Orin had noticed that the design of the shuttle bus was similar to the Nexus Bus he had ridden earlier—just smaller and more compact.
"Do these have a Rotom driving them too?" he asked, watching it travel along its route autonomously.
Above him, a holographic map hovered, displaying upcoming stops and the paths in between.
Nexus Academic Centre was only the second stop after Nexus Library, which made sense considering how close it was to Lumina House. The fact that this shuttle service was free of cost was another welcome surprise for him.
Ten minutes later, his stop finally came, and he got off along with a crowd of other students. It still wasn't right in front of the main campus, though, so he would have to walk the rest of the way.
Luckily, the path led downhill—which was fine—but even from this distance, he could already see the colossal structure waiting below.
"Wow… is that the Nexus Academic Centre?" Orin muttered, eyes widening as he stared at the massive complex before him.
He wasn't alone. Dozens of freshers stood frozen beside him, jaws dropped, while older students—clearly used to the sight—simply continued on without pause.
In front of him was a series of white buildings with red tops, all of them connected in some way. The scale was enormous; even from up here he could see multiple gardens nestled between the structures. And in the very center stood a massive dome-shaped building—crowned by an enormous Poké Ball dome, even larger than the one in the first building he had seen.
"The Nexus Spire was huge… but this? How many buildings are here? What even is the scale of this place?" Orin muttered, flabbergasted. Nexus Academy really seemed to enjoy building everything on a colossal level.
He hurriedly pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures to show his friends later. In the distance, behind the buildings, stretched a vast forest—almost like untouched wilderness. Maybe that part wasn't actually owned by the Academy?
He tucked that curiosity away and continued walking, following the Pokédex's navigation. His seminar was in Lecture Hall C, apparently.
As Orin descended the path, the buildings grew larger and more imposing the closer he got. Students in various house jackets moved past him—Mystic blue, Valor red, Eclipse black—mixing into a colorful stream of chatter. His gaze drifted occasionally toward a few hot girls as well, and he was reminded once again how relaxed the dress code here seemed to be.
He entered the Academic Centre through a giant white archway, where "Nexus Academic Centre" was engraved in polished marble. While still following the navigation marker, he noticed that nearly every corner featured an interactive holographic map on the wall, similar to the ones back at Unity Airport.
Listening to the hum of conversation echoing through the hallways, he eventually arrived at Lecture Hall C. The doors were open, so Orin stepped inside. It was a large, amphitheater-style classroom, with a raised stage-like area at the bottom. A rotating holographic 3D model of the Pokédex hovered beside it, gleaming softly.
"Well, looks like I'm at the right place," Orin muttered as he scanned the seats.
He was about twenty minutes early, so most of the rows were still empty. Not wanting to sit in the front, he chose a spot in the central section near the back—far enough to observe, but not so far he would seem disconnected.
Settling into the surprisingly comfortable seat, he pulled out a notebook and pen, placing his Pokédex neatly to the side.
Orin wasn't entirely sure if taking notes was even necessary, but he wanted to treat every class seriously. For one, he was genuinely eager to learn anything—theories on Pokémon, Pokédex mechanics, whatever they threw at him. And secondly, he couldn't forget his main mission: finishing in the top three.
He could have used his phone to take notes, but pen and paper was a habit ingrained since his college days back on Earth.
On the first page, he wrote his name, phone number, and the NSID he had memorized. When he was done, he closed the notebook and glanced around the lecture hall.
More students had trickled in by now, though with the entrance behind him, he couldn't exactly turn around without seeming suspiciously curious. Most students seemed to sit either in the front few rows or all the way in the back.
Orin couldn't help but pull out the small Poké Ball from his pocket. He didn't want to disrupt Riolu's sleep, but just having the ball in sight helped calm him. Otherwise, he would start worrying for no reason.
---
[Orin Murasaki Encounter Roll: 86/100]
---
"Hi!"
A bright, cheerful voice startled him as a girl walked to his side. "I'm Lisia!" she greeted, flashing a dazzling smile.
Orin felt as if he had just been blasted with some kind of overwhelmingly positive aura attack. Not only was her smile radiant, but her greenish-blue eyes practically sparkled.
She wore a blue tank top that showed off her toned midriff, paired with white shorts. Her turquoise hair flowed neatly behind her shoulders, swaying slightly as she moved.
"Hi, I'm Orin," he replied, returning a charming smile.
"Can I sit inside?" she asked, gesturing toward the empty space beside him deeper in the row.
"Yeah, go ahead," he said, standing to let her through.
"Thanks, Orin!" Lisia chirped, scooting in and dropping into the seat. "So, where are you from?" she asked the moment he sat down again.
"I'm from Kanto—Saffron City. You?" he asked, pleasantly surprised that such a cute girl had chosen to sit next to him in such a large lecture hall.
"Wow, Kanto? That's sooo far!" she said, eyes widening. "I'm from Sootopolis City in the Hoenn region, but my mom's planning to move soon. She hasn't decided where yet, though! I kinda hope we stay, honestly—I love the huge lake we have." She spoke quickly, her smile infectious. Then she suddenly paused. "Oh! Sorry—did I start blabbering again? It's, like, a totally bad habit of mine."
"No, it's fine. I don't mind listening," Orin assured her, feeling oddly refreshed meeting someone even more energetic than Copycat.
"Really? Wow! I've heard people from Kanto are super nice, and I guess it's true!" she laughed. Her gaze drifted to the Poké Ball in his hand. "Ooh! What Pokémon Partner did you get?"
"I was lucky—I got a Riolu," he said with a smile.
"Oh wow, that's an awesome Pokémon! Were you hoping you'd get a Riolu?" she asked curiously.
"Uh, no, I didn't really have any specific expectations," Orin admitted. "But I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it." His curiosity sparked. "Which Pokémon did you get?"
