Flying type Pokemon cut through the sky. Trees morphed together as Lilith watched the landscape below. Greens and blues and browns could be seen for as far as the eye could see. A paradise untouched by none but the Pokemon who lived there. It was primordially peaceful. Balance made through violence and death but upheld by the just and the strong.

It was hard to make out anything definitive; they were so far off the ground that the scenery moved in slow motion. She watched the river bend north until it disappeared into the horizon. Colors blended together into a unique portrait. The area held predominantly trees. She could spot large swaths of open land below, but they were small compared to the coverage around them.

Lilith calculated their trajectory. If the same conventions were held, the Sun setting on her back meant they were heading East.

Her arms clamped down around the Egg. The team had helped her secure it to Braviary’s back. Skyla had Lilith ride her own Pokemon, allowing room for all of her belongings. She sat in the harness and attached the bag full of her belongings by herself.

Minutes turned into hours as boredom set in. The initial experience was a rush, but after a while, it just started to feel like a long plane ride. Her experiences with such ways of travel still haunted her dreams. That did not stop her from riding; the trauma had lessened over time and equally bad experiences clung to her. She controlled her fear.

The sky turned beautiful shades of orange as the sun dipped into the horizon. Lilith experienced her first true sunset. Being on the ground had always blocked the view of the setting sun across the horizon. The trees were tall and not even the height of the plateau could create such a beautiful horizon.

The formation descended to the ground and made camp as twilight hung in the air. Darkness gathered the more time passed.

Lilith observed the different methods the Ace Trainers used to package and move equipment. It was an enlightening experience. Their formation was built for speed and comfort. Air rushing by had been almost non existent.

‘It must have been Fly…’ she thought.

The idea was strange. All Pokemon could flap their wings and fly. It played more into their physique than anything else.

Skyla and Jamison, the Ace Trainer that had followed her to collect her valuables, switched off as the leader of the flock. One would somehow use the move Fly. The Pokemon formation had turned their surroundings into a spear that sculpted the sky.

Lilith watched the supply carriers. The person had multiple Swanna carrying large packs of supplies in the center as he rode on his Braviary. They were flanked by Two Ace Trainers who looked battle ready. Their Braviary had the most scars, and always scanned a section of the sky to their right or left respectively. It looked like each Trainer had a specialized skill set when they came together.

It had a very fantasy-esque feel to it. She understood that Skyla was an add-on; the team usually worked together as a team of five, and had made room for Skyla in their formation. She would have totally missed it if not for Jamison constantly yelling at Skyla to get back into place.

That left Lilith with the rear guard. The Ace trainer had tried talking to her, but she would much rather study their formation than talk to them. Trust was not an easy thing Lilith gave out. The woman seemed nice, but she wasn’t interested.

Half the team touched down to the ground, Lilith included. She watched as the two battle Braviary circled above, watching the area around them. They made the most sense as sentries.

Multiple tents were quickly assembled as she was given food and water before being ushered into one. It was a relatively simple tent. A single bed roll lay within.

Lilith stayed up despite being told they would leave early in the morning. Talking could be heard outside, but it was muffled. She tried listening to their conversations but the tent muffled the sound too much. Nothing of any interest was earned. She was still unsure if she was safe. They didn’t even tell her where they were going.

Wherever that was, Skyla hadn’t said, and Lilith didn’t ask.

Talking to people was hard.

She never even tried to exit her tent. That would have raised the Trainers' guards, and decided instead to get some rest. She wanted to look unassuming and fly under their danger detection. The fewer reasons for them to suspect her of any wrong doing the better.

***

The night proceeded smoothly and they were back up in the air.

The Sun stood high in the sky as Mountains started to grow over the horizon. They had definitely flown a long way. The sky was unrecognizable to the previous days.

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“That’s Twist Mountain! It rides the western side of Unova! That means we're almost there!” The woman behind Lilith called out.

‘Almost where?’ she thought.

Lilith watched the mountain, but could see no obvious signs of habitation. The distance decreased rapidly. In time, they flew directly over the monstrosity. The mountain was jagged and incredibly disorderly. She scoured the ground but still could see nothing. Lilith turned back to the Ace Trainer.

“That right there is Mistralton, the only city built nestled into the western side of Twist Mountain. We stand as the Western Shield for the Region. The small patch of flat land right there is the city!”

Lilith followed the direction she pointed in. Mistralton looked like a tiny speck compared to its neighbor. The only thing she could spot from their height was long strips of flat land. She knew those were runways for planes and they laid out next to the tall jagged cliffs. It looked like the city truly was built into the side of the mountain.

‘I guess that the tall mountain cliffs would be conducive for Flying Pokemon habitation.’ She thought.

The odd part was their heading. The convoy showed no signs of landing. Instead they veered into a North Easterly direction.

‘Where are we going?’ Her paranoia grew.

Time went by as they descended to the tops of the mountains as they flew forward. They flew just over the tops as the other side of the mountain came into view. Despite being so low, a large crumbling tower rose off in the distance.

The Ace Trainer did not pick up on her nervousness.

“That’s Dragonspiral Tower! And to the right is Icirrus City! Were almost there!” The Ace Trainer shouted.

