The Charizard stood impossibly tall, looming over Alyssa and gazing lazily around the area. The flicker of its tail flame illuminated the darkness of the Alolan night around it, throwing dancing shadows onto the log platform. The whole thing overwhelmed her five-year-old senses, and she burst into tears.
Sensing her distress, the Charizard crouched down and cast her a puzzled look. The old, wiry woman standing next to the lizard Pokémon stroked its neck gently, but her gaze was on Alyssa.
"Come on, dear, Ralph here is perfectly tame. He only toasts people occasionally..."
Alyssa's crying turned into bawling, and her mother scooped her up into her arms, giving the old woman a filthy look. Ralph the Charizard stared at her disapprovingly too, and she threw her hands up to apologise for the terrible joke.
"No, I'm just kidding! Oh dear, I'm sorry darling."
Her gaze returned to Alyssa's mother, who at this point was calming Alyssa with a plush Alolan Vulpix. The old woman changed the subject.
"So, where am I taking you?”
"Melemele Island. We're moving back to Kalos in the morning," replied Alyssa's mother.
"Oh! Why the move?"
"My husband. He's having to move back there for business. I was always adamant that Alyssa should be educated in one of the prestigious Kalos private schools, but my husband always said he wanted to raise her in a more 'laid back' manner, more in tune with nature. Looks like I got my way in the end.”
The old woman gave Alyssa's mother a glance that seemed to see her very soul, before subjecting Alyssa to the same look. After a few seconds, she shrugged.
"Nothing wrong with being close to nature, dear. It brings you closer to yourself and Pokémon."
"I'd rather Alyssa be closer to a decent education and a good career," Alyssa's mother snapped back. Alyssa, who had stopped sobbing by now, looked at her mother with alarm. Ralph shifted on his haunches, almost imperceptibly. The old woman shrugged again.
"Ain't none of my business. Anyway, are we ready to go?"
Without waiting for an answer, the old woman climbed onto the Charizard, settling herself into a crook at the base of his neck. Behind her was a seat, which didn't appear to have any legroom. Alyssa's mother put her down, and climbed into it, sitting side-saddle as to not kick the old woman in the back, despite a sudden urge to. Alyssa moved over timidly to the side of Ralph and put her arms up to be pulled up, but the Charizard scooped her up with one arm and plopped her into her mother's lap before she could react. He looked back at her with an amused look, but Alyssa was too startled by the sudden lift to react much.
It was incredibly cramped on the back of the Charizard, who wasn't nearly big enough to comfortably seat three people. But it would have to do for now. After a moment's silence, while both adults fiddled with buckles and belts, Alyssa's mother spoke up.
"So, how come you're here? Normally the Poké Ride Pokémon fly solo."
The old woman's eyes twinkled. "I'm a Poké Ride Instructor now. Ralph here is about half-way through his training, so he's still only a young lad. Big for his age, though!"
Ralph snorted appreciatively at what he took to be a compliment, and the old woman patted his neck again before going back to fiddling with some instruments in front of her.
At this point, Alyssa had worked up the courage to ask the question that she'd had on her mind ever since her mother had mentioned moving back to Kalos.
"Um, miss? What's your career?"
Alyssa spoke the word "career" with a strange emphasis on the first syllable. The old lady tossed her head back and laughed. "Gosh, my prime really is over, isn't it? My name is Rose, dear, and I used to be a Sky Trainer."
"A... sky trainer?" Young Alyssa had never heard of such a thing before. "What's that?"
"A Sky Trainer takes part in Pokémon battles high in the air, my dear. We have these suits," she tapped the interesting-looking outfit she was wearing, "so that we can fly and fight alongside our Pokémon. I always thought they helped you be closer to your Pokémon, fighting alongside them in the air rather than just commanding from a distance."
Alyssa was awestruck. "And you were good, right?"
Rose cackled again. "Oh, I was pretty good indeed. I was the admiral of the Kalos Aerodrome for a while, you know."
Even Alyssa's mother looked impressed now.
"Wait, you're Rose? As in, Rose Fletcher, greatest woman to ever fly?"
Rose nodded. "That's what they called me, although I don't know why they called me 'greatest woman.' I beat all the men too!" Her eyes twinkled she gave a genuine grin.
