The brief questioning came to an end, followed by a short wait.
After the emergency landing, Officer Cleo wasted no time contacting the sheriff of the nearest town for backup. He also reported the full situation to his superiors at the airline.
Both groups arrived at nearly the same time.
The sheriff's officers took the criminals and their Pokémon into custody and escorted them away.
To make up for the trouble caused to passengers who had been caught in the middle of everything, the airline quickly arranged a small fleet of air taxis. Passengers in a hurry could ride for free, while those who were not pressed for time could simply wait for the next airship. Either way, all flight expenses would be fully refunded.
Under normal circumstances, Nova would have chosen to stay and wait. After all, saving over a thousand Pokédollars was never something he took lightly.
But this time was different. He had already made plans to meet Aresdra, and he held a quiet, stubborn feeling in his chest — the kind familiar to those who travel far from home, who instinctively shield their loved ones from worry. Since the hijacking had not truly harmed him, he saw no reason to alarm Aresdra with the details.
Nova chose to leave on an air taxi. Officer Cleo, on the other hand, had to remain behind to continue guarding the emergency landing site. The two said their goodbyes.
During the farewell, Officer Cleo seemed to hold something back. He opened his mouth more than once, then stopped himself, leaving Nova puzzled. Finally, the older man gave up being subtle and said what was on his mind.
"Officer Cleo, we worked side by side out there," Nova said. "Just say whatever it is you want to say."
Officer Cleo paused for a few seconds, then lowered his voice. "Don't you even think about heading to Lune Town. I mean it."
Nova played dumb. "Lune Town? I never said anything about going to Lune Town."
"Don't try that with me. I've traveled across this whole region, met all kinds of people, and dealt with more situations than you can count. The look on your face during the questioning told me everything. You're not the type to just let something like this go."
Nova sighed. "Officer Cleo, they have already came after me once. If I don't take the fight to him, am I just supposed to sit here and wait until he comes knocking again?"
"There's no rush. The sheriff has already stepped in — didn't you see that? Leave this kind of work to the professionals. Lune Town isn't a place you just walk into. A young trainer going in there alone..." Officer Cleo shook his head. "You might not walk back out."
Nova held the older man's gaze without flinching. His expression was calm, but there was a quiet resolve in his eyes that said his mind was already made up.
Officer Cleo let out a long sigh. "Fine. I knew I wasn't going to talk you out of it." He placed a firm hand on Nova's shoulder. "Then stay safe out there."
Nova gave a small, grateful nod. "Thank you, Officer Cleo. Until we meet again."
He climbed aboard the air taxi, and with a beat of powerful wings and a rush of wind, he was gone — swallowed up by the wide, dark sky.
Officer Cleo watched the shrinking silhouette and clicked his tongue quietly. "Tsk. To be young again."
Air taxis are a type of transport service that uses fast-flying Pokémon to carry passengers or valuable cargo to their destinations. A Dragonite, for instance, is considered one of the more expensive options, prized for its exceptional speed.
Nova had been assigned a Pidgeot this time — one of the most commonly seen Flying-type Pokémon across the Norlandia Alliance. A standard rental typically ran anywhere from five thousand to eight thousand Pokédollars, and a seasoned Pidgeot with years of manned flight experience would naturally cost more.
Common, however, did not mean unremarkable. This particular Pidgeot had over a decade of flight hours under its wings. It carried Nova through the night sky with steady, practiced ease, its movements smooth and unhurried.
With the flight taken care of, Nova finally had time to think.
Officer Cleo's warning had not been wrong. Taylor was responsible for this attack and held a leadership role in whatever criminal organization was behind all of this. That alone meant his experience and strength were well beyond those of an ordinary trainer or grunt.
Nova was confident in his own abilities. Even relying on Nidorino alone, he could hold his own against many experienced trainers. But he was still new to all of this. Walking straight into an enemy hideout to confront a high-ranking member by himself — that was pushing it, even for him.
Still, some things could not simply be avoided.
These people had hijacked a passenger airship in broad daylight. That kind of boldness made it clear they had no real limits. They did not care who got hurt.
The Norlandia Alliance had never seen anything quite like this. Airship hijackings were almost unheard of — Nova could not recall a single similar incident in all his years here. These criminals had wanted his venom formula, and they had failed once. They would not simply give up.
What if, instead of coming after him again, they went after someone close to him?
Aresdra was still in school. The director and caregivers at Executor Orphanage were not fighters. If someone like Taylor decided to use them as leverage, there would be nothing any of them could do.
Nova could not allow that. He had to reach their hideout first and deal with Jiu Hu before those people had the chance to look in any other direction.
Even so, there was no need to rush headlong into danger. These criminals had just pulled off a high-profile hijacking. Even they would not be reckless enough to make another move while the sheriff's investigation was still in full swing. That bought him at least a week.
A week to spend with Aresdra.
And to wait for the Moon Stone that Charlie had promised to sponsor.
The Pidgeot's speed was nothing like the slow, steady drift of the airship. What would have been a full night of travel took only two hours. Before long, Nova could see the lights of Harmony City's air station below.
He thanked the Pidgeot after they landed — a quiet, genuine thanks for a smooth and swift journey — and then made his way off the tarmac and into the departure hall.
He stopped.
It had not occurred to him until now that he had absolutely nothing to do.
He wanted to go find Aresdra, but the hour was far too late. The school would be under curfew.
He thought about heading back to his rented room, but then he would not be able to make it back to the airport in time the next morning.
As for a hotel — Nova did not even let the thought settle. A single room cost three to five hundred Pokédollars. He would rather use that money to treat Aresdra to a proper breakfast.
After thinking it over, he pulled a folded blanket from his backpack, spread it out on the near-empty departure hall floor, and settled in for the night with his Pokémon Egg resting close beside him.
The airport opened at half past six the next morning.
Nova was up a full hour before that. He washed his face quickly at the service area in the departure hall, changed into a clean shirt, then claimed the seat closest to the main entrance and waited.
At 7:28 in the morning, a girl in silver ran through the airport doors with the golden light of dawn at her back.
She spotted him the moment she stepped inside. He saw her just as fast.
Aresdra broke into a sprint and crashed straight into Nova's arms, nearly knocking him back a step. He could feel her chest rising and falling rapidly from the run, her breathing still unsteady.
Nova rested his chin lightly on the small ahoge that stuck up from her hair.
"Hey," he said quietly. "What's the hurry? Why did you run all the way here?"
Aresdra shook her head against his shoulder, her voice a little breathless but certain.
"If it meant seeing you sooner — of course I ran."