[Orin Murasaki Encounter Rolls: 16/20]
A loud female shout was accompanied by the door flying open.
"BRO! How long does it take you to get back from a seminar?!"
A girl stormed out and jabbed a finger into Victor's chest. "Do you have any idea how hungry I've been? My tummy's been growling for hours!"
"Oi—steady, yeah?" Victor said, rubbing the back of his neck with a wry smile. "Sis, meet my friends—Orin and Bianca. They're also your neighbours."
"Ah—hi!"
The girl turned toward them, suddenly a little self-conscious.
She was quite short and slim, with fair skin and chin-length brown hair that matched her brown eyes. She wore a grey hoodie over a magenta-pink top, paired with modest black shorts—casual, but unmistakably cute.
"Hi, I'm Orin," he said, extending his hand. "You must be Gloria—Victor's twin sister."
Up close, Orin could confirm it.
The girl in front of him really did look just like Gloria from the Sword and Shield games.
"Uhm—yeah! I'm Gloria," she said, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "And I'm the smart one of us twins, mind you!"
Is my brother's friend a senior?
He's so much taller than me…
Hearing her thoughts, Orin couldn't help but smile inwardly. His height and build really did make him look older than his age.
"Don't listen to her nonsense," Victor said dryly, waving her off.
"What?! I'm just telling the truth!" Gloria shot back.
Victor only sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Hi! I'm Bianca," she said, stepping in between them with a gentle smile. "My dorm room is right next to yours, so I guess that makes us neighbours."
"Whoa, really? That's awesome!" Gloria replied instantly, lighting up.
The very next second, the two girls were deep in conversation—complimenting each other's clothes. Gloria was especially curious about where Bianca had bought her cute hat, leaning in with sparkling interest.
Orin couldn't help but notice the contrast. Bianca, who had been shy and reserved around him and Victor, was suddenly much brighter and more animated while talking with Gloria.
Maybe she's just shy around boys, he thought.
"Sorry about my sister," Victor said quietly to Orin, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's always been a bit… loud."
"Oi! I am not loud!" Gloria protested—loudly—pausing her chat with Bianca. "I'm just excited to meet new friends at Nexus!"
"She's had that habit since we were kids," Victor sighed. "No idea where she picked it up from."
Watching the twins bicker so naturally made Orin chuckle.
"Riolu!"
A small tug on his pants pulled his attention downward.
Orin looked down and realized Riolu was staring up at him expectantly—she was clearly hungry.
"How about we head to the cafeteria for lunch?" he suggested with a smile. "Riolu's already starving."
At this point, Orin had fully accepted that his original plan for a quiet lunch date with Bianca had been completely derailed by the twins' sudden inclusion. It was just better to go together with all of them now.
"That's a brilliant idea—let's go! I'm absolutely starving!" Gloria declared loudly. "Come on, Bianca! I know exactly where the cafeteria is!"
"Okay, let's go!" Bianca replied with an excited laugh as she was pulled along.
"Right… let's just follow my idiot sister," Victor muttered with a resigned sigh.
Orin nodded and followed after them. It wasn't exactly hard—Gloria's voice echoed clearly through the corridors. Internally, he was still amazed that someone with such a small frame could generate that much noise.
As they walked, Orin briefly checked his Pokédex and opened the map of the Lumina Dorms. The cafeteria was located on the far left side of the complex, while Courtyard B—where his room was—sat on the right side of the central area.
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[Orin Murasaki Encounter Rolls: 7/30 | 14/30 | 15/30]
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It took them about ten minutes to reach their destination.
The cafeteria building matched Lumina's signature white-and-gold theme. It was wide and open, with multiple glass doors lining the front.
Orin tilted his head up, reading the bright golden letters above the entrance.
Cafeteria
The Sunlit Atrium
Students were constantly moving in and out of the building, many of them accompanied by their Pokémon, filling the area with lively energy.
