After stepping through the glowing yellow door of Lumina House, Orin emerged into a massive, open hall now buzzing with students.
Hundreds of them were arriving from the other doors too, crowding into the chamber.
"Is every student here?" Professor Oak's voice echoed from above.
He stood on a grand balcony on the first floor, flanked by none other than Prima Lorelei, looking as icy and elegant as ever. She tapped on her sleek tablet, glancing at the crowd.
"Most of them are here," she confirmed coolly.
"Good enough," Oak said with a smile. "Now that you've all chosen your Houses, there's just one more thing before you can head to your allotted rooms—your room numbers will be sent to your Pokédexes shortly."
He paused for dramatic effect. "But first… the moment every young trainer dreams of! Something each of you has waited patiently for."
He raised his hands and declared with excitement:
"It's time for the Partner Pokémon Selection Ceremony!"
Cheers erupted throughout the crowd.
"It doesn't matter whether you want to be a Trainer, a Coordinator, a Researcher, a Singer, an Actor or even a League Official," Oak continued. "Here at Nexus, the first thing you'll learn is to live in harmony with Pokémon. They won't just learn from you—you'll also learn from them. It's a relationship of equals. Friends. Family. Through trust and love, you'll grow to—"
"Professor, we have a schedule to keep," Lorelei interjected, cutting him off with a cool look.
Oak blinked, then coughed. "Ah… right. Well, let's begin, shall we?" He clapped his hands. "In front of you are one thousand Poké Balls. Each one contains a basic Pokémon. Every student may pick one. For many of you, this will be your first Pokémon, your first partner—so please, choose wisely." He smiled as several long display tables rose from the ground with a mechanical hum.
Each desk was lined with rows upon rows of red-and-white Poké Balls, gleaming under the hall lights.
Orin stood there, stunned. That was a lot of Poké Balls.
"Also—do not fight. Do not steal," Lorelei said coolly, stepping forward with her arms crossed, her tone icy and unyielding. "Anyone caught doing so will be punished severely. You are students of the prestigious Nexus Academy. Start behaving like it." Her sharp gaze swept over the crowd.
"The Poké Balls have been placed randomly, by the way," Oak added with a chuckle, clearly stepping away from Lorelei's frosty presence. "Even I don't know which Pokémon is in which ball. And once you pick one up—it's yours. It'll be automatically registered to your Pokédex. No swaps, no take-backs."
He paused and smiled warmly. "Also remember—no Pokémon is inherently good or bad. Just like you're choosing them… they're choosing you. So follow your heart."
"Follow my heart, huh?" Orin muttered as he stepped toward the tables. He scanned the crowd but couldn't see anyone he recognized. No Jessie or James, no Janine, no Yellow either. Just a sea of unfamiliar faces rushing to grab their first partners.
"Do not pick up more than one," Lorelei's voice rang out once more. "And once you've chosen, do not open the Poké Ball inside. Proceed to the gardens outside to meet your Pokémon. No switching afterward—you're adults now, so learn to live with your decisions."
Orin smirked wryly. She really had a way with words. Still quite hot, though.
Back to the Poké Balls. They all looked identical. He watched as students snatched one at random and hurried out the doors with nervous excitement.
He tried scanning one with his Pokédex—
Unregistered Poké Ball
Well, so much for that shortcut.
He closed his eyes for a moment and reached out with his senses. Faint psychic energy radiated from several of the Poké Balls. That likely meant Psychic-types.
A part of him considered going for one—it would be a tactical advantage. But… he had spent his whole life surrounded by Psychic Pokémon. Big Sis Sabrina. Her gym. Her Pokémon. Her aura.
Maybe for his first Pokémon… he wanted something different.
He took a breath. Closed his eyes again.
Tried to feel it.
Tried to follow his heart, like the Professor had said.
It didn't work with the Nexus Crystal earlier.
But maybe… just maybe… this time would be different.
Orin drowned out the noise around him and started walking, eyes closed, his hand gliding just above the rows of Poké Balls. Slowly, carefully, he moved through the aisle. But even after walking its entire length, he felt… nothing.
Opening his eyes with a sigh, he glanced around, slightly embarrassed. Do I look like a weirdo right now?
But to his relief, others were doing way stranger things—someone was chanting a ritual in strange script, another student prayed to Arceus with both arms raised, and someone was literally walking on their hands.
Okay… maybe I'm actually one of the normal ones here.
Still, there were way too many aisles to go through, stretching far into the distance. At this rate, he would never get through all of them before the Poké Balls were all picked clean.
"One more time," he muttered to himself and stepped into the next aisle.
