Pokemon: School of Masters

"Sir… sir."

Orin stirred awake to a gentle shake, pulling off his eye mask with a groggy sigh—only to be greeted by a pretty face smiling down at him.

"Sir, we're about to land. Could you please fasten your seatbelt and return your seat to the upright position?"

The soft-spoken air hostess gave his arm one last polite pat before stepping back.

"Uh, yeah. Just a sec."

Orin straightened his seat and buckled in, stifling a yawn.

"Thank you sir," She gave him a courteous nod before moving down the aisle to check on other passengers.

He glanced at his phone, flipping between the time zones he had set before boarding.

"Almost 3 PM in Kanto… but just 9 in the morning here."

His brows lifted. "Guess we're about half an hour late. Makes sense after everything that happened mid-flight."

Across the aisle, the mother was fixing her daughter's hair. Most of the cabin was awake now, quietly preparing for landing.

Orin looked out the window.

At first, all he saw were rolling green hills and scattered patches of forest. A few Wingull flying by, riding the air currents. As the plane descended further, more buildings came into view—neatly laid out, clean, with glowing signs and smooth roads.

A few Tranquill and Staravia passed near the plane, but not too close. In the distance, he spotted faint silhouettes of skyrails and light strips crisscrossing through parts of the city. One structure in particular caught his eye—a tall, shining terminal.

"So that's Unity City's airport," he muttered, raising his phone to record.

Before he could film much, the captain's voice came through the speakers.

"This is your captain speaking. We're now arriving at Unity City. The local time is 8:52 AM, the temperature is a pleasant 24 degrees Celsius and the weather is clear. Please remain seated as we prepare for landing."

With an excited smile, Orin held his breath as the plane touched down.

"Phew." He wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead as the aircraft came to a smooth stop.

The next few minutes were filled with the impatient whining of the little girl across the aisle, eager to get off her seat. Eventually, the seatbelt sign turned off and the cabin buzzed to life as passengers prepared to disembark.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please accept this as a gesture of goodwill," said one of the attendants as passengers began to exit.

To Orin's surprise, the captain and flight attendants were standing near the exit, handing each person a small envelope with a polite bow.

When it was his turn, Orin shook the captain's hand with a nod and accepted the envelope. His eyes briefly caught the glimpse of a Pokéball clipped to the captain's belt.

'So he's a trainer too… Maybe if he had been awake earlier, he could've helped out too.'

"Thank you for flying with us," the same cute attendant from before said with a smile.

Orin smiled back, stepping off the plane. For a second, he thought about asking for her number, but the crowd behind him made it impossible. Another time, maybe.

The morning air hit his face as he walked away from the ramp. He took a deep breath and smiled, finally free of the cabin.

"At last. Unity City, in one piece," Orin muttered to himself. "Guess Big Sis had a point not wanting me to leave Saffron City… the outside world really is terrifying."

He scratched the back of his head with a sigh.

"There was a moment there where I really thought it was time to reincarnate again."

He chuckled and opened the envelope. Inside was a sleek card with a soft blue cloud logo—Altaria Skyways. Printed on it was a 50% discount applicable for his next flight.

"Not bad," He muttered, smiling. "Free ride and a discount coupon. I'll take it."

In front of him, several shuttle buses were waiting to take them to the terminal. The crowd was thick, especially with a second flight having just landed.

He pulled out his phone, already thinking of uploading another status update. A perfect photo spot: the plane behind him, Unity City ahead.

He had posted one earlier when he left Saffron City too—might as well complete the set.

Another idea crossed his mind.

He still had that shot of the Legendary Articuno.

Posting it on PokéNet would definitely increase his followers.

But it might gain too much attention.

Did he really want that though right now?

He stared at his phone for a second, debating.

---

*Should Orin post the Articuno pic??* 

• Yes.

• No.

[**Choice Selected: No.**]

---

"Let's keep this one private" He mutters to himself posting just his pic with the plane.

After sorting himself out, Orin boarded the shuttle bus. There was no driver—everything was fully automated. He took a window seat, curious eyes fixed outside as the vehicle began to move.

The airport in the distance loomed like a shining fortress of glass and steel. Several other planes were landing or taking off, many bearing the same cloud-shaped logo from his flight—Altaria Skyways. Overhead, a swarm of Rotom-powered drones zipped through the air, ferrying luggage toward the terminal with precise coordination.

The closer he got, the more crowded the area became. Workers, passengers, and machines moving about endlessly.

When the shuttle came to a stop, Orin stepped off and entered the airport. The interior was a pristine white, illuminated by soft, ambient lighting that gave the place a futuristic calm. As he looked around in quiet awe, five hovering metal cubes approached him.

