The Saffron Airport was located on the city's western outskirts, right at the edge of Route 7, which led towards Celadon City. But the Pidgeot was moving so fast that before Orin realized it, they were already descending towards the airport.
From above, the airport looked majestic in its own way—decorated in golden and saffron tones, matching the city's theme.
"Pidgeoooottt!"
Other Pidgeots flapped around the sky, delivering and picking up cabs like an aerial dance. Their own Pidgeot gracefully descended and placed the cab in a designated landing spot near the terminal.
"Thank you for the ride," Orin said politely to the cabbie as he reached for his phone. "How much do I owe?"
"It's already paid for, sir," the old man replied with a warm smile.
"Poor Kyle didn't even get to enjoy the ride he paid for," Duplica said with mock sadness.
"Ouch!" she yelped as Terri smacked her arm.
Orin ignored their antics and stepped out of the cab. The cabbie helped them retrieve their luggage from the compartment beneath the vehicle.
"Thank you, Pidgeot!" Orin called out, waving up at the majestic bird.
But the Pidgeot was already distracted, staring longingly at another Pidgeot nearby. Maybe it was in love.
"Come on, we should head inside," Terri said, rolling one of the bags ahead of him. She had been to the airport before, so she clearly knew her way around.
"The Pidgeot ride was so short, but it was so cool! Maybe I should catch a Pidgeot too someday," Duplica said dreamily, strolling ahead carefreely with nothing in her hands. "Looking down at the city from above… it would feel just like being a star!" She whispered looking up at the morning sky.
"Well, at least catching a Pidgey shouldn't be that hard," Orin said with a chuckle, rolling his other bag beside her. "I have heard some people have caught one by just throwing rocks at it."
"That can't be right," Terri interjected, frowning thoughtfully. "Even Pidgeys wouldn't go down that easily. Maybe you're thinking of a Caterpie or something."
Orin burst out laughing, amused not just by her seriousness—but by how unintentionally correct she was. It was a joke only someone from his old world would understand. But sadly neither of the girls had any clue what made it funny.
Despite the early morning, the airport was bustling with people—unsurprising, given that traffic in Saffron City rarely slowed down.
"Do you know how long your flight is?" Duplica asked as they stood in line.
"I checked—it should be around 8:30 in the morning when my plane lands at Unity City," Orin said, glancing around the massive Saffron Airport.
"Wait, the flight is just 2 hours long?! That doesn't sound right. Kanto and Unity Isle aren't that close." Terri asked, clearly skeptical.
"Haha, no—this plane is a Supersonic Aircraft," Orin replied with a sigh. "But even with that, the flight itself takes over 8 hours."
"Then why did you say you would land at 8:30?" Duplica asked, frowning.
"Don't tell me… it's the time difference?" Terri said, her eyes widening.
"Bingo," Orin said with a smirk. "Both the regions are in a completely different Time Zones. Unity Isle is at UTC +0—United Time Coordinated. Kanto's at UTC +6. So technically, we are six hours ahead. Right now, it's around April 1st, 5:30 AM here—but in Unity City, it's still March 31st, 11:30 PM."
"So even though the flight takes 8 hours… I will still arrive in the morning of their local time," he explained, having already researched all of this ahead of time. "But for Kanto, it will be close to evening."
"Ugh, my head hurts," Duplica groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"Yeah, mine too," Terri added, rubbing her temple. "Now we even have to worry about time zones just to call and talk…"
Orin gave a wry smile, knowing that even a 6-hour time difference could be annoying. And if he ever had to travel to Alola one day… that was a whopping 16 hours behind Kanto. That would be the real headache.
"Oh, but you mentioned Supersonic planes!" Duplica said, suddenly perking up, clearly eager to change the topic. "That sounds so fancy!"
Terri smiled, happy to jump to a lighter subject. "Yeah, tell us more—how fast do they go?"
Orin smiled happy to explain.
After a few quick checks at the entrance, they were all allowed inside. Orin went ahead to confirm his ticket, get his boarding pass, and check in his luggage. Since there weren't too many people in his line, the whole process moved quickly.
Terri and Duplica were helpful—and if nothing else, having two pretty girls with him while he waited certainly didn't hurt. Even the flight attendants didn't compare to them today.
"Okay, this is it. I have to head in now," Orin said, turning to the two girls with a smile.
"I am so envious of you, Nexus even gave you free plane tickets!" Duplica pouted. "Just you wait—next year, I will be the one flying for free too."
"Of course. You are the Copycat, after all. Wouldn't be right if you didn't copy me," Orin teased with a chuckle.
"Haha, very funny," Duplica said, swatting his arm with a mock glare.
"You have got everything, right? Wallet, Passport, boarding pass, water bottle?" Terri asked, visibly nervous.
"Yes, yes, yes, and yes," Orin said with a reassuring smile. "Relax, I will be fine." He gently held her shoulders, steadying her.
"Alright," she said, taking a deep breath.
"I am going to miss you two so much," Orin said, pulling both of them into a tight hug.
"Sniff Me too," Duplica said, tears welling up in her eyes as she hugged him back.
