"So… should we call one of those Block Bots to take our order?" Bianca asked, eyes bright with curiosity.
"No need," Sawyer replied calmly. "You can order directly from the table."
He placed his Pokédex flat on the white surface. A thin yellow outline lit up beneath it, and a moment later, a translucent white holographic screen materialized at eye level.
"Woah—!"
"Wow!"
"That's so cool!"
Kate, Bianca, and Gloria reacted all at once.
Even Orin and Victor couldn't hide their surprise.
"You just select what you want," Sawyer continued, scrolling through the menu with a grin. "The kitchen prepares it automatically, and the Block Bots deliver it."
"Let me try!" Gloria said immediately, plopping her Pokédex onto the table. A matching holographic menu sprang to life in front of her.
"This is amazing!"
Bianca followed suit without hesitation, her eyes sparkling as her own menu appeared. "This is way better than standing in line!"
Victor glanced at Sawyer, impressed. "How did you even know about this, mate?"
"It was in the Student Handbook," Sawyer replied simply. "And there are instructions on the posters near the entrance."
"…Ah," Victor said with a wry smile. "We must've missed those."
Orin realized he had missed them too. He must have been much more focused on the people and the building than the surroundings.
"Still," Orin muttered, running his fingers lightly over the pristine white table, "the way this academy uses cutting-edge tech so casually is insane. This setup alone must've cost a fortune."
Sawyer gave a small shrug. "It's Nexus Academy."
And that honestly explained everything.
"Yeah… this table's definitely fitted with multiple scanners and micro holographic projectors," Kate said, absentmindedly caressing the surface. "I'd love to take it apart and see how it works."
Everyone turned to stare at her.
Gloria was the first to speak up. "Well, I really hope you don't, because that would definitely count as destruction of school property—and then you'd have to pay for it."
"Ah—heehee, sorry, sorry!" Kate said quickly, snapping out of it. "I just get carried away sometimes. I'm really passionate about machines and how things are built!"
"I get that," Orin said with a smile. "That curiosity's not a bad thing."
"Oh—thanks!" Kate replied with a cheerful giggle.
"Anyway," Bianca cut in, eyes fixed on her holographic screen, "there are so many food options here, right?"
"And… it's all free," Emma muttered softly, clearly stunned.
Orin placed his own Pokédex on the table, and the holographic menu immediately appeared in front of him.
The display was clean and elegant—white panels with gold and yellow lettering.
Lumina Dorms Cafeteria
was written at the top, and beside it were his name, year, and Nexus ID.
Below that were two main tabs: Food and Pokémon Food.
Under the Food section, a long list of dishes appeared, each accompanied by a vivid photo. He could scroll smoothly through the options, and along the left side were neatly organized shortcuts—Beverages, Main Course, Side Dishes, Combos, and more.
It felt less like a school cafeteria…
…and more like a high-end restaurant menu.
Before exploring the regular options further, Orin tapped on the Pokémon Food tab.
Instantly, beneath his name, Riolu's name appeared.
"Wait—this Pokémon food menu is personalized based on the Pokémon we have?" Orin asked, stunned.
"Oh—you're right," Victor said, leaning over and comparing his own screen with Orin's.
"That's a relief," Sawyer said with a quiet sigh. "I was worried I hadn't researched Treecko's dietary preferences yet."
"Rio," Riolu chimed softly as she hopped onto Orin's lap, staring curiously at the floating screen.
"Want me to order your food first?" Orin asked with a chuckle as he scrolled through the options.
"Riolu!" She nodded eagerly, eyes glued to the images of food.
She had clearly been hungry for a while, so Orin decided to take care of her order first.
Compared to the regular menu, the Pokémon food selection was smaller—but still impressive. There were all kinds of berries, various Pokéblocks, Poffins, and even curries and sandwiches. A separate drink section listed juices, Moomoo Milk, and even Honey.
What really caught Orin's attention, though, was the Recommended section at the very top.
A Lunch Combo for Riolu was highlighted—containing several berries, a Pokéblock, a sandwich, and a carton of Moomoo Milk.
He remembered his mentor mentioning in chat that assigned portions for registered Pokémon were already set up in the cafeteria system.
"This is ridiculously convenient," Orin muttered with a grin as he selected the recommended combo without hesitation.