The boxes rearranged themselves midair and locked into a line shape. A smiling digital face flickered to life across one of the lower boxes.

"Welcome to Unity City. Would you like assistance from Block Bots?" a pleasant, synthetic female voice asked.

"So these are the famous Block Bots…" he muttered, wide-eyed. "Figures. Unity City's tech is always a step ahead."

He was about to speak to it when another voice—this one distinctly human and far more captivating—caught his attention.

"Yes, yes, I saw the photo you sent me of the Block Bots from LaRousse City. We can talk about this when I meet you in just a few minutes."

She was gorgeous.

Fair skin. Bright orange hair, styled short with a trendy flair. She wore a sleek crop top that showed just the right amount of cleavage and a toned, dancer-like midriff. A stylish cropped jacket rested over it, paired with tight black shorts that made her long legs look even longer. Her large blue eyes sparkled with confidence as she walked and talked on the phone, and a beauty mark just under her right eye added a signature charm to her face.

Orin blinked. Wait a second… I know her.

"What? How is that my fault the flight arrived late?" she was saying with a sigh. "Ugh, alright alright—I'm sorry, see you in a minute. Bye~" She ended the call with a flick of her wrist, muttering, "My sister's gotten so cranky lately. Is the Hoenn audience giving her flak again?"

[Orin Murasaki : Social Butterfly (Trait)]

"Hey, I've seen you somewhere before," Orin said, stepping over with a friendly grin.

She turned toward him, one eyebrow raised. "That's quite an old pickup line," she said with a teasing smirk. "But I'll give you points for confidence."

He chuckled. "No really—I mean it. I've seen you on TV. You're the MC for the Pokémon Contests, right?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Ah, you're thinking of my big sister, Vivian. Happens all the time."

"No, no—I saw you just yesterday," he insisted, snapping his fingers as the memory clicked. "The Contest Finals replay from Saffron City! Lilian—that's your name, right?"

Her eyes widened a bit. "Oh!" she said, pleasantly surprised. "Yeah, that was me. I hosted the Saffron Hall Finals two days ago."

"I knew I wasn't wrong about recognizing a pretty face," Orin said with a confident grin.

The girl chuckled, her tone quick and breezy. "Well, my older sister looks a lot like me. She's the MC for the Hoenn Region Contests—way more popular—so I get mistaken for her all the time. Though honestly, our fashion sense couldn't be more different. It should be pretty obvious we're not the same person."

She spoke fast, with an easygoing rhythm and a constant sparkle of humor behind her smile.

"Well, you'd better start getting used to being recognized too," Orin said, giving her a wink. "You're famous now."

"Haha, hardly! I just debuted the day before yesterday. Honestly, getting even one person to remember me is more than I expected," she replied with a bright, genuine smile.

"You must be kidding. My two friends—and even my little sister—wouldn't stop talking about you after the Contest. That opening performance with your Espeon? It was cooler and more memorable than even the finalists. I'd say you already have a fan club." He said with a chuckle.

"Ohhh, now you're going to make me blush," she laughed, her grin widening into an incredibly happy smile. "Look, I'd love to chat more, but if I keep my big sis waiting any longer, I'm toast."

---

[Orin Murasaki did not meet Lilian Meridian earlier]

[Choices: Blocked 🚫]

---

"Bye-bye, my cute fan!" she said with a teasing wave as she turned and walked away.

"Bye…" Orin replied, his voice trailing into a sigh as he watched her go, already wishing the conversation had lasted longer.

She came here straight from Saffron… so she must've been on the same flight as me, he mused, pulling out his phone and quickly searching her on PokéNet.

"She looks way hotter in person," He muttered finding and following her profile.

He also confirmed it, that yes, this really was the same Lilian he remembered from the Pokémon animated show. Not that it helped much. She wasn't the first familiar face he had encountered from his meta knowledge—his own older sister being the biggest example.

"It would be cool if I could meet her again," he muttered with a wry smile. Not like he had her number… and it's not like he could just DM her on PokéNet… that would be a bit stalkerish.

With a soft chuckle, he tucked the phone back into his pocket. "Who knows… maybe she attends Nexus too. Wouldn't that be something?"

He glanced around the terminal, but the Block Bot from earlier had already vanished, and the other Block Bots were busy assisting other arrivals.

With a sigh, he made his way toward the baggage aisle. Retrieving luggage here was simple—just a swipe of his flight ticket, and a Rotom Drone would bring it over.

"Thanks, Rotom," Orin said politely, filming the process on his phone. Not many places in Saffron City had these kinds of drones, so it felt worth capturing.

The drone responded with a cheerful smiley face before zipping away.

"Now where to go…"