"Isn't it scary up in the air?" Alyssa piped up again.
"Not at all, my dear," replied Rose. At this, Ralph flapped his wings once, showing his impatience. "Oh, gosh, we really do need to get going. The sun's starting to set and Ralph here hasn't done much night flying yet."
She prodded an instrument in front of her, and a map appeared in mid-air.
"Ralph, we're going to Melemele Island airport? Can you do that?"
Ralph made a "harrumph" noise, emitting smoke through his nostrils. Rose took that as a "yes." Alyssa stared at the Fire-type Pokémon – now that she was on his back, he seemed a bit less scary.
Rose snapped on her goggles, and put her hands around Charizard's neck.
"Let's fly."
Charizard launched into the air without warning, making Alyssa squeak in alarm. Although her mother was holding her tight, she latched on hard as they flew high into the air, the trees and buildings around them shrinking into nothingness as they ascended. Rose, however, cackled happily, and then whooped in joy as Ralph flapped his wings hard, putting on a burst of speed and soaring higher into the air.
Once they got high enough, Ralph levelled out, and Rose patted him on the neck, before flinging herself off of the Charizard and falling, still whooping, for a second or two before activating her suit – two giant wings unfolded suddenly out of the back, and she caught air instantly. A small jet at the base of the pack ignited, and she soared back up alongside Ralph.
"You're in charge now Ralph – lead on!" She yelled. The Charizard grunted, then changed course slightly, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
For Alyssa, the sensation that currently coursed through her body was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. The wind howled through her red hair, and the Charizard she sat on shifted up and down with every wing flap, but the sight of the island below, and the thrill of being so far above the world was as exciting as it was scary. Slowly, she got the confidence to unwrap her arms from around her mother, and looked around, drinking in the sights and sounds of several hundred feet in the air.
Looking over to Rose, she smiled. Rose noticed, and gave her a thumbs up and a grin. Despite looking incredibly old to Alyssa, Rose was in fine shape and was clearly in her element, managing each air current and gust of wind with ease.
The wind started to blow a little harder, but Ralph and Rose both handled it easily.
Alyssa's confidence grew, and eventually she spun around in her mother's lap, her arms spread out either side of her as she giggled happily, drinking in the thrill of flight.
Then the turbulence hit.
Suddenly, out of nowhere there was a howling wind, and both Ralph and Rose buckled under the strain of it, but both recovered, straining hard against the wind. Alyssa's mother gripped her hard with one hand, but used the other to steady herself on the metal handlebars in front of her. Rose spun, once, twice, three times before righting herself and regaining control of the wingsuit.
Yelling Ralph's name, she pointed down to an island below them. The Charizard nodded and started to point down gently, trying to reduce his speed and fly down towards the island without tipping his passengers out, still fighting the wind to keep control.
The second gale blew just as Charizard lifted his wings up to flap, and it caught him hard. Ralph toppled sideways, spinning, his own wing acting as a sail, pushing him hard sideways. This time, he couldn't counteract it, and suddenly Ralph, Alyssa, and her mother were upside down and dropping hard. Alyssa's mother dropped out of her seat but was prevented from falling by the belts she was fastened in with. Alyssa, however, only had her mother's arm, which couldn't withstand the weight suddenly dropped on it, and she slipped through before her mother could react.
Alyssa fell, tumbling and flailing through the orange sky, the sun whipping in and out of her vision, and suddenly Ralph let out an ear-shattering roar, heard clear even above the wind howling past Alyssa as she dropped.
Ralph flew down hard, pulling his wings into his body, hurtling towards Alyssa, his body glowing red: he'd used Extreme Speed. His roar was audible for miles, his fury and frustration at dropping Alyssa screamed for all the five islands to hear.
With outstretched claws, Ralph was upon Alyssa in a flash. He snatched her out of the air, holding her tight to his body as he opened his wings again to slow his descent, the glow fading. His roar stopped but he breathed heavily, his chest heaving with the exertion. He gripped her so tightly that it hurt.
