NOVEL WEB Chapter 29 - Taking to the Skies
Chapter 29 – Taking to the Skies
“Pix Pix!”
“I know! We have to hurry!”
Ultimately, I decided it was best to skip town as quickly as possible. I didn't know when Shauntal would hand over my private information to the Champion. By virtue of being a last minute ticket it cost us less than I was expecting, fifteen thousand pokédollars was a steal for a flight that long, which left me plenty of money to pay for much too expensive airplane food. I was secretly hoping there to be a berry shop close to my terminal so I could avoid having to spend all that money. In either case this was going to be one uncomfortable flight. The plane trip is supposed to take eleven hours, I was fairly sure my Pokémon would start getting rowdy after the sixth hour being trapped in their poké balls. I was praying to Arceus that the air travel company had some sort of area on the plane where Pokémon could stretch their legs.
“Rena keep an eye out for any sort of supply store once we get to the terminals!”
The check in procedure was fairly straightforward. They tried to take my all-important backpack but I somehow managed to convince them that it was not too heavy for overhead storage. So far everything was smooth sailing that lasted until we reached customs.
“Excuse me, sir, you have to declare ALL Pokémon traveling with you.”
She was glaring at Victini’s white Pokéball.
“No, I don’t. Professor Juniper gave me this specific Poké ball to keep my Pokémon’s identity private. The only way you are getting a look inside is if you somehow manage to procure a warrant.”
“And the egg?”
“Look lady, can you please just let me off? All I can tell you is that the people in charge already know.”
“Sorry we can’t do that. Airport policy requires me to register the species of any Pokémon egg coming through customs. For all we know you could be a trafficker.”
“Wait a minute, I can call Professor Juniper right now.”
“That won’t work. Professor Juniper has no direct jurisdiction here. This is between you and the League association of Unova. You would have to find someone pretty high up there to vouch for you.”
‘People working customs are just as insufferable in this world! What kind of lab sponsored trainer would illegally traffic Pokémon on the side?! At this rate I am going to miss my flight!‘
I scrolled through the list of contacts on my Xtransceiver before finally stopping at a particular name. Deciding that I might as well use the power of connections to get me out of this jam. I initiated the call.
“Egon, how come you are calling me so early? Is everything all right with the egg?”
“Hi Dianne. I found myself stuck in customs and they want to know the species of the egg. Is it safe to just tell them?”
“Hmm Mistralton airport I suppose? You are heading back to Hoenn?”
“Yeah, there’s this family issue and I am needed back early but I’ll be sure to come visit next year! I promised Burgh that I’d introduce him to Sunny when I get back, and let the child meet his or her mother.”
“Hmm okay then. Be sure to record the hatching. I want full details and a call back to give the hatchling a once over. If at all possible, make sure that one of the Joys is present to make sure nothing goes wrong. They have an ironclad doctor patient confidentiality agreement. Not even the league associations can force that clan into compliance. Now hand over your Xtransceiver to Karen I’ll sort this mess out.”
“You two know each other?!”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve been called to calm down our little zealot. She means well but sometimes gets a little bit overeager.”
I did as instructed and unclasped the Xtransceiver off my wrist offering it to Karen in short order. The dainty customs officer acted confused for a moment before finally deciding to look at the person displayed on screen. She quickly turned around to have a private conversation with the ranger corps' master sergeant.
“Dianne, no I know that… but this kid…!”
They went back and forth like that for a hot minute until the customs officer finally slumped back in her seat defeated. Eyeing me wearily she gave me the go ahead to walk along.
“Thank you for your service and defending this great region. I got to go now bye!”
Obviously, the hold up caused me to lose a lot of time. The flight was set to take off within the next ten minutes and I couldn’t afford any more delays. Not caring about propriety anymore I just sprinted across the terminal area. My ticket said I had to be at terminal eight. That terminal was made for some of the smaller commercial flights. The plane itself only had a maximum passenger capacity of one hundred and sixty people. Interregional travel was still fairly rare with all the restrictions placed on tourists. Furthermore, becoming a licensed pilot was even more arduous in this world.
