Nina gently caressed the beak of Martha the Corviknight, marveling at the cold metallic feel of the Pokemon. She thought about how incredible it is that Corviknights were able to fly at all, since their exterior was basically steel feathers woven into a jet black suit of armor.

“Martha, where did things go so wrong?” Lamented Nina. “All I wanted was just a happy summer trip with my friends and family. So why is it that my boss is tagging along as well.”

Nina’s boss of course referred to Misty who decided to join Nina on her brewery trip as Ali’s plus one. Patrick was not able to get any time off work, which meant his wife was also disinclined to join, leaving Ali in charge of Nina.

The couple was currently some distance away from the raven Pokemon, giddily flirting with each other like newlyweds on a honeymoon. Nina, naturally, refused to turn her gaze to look at them for the sake of her appetite.

“Are you sure the Gym will be alright without you?” Asked Nina at some point. Only for Misty to brush off her concerns and say that her sisters will take care of things.

“I mean that’s the whole point of us four running the Gym as a team, it’s so that one of us can take a breather every once in a while. Unlike those other suckers who are stuck at work all year long,” said Misty.

In truth, every Gym Leader was entitled to two weeks off during the Gym circuit. But most Leaders take their jobs very seriously and only ever take the time off under extenuating circumstances, like renovations or urgent family matters.

“Woah… I’ve never seen a Pokemon like that before.”

Nina turned around to see Bobby and Nancy arriving at their rendezvous point outside the city.

“Hey Bobby,” she greeted. “Yeah, this here is a Corviknight. They’re only native to Galar and Paldea, but fairly common otherwise. You’ll see a lot of Sky Taxi services that make use of them due to their phenomenal strength and durability. A well trained Corviknight could carry anywhere between five to six adults in a single trip, including the pilot.”

“Cor!” Cawed Martha in affirmation.

To the side, Nancy approached Ali and Misty to greet them. “Lady Misty, what an honor it is to have your esteemed person join in on our little excursion.”

Misty smiled at the amicable woman and pulled her in for a hug. “Please, Mrs Bratwurst. I’m on vacation right now. So none of that stuffy Gym Leader stuff.”

Ali followed suit with his own greeting, complimenting Nancy on her incredible cooking and various other pleasantries. The adults chatted amongst themselves until Kumiko and Tiffany arrived, signaling that it was almost time for departure.

This time around, Ali volunteered to transport everyone, pulling out a Paldean Fly Basket that was very different from Kumiko’s portable one. In fact, it was stored in a Pokeball-like device which deposited the Basket in a flash of light, much like how a Pokemon would be summoned.

Nina looked at the high tech gadget in wonderment. “It kind of makes sense. I mean held items could be kept in a Pokeball alongside Pokemon. So why can’t somebody modify the technology to store inanimate objects.”

“I want to ride on Martha’s back!” Exclaimed Nina, to which her uncle simply laughed and readily obliged. But only after she put on her goggles and scarf to prevent any windburns.

***

Bobby was right, it only took less than an hour of leisurely flying to see the Hidden Valley Estate. Its most obvious landmark being the rows upon rows of Berry trees planted atop dark loamy soil.

The Berries varieties were numerous and appear to be separated into different segments. Nina could see some rare ones among them that she didn’t even know were possible to grow in Kanto’s climate, such as a small row of durian-like Maranga Berries.

In between each of the segments were fields of colorful wildflowers which were currently being worked on by teams of buzzing Beedrill. When Nina asked about it through the telecom attached to Martha’s saddle, Nancy explained that there was a colony of Beedrill around the vicinity of the Berry farm that helps to pollinate the trees and maintain security in return for a steady source of food.

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“Melanie, the owner of the brewery and farm, is very good with Pokemon. In fact, most of the profit from the sales of her products goes towards taking care of lost Pokemon,” explained Nancy.

Tiffany scoffed and said something along the lines of “How could Pokemon get lost?! This is stupid.” Only to receive a knock on the head by Kumiko for her rudeness. And it was actually Nina who had to explain over the telecom.

“Pokemon that get released according to regulation aren’t always successful in reintegrating themselves into the wild. That’s why you sometimes see wild Pokemon wandering around in the city. Cause they’re simply not used to life without humans. This is what we refer to as lost Pokemon. If there’s no one to care for them like Melanie, there’s a good chance that they might starve to death or worse.”

The brewery itself was a fairly large wooden mansion located right next to a pond at the bottom of the valley, with the only point of access being a small trek that leads towards Route 5. But the most stand out thing about it was the sheer amount of Pokemon around the vicinity of the building.

Nina could see a couple of Bulbasaurs running around playing tag, some Oddishes sunbathing in the dirt, Meowths, Sandshrews, Rattatas and so on. The brewery might as well have been a Pokemon zoo with the sheer variety of Pokemon on display.

As Martha made landing, some of the curious ones approached to check out the newcomers. While some can be seen running into the building, probably to inform the owner of her newly arrived guests.

“Why, hello there. Welcome to my humble abode! It’s so good to see you again Nancy.”

