Diana

  —

  Vacations were generally considered fun, exciting things. You get to leave behind your normal routine, your normal life, and do something different, even if you didn't go anywhere. Ideally you would even get to relax, enjoy yourself…

  I was not on a vacation.

  No, apparently getting the first interview with Erin Greenwood wasn't just good for my immediate career… It apparently meant that if a possible piece had anything to do with her, even peripherally, I was the one they sent. It made so very little sense to me!

  I did stupid little gossip pieces! I mean, yes, I really wanted to get away from that kind of trash, but I had actually been trying to get into the business affairs department! To be fair, it probably would have taken me years to advance that far, but…

  I was not supposed to be an investigative reporter, or whatever this even was! Field work!

  My internal grumbling was disrupted by the vibration of my PokeNav, and I frowned as I grabbed it from the bedside table. I should be asleep at this time of morning, even if I had woken up far too early and was still laying in bed, so why the fuck did I need to get a text from… my boss… with a link to our own site…

  I clicked the link, still frowning. I shouldn't even be up for another couple hours, so what could be important enough to-

  "From Tyrant Queen to Tyrant Commentator: Prehistoric Judgement in downtown Saffron!"

  There was a picture, of course. More than one, but I didn't really care about the contestants. No, I was focused on the image of that gigantic Tyrantrum grinning widely, tail obviously in motion behind her. I could see the three kids from the other day casually sitting with her, along with an older woman I obviously recognized as their mother. Not that it was hard, considering the pictures of her and the Champion. What appeared to be her personal team sat with her, and I was somehow able to be mildly surprised by the sight of the large Alpha Primeape. I'd known about the Fearow, and none of the rest looked terrifying, mean, or huge like them- wait!

  I zoomed in a little and confirmed my suspicion. That was an Alpha Bellossom! Did… did they have something in the fucking water at their Ranch?!

  After a long moment I just shook my head. No need to be stunned, at least by this…

  Huh, Erin and her Tyrunt got to fourth place. That was really good for an Open Contest, especially for her first, but I knew that there was a tantrum of some sort. Good luck getting a Tyrunt of all Pokemon to calm down from that.

  Still, why did I need to see this now? I should be sleeping! I mean, I was awake, yeah, but my boss didn't know that! I never put my phone on silent, either, none of us did! We were always on call unless we were on actual vacations!

  I wasn't harsh about it, but my boss certainly wouldn't enjoy reading the text I sent him… Too fucking cheap to hire me a flyer, or a Teleport, and then wake me up while I'm supposed to be sleeping? Even if I had been awake already thanks to this dreadful mattress?

  Asshole…

  —

  —

  I had never been a huge fan of Fuchsia. It was actually a beautiful city, and I loved its atmosphere, its ambiance, the weight of history so close it felt like you could touch it. I loved the view of the bay as well… It was just windy most of the time, considering the ocean, and at this time of year? It was even windier. Not a huge deal, no, just one more reason for me to be irritated. I had more than a few, actually…

  "Listen, I was directed here because you're apparently competent, but I guess my company was wrong?"

  The older lady standing behind the counter here scowled at me so hard it almost felt physical.

  "I am competent! I'm also not an idiot like you apparently are! I'm not renting out a Rapidash for a multiple day round trip without knowing the destination, and I told you that!" I just scowled harder.

  "And I told you, I don't know! I know roughly where I'm going, and I have protection for myself and my ride!"

  I sighed again as her eyes grew even harder. This was going to take far too long…

  'Just go to this Pokemon Rental place, I've already talked to them, everything should be settled' my fucking ass!

  —

  —

  Rapidash were very fast Pokemon. I had ridden before, so I wasn't uncomfortable with the speed, and it was very fun, honestly. I didn't get many chances to leave Saffron for gossip of all things, so it had been years since I got to enjoy the feeling of speed from a moving Pokemon's back.

  I had never been to the plains before, though, and I found myself fascinated by the area. On the one hand, it was… the plains. There wasn't a whole lot out here that stood out, much less anything easily identifiable, and it should have been uninteresting aside from the occasional small pond, weathered boulders emerging from the plains, and maybe some small stands of trees that looked like they had gotten lost.

  To my surprise, it wasn't, not in the least. The way the long grass shifted around in the almost constant breeze, the low drone of far too many insects, some of which splattered on the weak Protect the Rapidash kept on me, even the sky! Of course, it was the exact same sky as in Saffron, or Fuchsia, but the way it felt so… close was different. That was the word, close. Saffron's skyline was highly obscured, and even Fuchsia's, devoid of anything taller than pagoda's, was nothing like this. It felt like I could reach up and touch the sky itself if I strained a little, and combined with the rest? The plains were beautiful.

  My mount wasn't exactly enthusiastic to be my mount, or to be out here, but he was a trained Rapidash, and didn't object when I directed him towards the middle of the plains. I knew what I was looking for, just not exactly where it was. Erin Greenwood had given me more than enough to narrow this 'Maxx' person's location down considerably, though.

  He had a compound out here, already highly unusual considering it was illegal to build out here… without permission, something I had never heard of… Other than research outposts, I guess, but even then, most researchers stayed with the Rangers…

  He was also close enough that Leto, the Tyrant Queen, had been able to pull a wagon out here, and despite her speed, you couldn't do that quickly, so his compound shouldn't be that far away…

  Ten minutes into our gallop, I was rudely reminded that this wasn't exactly an empty expanse of grass… Although, it could have been worse. I knew that the photographer had been saved from an Arcanine, but I really wasn't expecting the small herd of Ponyta, led by two Rapidash, that came to check us out…

  I wasn't scared as the herd drew alongside me, but I was slightly nervous. I'd said I had protection, and I did… Protection I trusted implicitly, in fact, but… he would be so mad if he had to fight a fire type…

  Luckily they merely seemed to exchange words briefly before the herd split back off from us, and I sighed a little in relief. I did not want my trip out here to include my hair burning up… or injury, obviously, but still! I raised my voice slightly to be heard over the constant cascading sound of the grass blowing in the wind, not to mention the galloping…

  "Just saying hi, I guess?"