Aside from the normal certifications a pilot needed to earn in flight school, they also had to be an elite level trainer with a specialization in the flying type. On the off chance the plane gets attacked by wild flying Pokémon. Now most Pokémon capable of flight weren’t all that territorial, but on the off chance that for example a Hydreigon decided to suddenly move ship(?????) and establish its new territory right on top of a commercial flight route. The captain needed to be able to defend his passengers.
I arrived just in time. The passenger line to board the plane only consisted of around twenty people. The feeling of relief for having made it in time flooded my body. Now that my mind was free to ponder the implications of an eleven hour long flight I was thinking on how to spend all that time being trapped in this aluminum death trap. It was just around dinner time now so I hoped the staff on board could accommodate feeding all five Pokémon on my team. I had around seven thousand pokédollars to my name which should be enough to last us a month after we landed back in Hoenn. The Hoenn league circuit should be one third of the way completed. At this point most competent trainers should be competing to get their fourth badge. I didn’t have the confidence in completing the circuit on time but it should be doable for me to support my team while the circuit was still ongoing.
“Ticket and ID please.”
I was so busy ruminating that I didn’t notice making it to the front of the line. I handed over my ticket, trainer’s license and for good measure my Pokédex. The man scrutinized my documents some time and after tapping some buttons on my Pokédex seemed satisfied enough to let me pass. Quite contrary to the customs officers from before. Before I shuffled along though I had to ask a pertinent question.
“Excuse me, does the airline also provide Pokémon food? I didn’t get the chance to stock up before and my own personal supplies are running dry.”
“Our airline is able to provide free meals for up to two. One extra for any Pokémon who are traveling with you. If you have more partners traveling with you, there are meal sets the stewards and stewardesses serving you can offer this flight, we are able to accept checks, PIN, or hard cash.”
“Can I preemptively buy four extra meal sets for three small sized Pokémon and one large one?”
“Certainly, that’ll be 1200 pokédollars.”
‘Ouch! Airline companies are the same everywhere, even in this world.’
Having been left with no other options I decided to fork over my hard-earned cash. The steward in return gave me three vouchers for the extra meals I’d be requiring.
“We thank you for choosing to fly Pelipper Airlines and we hope you have a pleasant flight.”
I was guided inside the airplane and towards my seat. Since I was last in line, they closed the doors behind me in preparation for takeoff. Luckily, I was situated next to the isle giving me some extra leg space in case I needed it. The person next to me was seated adjacent to the window a non-descript older gentleman wearing a brown trench coat.
‘Now if my luck holds out, I’ll be able to sleep most of the flight over.’
“Bwehhhh!”
‘Arceus darn it!’
The initial part of the flight was nerve wracking especially so since all the infants on board were somehow located in my aisle. ‘This is what I get for buying a ticket last minute.’
It got so bad Numsy released himself from his poké ball to see what all the fuss was about. He served to distract the children on the plane for a short while before the bawling began anew.
“Calm down Numsy this is normal for plane flights. Infant children are very sensitive and the change in air pressure is a bit painful for humans their age.”
“Num?”
“The food should be arriving soon. I'll release you when it is dinner time, okay?”
“Num num!”
With that I recalled the little camel,
The view from way up in the clouds was something truly special. On occasion we zipped past a flock of bird Pokémon that lasted until we hit the sea border. By then the most I could expect to see was the occasional pelipper or wingull.
‘I should really try to catch a flying type big enough to carry a human around if I want to see views like this more often.’
“I can help you fly!”
‘Wouldn’t that be exhausting to keep up for long periods of time though? Maneuverability would also be an issue… the only fire types capable of carrying humans around are those of the Charizard line and of those the only ones big enough to carry me when I am fully grown are those giant ones that are being bred in the Charicific valley. Granted size doesn’t account for much when it comes to Pokémon, but it would still be an awkward ride.’
“Zzzzzzz.”
‘Not that I am ungrateful! It’ll be a very long while before I can come even close to catching even a glimpse of a charmander. The indigo league is very finicky on who is allowed to have one of their three starter Pokémon and the location of their established breeding grounds is a state secret. Even Mr. Moore doesn’t have one and not for a lack of trying on his part.’
As I was busy pandering to Victini inside the confines of my mind. Two stewards pushed along the food trolley far enough as to be directly next to my seat.
“And what will the two sirs be having for dinner?”
