to his room, Orin decided to go through the videos Lisia had recorded on his phone.
He connected the device to the Holo-Wall and settled into a chair with Riolu perched comfortably on his lap, playing the clips one by one. He paused frequently, rewinding certain moments to study them more closely.
"Look, Riolu… we should've dodged here," he said, pointing at the projection.
"Rio~" she replied with a small nod.
The seriousness in her expression made it clear that the earlier loss had left quite an impression on her.
"Don't worry," Orin murmured, pulling her into a brief hug. "This is just the beginning for both of us. We'll analyse, learn, train… and grow much stronger."
"Riolu!" Her red eyes gleamed with renewed determination.
Once they finished reviewing the footage, Orin began editing the clips. The Holo-Wall's built-in tools were surprisingly advanced — far better than the free software he used back on his own computer.
His plan was to create several short highlight videos and two longer uploads. The short clips would go on his PokéNet account, while the longer, more detailed battle videos would be posted on the PokéTube channel he had just created.
For PokéNet, he first uploaded the best photos he had taken throughout the day — from the airport to various moments around the academy. Naturally, he avoided posting anything too sensitive, like the shot he had managed to get of Articuno.
In the end, most of the pictures featured Riolu.
His personal favourites were the one where a Magikarp had splashed water all over her, the adorable shot of her stuffing donuts into her mouth with both paws… and, of course, the hilariously memorable image of her standing proudly with his underwear perched on her head.
Now that his account finally had real Pokémon content on it, his follower count was bound to rise. He had already noticed a steady jump — probably due to the Saffron News coverage, along with his newly updated status as a Nexus Academy student.
For PokéTube, he uploaded two longer videos.
The first was titled "My Partner Pokémon Riolu's First Battle."
The second, "Riolu vs Pawmi!"
Since it was his very first upload, he decided to stick with simple, safe titles.
Orin didn't forget about the Nexus Forum either. He posted a particularly cute photo of Riolu along with a few short battle clips, linking both his PokéNet and PokéTube accounts in the description in hopes of gaining some extra traction.
By the time he finally stopped scrolling through posts and comments, it was already past eleven at night. The forums were really filled with surprisingly useful information for freshers like him.
He wasn't even surprised to see that the most trending post in the fresher section belonged to Giselle. It was her speech from the Welcome Ceremony. And the video was already flooded with an absurd number of likes and comments.
"Well… she is confident and beautiful," Orin muttered, tapping through her profile before following her on both PokéNet and PokéTube.
"Hey, don't judge me — she's hot," he added defensively to Riolu, who wasn't even paying attention to his phone.
"Alright, time to sleep," he finally said, switching off the lights. "We've got a lot to do tomorrow."
He pulled the blanket over both of them. Earlier he had asked if she wanted to rest inside her Poké Ball, but Riolu had firmly refused. In exchange for letting her sleep beside him, he made her promise to stop bouncing on the bed.
As Orin drifted toward sleep, a stray thought crossed his mind — his birthday was in an hour, and he still hadn't opened the gifts his friends had given him.
I'll do it tomorrow… he decided drowsily.
He must have fallen asleep almost instantly.
Because the next thing he knew, Riolu was shifting restlessly in his arms.
"Rio!"
Her voice jolted him awake.
"Huh… Riolu?"
Still half-asleep, Orin blinked in confusion —
— and nearly panicked when he realized the ceiling wasn't above him anymore.
It was right in front of his face!
***
[Sav112 has added Waifu, Robin from One Piece to this story!]