"Hehe, okay, so I have to confess—I've been the biggest Altaria fan ever since I was a little kid!" Lisia said happily. "Blue and white are my absolute favorite colors. All my clothes are either blue or white! I even joined Mystic House because the color theme is mostly blue!"
"Altaria is a cool Pokémon," he nodded.
"Right? Exactly!" she giggled. "So I prayed sooo hard that I'd get a Swablu! But even my cousin—he's in his third year here at Nexus—told me it was super unlikely since the Poké Balls are totally random." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Buuut guess what Pokémon I got?" she said, proudly pulling out her Poké Ball.
"Did you get Swablu?" Orin asked in surprise.
"Yeees! I got Swablu! How crazy is that?! I guess we were totally destined to be!" she squealed, giving the Poké Ball a kiss.
"That really is amazing," Orin said, nodding—though a thought crossed his mind. Ash got Pikachu. This girl got the exact Pokémon she wanted. Was the partner selection ceremony really just random?
"You really are such a good listener," Lisia chimed, touching his arm. "Orin, I think we're going to be very good friends. So tell me—do you like Contests?" she asked eagerly.
A handsome face like his, and with a cool Pokémon like Riolu… it would be a shame if he didn't participate in Contests.
"Yeah! Before leaving Kanto, I watched the finals that happened in Saffron City," Orin replied with a smile. "I even got to meet the MC of that Contest—right here in Unity Airport when I landed." Hearing her thoughts, Orin had realised that she must really like Contests, so he decided to show his interest as well.
"Oh, you met Lilian?" Lisia gasped. "She's a fifth-year here at Nexus! She's not only a fantastic MC, but she's also a wonderful Coordinator! I actually started following her older sister, too, once I learned about her." Lisia clasped her hands together, practically glowing with enthusiasm. "I just knew the moment we started talking that we clicked! It must be because we both love Pokémon Contests!"
Hearing that Lilian was a senior at Nexus was a pleasant surprise for Orin. He wanted to meet her again as she was hot—and now, he definitely had a chance.
"I think I got hooked on Contests because of my older cousin Wallace—the one I mentioned who's in his third year here," Lisia went on happily. "He's an incredibly talented Coordinator! He has already won so many ribbons." Then she shook her head lightly, smiling. "But I'm totally different from him. I don't love Contests because of the competitive aspect—I love them because they let our Pokémon show a different side of themselves. They're not just powerful battlers… they're beautiful partners who can use their abilities to create art," she finished dreamily.
"Your thoughts are even more beautiful than you, Lisia," Orin said, flashing his most charming smile with what might have been the cheesiest line he had ever attempted.
"Hehe, thaaanks," she giggled shyly, cheeks tinting. "Oh! I totally forgot—we should exchange contacts!" she said, already unlocking her phone and handing it to him.
Orin felt a little flattered that she was the one asking first. He opened his contacts as well and passed his phone to her.
"I'm gonna save my name in your phone as Lissi—all my friends call me that," she said proudly, handing his device back.
"You can just call me Orin. Plain and simple," he replied with a wry smile.
"C'mon, Orin is a cool name! Lissi is pretty cool too, buuut I don't know if that's what I want my idol name to be." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Did I tell you I plan to become an idol? I'm thinking of starting a PokéTube channel to gain more followers. What do you think?"
As Orin kept talking with her, he realized something obvious: Lisia loved to talk. Not that he minded—she was cute, energetic, and surprisingly charismatic. And if the details lined up… this really was the Lisia from the contests and games, just with a few differences—like Wallace being her cousin instead of her uncle.
Wait… Wallace is a third-year here? That was definitely interesting. It wouldn't hurt to build a connection with him—not just because of his cute looking cousin—but because Orin already knew how successful Wallace would become thanks to his meta knowledge.
While chatting, Orin kept an eye on his surroundings. More and more students were entering; even nearby rows were starting to fill up. Time really did fly when you were talking to a beautiful girl.
---
[Orin Murasaki Encounter Roll: 79/100]
---
"Can I sit here?" a male voice suddenly asked from beside him.
Orin looked up to see a lean, fair-skinned boy smiling politely. He had brown hair, matching brown eyes, and wore a gray beanie. A red T-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, blue jeans, and—strapped to his back—a large brown suitcase completed the look.
"Sure. Can you slide in, Lissi?" Orin asked.
"Of course!" Lisia chirped, scooting inward. Orin quickly gathered his bag, pokédex, notebook, and pen to free space—no way was he letting someone else sit next to the cute girl.
"Thank you," the boy said politely, settling down and setting his suitcase at his feet. He pulled out his own notebook and pen pretty quickly.
"Hi! I'm Lisia, and this is my friend Orin," she introduced with a bright smile.
"Hi. I'm Victor," he replied, returning the smile gently.
"You have an accent—where are you from, Victor?" Lisia asked, curious as ever.
"I'm from Sootopolis City in Hoenn," she added quickly.
"And I'm from Saffron City in Kanto," Orin followed, having already noticed the subtle British accent in Victor's voice.
"Oh—sorry!" Victor chuckled. "I'm from a small town called Postwick, in the Galar region."
Orin's eyes widened ever so slightly. It instantly clicked that this was the Victor—the protagonist from the Sword and Shield games. Wow.
He opened his mouth to continue chatting, but the lights dimmed slightly and the front hologram flickered to life.
A man stepped onto the stage with a friendly wave.
"Hello, students! I am Bill Sonezaki, the lecturer for this Pokédex Seminar." He paused, with a grin. "Many people might know me as an inventor and researcher, but personally… I prefer to be called the Pokémon Maniac!"
***
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[Orin Murasaki registered Lissia's (Lissi's) Number]
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