The gentleman sitting next to me spoke first.
One medium poison type meal set and the green curry buddha bowl.
“And for you young man?”
I flashed him my three vouchers.
“I’ll have 3 fire type meal sets and one flying one and uhmm… the pumpkin soup. Make one of those fire type sets a large one please. Also, are there any open spaces on the aircraft where my Darmanitan can eat? He’s about as tall as a grown man but quite a bit wider.”
I didn’t know what passed for a nutritious enough meal set according to the airline company, but I knew my team could bear with substandard meals if only for the remainder of this flight tonight.
The steward took my meal vouchers and teared them in half giving me one half to hold.
“Certainly sir. For larger Pokémon we have set up a rotation to come and eat inside the worker’s cantina. We will inform you when the space is available for use.”
‘Now how to have Victini eat without our seat neighbor growing suspicious… Eh, I’ll just release her inside the overhead compartment while no one is looking.’
I released my Pokémon in order since it would get too crowded if we all had dinner at the same time. The man sitting next to me released his partner as well, a springy looking Croagunk. Not a Pokémon you would expect to see on an intercontinental flight between Unova and Hoenn.
“Excuse me, do you mind If I scan your partner with my Pokédex? This is the first time I have seen a croagunk they’re like super rare outside of Sinnoh.”
The man seemingly amused by my request assented to having his Pokémon recorded.
“Go ahead young trainer.”
Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. A Poison and Fighting type. It is popular as a mascot. No further information available.
“My Unovan Pokédex has little to no information on this species. I’d wish they hurry up and release the international version already…”
“Croaaa?”
“Pix! Pix!”
It was currently Rena’s turn to eat. She was out on my lap not enjoying the current meal she was having. Anything that came reheated wrapped up in plastic wrap was too low brow for her to enjoy, not that I blamed her. I wasn’t looking forward to taste testing that pumpkin soup either.
Croagunk and Rena seemed to hit it off with each other. From my understanding they were both gossiping about their trainers’ weird antics. Rena was telling Croagunk about my torchic print pajamas after she heard the toxic mouth Pokémon complain about his trainer’s penchant for playing dress up. I only understood Rena but got the gist somewhat through inference.
‘Wait a minute…’
“Rena…! Stop telling Croagunk about my sleeping wear! It is no one's business what kind of manly pajamas I wear to bed!“
“Vuuuul!”
The rest of the flight was more of the same. I couldn’t get comfortable enough to fall asleep, so I released Orin at some point to get some more bonding time in with him. It was dark out, so the little candle was perfect company when trying to read inflight magazines. However, at some point another passenger who didn’t have the same sleeping problem started complaining about the flickering light and I was forced to return him into his poké ball.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into Slateport City. Please turn off all portable electronic devices and stow them until we have arrived at the gate. In preparation for landing in Slateport City, be certain your seat back is straight up, and your seat belt is fastened. Please secure your carry-on items, stow your tray table, and pass any remaining service items and unwanted reading materials to the flight attendants. Thank you.”
As we landed, I made sure all my Pokémon were recalled inside their poké balls to spare them from the drop in air pressure. Victini with those sensitive big ears of hers would certainly feel the sting of a sudden descent. Personally, the descent was my favorite part of commercial air travel. Knowing that the nightmare was almost over did much to alleviate the stress from having been cooped up for so long.
The flight ended the same as all long-distance flights do. With the passengers giving the pilot a standing ovation for landing the aircraft safely. A great system to keep pilots feeling motivated and appreciated lowering potential mishaps brought on by the creeping danger of complacency.
‘I can’t wait to get out there! The first thing I’ll do is reward my team for putting up with this hellish flight, and the best way to do that is by getting us some real food!’
The moment the airline workers gave the green light for the passengers to leave I immediately took my backpack from the overhead compartment and zipped past the rest of the passengers exiting the plane. I was helped by the fact that my small stature allowed for some tactical maneuvering that would otherwise not be possible. As soon as I got out, I was greeted by a most unwelcome sight. Hoenn customs, what I experienced going through Unova’s airport was about to be repeated here. Worse, in this case I wasn’t friends with anyone in a position of authority who would be able to call off zealous customs officers. Victini’s protected status granted by the Unovan regional professor didn’t mean squat in another region. Using the technical machine gifted to me and putting Victini through a teleportation crash course would get me in legal trouble, since I was still on the passenger list together with the number of Pokémon I was carrying on me.
