The sky has always been the natural domain of Flying-type Pokémon, and because of that, commercial air travel in a world filled with Pokémon is far more complicated than it might seem.
Consider this: even in Nova's previous world, a single bird striking an aircraft could cause a disaster. Now imagine a passenger plane suddenly crossing paths with an ill-tempered Fearow mid-flight.
So, despite this world's technology being quite advanced — surpassing Nova's previous life in many respects — the aviation industry had long since been taken over by airships. Slower than conventional aircraft, yes, but far more practical. Airships were largely immune to bird strikes and could withstand the occasional unexpected attack from a wild Flying-type Pokémon. Each vessel kept a dedicated safety officer on board whose sole job was to keep such Pokémon at a safe distance.
In truth, when it came to speed and convenience, no man-made vehicle in the Pokémon world could match a Pokémon itself.
The airline even offered a Dragonite rental service. For around 70,000 coins, you could have a strong, reliable, and surprisingly friendly dragon fly you to virtually any destination in the world within hours.
Had Nova chosen that option, he could have been waiting outside Aresdra's school by morning, and they could have had lunch together.
But 70,000 coins. That was nearly a full year's worth of savings.
Nova had originally set that money aside to purchase a Moon Stone for his Nidorino's evolution, which had left him scraping by during his months in Goldenlight City. Now, thanks to Mr. Charlie's support, he had actually managed to hold onto it.
That money could serve as solid starting funds for his journey. He might even set some aside to get a Steel Wing upgrade for his newest partner. There was certainly no reason to hand it all over to an airline just for a faster ride.
Sticking to his policy of spending wisely wherever he could, and seeing that he still had plenty of time, Nova decided to walk the five kilometres to the airport on foot.
Since Nidorino was far too large to comfortably take through city streets, Nova had not yet had the chance to walk around Goldenlight City with any of his Pokémon. This seemed like a good opportunity. He reached into his bag, took out a Poké Ball, and released his Corvisquire to walk alongside him.
The problem was that the bird clearly had not yet come to terms with how much bigger it now was. It still seemed to think it was the same small, lightweight chick it had been before its evolution. The moment it was released, it immediately tried to perch on top of Nova's head.
It was no longer a small chick. It was a large, heavy Corvisquire, standing nearly a metre tall and weighing close to twenty kilograms. On top of that, having awakened its Steel-type nature, its feathers were far denser and heavier than those of an ordinary Corvisquire. The impact of that bird dropping onto his head nearly sent Nova straight to the ground.
One day after being caught, it had very nearly put its own Trainer out of commission. Nova gave it a firm scolding, and after that, the Corvisquire finally settled down.
It flapped reluctantly into the air and hovered about three metres above Nova's head, sulking. The morning sun cast a wide, bird-shaped shadow across the path below.
The shadow matched Nova's mood perfectly.
He glanced up at the Corvisquire drifting overhead — broad-winged, sharp-eyed, and frankly intimidating — and let out a slow sigh.
How had things turned out like this? Every Pokémon he had ended up raising looked like it belonged on a battlefield. Not a single small, soft, approachable one in the bunch. Was he ever going to get one he could actually hold?
Then he thought of the Pokémon egg tucked carefully in his backpack, shifting gently every so often, and his mood lifted just a little. Based on the pattern on the shell, he had a pretty good idea of what kind of Pokémon was inside — and it was exactly the sort of adorable little creature he had been hoping for.
Up above, the Corvisquire shot a sideways glare down at Nova. You look down on me? Well, I look down on you too. A Trainer who can barely handle me, and he thinks he's going on an adventure? If I weren't worried about getting scolded again, I'd leave him a little present on that head of his.
The two of them covered the five kilometres in mutual, unspoken irritation.
Eventually, a large aviation terminal came into view — a busy, well-built building with a wide ticket hall full of Trainers, travellers, and their Pokémon partners moving in every direction.
Nova joined the queue, and when he reached the counter, he told the clerk his destination. The fare came to 1,200 Poké Dollars. The clerk handed over the ticket, then glanced past Nova at the Corvisquire standing tall beside him.
"Is that a Flying-type Pokémon?"
"Yes. It's a Corvisquire."
The clerk's professional expression gave way immediately. His eyes lit up. "A Corvisquire? The one that evolves into Corviknight? Those are quite rare here in the Norlandia region."
That was putting it mildly. If it had not been for a group of poachers, Nova never would have had a chance to catch one out in the wild.
The passengers behind him in line had overheard and were now craning their necks for a look.
Fortunately, the earlier scolding had done its job. The Corvisquire stayed close to Nova and kept still, not attempting any more aerial stunts now that they were inside the terminal. Standing quietly in place, the Steel-type Pokémon carried itself with a natural air of authority. Several people nearby murmured in admiration.
The clerk cleared his throat and returned to business. "Since you have a Flying-type Pokémon with you, I'm required to inform you of the following: in the event of an emergency during your flight — such as a large group of wild Flying-type Pokémon attacking the airship — you may be asked to assist our onboard security officer in managing the situation."
"Understood. No problem," Nova said.
Nova collected his ticket and made his way to the waiting area. His airship to Harmony City was scheduled to depart at around 1 PM, which meant he had some time to wait.
What he did not notice was that two people had slipped into the ticket hall behind him and were now tucked away in a quiet corner, speaking in low voices.
Despite the mild, comfortable weather in Goldenlight City that day, both figures were dressed to avoid recognition — sunglasses, face masks, and baseball caps pulled low. Anyone watching might have taken them for celebrities trying not to be spotted.
"Hold on," one of them muttered. "You told me he only had that oversized Nidorino. Where did the Flying-type come from?"
"I don't know. That's what the intel said. He must have caught it recently."
"So what now? The whole plan was based on him being on the airship. The cabin's too cramped for him to send out Nidorino, so we'd have the advantage. But now he's got a second Pokémon watching his back. Do we still move?"
The second figure hesitated. "We have to. You know how this works — results get rewarded, failures get punished, and we're always the ones left holding it. So yes. We move."
"This is ridiculous," the first one grumbled. "If the higher-ups want this kid's Pokémon so badly, why don't they send someone capable? Why risk us on an airship?"
"Keep your voice down. You know the higher-ups have other things to deal with. Besides — if this goes well, there's apparently someone important waiting for us when we reach Harmony City."