They descended slowly, still buffeted by the gales, but reached the island without drama. Ralph and Rose touched down within seconds of each other, and Alyssa was placed carefully on the warm sand. She didn’t move, but instead just laid there, her hair wild and windswept as Alyssa's mother gingerly climbed down from Ralph. Alyssa's mother rushed over and enveloped her in a bone-shattering hug as soon as she touched solid ground, sobbing hard, refusing to let go for several minutes. Rose hugged Ralph hard around the neck too, grateful for him saving Alyssa, and promising that she'd do everything in her power to get him a commendation.
Alyssa was still giggling madly from the thrill of it all, the excitement and gratitude and thrill outweighing the sheer terror of the fall.
Alyssa's mother chartered a boat for the rest of the journey, and never used Poké Ride again.
~*~
Alyssa stood at the precipice of her final test, on the platform stretching out over the belly of the Aerodrome. She gazed at her opponent, standing at the other side of the arena with her arms folded, the scenes from 15 years ago suddenly clear in her memory again.
Ralph got that commendation, and so did Rose for training him. It sat beside her Admiralty trophy on her mantlepiece for years. Alyssa finally got to see it when she visited a few years ago.
She shook the memory out of her mind and tucked it away. Now was not the time to be reminiscing about her first flight. She was older now, twenty years old and a Sky Trainer herself, tall and lean and aerodynamic. Her hair, which normally fell to her waist, was tied up in a loose ponytail and draped across the back of her own wingsuit.
On the giant screen that stretched across one side of the Aerodrome, the words "Admiralty Competition Finals" were displayed, next to two portraits. One was a giant image of herself, decked in her yellow wingsuit, with her hair flowing and her face made up. The tournament organisers had insisted. The other was of her opponent, a young woman from Hoenn – Alyssa's longtime friend and rival.
This moment was what Alyssa had been training for, and the last obstacle to achieving her dream: becoming the newest Admiral of the Aerodrome.
The screen changed, and a siren sounded. Alyssa started running hard towards the end of the platform and jumped off, her wingsuit deploying new, sleek wings – far sleeker than the ones Rose wore fifteen years ago. As she soared up, she threw the Pokéball in her hand up above her, and it burst open as she rushed towards her opponent. Victory was in her sights, and she wasn't going to give it up now.
After all, she never did get the career her mother hoped she would.
Sensing her distress, the Charizard crouched down and cast her a puzzled look. The old, wiry woman standing next to the lizard Pokémon stroked its neck gently, but her gaze was on Alyssa.
"Come on, dear, Ralph here is perfectly tame. He only toasts people occasionally..."
Alyssa's crying turned into bawling, and her mother scooped her up into her arms, giving the old woman a filthy look. Ralph the Charizard stared at her disapprovingly too, and she threw her hands up to apologise for the terrible joke.
"No, I'm just kidding! Oh dear, I'm sorry darling."
Her gaze returned to Alyssa's mother, who at this point was calming Alyssa with a plush Alolan Vulpix. The old woman changed the subject.
"So, where am I taking you?”
"Melemele Island. We're moving back to Kalos in the morning," replied Alyssa's mother.
"Oh! Why the move?"
"My husband. He's having to move back there for business. I was always adamant that Alyssa should be educated in one of the prestigious Kalos private schools, but my husband always said he wanted to raise her in a more 'laid back' manner, more in tune with nature. Looks like I got my way in the end.”
The old woman gave Alyssa's mother a glance that seemed to see her very soul, before subjecting Alyssa to the same look. After a few seconds, she shrugged.
"Nothing wrong with being close to nature, dear. It brings you closer to yourself and Pokémon."
"I'd rather Alyssa be closer to a decent education and a good career," Alyssa's mother snapped back. Alyssa, who had stopped sobbing by now, looked at her mother with alarm. Ralph shifted on his haunches, almost imperceptibly. The old woman shrugged again.
"Ain't none of my business. Anyway, are we ready to go?"
Without waiting for an answer, the old woman climbed onto the Charizard, settling herself into a crook at the base of his neck. Behind her was a seat, which didn't appear to have any legroom. Alyssa's mother put her down, and climbed into it, sitting side-saddle as to not kick the old woman in the back, despite a sudden urge to. Alyssa moved over timidly to the side of Ralph and put her arms up to be pulled up, but the Charizard scooped her up with one arm and plopped her into her mother's lap before she could react. He looked back at her with an amused look, but Alyssa was too startled by the sudden lift to react much.