The combo was immediately added to his cart.
"Look, this'll be your lunch," he said, scrolling through the cart. "Will you be able to finish all of this, or should I take some items out?"
"Rio! Rio!" Riolu nodded confidently, chest puffed out.
"Good. Now let me quickly figure out what I'll be eating," Orin said—but just as his finger moved toward the other tab, Riolu stopped him.
"Riolu!" She pointed insistently at a dish on the screen.
"…Those are donuts," Orin said flatly. "Do you want me to add those too?"
"Rio!" She nodded hard, red eyes practically glazing over at the picture.
"Hey, don't drool," he chuckled. "You already have a ton of food. Should I remove the sandwich, then?"
"Riolu!" She looked up at him with a dramatic pout.
"…Alright, alright. I won't remove anything," Orin sighed, rolling his eyes. "But if you don't finish it, you're eating the leftovers for dinner."
Riolu kept nodding confidently, though Orin wasn't entirely convinced she actually understood him.
Still, there was a takeout option, so he could always have it packed up if needed.
Seeing how impatient she was on his lap, Orin finalized her order first. The holographic screen popped up with an estimated arrival time.
ETA: 5 minutes.
Feeling his own hunger kick in, he switched to the regular menu.
Riolu immediately began pointing at various dishes—clearly suggesting she wanted those too—but Orin simply nodded along without adding anything.
Her portion was already more than enough.
And if it wasn't…
Well, he could always order more.
Orin himself was quite interested in the menu. After all, this would be the first time he would be tasting food from outside his own Saffron City.
Seeing that he wasn't the only one excited about the food, Orin suggested they order different dishes and share them.
The girls were instantly on board, and soon all of them were discussing what they wanted before placing their orders together.
What surprised him most was that the ETA for everyone's food was still just five minutes. The cafeteria kitchen must have been ridiculously efficient to handle this many orders so quickly.
Once the order was confirmed, the holographic menu vanished the moment Orin lifted his Pokédex from the table.
While waiting, Orin turned his attention to the others' partner Pokémon, using his Pokédex to learn more about them.
He had already met Victor's Sobble earlier, but he was surprised to see Gloria's partner Pokémon.
"Scorbunny, Male. NexusDex Number 813 — Rabbit Pokémon"
The energetic white rabbit had immediately begun sprinting laps around Gloria's chair the moment it was released.
Sobble, on the other hand, had turned invisible the instant it noticed Scorbunny.
Orin blinked.
…Did those two have some kind of bad history already?
He also couldn't help but wonder—how both twins from Galar had ended up with the Galar starters. Did that mean their childhood friend Hop would have Grookey as his partner?
That shouldn't be possible, right?
The Pokémon selection ceremony was supposed to be completely random!
Next, Orin glanced at Bianca's partner Pokémon, Tepig who was sleeping soundly in her lap.
"Tepig, Male. NexusDex Number 498 — Fire Pig Pokémon"
The small orange pig Pokémon had its red snout snugly pressed against Bianca's dress, letting out soft, content snores.
Orin shook his head helplessly.
Another starter Pokémon—this one from Unova, Bianca's home region.
Once again, he chose to ignore the implications and scanned Sawyer's partner.
"Treecko, Male. NexusDex Number 252 — Wood Gecko Pokémon"
The green reptilian Pokémon sat quietly on Sawyer's lap, occasionally nodding along while the others talked—as if he was actually following their conversations.
Sawyer had owned a Treecko even in the anime, and with how closely fate seemed to be following canon here, that meant he would eventually end up with a Salamence as well.
Orin couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the thought.
Kate's Pachirisu had been perched on her shoulder from the very beginning.
"Pachirisu, Female. NexusDex Number 417 — EleSquirrel Pokémon"
The small white squirrel Pokémon looked cheerful and energetic, its eyes darting around in wonder as it took in everything around it.
Orin knew that Pachirisu was also one of the starter Pokémon you could obtain in the Pokémon Ranger games—where Kate herself was the female protagonist.
Lastly, Orin turned his attention towards Emma's cute partner Pokémon.
"Espurr, Female. NexusDex Number 677 — Restraint Pokémon"
The cat Pokémon had pale gray fur, white paws, and soft purple eyes. She sat upright in Emma's lap, eyes wide as she quietly observed the bustling cafeteria.