"Bro, you're so slow! We've been waiting here forever!" Gloria called out dramatically, waving both hands at them from the entrance.
"Who told you to sprint off like you're late for the League Finals?" Victor shot back, shaking his head.
Gloria didn't even bother replying. She had already pushed open the glass doors and marched inside, Bianca hurrying after her with a small laugh.
Victor and Orin followed at a calmer pace, Riolu trotting along beside them.
Inside, the space opened into a massive dining hall filled with long communal tables arranged in neat rows. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows lined all four sides, and above them stretched a huge domed glass roof. The material clearly wasn't ordinary glass—as the sunlight filtering through it was soft and diffused, bathing the entire cafeteria in a warm, golden glow instead of harsh glare.
"Let's grab a seat by the windows," Orin suggested, scanning the room.
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Bianca agreed quickly.
They made their way toward the far side of the hall and claimed an empty stretch of one of the communal tables. The tables were polished white, while the chairs were a sleek yellow-gold that matched Lumina's theme.
"There's a garden outside!" Gloria exclaimed, pointing eagerly.
Orin glanced through the windows and spotted it immediately—a well-kept garden where several Pokémon, both small and large, were basking peacefully in the sunlight. The sight reminded him of the garden back in his own courtyard.
"By the way, a mate of mine's heading over as well. I'll drop him a message," Victor said casually, pulling out his phone and typing.
"Oh! I nearly forgot—my friend told me to call her when I went for lunch!" Gloria slapped her forehead and hurriedly pulled out her phone, stepping aside as she dialed.
"So how does this cafeteria work?" Bianca asked Orin as she looked around. "Back at my school, we had to line up and get food from the lunch lady. Is it the same here?"
"I don't see any counters or staff," Orin replied, then pointed ahead. "But look—those are the same Block Bots that I had seen at the airport. They're carrying food trays."
"Oh, you're right!" Bianca said, eyes lighting up. "So we just call them over to order?"
Before Orin could answer—
"Oi, Sawyer!" Victor suddenly stood up and waved.
Orin followed his gaze and spotted a green-haired boy walking past while reading a small book. At the sound of Victor's voice, the boy closed it and smiled, heading over.
"So this is where you were hiding," he said calmly.
"And how were you planning to find us with your nose buried in a book?" Victor replied, shaking his head.
"I wasn't," the boy said simply as he took a seat beside him. "I left that to my partner."
"Treecko—Treecko."
Only then did Orin notice the small, green, bipedal reptilian Pokémon climbing up and settling comfortably on the boy's lap.
Before Orin could ask anything, the other twin interrupted him—
"AH! Over here—look I am here!" Gloria suddenly shot to her feet, waving wildly.
"Gloria, stop shouting—half the cafeteria's staring at us," Victor groaned, rubbing his forehead.
She ignored him completely and kept waving.
Two girls nearby noticed her and waved back, then quickly walked over to their table.
"I'm so sorry, Kate," Gloria said the moment they arrived. "I was so mad at my bro that I totally forgot to call you before leaving my room."
"It's fine," the shorter girl in front replied with a smile. "I just got here with my friend anyway, so it worked out."
"Oh, are they your friends, Gloria?" Bianca asked warmly.
"Yeah!" Gloria replied enthusiastically. "I met Kate this morning at the Pokédex Seminar!"
"Looks like we've got a few new faces," Orin said, his gaze lingering briefly on the two girls who had just arrived. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves properly?"
After seeing everyone nod and take their seats, he continued with an easy smile. "I'll start. I'm Orin, from Saffron City in Kanto. This is my partner, Riolu. I met Victor at the Pokédex Seminar, and my dorm room is right next to Gloria's—and Bianca's."
"Rio!" Riolu, standing proudly on the chair beside him, waved her paw.
"You're so tall—I honestly thought you were a senior," the shorter girl, Kate, said with wide eyes.
"Same!" Gloria chimed in, nodding vigorously.
