Orin blinked and looked out the window.
In a flash of lightning, a sleek, silver-grey bird soared past the plane—its metallic wings slicing through the air with deadly grace.
"Skarmory?" he muttered in shock.
Then, from somewhere ahead in the cabin, a deep voice rang out with urgent command:
"Pidgeot—use Tailwind at the back of the plane to stabilize it! Skarmory—Steel Wing, under the plane's body! Try to lift us!"
"Pidgeot!!"
"Skarr!"
Orin saw the Skarmory dip beneath the aircraft, while the wind shifted as if a powerful burst pushed against the rear of the plane.
"Those must be that trainer's Pokémon or the Captain's… but how the hell did he get them out of the plane?" Orin muttered in disbelief. "And is he… trying to slow the descent? Can that even work? The plane's way too heavy…"
He clenched his fists.
"No. That might buy us some time, but the real problem is this psychic energy flooding everything."
He stared down at the still-shaking Twisted Spoon, then closed his eyes again, this time with purpose.
The faces of the mother and daughter and all the other passengers flashed in his mind.
So many lives.
He swallowed.
"Focus, dammit… concentrate," he muttered, furrowing his brow. "Now's not the time to panic."
His grip tightened around the spoon as he steeled himself to trace the source—and stop it—before time ran out.
He hurriedly expanded the reach of his mind's eye, pushing it outside the plane through the thick, violet psychic sea.
Outside, he could see—in that strange, non-visual way—both bird Pokémon struggling against the storm, desperately trying to slow the plane's fall.
'Rain and lightning… definitely not good for either Skarmory or Pidgeot,' he thought anxiously.
"Skarmory, use bursts of Whirlwind to lift the plane!" the gruff male voice barked again.
This time, Orin didn't lose focus.
He tuned out the Pokémon and the trainer entirely, fixing his attention above. To increase his range, he collapsed the spherical form of his mind's eye into a narrow beam and shot it upward through the psychic sea.
'Come on… where are you?' he thought, struggling to pierce the dense purple fog and the roiling black clouds.
He strained harder. The pressure on his mind intensified—like trying to run through water.
Then, at last—
There it was.
The glowing blue eye.
'Found you!' he thought, heart racing, as he forced his perception forward, trudging through the concentrated psychic energy to see more.
'Just a little more…'
He pushed harder.
And then—
'W-…ow…' Orin's thoughts stuttered as his perception broke through the final veil of clouds.
Suspended in the storm, majestic and massive, was a giant bird.
Its feathers were lavender, almost glowing purple in the storm light, with inky-black markings across its chest. A sleek, violet crest adorned its head. Its talons and beak were both a deep, ominous black. Flowing behind it was a long, elegant tail—twice as long as its massive body—like it was swimming in the wind.
It didn't flap its wings. It didn't need to.
Its outstretched lavender wings were parting the thunderclouds with ease, propelling it forward swiftly.
And then Orin saw it's face.
The black, mask-like ring surrounding those eerie glowing blue eyes.
His heart dropped.
'It's the Legendary Pokémon Arti—'
The eyes turned.
Directly towards him.
In that instant, Orin's mind went completely blank.
Back in his seat, his body jerked—then went still.
His chest stopped rising.
No breath. No twitch. No motion at all.
As if he had been frozen solid.
In the next moment, Orin's eyes snapped open—glowing a vivid red.
"Haa… haa…!"
He gasped for breath, chest rising and falling in heavy heaves as control returned to his frozen body.
"That was freaking Articuno—its Galarian form," he muttered, still reeling. "A Psychic-type instead of the Kantonian Ice-type…"
At least now he knew what was causing the plane's systems to fail—and the source of the overwhelming psychic sea.
But knowing didn't change the imminent danger they were all in.
No one on this aeroplane could possibly take on a Legendary Pokémon like that—especially a Galarian Articuno.
Even that trainer's Pidgeot and Skarmory, impressive as they were, wouldn't be able to even get close, let alone fight it.
THUN-DERRRR!!
Another violent jolt rocked the aircraft as it tore through the heart of the storm.
