“You know, once you’ve gotten a sweeping view from above, you’d think you’ve seen it all, until you stand right below it and it’s an entirely new world,” Sable said rather poetically as she looked up at the massive Battle Tree, its branches filled with Flying type Pokémon of all kinds.

Standing directly below the Battle Tree, right at its entrance, Alex and the group stood mesmerized as they looked up at the majestic canopy above them, which seemed to blot out the sky without end. Along the branches, Flying type Pokémon of all kinds gathered and nested in peace, watching the tiny humans below. Included among them were Toucannon, Pelipper, Oricorio, Dartrix, Drifblim, Noctowl, Xatu, Crobat, and Fearow, as well as the more powerful Salamence, Dragonite, and Altaria. It was like looking up into a wondrous skybound ecosystem suspended just above them.

The trunk, meanwhile, had platforms and rope bridges spiraling around it, leading all the way to the top of the tree where its branches began to split toward the Flying type Pokémon nest. It didn’t seem dangerous, likely because these Pokémon were dominated by a more powerful presence within the hierarchy, preventing them from giving in to their more feral instincts. As for any trainers that might fall from the platforms or rope bridges, it was likely that certain Flying type Pokémon were tasked with catching them before they hit the ground, further adding to the safety of the climb.

As for their immediate area, there was a sprawling trainer market not unlike the ones Alex had found inside the Wild Area of the Galar region, where seedy deals, desperate trainers, and opportunistic merchants had set up stalls along the exposed roots of the tree to sell their wares. There were, after all, quite a lot of wealthy trainers running around.

“Right!” Marlo called out. “Who wants to go in, and who wants to stay out here?”

They split into two groups, one following Marlo inside and the other following Alex to look around the place. Marlo and his family grouped together, accompanied by Alex’s children and their mothers, as well as Iris and Clarissa. Alex, on the other hand, took the non-combatants, namely Nyx, Rhea, Sable, Maris, Lina, Mira, Celise, and Talia.

Once they had their groups straightened out, Marlo and his group moved into the Battle Tree, where they found themselves in a reception area. Malia and Nohea entered the competing line while the rest took the viewing section for a small fee. They were led to an amphitheater of sorts that broadcast multiple camera angles of each platform, while they sat in a comfortable, cushioned seating area around a table where they could order food at their leisure.

Malia and Nohea, meanwhile, began their climb up the spiral platforms and rope bridges. As they moved upward, they passed dejected trainers who had lost their battles, making their way back down to either try again or call it a day. Other trainers remained on the platforms, awaiting challengers. Depending on whether they won or lost, they would either move up and wait again without a chance to heal their Pokémon, or move down and register for another run.

Trainers were divided into three categories. Singles where a trainer fought a 3v3, Doubles where it was a 4v4 with two Pokémon on the field per trainer, and in the case of Malia and Nohea, Multis where two trainers fought together with two Pokémon each. The platforms were shared across all three formats, though they rarely felt crowded, given how long it took at the higher tiers for new challengers to appear.

Meanwhile, Alex took the girls out shopping along the sea of stalls and tents offering their goods and services to trainers aiming to dominate the Battle Tree. It didn’t take long for them to grow bored, however, as trainers rarely offered anything new or of interest that Alex and his group didn’t already have access to through the International Police Headquarters or the League Market. They were part of the upper echelons of society, where wealth was the minimum requirement and resources were the most abundant and advanced.

“Junk, junk, trash, a decade old, that’s just a rock,” Rhea called out as they made their way to the fringes of the stalls, losing interest the further they went from the Battle Tree. “Everything is just useless junk. And what is up with these absurd prices? Can they actually get some idiots to buy these?”

“They’re still here, aren’t they?” Nyx said. “That means they’ve got enough profits to keep going.”

“They’re likely intentionally inflating the price while relying on customer ignorance to make a sale,” Maris said. “That tends to happen when the trainer is either poor or has no access to the League Market.”

“They could also have other incentives,” Celise added. “They might just be clerks paid a wage while the goods come from a distributor that also sells the same goods at similar locations at significantly higher prices than online. That would be how I would structure a profit-driven model for this kind of business.”

