Avi2112
patreon
Chapter 15: Surprise - 1 | Pokémon
🕑 Added 2025-05-10 14:07:04 +0000 UTC“Piiikkaaa Pikkkaaaaaa Piiiiiikaaaaaaachuuuuuu!!!!⚡️⚡️⚡️”
Orin jolted awake to the sound of his blaring Pikachu alarm. He squinted at his phone through sleepy eyes and silenced it with his only free arm—the other was trapped under the weight of a small body and had gone completely numb.
It was already 4 a.m.
It felt like he had only just closed his eyes a moment ago. He looked down to see Brina still fast asleep, looking like a peaceful little angel. Carefully, he slipped his arm out from under her and untangled himself from her tiny grip. Thankfully, she didn’t stir awake.
Stifling a yawn, Orin headed to the bathroom. He had showered before bed, so all he needed now was to freshen up and change into his travel clothes.
Less than ten minutes later, he stepped out looking clean, alert, and ready.
He sat beside the sleeping girl and gently shook her. “Brina… Brina, wake up.”
“Eh? Niiichan? Ah—yesshh, I am up, up!” she said, sitting up groggily, eyes still mostly closed.
“Go wash your face and brush your teeth. I will go check if Mimi and Kaddi are up,” he said, rising from the bed.
“Okaaay… in five minsss…” she mumbled, immediately flopping back onto the pillow.
Orin sighed and nudged her upright again. “C’mon, get up. You can sleep as much as you want after I leave.”
Reluctantly, she dragged herself towards the bathroom, muttering under her breath. Orin knew that if he let her fall back asleep, she would just wake up later and blame him for not saying goodbye properly.
He grabbed his two trolley bags and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Then he double-checked his wallet, ID cards, Passport, and money. With a final glance at his phone, he pocketed it and headed downstairs.
As Orin made his way down the stairs, he was surprised to see his friends already waiting.
“You guys are already here?” he asked, blinking.
“Yeah, we got here just a little while ago,” Terri said, looking fresh and energetic as always.
“Yep, just a while ago… uhm, 15 minutes, uhm…” Duplica added, her voice wavering oddly between Terri’s tone and her own. She cleared her throat with an exaggerated cough. “Sorry—my voice isn’t at its best this early,” she said, dramatically clasping her chest like she was on stage.
“Let me take that for you,” Kyle said, climbing up the stairs to relieve Orin of his suitcases.
“Oh, thanks,” Orin replied with a grateful smile as they descended the stairs together.
He glanced at Terri and Duplica. “You two are looking really pretty today,” he said with a warm smile, noticing the subtle touches of makeup on their faces and how even in their usual clothes, they looked surprisingly stylish.
His heart swelled a little at the thought—they must have woken up early and put in the effort just for him.
“Thanks,” Terri said, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“Uhm—I always look pretty,” Duplica replied, trying to sound confident, but the faint pink on her face gave her away.
Orin chuckled. Despite Duplica's act, he could still see the dark circles under her eyes, barely hidden by makeup. She must not have gotten much sleep last night.
“So, Mimi let you all in?” he asked, still smiling. This wasn’t their first time visiting his house, so Kaddi, Mimi, and Brina were already familiar with them. He had warned them that the group might arrive around 4:30 a.m., but it looked like they had come even earlier.
“Miiime mime!” came a cheerful voice from the dining room as Mimi appeared, smiling proudly and nodding smugly.
“Yes, yes, why don’t you sit down for a bit while we make sure Kaddi’s finishing up breakfast,” Terri said, dragging Duplica along with her.
“Yeah, we will go check on the food. And don’t you dare come in unless we call you,” Duplica added, quickly following Terri into the dining room.
Orin raised an eyebrow as he watched them disappear. “What are those two up to now?”
“Who knows,” Kyle said with a laugh, louder than necessary. “C’mon, tell me—how did the exam go yesterday?”
As Mimi quietly slipped away into the dining room, Orin followed Kyle to the sofa and sat down.
“Well, it wasn’t too bad, actually…” he began, recounting his exam experience as the two settled in.
“Onii-chan, are your friends here?”
Just as they were chatting, Brina’s voice floated down the stairs as she walked down with a giggle.
“Oh, Brina! Did you wake up early for your brother?” Kyle asked with a warm smile.
“Yes! Brina got up really early today,” she replied proudly as she came over and sat beside Orin.
“Your sister’s so well-behaved. I envy you, bro!” Kyle said, playfully punching Orin’s arm.
“Hehehe, Brina is the best little sister!” Brina giggled sweetly, clinging to Orin’s arm with all the charm of an angel.
Orin chuckled hollowly. She always turned into a perfect little actress whenever guests were around. None of his friends had a clue what a tiny menace she was in reality.
“Orin, your breakfast is ready~!” two voices called out in perfect unison from the dining room—both sounding suspiciously like Terri.
“Must be Copycat with her usual antics,” Orin said with a wry smile as he stood up. “Come on, let’s eat. We will have to leave for the airport soon after.”
As they headed towards the dining room, Kyle hung back a little, letting Orin go ahead.
POP!🎉 POP!🎉 POP!🎉
Just as Orin stepped into the room, a flurry of confetti and candy burst into his face.
“What the—?!” he said, shielding his eyes in surprise.
“Happy Birthday, Orin!!” the girls shouted in unison.
He looked up to see both Duplica and Terri grinning, each holding a confetti popper. The dining room was decorated with colourful balloons, and a big “Happy Birthday!” sign stretched across the wall.
“Wooow! It’s a surprise birthday party for Niichan!” Brina exclaimed, bouncing in excitement.