"No—I don't have time!" Orin grit his teeth, forcing his panic down. "I have to hurry!"
He shut his glowing eyes again, face taut with focus as he drew in every ounce of psychic energy he could. The twisted spoon in his hand pulsed with strain, mirroring the pressure inside his mind.
Knowing exactly where to look now, he reached out—cutting through the thick waves of psychic energy like a psychic spear—and found the massive bird once more, suspended above the clouds.
'Hey… Articuno… Can you please stop radiating all this psychic energy?!'
He launched the thought as loud and forcefully as he could, a mental shout that sent visible ripples through the viscous purple sea. The waves rolled outward and struck the bird before dissipating into the void.
The great slitted blue eyes turned.
They fixed on him once again—unblinking, cold, and utterly alien.
Orin braced himself.
The next moment, a crushing wave of psychic energy surged towards him.
But this time, he was ready.
He anchored his mind's eye, pouring all his will and power into reinforcing it. The psychic pressure crashed into him like a tidal wave—
"Ughh!"
His body spasmed in the seat. The twisted spoon in his grip contorted wildly, warping as if it were being wrung out by invisible hands.
He…through sheer effort… withstood it—whatever it was.
His gaze returned to the bird.
The Galarian Articuno still glided effortlessly through the dark clouds, its light blue eyes half-closed, unreadable.
Orin couldn't even tell if it was looking at him anymore.
'Please… because of your psychic energy, the plane's systems have shut down… There are so many people inside—men, women, children, even Pokémon… They'll all die. I'll die—if this energy doesn't stop!'
His desperate thought echoed through the psychic sea, bursting from his mind like a plea wrung from his very soul.
He didn't know if the Galarian Articuno was doing this on purpose—if it was cruel and callous, or if this overwhelming power was simply an unconscious byproduct of its presence.
Right now, none of that truly mattered.
As either way, all he could think of at this moment was to try and ask…persuade… or even beg it to stop.
Hopefully his desperate plea will reach the Legendary Pokémon and it would respond positively.
Orin stared at the bird through his mind's eye, trying to ignore the chaos of rain, thunder and lightning surrounding them. In the background of his awareness, he could sense that the plane had stabilized somewhat—thanks to the efforts of the Pidgeot and Skarmory—but it was still descending… falling… slowly, but steadily.
And with it even his hope was fading.
But then—just as the first hints of despair began to creep in—he saw it.
The white feather-blades at the ends of Articuno's lavender wings began to glow a soft, radiant blue. The black mask-like markings around its eyes shimmered, turning an ethereal shade of glowing blue as well.
And this time… Orin was certain.
Its glowing eyes were wide open—locked straight onto him.
'No way... is it about to attack!?' Panic surged through him.
However in the very next instant, a powerful pulse of psychic energy burst forth and slammed into his mind's eye.
Suddenly, his perception snapped back into his body like a rubber band.
"W-What just happened?!" he muttered, disoriented and breathless, still clutching the twisted spoon—which had finally gone still in his hand.
A second later, the cabin lights flickered on. He even heard the engines hum to life again.
His eyes widened. He fumbled for his phone and unlocked it—it worked.
"Thank God…" Orin breathed out, body slumping with overwhelming relief.
He could feel it—the descent had stopped. The plane was steady.
And rising.
"Pidgeottt!"
"Skarrr!"
Hearing the powerful cries of the Pokémon, Orin quickly turned to the window. The plane was still surrounded by thick black clouds so he couldn't spot them through this small window pane.
But then, his red eyes shifted instinctively—drawn towards a particular patch of swirling darkness.
BOOM!
A flash of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating a massive silhouette.
There it was—hovering amidst the clouds, proudly.
Lavender wings wrapped around itself in a graceful embrace, its long purple tail flowing like a ribbon in the wind.
It was the Galarian Articuno.
It must have withdrawn its psychic power... so the plane wouldn't be affected.
"Thank you… Articuno," Orin whispered, smiling as he pressed his palm gently to the glass, as if trying to touch the creature's distant form.
It seemed to be floating there silently, just watching the plane as it departed. Or maybe… was it watching him?