‘There’s only one way out of this…’
After passing through the first checkpoint where I got to skip the crowded lines since I was a Hoenn citizen. While the rest of the passengers were waiting for their bags to appear on the conveyor belt, I got to work skimming through my contact list again. Although I didn’t have anyone on there in a position of authority with the Hoenn league association, I did know someone who had familiar ties with one. I was just hoping that she didn’t forget to bring her pokégear along with her to trainer’s school.
“Yah? This is Flannery.”
“Flannery, it's me Egon! Could you skip school and get your grandpa for me? this is an emergency.”
“Egon you idiot! I am in the middle of class, I can’t afford another write up!”
“Please!”
“Fine… but you owe me! You are lucky that gramps came home last night. I’ll call you back.”
Flannery being a year older than me already received her trainer’s license. Since her grandpa had forbidden her from traveling alone and with nothing else to do, she was stuck taking extra classes at the local trainer’s school.
‘I just hope she’ll get to Mr. Moore fast enough. If she doesn’t get delayed for some odd reason, I should be able to get through this without making the airport personnel suspicious.’
The wait following that phone call was a tenuous experience. I was stuck in the baggage hall not being able to get past airport security. The other passengers finally caught up to me fussing around trying to find their suitcases and rucksacks. Eventually finding them and heading through customs without worry. Since I was familiar with the route between trainer’s school and the Lavaridge Gym I knew it would take Flannery somewhere between 15-20 minutes to get to her grandfather.
I eventually got that all important call back.
“Egon it’s me Flannery here’s grandpa.”
I instantly recognized the cracked voice from Mr. Moore. He was forgetting to keep himself hydrated again. ‘He’s not a fire type pokemon, he still needs water every now and then.’
“Flannery tells me it’s an emergency knowing you it probably is. you’ve always been a responsible boy. So tell this old man what this is all about.”
“So, I have just recently arrived back in Hoenn and am at the Slateport City airport, right in front of customs. Uhmm… while I was traveling through Unova I made a very special friend. So special in fact that we’ll both be in a heap of trouble if it became widely known that I caught her. Unova’s regional professor was kind enough to give me a sanctioned unregistered poké ball to keep her safe, but his authority doesn’t extend past Unova’s borders. So, I was wondering if you could maybe call someone to lead me through the security checks?”
“Hmmm how special are we talking here?”
“Can we not do this over the phone?”
“That special? Sure, I know a guy who is currently holed up in the bay area over there. He should be able to get you through customs. He will be expecting you to give him a full explanation though.”
“As long as he’s earned your trust it should be fine Mr. Moore.”
With that our telecommunication session ended. My heart was lightened by the fact that Mr. Moore is covering for me. As an elite four member there should be plenty of high-level officials he can send my way. His ranking in military terms was equivalent to a five-star general; it was expected of him not to use his powers during peace times, but he could choose to use them if he wished to.
My Pokémon getting antsy from the delay popped out of their poké balls except Victini of course.
To avoid having them lay down on the marble tiles I fished out a blanket from my backpack and laid it down in the south-western corner of the baggage hall. Feeling more secure with my surroundings left me free to act like an airport hobo. I was too tired to care overly much for the staring passersby’s. With my team of fire types surrounding me and a blanket I felt warm and cozy for the first time since I entered that blasted airplane.
“Just a few seconds of shuteye, wake me up if something happens, okay?”
Just like that I fell asleep, my back propped up against Glove’s own. Numsy and Rena each pressed up against one of my pants legs and Orion sitting comfortably on my shoulder, The egg incubator secured between my open legs. Even Tranquill took the time to perch on a nearby windowsill.
An undetermined amount of time later*
“Wake up kid.”
I groggily opened my eyes. I couldn't discern the identity of the person rudely disturbing my midday nap. The sun casting a shadow over the person’s facial features blocking me from profiling his distinct attributes. His only recognizable feature was this old timey captain’s hat the person was wearing. Realizing that the time I spent sleeping was longer than I intended, I hastily stood up and, in the process, woke up my entire team except Tranquill who was watching us flounder around from up high.