It was incredibly cramped on the back of the Charizard, who wasn't nearly big enough to comfortably seat three people. But it would have to do for now. After a moment's silence, while both adults fiddled with buckles and belts, Alyssa's mother spoke up.
"So, how come you're here? Normally the Poké Ride Pokémon fly solo."
The old woman's eyes twinkled. "I'm a Poké Ride Instructor now. Ralph here is about half-way through his training, so he's still only a young lad. Big for his age, though!"
Ralph snorted appreciatively at what he took to be a compliment, and the old woman patted his neck again before going back to fiddling with some instruments in front of her.
At this point, Alyssa had worked up the courage to ask the question that she'd had on her mind ever since her mother had mentioned moving back to Kalos.
"Um, miss? What's your career?"
Alyssa spoke the word "career" with a strange emphasis on the first syllable. The old lady tossed her head back and laughed. "Gosh, my prime really is over, isn't it? My name is Rose, dear, and I used to be a Sky Trainer."
"A... sky trainer?" Young Alyssa had never heard of such a thing before. "What's that?"
"A Sky Trainer takes part in Pokémon battles high in the air, my dear. We have these suits," she tapped the interesting-looking outfit she was wearing, "so that we can fly and fight alongside our Pokémon. I always thought they helped you be closer to your Pokémon, fighting alongside them in the air rather than just commanding from a distance."
Alyssa was awestruck. "And you were good, right?"
Rose cackled again. "Oh, I was pretty good indeed. I was the admiral of the Kalos Aerodrome for a while, you know."
Even Alyssa's mother looked impressed now.
"Wait, you're Rose? As in, Rose Fletcher, greatest woman to ever fly?"
Rose nodded. "That's what they called me, although I don't know why they called me 'greatest woman.' I beat all the men too!" Her eyes twinkled she gave a genuine grin.
"Isn't it scary up in the air?" Alyssa piped up again.
"Not at all, my dear," replied Rose. At this, Ralph flapped his wings once, showing his impatience. "Oh, gosh, we really do need to get going. The sun's starting to set and Ralph here hasn't done much night flying yet."
She prodded an instrument in front of her, and a map appeared in mid-air.
"Ralph, we're going to Melemele Island airport? Can you do that?"
Ralph made a "harrumph" noise, emitting smoke through his nostrils. Rose took that as a "yes." Alyssa stared at the Fire-type Pokémon – now that she was on his back, he seemed a bit less scary.
Rose snapped on her goggles, and put her hands around Charizard's neck.
"Let's fly."
Charizard launched into the air without warning, making Alyssa squeak in alarm. Although her mother was holding her tight, she latched on hard as they flew high into the air, the trees and buildings around them shrinking into nothingness as they ascended. Rose, however, cackled happily, and then whooped in joy as Ralph flapped his wings hard, putting on a burst of speed and soaring higher into the air.
Once they got high enough, Ralph levelled out, and Rose patted him on the neck, before flinging herself off of the Charizard and falling, still whooping, for a second or two before activating her suit – two giant wings unfolded suddenly out of the back, and she caught air instantly. A small jet at the base of the pack ignited, and she soared back up alongside Ralph.
"You're in charge now Ralph – lead on!" She yelled. The Charizard grunted, then changed course slightly, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
For Alyssa, the sensation that currently coursed through her body was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. The wind howled through her red hair, and the Charizard she sat on shifted up and down with every wing flap, but the sight of the island below, and the thrill of being so far above the world was as exciting as it was scary. Slowly, she got the confidence to unwrap her arms from around her mother, and looked around, drinking in the sights and sounds of several hundred feet in the air.
Looking over to Rose, she smiled. Rose noticed, and gave her a thumbs up and a grin. Despite looking incredibly old to Alyssa, Rose was in fine shape and was clearly in her element, managing each air current and gust of wind with ease.
The wind started to blow a little harder, but Ralph and Rose both handled it easily.