“But my birthday’s tomorrow,” Orin said with a smile, brushing the confetti off his face. He’d had a feeling something was up with how sneakily everyone was acting, but this was still a genuinely pleasant surprise.
“Haha, yeah, but you won’t be here tomorrow,” Kyle said, wrapping an arm around Orin’s neck with a cheerful grin. “So we decided to celebrate early. Happy Birthday, bro!”
“Thank you, guys—really,” Orin said, his smile wide with gratitude.
“Waaah! Nii-chan, there’s cake~ Caaake!” Brina squealed, jumping with excitement.
“Mime mime!”
“Kada~bra.”
Orin looked ahead and saw both Kaddi and Mimi entering the room, bringing plates filled with sandwiches, cold drinks, berries, and fruit. Floating effortlessly in front of them, supported by an invisible barrier, was a beautifully decorated cake.
“Whoa… When did you even plan all this? The decorations, the cake—you really went all out,” Orin said, staring around the room in amazement.
“Heheh, it’s nothing,” Duplica said, letting out a shy giggle.
“We actually planned to surprise you tonight at midnight,” Terri added with a grin, “but once you got accepted into Nexus and had this early flight, we had to move things up.”
She looked over at the two Pokémon and added, “And obviously, none of this would have been possible without Mimi and Kaddi.”
“Kada~bra,” Kaddi said with a calm nod.
“Miiime Miiime~” Mimi added, dramatically bowing with a flourish.
“Onii-chan, I wanna eat cake, pleaaase!” Brina begged, looking up at him with wide puppy eyes.
“Yes, Niichan, I want to eat cake too—pleeease,” Duplica chimed in, mimicking Brina’s tone almost perfectly.
“No! He is my Onii-chan, not yours! And don't copy Brina!!” Brina snapped, turning to glare at her. Her red eyes even started to glow faintly in irritation.
“Haha, let’s not fight and just enjoy the cake, okay?” Orin said quickly, placing a hand on Brina’s shoulder and gently pulling her back. Duplica stuck her tongue out at Brina in response, only making her more annoyed.
Those two always clashed like kids whenever they get together. Orin had to stay on alert—especially to make sure Brina didn’t blow Duplica away in a fit of rage.
“The cake looks amazing!” Orin said, trying to redirect Brina’s attention as he led her over to the table. And he wasn’t lying—the cake was shaped and decorated like a Pokéball, with “Happy Birthday Orin” written across it in golden cream.
“A Pokéball cake! It looks sooo yummy!” Brina said, practically drooling, already forgetting all about her argument with Duplica.
“Heheh, a friend of mine just started a bakery recently,” Kyle said proudly. “This one’s a custom order from them.”
“Well, your friend definitely has talent,” Orin said with a smile, pulling out his phone to snap a picture of the cake.
“Come on, let’s sing the birthday song!” Duplica called out as she started singing Happy Birthday to You.
“Blow the candles!” Terri added, joining in the chorus with a cheerful grin.
Orin glanced at the number 15 candle on top—then looked around the room. His friends were singing with full energy, Brina was trying to join in despite being a little off-key, Kaddi nodded along to the rhythm, and Mimi clapped silently with her usual flair.
It all hit him at once—fifteen whole years he had spent in this Pokémon world. And in this moment, surrounded by people who cared about him, he felt a deep swell of emotion and gratitude.
It had truly been a wonderful life so far.
He smiled, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill, and got down on one knee.
“Let’s do it together,” he said gently to Brina, who was staring at the cake wide-eyed, not blinking.
“Heheh, okay, Niichan!” Brina beamed.
Orin smiled and timed his breath to match Brina’s as she puffed out her cheeks. Together, they blew out the number 15 candles 🕯️🕯️.
As the flames vanished, a round of applause erupted around them. Even Kaddi set his spoon aside to join in, clapping happily. Brina looked up at Orin, grinning from ear to ear.
Orin glanced around and noticed a phone floating midair, recording the moment. Mimi gave him a distant thumbs-up, and he chuckled—clearly, they had asked her to record everything.
“Did you make a wish, Nii-chan?” Brina asked, still smiling brightly.
“I did,” Orin said with a nod. “Did Brina make one too?”
“Yes, but it’s your birthday, so my wish won’t count!” she declared with a huff.
“Oh? Why don’t you tell me your wish, and we will light the candles again so I can wish for it instead,” he teased, smirking.
“You know nothing, Nii-chan. For one cake, you can only make one wish,” Brina replied matter-of-factly, her tone full of confidence.
“Oh? Brina is very knowledgeable,” Orin said with a chuckle as she puffed up her chest in pride. “Still, maybe if you tell me your wish, and it’s the same as mine, it will still come true.”
“Nope! We can’t tell our wishes or they won’t come true. That’s the most important rule! Even little kids know that—how could you forget Onii-chan?” she said, planting her hands on her hips, scolding him with an exaggerated glare.
“Okay, okay,” Orin laughed, raising his hands in surrender. “How about you don’t tell me—just write it down instead?”
He said with a chuckle, as it was always very fun to mess with his little sister—though he was also genuinely curious about her wish.
“Now let’s hurry up and cut the cake already!!” Duplica called out, bouncing with impatience.
“I wanna eat it first!” Brina chimed in, turning to glare at her, completely forgetting the previous argument.
“Alright, alright, no fighting,” Orin said with a helpless smile. He picked up the knife and began carefully cutting two small slices.
“The first piece should go to Big Sister,” he said with a wry smile. Around him, all of his friends exchanged awkward glances.
“But since she is not here… Brina, you will have hers, right?”
“Yesss, Onii-chan!” Brina nodded quickly, already reaching for her slice.