"I will really miss… you," Terri whispered, holding onto him just as tightly.
"Boarding for the 6:30 AM flight to Unity City is now open"
"That's my flight," Orin said, slowly breaking the hug. He looked at them one more time—Duplica's big brown eyes and Terri's deep violet ones were both wet with unshed tears. They clung to his arm, one hand holding tight while the other gripped his shirt.
-
[Orin Murasaki remaining Clefairy Poké Doll x0]
[Choices: Blocked 🚫]
-
Orin felt a pang of guilt. He really wished he had something to give them—some small token to show how much their support meant to him. Maybe it could have turned into something special… he would keep that in mind for next time.
"See you both soon. Don't miss me too much," he said with a soft smile, hugging them again and kissing the tops of their heads.
Then, reluctantly, he stepped back and began walking towards the gate.
"Don't forget to message us as soon as you land!" Terri called out, wiping her eyes.
"I will," Orin nodded, waving as he turned and walked away.
Just as he approached the security checkpoint, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
"Orin!!"
He turned to see Duplica frantically waving both arms like a madwoman, drawing the attention of several nearby travellers. Beside her, Terri had her face buried in one hand, clearly mortified.
"Show Nexus what a real star looks like!" Duplica shouted at the top of her lungs, still waving.
Orin felt flushed with embarrassment—but he didn't want to disappoint her. So he grinned, raised his hand, and shouted back, "I will!"
When he turned back towards the checkpoint, he noticed the people ahead and behind him had all taken a cautious step away, giving him a wide berth.
He just chuckled to himself—not minding it one bit.
As Orin approached the security checkpoint, a flicker of nervousness crept in. Two things in particular were weighing on his mind—one, the strange silver necklace around his neck, and two, the Twisted Spoon hidden in his bag.
Technically, active psychic items weren't allowed on flights without proper documentation. But there were always workarounds.
Like for the Twisted Spoon Orin has sealed it in a small container known as a Psychic Dampener—a device used to suppress the overwhelming energy of highly charged psychic objects. These kinds of dampeners were often left lying around in the research labs at the Psychic Center. He had 'taken' a few of them some years ago, back when he first discovered them, and now they were finally proving useful. The airport detectors weren't sensitive enough to pick up energy through the container, so the spoon should be safe.
Honestly, he didn't even need the spoon anymore now that he had been accepted into Nexus. Still, leaving it behind at home felt like a waste, so he brought it along.
The necklace, though, was a different story. He only had a vague idea of what the gem actually was, and even that was just a guess. Oddly enough, he couldn't sense any psychic energy from it unless he touched it directly. If he couldn't detect anything while wearing it, then the scanners probably wouldn't either. The security systems were broad-spectrum—they looked for general threats, not specialized psychic signatures. So he figured it would be fine.
Still, part of him wanted to be cautious and just tuck it into the dampener with the spoon. But then he remembered his sister's words… and hesitated.
Before he could decide, his turn at the scanner arrived.
"Ah, screw it," he muttered under his breath. He didn't even remove the necklace, despite the signs explicitly saying to take off all metal objects. Worst-case scenario, he would just claim he forgot and take it off on the spot.
To his surprise, he passed through without a hitch. No beeping. No warning lights. Nothing.
He blinked, confused, as he picked up his backpack—also cleared without issue.
"…Is it not metal?" he muttered to himself, touching the pendant. "But silver is a metal, isn't it?"
Putting that matter behind him, Orin made his way to the boarding gate. Saffron Airport was magnificent—tall, saffron-colored Pokemon statues adorned the halls, and there was plenty more to explore—but unfortunately, he didn't have time to take it all in today.
He joined the line for boarding and waited patiently, eyes drifting across the crowd.
That's when he noticed someone having bypassed the line entirely. The man walked straight up to the attendant and pulled out a strikingly red object from his pocket. Orin's gaze sharpened recognising the iconic object.
The woman's eyes in turn widened instantly, and he caught her lips forming the word "Trainer". She then asked for something else, and the man handed over his boarding pass. With a bright smile, she bowed politely and let him through.
"Looks like Pokémon Trainers get the VIP treatment everywhere," Orin muttered under his breath, amused.
Soon enough, Orin settled into his seat. It wasn't First Class or Business, but it was Premium Economy, and he had a window seat—so he wasn't complaining in slightest. The seat was fully reclinable, and each passenger had their own personal screen with full internet access for streaming shows. Not bad at all for a free flight ticket.
After a rather cute flight attendant gave the safety instructions, the announcement came through:
"Flight from Kanto to Unity Isle is ready for takeoff. Please fasten your seatbelts."
It wasn't Orin's first time flying—in his past life, he had taken plenty of flights. But in this life, it was his first time, and a flutter of excitement mixed with nerves bubbled inside him.
As the plane began to ascend, Orin looked out at the slowly shrinking expanse of Saffron City below. Looking at it shining brightly in the morning sun, a nostalgic grin tugged at his lips.
"Goodbye, Saffron City," he whispered, his red eyes gleaming in the reflection of the window.