He had barely taken a few steps, his fingers passing above the smooth red-and-white spheres, when—
Zap!
A soft prickling sensation sparked through his palm.
Orin froze.
His hand hovered above a single Poké Ball. Slowly, he lowered it and placed it gently on the smooth surface.
"Ah! It moved," he whispered, eyes lighting up.
Was it fate? Aura? Psychic affinity? He didn't know. But in that moment, it felt right.
"I choose you," he said softly with a grin, picking up the Poké Ball in his hand.
The ball shifted again, a subtle, eager twitch in his grasp.
That delighted him.
"I can't wait to meet you," he whispered with genuine excitement as he made his way to the side door and stepped out into the sunlight.
The air was crisp, the sun high overhead, and the garden beyond was buzzing with energy. Students laughed and celebrated, some already playing with their new Pokémon, others taking selfies and recording videos. It was a burst of color and life.
Everywhere Orin looked, he saw familiar pokemons—Bulbasaurs, Torchics, Piplups, Rowlets. For a second, he thought maybe the Poké Balls only held starters from the regional games. But as he wandered deeper, he spotted Nidorans, Rattatas, Marills, and even a few Ralts wandering near their trainers.
Well, there goes that theory.
Eventually, he found a secluded spot beneath a wide tree and propped his phone up using his psychic power.
"I want to capture our first moment together, partner," he said softly, looking at the Poké Ball in his hand.
He hit record, took a breath, and smiled like a kid unwrapping a gift on his birthday.
"Alright… come out, partner!" he said, pressing the center button, all the while his heart pumped wildly.
With a click, the Poké Ball opened—
A white beam of light shot out—
WHOOSH!
As the light faded, standing in front of him… was a small figure with red eyes. Eyes that almost seemed to match his own.
"Riolu?" Orin said, stunned—and then broke into a wide, boyish grin.
"Riolu!"
It was a small, blue creature, standing lightly on its toes—its frame lean but full of quiet energy. A black torso and limbs contrasted its blue fur, while rounded bumps decorated the backs of its forepaws. A yellow collar ringed its neck, and a black mask framed its crimson eyes.
Orin's breath caught. It really was… a Riolu!
The little Pokémon tilted its head, looking up at him curiously. Orin took a cautious step forward—and so did Riolu, mirroring him exactly.
Grinning, Orin set his bag down. He long-pressed the Pokéball, shrinking it before slipping it into his pocket, just like he had seen in so many trainer videos.
Then he crouched down slowly. Riolu didn't move, still watching him, eyes full of quiet intelligence.
"Hey there," Orin whispered. He reached out and placed his hand gently on Riolu's head.
Riolu closed its eyes. Its little body leaned into the touch.
A warmth spread through Orin's chest. This is real. This is happening.
"My first Pokémon…" he murmured, running his fingers gently through Riolu's fur. "…my first Partner."
He looked at Riolu with a soft smile.
"Orin Murasaki… your journey as a trainer is finally starting!"
---
[Orin Murasaki caught Riolu]
---
[WorldsWorstjinx has chosen I Choose You from the Shop!]
[Riolu has been added to Orin's Team!]
[WorldsWorstjinx has chosen Full Pokémon & Trainer Commissions from the Shop!]
Thank you WorldsWorstjinx for your support! 😊
Happy Shopping!
***
Normally what Pokemon Orin catches will be decided by rolls and polls, completely random, as many of the things of this story are.
But if you want to add a specific pokemon to the story and to his team then you can also choose Pay2win route as done above!
The specific rates you can ask me or check them out on my Kofi page.
***
Did you notice the difference in quality of the pic above ⬆️
It was because it was a fully customised pic, a commissioned one!
I wanted to do something special for this story, so I got in touch with a Talented Artist friend of mine and came up with the idea to draw up the Pokemons that come up in this story (No NSFW pics!)
I want to thank WorldsWorstJinx again as he was onboard with this idea and commissioned to get an image done for Orin and Riolu's first meet!
I think it was such an amazing work!
If you want to get this kind of Images commisioned then you can go to my Kofi Store Page to find out its rates and all the specifics. The link will be in the chapter comments.
The artist doesn't have their own page, so they are using my Kofi page.
Please try out this Artist's work if you can, they are really talented!
You can also check out the Pokemon adding options there, for more details you can ask me on fiction, patreon or Discord!
Also going forward Patreon will have:
5 Advanced Chapters for Pokemon
And also What if? chapters where the choices not taken, will be explored!
Just for my Supporters!
The story is just starting… please witness the journey of Orin Murasaki with me!
See you all non-pokemons soon!