The first thing that Nina noticed when she walked out of the Sky Taxi terminal was the noise; the cacophony of footsteps and chatter as people and Pokemon flooded the streets of Vermillion City, all of whom looked to be in a hurry to go somewhere.

There were men and women in business suits, trained Pelippers carrying an assortment of mail and packages, a vendor chasing after thieving lost Pokemon, Machokes lifting furniture to be delivered and so on.

Another thing that really set the city apart was the sheer amount of vehicles that were on the road. Unlike Cerulean and Saffron, which possessed robust public transportation systems, and Pewter where the roads were too narrow to fit most cars, Vermillion City was bustling with motor vehicle activity, enough to cause traffic jams as impatient drivers honked in frustration at the slow moving line.

It almost reminded Nina of New York in a way. Especially when it came to the gleaming glass towers looming over the skyline. But of course, being that this was the Pokemon world, all the cars were electric, so the air lacked the grimy, acrid scent of smoke that plagued the metropolis of Nina’s old world.

And the skyscrapers blocking out the sky were much more aesthetic and artsy in their designs, being that the development of Vermillion City was relatively recent. The buildings actually reminded Nina a lot of home, since the Cerulean College produced a lot of architects and artists, but utilizing much more industrial concrete and steel in their construction.

“Tiin…” Tini cried in awe. The Dragon had never experienced such a crowded and dense cityscape before. Even Saffron City paled in comparison to the sheer hustle of Vermillion. It was no wonder that they were no longer Kanto’s most populous city.

“Right, Tini,” called Nina, snapping the Dratini from his wonderment. “There’s a week to go before school starts so there’ll be plenty of time for us to explore the city. For now, we need to get to the dorms and drop off our luggage. Are you okay with walking next to me?”

“Draa!” Cried Tini in affirmation. Nina’s partner wasn’t wrapped around her as usual because she was already overwhelmed from carrying a bulky backpack and dragging an extra large suitcase around, and this was in addition to Espy who was standing on said backpack and propped against her human’s head.

The backpack was actually a Coming of Age gift from Nina’s family — a Silph Co one with expanded dimensional storage. However, its storage capacity wasn’t unlimited and there was only so much weight it could mitigate, hence the extra suitcase for her other stuff. Even Misty chipped in, in an attempt to score some extra brownie points as Nina’s future aunt, which enabled them to buy a higher end model with a refrigerated compartment for fresh foods.

The Rockfords were also nice enough to give her a bunch of camping gear which she appreciated greatly. And Nancy’s gift to her was the delicious banquet at her party.

The clothes she was wearing at the moment were also gifts, but from the Cerulean Gym. The ladies had all chipped into a pool and tasked Beverly and the twins with taking Nina clothes shopping, saying that hoodies, shorts and sneakers weren’t chic enough to represent their Gym. In fact, most of the contents of the suitcase was because the girls had gone overboard in their shopping.

She was currently wearing a pair of white jeans with black lacy boots and a seafoam blue tank top. She had wanted regular blue jeans but Beverly said it was lame and insisted on white even though they stained easily. That said, she drew the line at the ripped jeans that Beverly had wanted.

The boots had raised soles of course, anything less was unacceptable to Beverly. This was a compromise that Nina made because she refused to wear heels. “I mean, who in their right mind would walk around with heels in the wild?” Even Beverly wasn’t that senseless, the girl was just too caught up in the shopping spree at the time.

Which was fine, because that day was the most that Nina had seen her friend smile since Ryu got injured, and the only reason why Nina indulged her as much as she did. Even going so far as buying a brand new set of party dress and heels which she will likely outgrow before she even has the chance to use more than once.

Her favorite piece however, was the puffy windbreaker that the twins picked out for her. It was yellow on the outside, lined with a dark blue interior and made with a miracle material that was not only breathable, but could also moderately regulate Nina’s temperature using a little dial near her chest. It was extremely practical and also useful in maintaining Nina’s modesty, which was the only reason why she agreed to wear a tank top to begin with.

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Beverly pouted because she thought that yellow was garish. But Nina figured, since she already created an image of wearing yellow boots in the Gym, might as well stick with the motif. Throw a hat into the mix to complement her ponytail and the whole package actually came together really well.

In fact, Nina liked it enough to buy an extra two sets as a spare. Except for the windbreaker, because that thing was ludicrously expensive. Besides, she’ll probably need to buy a new one once she outgrows it anyway.

“Right, subway's that way.” Nina adjusted her grip on her suitcase and began walking. But a few steps in she stopped and looked up at Espy.

“Espy, do you mind riding on my suitcase? I don’t want anyone to steal it when I’m not looking. Please?” That was a lie and Nina’s empathic Eevee knew it as well. However, for the regal Espy, pretense is important. And it did certainly sound better than “You’re real heavy, Espy. Could you get off my head?”

