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[Orin Murasaki Encounter Roll: 4/10]
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Under the wide brim of a straw hat, a pair of bright brown eyes looked up at Orin.
The girl? beneath it had blonde hair tied in a ponytail, with layered bangs peeking out—though most of it was tucked beneath the hat.
She wore a black long-sleeved shirt beneath a long brown tunic, paired with blue jeans.
Her soft voice, small stature, and youthful face made Orin think she was a girl.
Probably.
Sometimes, it was genuinely hard to tell—especially at their age.
Some boys liked growing their hair out or dressing in cute, androgynous styles. Though he kept this thoughts to himself.
"Hello," he replied politely, settling into the seat and placing his backpack by his feet.
"You sit on the outside," Jessica said, slipping past Jamie and taking the window seat across the aisle from Orin.
"But I wanted to sit by the window… You already took the window seat on the plane too," Jamie muttered.
"Did you say something?" Jessica asked sweetly, her smile edged with warning.
"N-nothing, hahaha," Jamie said quickly, sweating as he sat beside her without further complaint.
"Alright, P-22, let's get these freshers moving—we don't want them missing the ceremony," Zoey called out from the front.
"Acknowledged. Hover Mode enabled. Route adjusted. Please brace yourself," the robotic male voice echoed from the bus's speaker system.
"Hover mode?" Orin repeated, startled.
A moment later, the entire bus gently lifted off the ground, then began moving forward—smoothly and silently.
"What does hovering mean?" the supposed girl beside him asked, eyes wide as she looked out the window.
"It means the bus is using some kind of tech to float above the ground without actually touching it," Orin explained with a wry smile. "I have seen videos of hovercars, but I don't think they're available in Kanto yet—and I have definitely never heard of a hoverbus."
"I wonder what keeps it afloat…" he added thoughtfully. "Magnets maybe? Or something to do with the Porygon?"
"So we're flying?" the girl asked, surprised. "Just like bird Pokémon?"
"Umm… more like how a Magnemite flies, not a bird," Orin clarified.
"Whoa… the bus turned into a Pokémon, just like in those cartoons," she murmured, hands pressed to the window as she stared outside with fascination.
Orin couldn't help but glance at her again. Maybe she really was just a kid. Her height—somewhere around 4'8" to 4'10"—definitely supported that theory.
Outside the window, he noticed the scenery was zipping by now. After passing the airport gates, the bus had clearly picked up speed, though inside, it felt almost like it wasn't moving at all.
Around them, the other students were chatting loudly. Some had their phones out, filming the outside view. Unfortunately for Orin, the wide brim of his seatmate's hat blocked half of his.
Bored, he turned slightly to make conversation with the infamous duo again.
"Is that a Pokémon in there?" Orin asked, pointing to the small cage Jamie was cradling in his lap. Unlike their luggage, he hadn't stored it in the compartment.
"Oh—uh, yeah!" Jamie said with an awkward grin. "It's… my pet cat."
"Pet?!"
A high-pitched voice rang out.
"Yes, pet—his pet Meowth! Totally normal Pokémon inside!" Jessica jumped in, speaking loudly and patting the cage with a forced laugh.
"Meeowww…"
A very unconvincing cat noise sounded from inside.
"Oh, that's so nice. Maybe once you get a Pokéball, you can keep it inside one," Orin said with a polite smile, inwardly giggling—he was almost certain it was that talking Meowth inside the cage.
"Hahaha, that wouldn't be a bad idea," Jamie replied, laughing loudly.
Orin watched as Jessica gave him a sharp side punch.
"Ouch…" Jamie muttered, cutting off mid-laugh with a shy grin, adjusting his glasses.
"Maybe you can show it to me sometime. I have always liked the Meowth line," Orin added, eager for a chance to meet the infamous cat for real.
"Oh, he's very shy, so… some other time. Right, Jamie?" Jessica quickly cut in just as Jamie began to nod.
"Yes, very shy. Just like me. Sorry," Jamie said with a sheepish smile, looking down.
"That's fine. Another time, I guess," Orin said, still smiling. "So, are you two just friends? Or maybe siblings?" he asked, trying to sound casual—though inwardly he hoped they weren't a couple.
"No, we are neither friends nor siblings," Jessica replied quickly. "We just used to live in the same town, that's all," she added with a smile.
"You two do look like siblings, though," Orin said, quietly relieved.
"Haha, imagine being related to her," Jamie chuckled.
"Ouch!" he yelped again as an elbow jabbed into his ribs.
"Don't listen to him. He's an idiot," Jessica said sweetly.
"By the way, how many tries did it take you to clear the exam?" Jamie asked curiously. "The paper's so difficult each time. We both passed on our third attempt—which is the last one anyone gets, since you can't take it more than three times," he added with a sigh.
Orin smiled awkwardly, noticing how down they both looked, but still chose to tell the truth. "It was my first try. Maybe the paper in my city was easier," he said sheepishly, scratching his neck.
"First try? Oh, I get it—you must have been preparing for three or four years before taking it," Jamie nodded, adjusting his glasses. "We also took a bunch of coaching classes, but they didn't help much."
"I did prepare, yeah. But this was the first time I was eligible to take it, and I really wanted to pass it perfectly," Orin said with a small smile.
"Wait a sec—how old are you?" Jessica asked abruptly.
"I'm fifteen," Orin lied. He was technically still fourteen… until tomorrow.
"You're practically a kid!" Jamie exclaimed, eyes wide, turning towards Jessica. "And you were bragging abo—"
He didn't get to finish, as Jessica elbowed him again, silencing him mid-sentence.
"He's not a kid," she said quickly, her face turning red. "He's already a college-going adult."
