The view on top of Gyarados’s Fly Basket was breathtaking.

Nina stood atop a stool, peeking down at the luscious forests, pristine lakes and off-route villages that they flew by. It was a shame that none of the wild Flying pokemon dared to get near Gyarados, she would have liked to interact with the friendlier ones.

It made sense, nothing short of a territorial Dragon Type would be willing to challenge Kumiko’s Gyarados. The sea serpent was incredibly intimidating.

In fact, the only native Dragon species capable of flight in Kanto-Johto were the Dragonite line, and those guys weren’t particularly aggressive as far as Dragon Types go. Preferring to only engage in conflict when their young are threatened.

The trip was very leisurely, owing to the fact that Kumiko’s supersized Basket could only last a little over an hour before it fell apart. So their little group had to take frequent breaks, stopping whenever there was a suitable looking clearing to land and recharge. It made sense now why Stephen was so eager to get going in the morning.

“These pastries are absolutely exquisite! My compliments to your mom, Bobby. She’s an incredible cook,” said Nina, in between mouthfuls of puff pastry stuffed with curried potatoes that Bobby’s chef mother had packed for her son’s trip.

It was a shame that Bobby himself could not take part in the meal due to how airsick he was. The pale faced boy in question returned Nina’s compliment with a thumbs up, before immediately running off to the bushes again.

Nina frowned. “I feel bad for him, we should leave some food for when he gets better. It’d be a shame if Bobby can’t enjoy his mom’s cooking.”

Charlie waved off Nina’s concern. “It’ll be fine, Bobby eats his mom’s cooking practically everyday. He’s probably sick of it at this point.”

Either Charlie’s nonchalance or his comment must have triggered his mother in some way, because Kumiko shot his son a deathly glare, instantly shutting the boy up.

“No need to worry,” added Nobita, with a push of his glasses. “Mrs Bratwurst knows that her son is a big eater, so she always packs more than necessary. I doubt we’d be able to finish all this food even if we wanted to. There’ll be plenty left over for that fatso when he gets back.”

Charlie furiously nodded in support of his friend's statement. Nina simply hummed in response and poured herself a nice cup of tea, courtesy of Nobita's thermos. The boy seemed to be very particular about his tea leaves.

"So Mr Rockford, I noticed that—"

"Please, Nina. If you're going to call my wife by her given name, then please call me Stephen as well."

Nina scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Right, sorry. So Stephen, I noticed that we've been avoiding the off-route villages so far. Is there a reason for that?"

Nina was thinking that there should be some interesting interactions to be had in these rural settlements. It was odd that they had deliberately skipped them over when they could have stopped in a couple along the way for their rest stops.

Stephen nodded. "You do ask some of the best questions don't you, Nina? My brick of a son could learn a thing or two from you. Let me put it this way, if you were a xenophobic hick who lived in the boonies all your life, how would you feel if someone suddenly showed up in your little wooden village with a scary looking Gyarados?"

Nina nodded in understanding. "I'd probably panic, thinking we were under attack or something."

It was odd that such settlements were even a thing in such an advanced world. "But I suppose luddites and hermits exist everywhere." Nina wondered if those people even had access to basic TV or the Pokenet.

"Yeap. But make no mistake Nina, you either have to be insanely strong or just plain insane to live off-route like that. So keeping away from those settlements is as much for our safety as it is for theirs."

Nina gave a grave nod to Stephen's warning, filing it away in her brain to be written down in her notebook later.

After a pleasant lunch, where Nina actually got to feed a couple of berries to a curious Caterpie, the group merrily set off.

**

It took another four hours or so before they finally arrived in Fuchsia City, right around mid-afternoon.

The City itself looked like an eclectic mix of old Edo style architecture and some modern buildings. In fact, from the air, one could clearly see where the older districts of Fuchsia stopped and newer developments began. The newer buildings form a sort of crescent which surrounds the rows of rustic wooden constructs.