“Vee.” The Eevee replied simply, before jumping off Nina’s backpack onto her suitcase instead.

***

“Woah…” Nina and Tini sparkled at the wide sandy beach in front of them. Meanwhile, the look on Espy’s face indicated disdain at the thought of getting sand stuck in her precious fur.

The Vermillion Flame was located near a slightly detached college town at the southeastern side of the city. And the atmosphere was pretty much what one would expect from a place dominated by young students and tourists, filled with trendy cafes, restaurants, street performers, food trucks and so on.

The chill and fun vibes of the place was a stark contrast compared to the suffocating urban environment of its parent city.

Nina checked the map on her Pokedex for navigation and hummed. “Says here the school is located on that cliff up there, so we’ll need to take a bus. Are you guys hungry yet? Let’s grab some food before we head to the bus station.

“Tiin!”

“E!”

Nina chuckled and headed towards the gathering of food trucks she spotted by the beach. The girl ultimately opted for fish and chips, while Tini got an extra serving of kebabs piled on top of coleslaw and chips.

Espy, being a lady of more refined taste, opted for a Pokebowl with an extra side of berry salsa. And since they were all curious, Nina got a portion of takoyaki to share between them as well.

Everything was delicious if a bit overpriced, as one would expect from a touristy spot like this. But after a hearty lunch, Nina flashed her acceptance email and took a free student bus that brought them up to the Vermilion Flame’s campus. The bus driver was even kind enough to lower the disability ramp for her so Nina didn’t need to heft her heavy suitcase up the steps.

The Vermillion Flame was very European, or rather Kalosian by this world’s standard, consisting of a stone construct with lots of arches and towering spirals. It was a little uncanny to find such architecture in the distinctly Japanese Kanto.

But according to Nina’s research, the place was originally a stronghold for foreign settlers who were eventually forced out by the natives. The castle itself was eventually repurposed into a school by its founders.

However, decades of intermarriage and assimilation meant that their foreign lineage remained. Hence why there were a lot of ‘western’ sounding names in the four eastern regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh.

Adjacent to the ancient castle were more modern buildings, one of which was the Vermillion College and Research Institute, and another pair of blocky apartment buildings that served as the gender segregated dorms for staff and qualified students. It was also the place that Nina went to straight away after getting some instructions from a security guard.

***

“Wow, they weren’t kidding when they said they’d give us the best suite they have.”

Nina’s assigned room was practically an entire studio apartment, complete with a balcony, kitchen and bathroom, equipped with its own laundry machine and bathtub. The bed was even a queen sized one with a decent sized TV and a three person couch. And since this was a school dorm, there was of course a study desk with a surprisingly comfortable chair to go with it.

Tini and Espy dashed into the room excitedly. The former headed straight out into the balcony to admire the seaside view, while Espy jumped onto the couch and meticulously pressed down on its various spots to find one that was fit to serve as her regular spot.

Nina giggled at the sight of her silly Pokemon and began unloading her baggage before joining Tini on the balcony. The girl stretched her sore shoulders with a groan and breathed in the salty sea breeze.

“This is it, Tini. Our home for the foreseeable future. Do you like it?”

“Tini tiin!”

Nina reached out to embrace her partner and gave him a kiss on the forehead, noticing that the little white bump on his head had crystallized significantly and taken on a bluish jewel like gleam.

“Not much longer now, Tini. Once we find you a worthy opponent, you’ll be able to finally evolve.”

“Tiin~” Tini reached forwards and booped his partner on the nose, eliciting giggles from her.

“Once you’re all evolved and strong, let’s call up Mr Masa and schedule a trip to the Safari Zone to show off to your family. I’m sure you miss your mom a whole ton.”

“Dra!” Cried the excited Dratini. It was inevitable to feel homesick, even for Pokemon. There were times that Nina would reminisce about her old world as well, even though she wouldn’t go back if given the choice.

After they’ve had their fill of the scenery, Nina and Tini went back inside to join Espy, who had decided that the right most cushion with its abundant exposure to sunlight and slightly worn stuffing was her favorite.

Nina chuckled and scratched the pedantic Eevee’s nape, eliciting gentle purrs from Espy. Then, at Tini’s urging, Nina grabbed the remote and turned on the TV to see what sort of channels were on offer, which ended up being mostly ones about news, food and documentaries as one would expect from an education institute. Not that it mattered when the Pokenet existed.

“Right, we should give a call to mom and dad to let them know that we’ve arrived…” And with that thought, Nina opened up her Pokedex to do just that before eventually heading out again to explore her new campus.