Orin almost asked if it had really taken them three tries to clear the "easy" written exam, or if they had gotten stuck in the interview—but seeing their embarrassed expressions, he decided to let it go.
"Did you guys hear about the four different houses at Nexus?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Of course! We were both instructed to go into House Eclipse," Jamie replied with a grin.
"Instructed?" Orin repeated, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Ah—he just meant we decided on House Eclipse after researching it," Jessica said quickly, clamping a hand over Jamie's mouth.
The two of them immediately broke into bickering again. Orin let them be, though a thought stuck in his mind: was there a connection between House Eclipse and Team Rocket? And more importantly—was house selection really up to the students?
He looked to the side and noticed the supposed girl struggling to open the window.
"Here, let me," he said, pressing the rubber stopper and sliding the window open.
"Ah, so that's how it works. Thanks!" she replied with a smile, then eagerly extended her hand outside to feel the breeze.
The bus was gliding smoothly past dense jungle that lined the roadside.
"There are so many new Pokémon here," she said cheerfully, stretching her hand out even farther.
"Hey, you shouldn't put your hand out so far—" Orin's words caught in his throat as a bird Pokémon suddenly swooped down and landed gently on her hand.
It had sleek black plumage and a long gray beak tipped in black. Its bright blue eyes were framed by a white, mask-like marking across its face, with a red stripe running along its head. The undersides of its wings were white, giving it a striking contrast.
"Isn't that a Pikipek? From the Alola region?" Orin muttered, stunned—not just by the fact that one had appeared out of nowhere, but that it had perched on her hand so calmly, despite them being inside a moving vehicle.
Pikipik!
"Aww, are you hungry? Did your leader send you out to look for food?" she murmured, gently ruffling the bird's head.
"Here," Orin said quickly, opening his bento box and pulling out a berry.
"Thanks!" she beamed, taking it from him and offering it to the Pikipek with a bright, childlike joy.
Orin quickly pulled out his mobile and snapped a photo of the surreal sight—then began recording a video. Was this person just incredibly lucky to interact with a wild Pokémon so easily? Or were the Pokémon around here just that friendly?
He couldn't help but feel a little envious. He also wanted to touch the Pikipek's feathers, but he was afraid any sudden movement might scare it off.
"Here you go, little guy," she said gently, ruffling the bird's head as it took the berry in its beak. The Pikipek seemed to enjoy her touch, letting out a soft trill before flapping its wings and flying back into the jungle.
"Wow," Orin murmured, ending the video. "You were a natural with that one—not scared of a wild Pokémon at all."
"Haha, I've spent most of my life in the jungle," she replied, smiling back at him. "Wild Pokémon don't scare me. Most of the time, they are just hungry and looking for food."
"I'm sorry for filming you without asking," Orin said with a sheepish smile.
"It's fine," she replied, shaking her head.
"I'm Orin, by the way. From Saffron City," he said, extending a hand.
"I'm Yellow. From Viridian," she said, taking his hand in hers.
He seems like a nice kind guy.
Orin blinked. The name stunned him—but even more so, the voice that echoed in his head. His telepathic ability had kicked in.
Which meant that she was a girl. And apparently… she had already given him the "good guy" card.
"Is 'Yellow' your real name?" he asked, releasing her soft hand.
"Hehe, my uncle Wilton started calling me that when I was little because of my hair," she said with a grin. "It kinda stuck."
"Well, it's a fitting name," he said with a wry smile—still reeling from the realization that one of the protagonists of the Pokémon Adventures manga was sitting right next to him.
He remembered how even in the manga, people were often confused about her gender because of her boyish clothing. She also had the rare ability to hear Pokémon thoughts… and even heal them.
Was that why the Pikipek had come to her so easily?
And if she was here… did that mean Red, Blue, and the others from the manga were also in this world?
Anyway, this was a golden opportunity—to get close to a main character from the Pokémon series. And not just any character, but a cute girl at that.
"Have you been to Viridian Forest?" Orin asked, smiling.
"Yeah, I used to go there almost daily…"
They chatted easily, and before long, the bus began to slow down and came to a smooth halt.
"All freshers, listen up!" Zoey's voice rang out as she stood at the front. "The Welcome Ceremony is about to begin, so hurry up to the main building. It's that big one in the distance—you can't miss it," she said, pointing ahead.
"Looks like we have arrived," Orin said with a smile, as Yellow nodded beside him.
"And leave your luggage in the bus's storage for now," Zoey continued. "Just remember to take it back after the ceremony. This is bus number 22. Write it down on your phone if you're gonna forget, K. It'll be parked in the bus zone, just ask someone if you can't find it."
She clapped her hands once. "Alright, outside in a line, no pushing!"
The doors opened with a hiss, and she stepped off first.
"Let's get off," Orin said to Yellow, watching the others file out. He let Jamie and Jessica go ahead, then gave Yellow a nod to go before him—she was, after all, one of the shortest on the bus.
Finally, he slung on his backpack and stepped out.
"Thanks, P-22," he muttered, patting the side of the doorway. There was no response, but he still smiled.
In front of them stood a towering wall with a massive set of doors embedded in its center.
"These are the famous Nexus Gates?" he asked aloud, awed by the sheer scale.
"One of them, at least," came Zoey's voice from beside him. She gave a small smile. "You can admire them later. Right now, you should seriously hurry up for the ceremony."
Looking at the redhead senior, Orin hesitated. He didn't really want to part ways just yet.
Should I…?
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What should Orin do?
• Ask for her number.
• Give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
• Give her a goodbye hug.
• Ask which house she's in.
[**Choice Selected: Ask for her number.**]
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