Emma already seemed deeply attached to her Espurr, gently caressing the cat's head with careful, almost protective motions.
Even the Emma from the games had an Espurr by her side.
At this point, Orin had completely given up on the idea that the partner selection ceremony was truly random.
Just then, multiple Block Bots floated over, carrying neatly arranged plates of food.
"Riolu, look—your food's here," Orin said, thanking the bots as he carefully took the plates and placed them on the table.
"Riooo~!"
Riolu squirmed impatiently in his lap, her paws snapping toward the food.
"Hey, slow down," Orin chuckled, lifting her up and setting her on the chair beside him before sliding the plates in front of her. "Your food is not going anywhere."
"Riolu!"
She immediately stood on her toes and began munching on the berries, completely focused.
Orin couldn't help but smile—the sight of her eating so eagerly was ridiculously cute. He pulled out his phone and started recording her.
Seeing Riolu dig in with such enthusiasm made the other Pokémon restless as well, and their trainers had to gently hold them back.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for everyone else's food to arrive.
"Oi, Orin! You ordered way too much!" Gloria shouted as more and more plates of food kept coming.
"Sorry," Orin replied with a wry smile. "I've got a pretty big appetite."
"Well, he probably needs it to maintain those muscles," Bianca added with a nod.
Gloria blinked. "Huh?"
Bianca leaned in and whispered something to her.
Gloria's eyes widened as she glanced back at Orin, and the girls immediately began whispering among themselves.
Orin didn't need to guess what Bianca had said.
It must have been about feeling his well-defined muscles earlier.
And honestly?
He didn't mind at all if that made them a little more interested in him.
"Well, at least this way we'll get to try loads of different dishes," Victor said, giving Orin a thumbs-up.
Orin smiled wryly and started eating. The food was genuinely delicious—though he supposed that was to be expected from a top-tier academy like Nexus.
While eating, he kept an eye on the Pokémon as well. Their portions were fairly similar, with small adjustments—like Treecko had leafy greens mixed in, while Pachirisu's plate included nuts and seeds.
Orin didn't miss the chance to snap a few candid photos of everyone's Pokémon. That also gave him the perfect excuse to take pictures of the girls with their partners—though he made sure to take photos of Victor and Sawyer too, just so no one could suspect his true intentions.
To share the photos, Orin exchanged contacts and PokéNet profiles with everyone. He couldn't help but feel a little smug—he had managed to get both their pictures and their contact details in one smooth move.
Even though they had all been strangers just minutes ago, the conversation never really slowed.
"What are you all most excited about before classes start?" Bianca asked curiously.
"I want to explore the Nexus Wilderness," Kate said excitedly. "They say it's home to Pokémon from almost every region!"
"Wow, that does sound impressive," Orin said, feeling a spark of excitement himself.
"Hm. It would be an ideal place for research… and capturing Pokémon," Sawyer muttered thoughtfully.
"I'd rather explore more of the academy itself," Victor said with a grin.
"Unity City…" Emma murmured shyly. "I've heard so much about it."
"Ha! You're all forgetting the Clubs!" Gloria declared with a grin.
"Yes, exactly!" Bianca nodded enthusiastically—then accidentally knocked over her glass of water.
"Ah—sorry, sorry!" she said, flustered.
"Clubs?" Orin asked, curiously, already accustomed to her clumsiness.
"Clubs are extracurricular groups students can join to spend their free time," Sawyer explained between bites of curry.
"Hm, I do remember my mentor saying Clubs are pretty important at Nexus," Victor added thoughtfully.
The girls eagerly agreed, launching into an animated discussion about which clubs they wanted to join. Apparently, many seniors had already invited them—even before the Welcome Ceremony.
Orin listened quietly.
Unlike the others, he had only arrived at Nexus today. He hadn't even known Clubs existed, let alone had the chance to think about joining one.
Still, he couldn't help but smile to himself.
Even if his quiet lunch date hadn't worked out…
this lunch had turned out to be far more rewarding than he had ever expected.
---
[Orin Murasaki registered Gloria's Number]
[Orin Murasaki registered Kate's Number]
[Orin Murasaki registered Emma's Number]
[Orin Murasaki registered Sawyer's Number]
---
***
[Sav112 has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]