“Ooh! What are these?” Lina asked as she followed her nose toward a row of food stalls, sampling whatever she could reach.

“Toucannon omelets,” the stall owner answered. “We get plenty of surplus Pokémon eggs here since they’re trying to control the population of the Flying type nest protecting the area. It’s gotten a bit overcrowded, which isn’t healthy for the Battle Tree. We can’t sell them either since they’re too common around these parts, so we make do.”

“Interesting.”

“We also have fried Toucannon, Pelipper bill and gular pouch soup, Oricorio over rice, and roasted Noctowl if you’re interested.”

“Get me one of everything!”

“Take it easy, Lina,” Mira said with concern. “You’ll be too stuffed to keep moving.”

“I’ll only take small bites of everything to taste and figure out their recipes. I’m not actually going to eat everything myself in one sitting.”

“Don’t worry,” Talia said. “I’ve got some pills here that should help with digestion.”

“Thanks, Talia,” Lina said brightly.

“Don’t encourage her,” Mira scolded.

Eventually, they ran out of stalls to visit as they headed east, and their interest in continuing toward the remaining stalls around the Battle Tree faded. It was likely there would be nothing new even if they circled back to every stall in the vicinity.

“The Poni Gauntlet is just east of here,” Alex suggested. “We could walk through it or fly over it with Mantine for a nice view.”

“Aren’t we passing through there tomorrow anyway?” Nyx pointed out. “I want to see new places while I’m out here.”

“How about south toward the Vast Poni Canyon?” Sable suggested. “I’m wondering what kind of rocks they have compared to the other regions.”

“They also have the Altar of the Sunne and Moone just over the mountains on the other side,” Nyx added.

“I wouldn’t mind if I had all my Pokémon,” Alex said. “The Vast Poni Canyon is particularly dangerous, with multiple Master ranked nests in the area away from the main route. We can’t just fly over it without preparations.”

“How about west, then?” Nyx suggested. “We can skirt along the western coast and watch the sea explode against the cliffs. We aren’t planning on heading that way, and I’m interested to see what it’s like.”

“Explode?” Rhea asked with excitement.

“What do you all think?” Alex asked.

None of them seemed to mind or offer a better alternative, so Alex released Mantine and circled around the north side of the Battle Tree, where they had approached from that morning, following the coastline of Poni Island counterclockwise.

Once they passed the Battle Tree’s area and reached the tall seaside cliffs of the western coastline, they were greeted by the stark sight of nature’s brutality. Weak Pokémon from the sea such as Tentacool, Tentacruel, and Jellicent drifted along, only to be battered against the jagged rocks at the base of the cliff by the powerful wind and crashing waves of the open ocean.

Where there was cruelty, there was also balance, as Pelipper and Fearow nested along the cliffside dove down to take advantage of the easy meals. Meanwhile, among the jagged rocks, Crustle endured the relentless salty winds, picking through whatever remained on the cliff face after the towering waves receded. It was a beautiful yet dangerous sight, shaped by nature’s indifferent hand.

None of them managed to speak in the face of such a harrowing, almost primal sight. Not even Alex had anything to say as he witnessed nature’s power firsthand. He only felt a quiet sense of nostalgia, and a sobering reminder that even Pokémon as powerful as they were compared to Earth’s animals were still part of nature’s cycle and not exempt from being tested by it to prove their survival.

In stunned silence, they continued to watch the brutal scene unfold as Mantine flew south along the coastline, where the harshness of nature simply continued without end. That was until Rhea broke the silence with a blood-chilling scream as she pointed ahead.

“It’s Orvan fucking Kestrel! The guy who killed my parents!” Rhea screamed before turning to Alex. “Alex! Let me go kill him, please~”

Alex looked over, and there he was, standing on a camouflaged makeshift balcony jutting out from the cliff face in the distance, relaxing with a woman on each arm. Without a doubt, that was Orvan Kestrel, and they had managed to accidentally find his hiding spot far from both himself and Team Dominion.

“Sure,” Alex said with a feral smile. “Let’s go say hi.”