Alyssa's confidence grew, and eventually she spun around in her mother's lap, her arms spread out either side of her as she giggled happily, drinking in the thrill of flight.
Then the turbulence hit.
Suddenly, out of nowhere there was a howling wind, and both Ralph and Rose buckled under the strain of it, but both recovered, straining hard against the wind. Alyssa's mother gripped her hard with one hand, but used the other to steady herself on the metal handlebars in front of her. Rose spun, once, twice, three times before righting herself and regaining control of the wingsuit.
Yelling Ralph's name, she pointed down to an island below them. The Charizard nodded and started to point down gently, trying to reduce his speed and fly down towards the island without tipping his passengers out, still fighting the wind to keep control.
The second gale blew just as Charizard lifted his wings up to flap, and it caught him hard. Ralph toppled sideways, spinning, his own wing acting as a sail, pushing him hard sideways. This time, he couldn't counteract it, and suddenly Ralph, Alyssa, and her mother were upside down and dropping hard. Alyssa's mother dropped out of her seat but was prevented from falling by the belts she was fastened in with. Alyssa, however, only had her mother's arm, which couldn't withstand the weight suddenly dropped on it, and she slipped through before her mother could react.
Alyssa fell, tumbling and flailing through the orange sky, the sun whipping in and out of her vision, and suddenly Ralph let out an ear-shattering roar, heard clear even above the wind howling past Alyssa as she dropped.
Ralph flew down hard, pulling his wings into his body, hurtling towards Alyssa, his body glowing red: he'd used Extreme Speed. His roar was audible for miles, his fury and frustration at dropping Alyssa screamed for all the five islands to hear.
With outstretched claws, Ralph was upon Alyssa in a flash. He snatched her out of the air, holding her tight to his body as he opened his wings again to slow his descent, the glow fading. His roar stopped but he breathed heavily, his chest heaving with the exertion. He gripped her so tightly that it hurt.
They descended slowly, still buffeted by the gales, but reached the island without drama. Ralph and Rose touched down within seconds of each other, and Alyssa was placed carefully on the warm sand. She didn’t move, but instead just laid there, her hair wild and windswept as Alyssa's mother gingerly climbed down from Ralph. Alyssa's mother rushed over and enveloped her in a bone-shattering hug as soon as she touched solid ground, sobbing hard, refusing to let go for several minutes. Rose hugged Ralph hard around the neck too, grateful for him saving Alyssa, and promising that she'd do everything in her power to get him a commendation.
Alyssa was still giggling madly from the thrill of it all, the excitement and gratitude and thrill outweighing the sheer terror of the fall.
Alyssa's mother chartered a boat for the rest of the journey, and never used Poké Ride again.
~*~
Alyssa stood at the precipice of her final test, on the platform stretching out over the belly of the Aerodrome. She gazed at her opponent, standing at the other side of the arena with her arms folded, the scenes from 15 years ago suddenly clear in her memory again.
Ralph got that commendation, and so did Rose for training him. It sat beside her Admiralty trophy on her mantlepiece for years. Alyssa finally got to see it when she visited a few years ago.
She shook the memory out of her mind and tucked it away. Now was not the time to be reminiscing about her first flight. She was older now, twenty years old and a Sky Trainer herself, tall and lean and aerodynamic. Her hair, which normally fell to her waist, was tied up in a loose ponytail and draped across the back of her own wingsuit.
On the giant screen that stretched across one side of the Aerodrome, the words "Admiralty Competition Finals" were displayed, next to two portraits. One was a giant image of herself, decked in her yellow wingsuit, with her hair flowing and her face made up. The tournament organisers had insisted. The other was of her opponent, a young woman from Hoenn – Alyssa's longtime friend and rival.
This moment was what Alyssa had been training for, and the last obstacle to achieving her dream: becoming the newest Admiral of the Aerodrome.
The screen changed, and a siren sounded. Alyssa started running hard towards the end of the platform and jumped off, her wingsuit deploying new, sleek wings – far sleeker than the ones Rose wore fifteen years ago. As she soared up, she threw the Pokéball in her hand up above her, and it burst open as she rushed towards her opponent. Victory was in her sights, and she wasn't going to give it up now.
After all, she never did get the career her mother hoped she would.