In a way, it kind of reminded Nina of Kyoto which she has had the pleasure of visiting in her past life. Except without all the obnoxious tourists crowding the place.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Gyrarados landed in the city outskirts since they did not want to get in trouble with the local law enforcement. There were few better ways to induce mass panic than having a Flying Gyarados land in the middle of a crowded city.

After landing, they made their way on foot to the bus terminal, soaking in the city’s unique aesthetics along the way. The bus to the Safari Zone was frequent enough that they did not need to rush. So they stopped by a cafe specializing in tea and traditional Kantonian desserts, much to Nobita and Nina’s delight. Charlie, however, made quite a face when he tasted the bitter tea.

Then they went into a Pokemart to pick up ingredients for the barbecue they were planning to have tonight. Nina made sure to keep the boys in line while the two adults were preoccupied, preventing them from overloading their cart with ice cream. She also made sure that they had a good variety of vegetarian options as well, just for her own benefit.

The bus trip to the Safari Zone actually took them another hour. It made sense in hindsight, since the Safari was a massive nature preserve, the largest in Kanto-Johto in fact.

According to their bus guide, the Safari Zone was about the size of two and a half Vermillion Cities, the largest and most populous city in Kanto. To put it into perspective, Vermilion City itself was about two-thirds the size of Tokyo in terms of real estate.

It was a lot of area to cover, and the Pokemon Rangers worked tirelessly to maintain it, making sure that the ecosystem was balanced and that poachers were dealt with.

Once Nina and the gang had arrived, they were greeted by an older Ranger. He had a salt and pepper buzzcut, asian features and olive tanned skin from all his time under the sun.

“Masa, you old Growlithe! How’s it going?” Greeted an enthusiastic Stephen, as he pulled his friend in for a manly hug.

The man was named Masayuki. Stephen explained to them on the way over that he was an old mentor of his from when he used to work in the Pewter City Gym. The man decided at some point that he wanted to work to preserve pokemon rather than battle them, so he packed up and became a Pokemon Ranger instead.

“Stephen, you twerp!” Masa pulled away and took in Stephen’s entourage. “You're all grown up now, looking more like a man. I hope you’re not being a bad influence on the lil’ uns”

Stephen chuckled and shook his head helplessly. “You know me, I’ve always been a good boy,” he quipped, earning a snort from his former mentor.

“Lemme introduce everyone to you. You’ve met my beautiful wife, Kumiko. Over here is Charlie, my son, and his friends — Nina, Bobby, and Nobita.”

Masayuki went to embrace Kumiko next. “Kumiko my dear, it’s been a long time. Since the wedding, I believe.”

“I’ve missed you too Masayuki. I trust you’ve been taking good care of yourself?”

The man laughed. “Oh, these old bones of mine aren’t what they used to be. You know, I’ve always said that you’re too good for that ne'er-do-well and I stand by that statement.”

The two of them broke out laughing at Stephen’s expense.

“And this must be Charlie. Last I saw you, you were just a little blip in an ultrasound.”

Charlie, a boy completely oblivious to the finer details of reproduction, tilted his head in confusion.

“Look at you, all grown up, and about to come of age no less. You look just like your old man when he was around your age. I still remember him barging into the Flint’s Gym every week, begging to be given a pokemon early. But after we denied him for the nth time, the fool rushed off to Mount Moon by himself to catch a Geodude. He really caused a lot of trouble to the rescue team, lemme tell ya.”

“Masa!” Yelled Stephen, not wanting the old man to expose any more of his embarrassing past.

The group had a good laugh, trading more pleasantries with the old Ranger before he escorted them to their lodgings in a golf cart.

***

“Are you a vegetarian as well?” Asked Nina to Masayuki.

Stephen’s old friend had apparently taken some time off to hang out with them tonight. They were currently having a barbecue with Stephen and Hitmonchan manning the grill.