Looming over me was the most recognizable person in all of Hoenn. The crowds giving him a wide berth out of respect. Some of them even pulling out cameras to capture this rarest of moments when this man could be found on dry land there was usually some sort of trouble afoot. Champion Drake was wearing his usual maritime outfit with no undershirt on showing off his trained physique earned from spending decades hoisting and pulling sails.
“Sorry! Champion Drake sir.”
“Just call me captain Drake kid, I am just holding on to the Champion’s title until someone worthy of it comes along. Now my old friend Tim says you needed some help getting through customs without being asked a lot of questions?”
“Yessir captain Drake sir! I met someone special on my first journey and would like to keep her identity private.”
‘That old man’s first name is Tim? Why does everyone keep calling him Mr. Moore at the gym? Some of the staff members are just as old as him!’
“Well, that’s it then. Come along now, if you stick with me those guys shouldn’t bother you overly much.”
“Right away captain!”
I recalled all of my Pokémon before hurrying along to keep up with his walking pace. The customs officers tried to stop me from following him through a side exit but just a few words from him convinced them otherwise.
“This youngling is with me.”
Those words alone were all that was required to get them off my back. Being a person of such renown and skill that the local law enforcement bended to your whims. As much as I was in awe of captain Drake’s bending of the rules, I felt a smidgen of dissatisfaction with myself.
‘I who has promised myself not to rely on others to make my way is now enjoying the benefits of knowing people in high places. Rules that I’d like others to follow and flaunting them when it comes to my own person…’
“For me?”
‘Yes, you are more important than my ego. Someday I’ll be able to flaunt the rules on my own merits.’
Following Drake landed me in some sort of employee parking lot. The man wasting no time threw out a scratched up almost ancient looking poké ball. A quick flash and his Salamence materialized in front of us.
“Kid, we'll be going back to my ship to talk in private. It’s just off the coach from route 109.”
“I get to ride with you?”
“That’s funny kid, Salamence here only lets people he acknowledges ride on his back. You could give it a try though I won’t stop you.”
I was very tempted to pull out my Pokédex and scan this dragon Pokémon, but that might be considered disrespectful. Dragon types were a prideful lot as are champion level Pokémon. This Salamence being both at the same time didn’t bode well for my chances of getting on his back. Still somehow, I felt like this was a test of some sort. The dragon Pokémon was staring me down, giving me the opportunity to make a fool out of myself.
‘This is why I dislike dragon types… always feeling like you are walking on eggshells. With Captain Drake so close by, the odds of me getting eaten are quite low, might as well shoot my shot.’
“Salamence, you are big and scary, would you let me ride on your back please?”
The dragon’s expression told me he was a tad surprised by my approach but ultimately not particularly impressed.
“Hmm seven points. You did the correct thing by acknowledging this one’s might, but he dislikes those that pander to him. Don’t you worry I have a Pokémon with me that doesn’t mind carrying little ones like you.”
Drake released a second Pokémon, this one being a flygon. The slightly insectoid-like dragon Pokémon gave me a once over before offering his back to me. I was very tempted to scratch its scales, so I did. The dragon Pokémon giving me a cat-like purr.
‘Zinnia should totally catch one of these. They are so much more well behaved than the bagon line. Pokémon that do not initially start off as a dragon type are safer to train and a tad less prideful.’
The scales made for good footholds and as soon I got into a comfortable position on its back we took off. I half expected to hear the vaunted singing noise produced by a flygon’s wings, but this Flygon seemed to be able to fly around soundlessly. I was completely unaware of my mild fear of heights before we took off but now, I was reminded that there was no rope or anything to hold onto. Hoping that I didn’t suddenly develop a muscle cramp in my arms I held on a little tighter.
All the people and buildings in slate port city looked like ants from this high up and at the speed we were going I suspected we’d be on route 9 in just a couple of minutes. Not being able to start a conversation or do anything else but hold on the best thing for me to do was stew in my own thoughts.
‘Hopefully he’ll let us off without too much trouble. Dragon type trainers are almost as prideful as the Pokémon themselves. Don’t try to look like you could put up a good fight, Tini. He’ll probably want to challenge you.’
“Eep!”