He couldn't be sure.
But maybe… just maybe… he could make the most of this rare moment.
---
*Should Orin click a photo of the Legendary Bird??*
• Yes.
• No.
[**Choice Selected: Yes.**]
---
Without hesitation, Orin pressed his phone to the window. The clouds were still thick, the lighting poor, and the plane was moving fast—but he adjusted the settings quickly, angling the lens just right.
And then—flash!—another bolt of lightning lit up the sky.
SNAP!
"Perfect!" Orin grinned. The photo was a little blurry, thanks to the distance and movement, but there was no mistaking the giant bird in the frame.
The Legendary Galarian Articuno.
"If only I had a proper camera—even a low-end professional one… this shot alone could've made me a hefty sum," he muttered with a mix of pride and regret, still watching for another chance.
But the clouds swallowed the Legendary Pokémon once more, and no further lightning came. The moment had clearly passed.
Still, he couldn't help but smile in excitement as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"We'll definitely meet again… Articuno."
It was both a promise to the Pokémon—and to himself.
"Mommy, look! His red eyes are shining… is he a Pokémon?!"
Hearing the little girl's voice, Orin quickly reined in his psychic energy, dimming the glow in his eyes. He turned towards the mother and daughter, who were now awake.
"Don't disturb others," the mother murmured, rubbing her forehead with a tired hand.
The girl pouted and stuck her tongue out at Orin before spinning towards the window.
"Woah! Mom, look! Such a big Pidgey!" she shouted excitedly.
More and more passengers were beginning to stir. Most had been asleep even before the chaos, totally unaware, but those who had gone abruptly unconscious were now chattering, their voices growing louder as they asked each other what had happened.
"Pidgeot, Skarmory, good job! Return!"
That same gruff male voice echoed through the cabin from the front again.
After hearing the trainer's loud voice recalling his Pokemon, people were starting to realize something serious had just occurred.
Orin could only imagine the confusion spreading throughout the plane right now.
But just then, a calm male voice came through the speakers overhead.
"This is your captain speaking. Due to the plane passing through extreme weather conditions and an anomalous atmospheric pocket, we momentarily lost functionality. A sudden shock also caused a brief lapse in consciousness among the passengers and crew."
The announcement caused a wave of uneasy murmurs to ripple through the cabin. Even the mother across the aisle clutched her daughter tightly, her expression anxious.
"However," the captain continued, "thanks to a courageous trainer onboard and his brave Pokémons, we managed to push through and regain control."
Someone began clapping—and soon the entire cabin was filled with applause and relieved cheers, passengers were praising the mysterious trainer who had helped them survive.
"The situation is now under control," the captain concluded, "but we still ask all passengers to remain seated and keep your seatbelts fastened until we pass these thunderstorms."
As the announcement ended, Orin leaned back with a wry smile.
"Looks like I'm going to stay an unknown hero," he murmured, sighing softly as he reclined in his seat. His mind was still spinning from the overuse of psychic energy and his body still felt quite cold—hence both were craving rest.
He put the spoon back inside the psychic dampener, closed his eyes and lowered his snorlax eye mask, letting the hum of the plane lull him into quiet recovery.
---
[Orin Murasaki: did not meet ???]
[Orin Murasaki: Had a Legendary Encounter]
[Orin Murasaki: obtained a clear photo of Articuno (Galarian Form)]
---
A.N.
For this Legendary Pokemon Encounter Roll
There was a 1d1000 roll, best of 5.
In this 1-500 meant no encounter (So a 50% Encounter rate, it is so high only because it's the start of Orin's journey)
Then from 500 to 999 there were multiple ranges for unkown pokemon that Orin could all encounter. They were spreaded out randomly.
The 5 rolls were: 64, 165, 731, 792 and 919.
Then there was another poll to choose from the three ranges:
720-739, 780-799 and 900-919.
The chat chose 900-919, which I had alloted to Articuno (Not known to chat).
But I hadn't specifically divided the range for their regional variants, so to fit the theme I went with Galarian form of Articuno instead of the regular one.