The woman who came out to greet the group was a kindly looking blue haired woman wearing a simple dress and an apron. Whilst everyone was disembarking, Nancy stepped away from the group to greet her old friend.

“Melanie, darling! It’s good to see you again too. Thank you so much for having us.” Nancy greeted in return, she then went on to introduce each of her entourage, starting with the adults and ending with the children.

“You already know of my son Bobby, hopefully he can learn a thing or two from your marvelous work. And these are his friends, Nina and Tiffany. Nina is a Gym Apprentice under Misty and a big lover of all things Pokemon. I think you’ll get along with her especially well.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all. Please come in, I've prepared rooms for all of you to stay in over the week. Though unfortunately, I must admit that my accommodations are quite lacking. It’s not often that I get guests after all,” said Melanie at the conclusion of the greetings.

“Nonsense!” Ali exclaimed. “With such a beautiful home and a lovely owner, I’m sure our stay will be nothing short of delightful.” Melanie giggled in response as Misty elbowed her lover in the ribs.

The interior of the mansion was fairly rustic and simply decorated. One could see various Pokemon lounging around on the furniture and some human workers walking about, minding their own business.

“I do apologize,” said Melanie midway through the tour. “I try to encourage the Pokemon to spend as much time as possible in the wild, just to hasten their resettlement process, but some of them simply prefer being indoors. I hope you don’t mind their presence.”

“Not at all,” denied Nancy. “All of us here have a love of Pokemon. If anything, their presence will serve to liven up the place.”

Melanie smiled, and it was then that she opened a door leading to the cellars. Immediately, Nina could sense a change in temperature as they made their way down the stairs. “For those that are unfamiliar with the ecology of Shuckles. They are a Bug and Rock Type Pokemon commonly found in the mountains and other cave systems.”

The guests sighed in awe at the sheer number of red shells that were laying around at the bottom of the cellar.

“These days it’s rare to find them out in the wild anymore due to poaching and overcapture,” continued Melanie. “But I’m a firm believer that Shuckles are happiest in their natural environment. Hence I’ve appropriated some of the underground caverns of this valley to serve as their home.”

Melanie then bent down and gently rubbed at the Shuckle shell nearest to her, prompting a sleepy looking Shuckle head to poke out of the shell and nuzzle against her.

“Does the environment of a Shuckle affect the taste of the juice they produce?” This was a question from Bobby, who at this point had also released his own Shuckle into the rocky cellar.

Melanie gave a wry smile in response. “I like to think so. But to be honest, I’m not too sure. Every batch of juice tastes a bit differently from each Shuckle to the next, which makes it hard to verify. Hence why we blend them all together for a consistent taste. Some people certainly like to argue that it doesn’t matter. And since Shuckle are hardy Pokemon that can adapt to most environments, I can understand why they would think so.”

“Is it okay if I play with the Shuckles, Miss Melanie?”

The woman giggled at Nina’s enthusiastic question. “Of course, Nina. Just try to be gentle when waking them. Shuckles spend a lot of time hibernating, and sometimes they might start spewing corrosive liquid at their surroundings if they get startled.”

Nina nodded in understanding and gently rubbed at a shell, much like Melanie did, to rouse a Shuckle from its sleep. A Shuckle shell had a very unique texture, feeling almost like a ladybug shell crossed with a turtle’s in terms of toughness. On the other hand, the little white rings which surround a Shuckle’s cavity had a mushroom like texture with how soft and elastic they were.

“Is it okay to feed them Berries? I don’t want to accidentally mess up their brew,” asked the little girl.

“Feeding them is fine,” responded Melanie. “Just make sure not to shove any Berries into their cavities. That’ll really mess up the brew. Not to mention, not all of the cavities are meant for Berry storage — a common mistake that a lot of beginner brewers will make.”

Bobby seemed to redden a bit at Melanie’s last statement.

“How do you tell which Shuckle is fermenting which brew? Or are all of the ones here brewing the same thing?” Asked the boy.

“Why, we just need to ask the Shuckles, silly,” Laughed Melanie. “That said, we only really have about two to three different varieties brewing at any given time. Some of the more ‘professional’ brewers out there will stick tags onto their Shuckles to keep track of their dozens of different brews.”

“Well I think you’re plenty professional, Melanie,” chimed Nancy. “Some of those big brewers out there are only good for churning out boring tasting juices. Whereas I can taste the love and attention that you put into each and every one of your bottles.”

Melanie smiled at her friend’s compliment and thanked her. “Now then,” she continued. “I’m sure you’re all famished from your long trip here. Why don’t we go upstairs and have some lunch? I’ve got quite the spread prepared for all of you. Though unfortunately we do not eat meat here, so apologies if any of you find our selection to be lacking.”

That last sentence was music to Nina’s ears. Leave it to a pure vegetarian to make the best dishes for their own kind. Though surprisingly, it was Misty who seemed a little concerned.

“Please don’t tell me the Shuckle juices here are all non-alcoholic as well,” said the Gym Leader, only for Melanie to laugh at her concern and assure her that they have a variety of alcoholic beverages as well.

“Life out in the boonies can be terribly dull without some buzz,” said the brewer, in a somewhat out of character moment.