The place they were going to stay in was actually a fairly luxurious two storey villa in the Safari’s residential district. Pokemon were allowed to roam free in this area so the adults had all released their pokemon for some fresh air.

Kumiko had brought only Gyarados and Starmie with her, while Stephen brought his starter Golem, Electabuzz, and Hitmonchan. There was a bit of a commotion when Gyarados was let out, but the sea serpent learned quickly to coil his body up to avoid taking up too much space.

On the other hand, Masayuki had a Growlithe and Pidgeot which Nina had asked to touch of course. Growlithe was a very good girl, as all Growlithes tend to be, and Masa’s Pidgeot was less haughty than her grandmother’s, so she got to bury her face in his feathers.

The old Ranger smiled down at the bright eyed little girl who came up to him. “Yeap! I didn’t used to be, but as you get older, you tend to become a bit more health conscious. Besides… the more I work with Pokemon, the more I lose my appetite for meat.”

Nina nodded enthusiastically at his statement. “I know what you mean. My dad has a Pikachu, she’s my best friend. Everytime I see meat on the table, I think of Pikachu and I just shudder. It just feels… wrong somehow. Pokemon are supposed to be intelligent, sentient beings, you know?”

Masayuki chuckled and reached out to pet Nina’s head. “How old are you, girlie?”

“I’m six this year.”

“So young and yet so mature,” mused Masayuki. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, pokemon do eat one another, but you’re not alone in your beliefs either. There’s a reason why we have a whole industry dedicated to manufacturing soy meat and other protein substitutes.”

Masayuki forked one of his vegetarian sausages over to Nina's plate. “So stay strong little one. There’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing at all.”

Nina nodded, feeling a bit more reassured by her senior’s words. Nina did not really feel bad about her dietary habits or anything, but there was still a part of her that thought she needed to eat Pokemon to properly integrate herself into this new world. It was always good to converse with a like-minded soul.

“Can you tell me a bit more about how the Safari Zone deals with poachers? I read that each Pokemon Ranger is accompanied by a canine species and a Psychic Type at any given time, is this true? If so, how do you deal with poachers carrying Psychic Types of their own, or even Dark Types, since those are direct counters to Psychic abilities? In fact, how often do you encounter poachers in the Safari Zone?”

Masayuki looked overwhelmed as the small girl in front of him began rapid firing one question after another, until she was stopped by her friend.

“Sorry about Nina,” apologized Charlie. “She’s real nerdy when it comes to pokemon.”

“Nina, stop pestering Masa. He’s on break right now, let him enjoy his food in peace,” admonished Kumiko.

“Sorry…” Nina meekly mumbled.

Masayuki let out a boisterous laugh. “Hahaha! It’s fine Kumiko, I don’t mind it one bit. It’s good that the little missie cares so much. In fact, I sense a Pokemon Ranger in the making,” the man ended that last sentence with a knowing grin.

“Actually, I’m aiming to become an explorer. I want to go out, explore unknown lands, and meet new species of pokemon,” corrected Nina.

“But maybe after, when I’ve had enough of the road and want to settle down, being a Pokemon Ranger might not be too bad. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle a life without pokemon after all.”

The old Ranger let out another laugh. “An explorer eh? That’s gonna be tough, tougher than being a Pokemon Ranger, think you got what it takes?”

Nina pouted, puffing up her cheeks at Masayuki. “How would I know if I don’t try? I know what I want to be, and even if I fail, I’ll at least know that I’ve tried and won’t be left with any regrets!”

Nina stumbled as Masayuki patted her on the back a little too forcefully. “Well said, girlie. If you don’t try, you don’t get. Simple as that. It’s always better to fail trying than do nothing at all”

The rest of the night proceeded harmoniously with food, drink and merriment. Apart from that one time Charlie tried to sneak a sip of his dad’s beer and got in trouble for it. After a while, the adults commanded the children to go to bed early, while they continued on with their after party. Nina was a little miffed, but it wasn’t like she could drink in her juvenile physique anyway.