‘Are we going to Icirrus City or beyond that?’ she wondered

Lilith didn’t bother looking at the tower once she knew her destination was before her. Marshlands overtook the mountain below, and beyond that was more forest. She assumed that was her destination after they were directly over the large City. It was the only one she had seen up close, and it was comparable to the Cities she had left behind.

Lilith instead turned her attention Northward. The trees looked large. Larger than what she was used to. Nothing underneath them could be seen. Their trunks stood a good distance apart as their branches covered up everything overhead.

She watched the sea of green underneath her as they flew over the tops of the trees. The further they flew, it grew even more clear how much of the area was dominated by the flora. She couldn’t see anything underneath.

Half an hour went by as the Pokemon lowered even further. The Braviary slid across the tops of the trees, making it look like they were running across them. She was left wondering if she could reach out and grab some of the passing leaves.

Her field of view shortened the closer they got, despite the forest stretching out into what looked like infinity.

‘Truly vast.’ She thought.

Lilith missed the Pokemon slowing down while trying to find an end to the forest.

Their speed decreased rapidly, enough for her to finally notice. Lilith inspected her surroundings, but found nothing. Their deceleration quickly came to a stop along with their velocity. The flock started to hover in mid air just meters from the tree tops.

Lilith turned to the woman behind her and looked at her questioningly.

“Just watch.” She gave a small smile.

She turned back just in time to witness the trees shake. The sea of green below her quaked as branches lifted up and away from themselves. Branches bent in unnatural ways as a hole in the greenery quickly made itself apparent.

With no more trees to block her view, Lilith knew she had arrived.

‘Where are we? This wasn’t in the game.’ She thought, becoming increasingly nervous.

Trees were planted in a perfect circle. Inside the ring housed a slate gray building. It held no windows or doors visible from above, and looked incredibly unassuming. It was a perfect square and looked to be hundreds of meters long. No obvious entrance presented itself. Instead, what caught her eye were the Pokemon scattered throughout the area.

‘Was that a Serperior?’ Lilith watched the trees slither into place. More Pokemon were identified the longer she looked.

Trevanent stuck to the trunks of the outer perimeter while multiple Cinccino covered the ground. They moved together clockwise around the outer perimeter. They looked to be on guard against something.

‘Who are they expecting to attack a place like this?’ She thought.

Lilith’s nerves were set on fire. One thing had been made clear, this base was secret, and it looked like a lot of work had gone into its design, location, and security. She was somewhere especially important.

The Pokemon slowly floated down into the gap in the forest as the branches above lowered themselves back down into place. The whole setup was a marvel. Her jaw dropped as she decided right then and there that it was a Pokemon-adjacent world she found herself in. Both the games and anime had nothing like what she had witnessed. Nothing could explain what she witnessed.

The leaves allowed little light down onto the fort. It left a glow from above, creating a constant stream of dusk.

‘This place is so cool.’ She thought.

Despite the poor visibility, Lilith could definitely identify the Pokemon that floated above the building.

She was almost entirely black and white. Her body was humanoid, with her lower body resembling a dress. White bow ties went down the front as four large fan-like protrusions stuck out from both sides of her head.

Lilith could feel her eyes. They held each other’s gaze even as she felt the Braviary’s body drop onto the roof.

“Plump.” they had landed.

Lilith continued her staring contest with Gothitelle. The Psychic Type Pokemon sent out a purple pulse of light that scattered in all directions. The wave washed over everything. As it touched each object, it scanned and identified each party member. She could feel the sensation of the Energy as it washed over her. It was an entirely unpleasant feeling.

As if on cue, a part of the roof dislodged from the rest of the stone they stood on. The entrance to the base acted like a trap-door. It could only be opened from the inside by a special Pokemon, increasing another line of defense in the security.

Excadrill, the mole Pokemon, opened up the entrance. Only his long claws held the strength to open and close the slab entrance way for people.

Gothitelle turned away from Lilith back to her surroundings. She had only temporarily stopped her guard duty to inspect the anomaly that was Lilith. Seeing this, she took the time to inspect her new surroundings. She realized that they had arrived. The Breviary had landed on the roof and that there was another layer to the security.

‘Whoever had designed this place was definitely paranoid.’ She thought.

Her conclusion was only strengthened when three people emerged from underneath the floor. An older woman was flanked by an older pair of people.

The old woman wore robes in an ugly green color. She recognized the Ranger uniform. Next to her stood a woman in a white lab coat. Her brown hair was held to the top of her head which accentuated her dark green eyes. Finally, the middle aged man wore tribal rugs around his shoulders with baggy white pants underneath. A string of Pokeballs hung around his neck.

Two were well known to her, while the third was a mystery.

‘Of course it’s them.’ She thought.

Only someone well connected could create such a facility.

Someone like the Champion of Unova, or its Professor.

What intrigued Lilith more however was the old woman. She recognized her garb and pegged her as a Ranger.

‘I wonder how Rangers work… She must be important to stand next to Professor Juniper and Alder.’ she thought.

Professor Aurea Juniper stepped forward.

“Hello there young one. We have been expecting you.”