"Well, Orin is very tall and muscular, so it's understandable," Bianca added, glancing at him.
"I've trained in martial arts since I was young—that's why I'm in such good shape," Orin replied. With all the girls' attention on him, he felt a bit self-conscious, but he maintained a polite smile as he answered.
"You must've worked really hard," the other girl—who had been quiet until now—said softly.
Orin returned her smile just as Victor introduced himself, briefly going over his background.
Then the green-haired boy beside him spoke up.
"I'm Sawyer, from Hoenn," he said simply. "And this is my partner, Treecko."
"His room's right next to mine," Victor added with a grin. "So yeah—my neighbour."
At that, Orin's expression remained calm, but internally his thoughts stirred.
Sawyer… Hoenn… Treecko.
He recognised him instantly.
This was thatSawyer—one of Ash's fiercest rivals in the Kalos league, from the Pokémon: XY season.
With his calm and almost detached presence, he did give off the vibe of being an analytical battler, just like in the show.
Then Bianca and Gloria introduced themselves properly.
Finally, the shorter of the two new girls spoke up.
"I'm Kate. I'm from Fiore," she said cheerfully, standing up. "Like Gloria said, we met at the Pokédex Seminar." She smiled brightly. "And this is my partner, Pachirisu."
"Pachi!"
A small white squirrel-like Pokémon peeked up from her lap, twitching its ears curiously.
Orin took another look at Kate. She was short and slim, with fair skin, blue eyes, and short brown hair tied into two spiky tufts with pink hairbands. She wore a long-sleeved green vest over a blue collared shirt with a yellow tie, blue shorts, and long brown boots.
Ordinarily, Orin might not have paid much attention to such an average looking girl—but the moment she mentioned Fiore, his suspicions were confirmed.
That's why she felt familiar…
Kate wasn't just any other girl. She was the female protagonist from the game Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
Before he could dwell on it further, the last girl stood up to introduce herself.
"I'm Emma," she said softly. "I'm from Lumiose City, in Kalos. My dorm room is right next to Kate's."
She had lightly tanned skin and blue eyes, with long black hair tied into thick twin tails that spilled messily over her shoulders. She wore a simple white shirt beneath a blue sweater, paired with an orange skirt and black leggings.
Out of everyone at the table, Orin's gaze lingered on her the longest.
In fact, he had recognised her at first glance, as Emma the canon character from the game Pokémon X and Y.
And although she looked like a quiet, unassuming girl right now—with half her face hidden behind her hair—Orin knew exactly what she would become later.
In Pokémon Legends Z-A, Emma would grow into a total hottie.
To be honest… Orin still couldn't forget that absolutely amazing booty of hers from the game.
"This is so wonderful!" Bianca spoke up suddenly, beaming. "Orin is from Kanto, Gloria and Victor are from Galar, Sawyer is from Hoenn, Kate is from Fiore, Emma is from Kalos, and I'm from Unova. All of us are from different regions—but now we're all in Lumina House!"
"You're right," Orin said with a grin. "I didn't even realise it until you said it. I hope we all get along well."
"Me too," Emma added softly, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Hehe, we really did come here from all over the world," Kate said cheerfully.
"Haa… hearing famous names like Saffron City and Lumiose City makes me feel like such a country bumpkin," Gloria said, half-hiding her face.
"That's because we are from a small village," Victor replied dryly, rolling his eyes.
"I'm actually curious about how all our regions differ," Sawyer added thoughtfully.
Listening to the easy banter around the table, Orin let out a quiet sigh.
What was supposed to be a simple two-person lunch date with Bianca had somehow turned into a gathering of seven people. On top of that, he was still reeling from the fact that a casual walk to the cafeteria had led him to meet so many canon characters from the Pokémon games and anime.
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Orin made a decision.
Right now instead of over thinking about their future roles or canon significance, he would focus on the present—and on building genuine connections with them.
Especially with the girls.
After all, he still hadn't forgotten his main goal.
Getting a girlfriend.