  My rented Rapidash snorted a little and nodded… then I swear to Arceus he snickered! Why would he-

  I gripped the saddle's horn tightly as he began to sprint briefly, barely able to keep my balance. I could have reached around his neck to be very secure, those flames didn't have to burn, but… it was one thing to know that intellectually, another thing entirely to make yourself hug flame!

  My curses just grew from there, as he had apparently been testing me! That would explain why his speed just kept increasing!

  Why?!

  —

  —

  When my impromptu sprint through the plains ended, it ended suddenly, and with no warning.

  One moment I was holding tightly to the saddle horn, hunched over as much as possible, the next he had skidded to a halt, sending me flying through the air. I barely had time to panic before the Protect surrounding me intensified.

  Which was a very good thing, considering I rolled almost fifteen feet. I was completely fine, not a bruise or scratch…

  I was very disorientated, though. I felt like I had just been tumble-dried in a fucking clothes dryer, slight dizziness from the tumbling included…

  It was probably why I managed to get startled again.

  "Well, this is a new one, Cinder! It's usually dumb tourists, not a… what did Mrs. Tanaka call her? A 'stubborn waste of brain cells' of a reporter?" The voice was deep and gravely, and I jerked my head up in shock.

  There was a large bald man a couple decades my senior standing there with his arms crossed glaring at me, steely black eyes seeming to pierce right through me. He was glaring, but while there was certainly some amusement over my current state peeking through, he looked… harsh. Not mean, but very, very close to it. The look wasn't helped by the nose that had very obviously been broken more than a few times, nor by the bright green vest that identified him as a Ranger.

  My traitorous rented Rapidash was standing there watching the whole thing, and I swore it was smirking at me!

  "Well, are you going to get up?" He did not offer me a hand.

  I glared at the man and scrambled to my feet with as much dignity as I could gather, which… wasn't much, especially as I tried to brush myself off. I obviously hadn't worn my usual business attire, opting for some simple pants and a blouse, but I was… covered in dirt now.

  "What the fuck was that about? Why did he- wait, Cinder?" Rapidash, or Cinder I guess, just snorted out a laugh, one the Ranger was happy to join in on. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, and behind him I saw a stereotypical Ranger outpost. They were almost uniform no matter the region, a simple stone hut, observation tower, and garage…

  The life sized statue of The Tyrant Queen next to this one was very different, though!

  "Cinder here brought you to us, just like he does every ignorant tourist who decides they know better than the experts who tell them no. Although, you're not exactly a tourist, are you?" He squinted at me in suspicion, and I felt a slight bit of fear before he stopped.

  "What the hell does a reporter want out here in the plains?" I flushed slightly, but I quickly rallied. This was far from the first time I'd had someone be suspicious of me and my profession… reasonably, in all honesty. I'd known more than a few colleagues who would get their scoops… even if they had to push the boundaries of the law to get it.

  "First, it has to be illegal for that lady to have… Cinder here just… Just take me to you!" He snorted in amusement.

  "No, it very much is not illegal, and you agreed to it! Good job checking all the fine print on that release you signed." What?! "You know how many people come out here and die a year? More than zero, which is what it should be. Mrs. Tanaka sends the ones who seem like they'll get themselves killed to us, so they don't. Now, what the fuck are you doing all the way out here, Miss Reporter?" The glare had returned in force, and there was no amusement there this time.

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  I shook my head in frustration. How to handle this? I mean, I wasn't going to lie, but I'd quickly learned that people react to the same information in a very different way depending on how you present it… I hunched my shoulders slightly, and I didn't have to act embarrassed, I just was.

  "Well… I work for the Saffron Gazette, and the other day I managed to get an interview with…" I trailed off as he burst into laughter. He idly waved his hand at me as he coughed a few times.

  "Sorry, it's just… I can guess the rest. Wait, you got Erin to sit down for an interview?!" He seemed stunned, and I guess that had been loud enough that the rest of the Rangers out here showed up. A blonde lady more than a decade my senior, a very cool looking hat on her head, and a… That was the most bland, non-descript man I had ever seen in my life! He missed his calling, he should be a spy or a ninja or something!

  They strolled up, a Rotom following behind them, and gave me odd looks.

  "You interviewed… Erin?" The man even sounded bland!

  "There's no way, Erin would have bitten her… wait, did she bite you, and then give you the interview as an apology?" The blonde lady was… She was serious! What the hell? To so much…

  I flushed a little under their gazes, but I managed to get my words out. Barely.

  "Well, no, she did not bite me… I just… Well, I saw her go into a store, and I waited outside… then I just asked nicely?" They looked stunned for a moment before they burst into laughter. The bald guy, who I had to assume was the Head Ranger out here, spoke through his own laughter.

  "Hah! The one thing that insane kid would get thrown off by! Politeness!"

  The lady was next, her grin more than slightly sharp.

  "Wait, I know she wouldn't have done it in a cafe or something… You met Leto?" I felt my face pale a little and they all laughed again.

  What the hell…

  At least they don't look mad anymore?

  —

  —

  "So she tried to ride The Tyrant Queen out to stop that Stampede?!" What the everloving fuck, Erin Greenwood!?

  The head Ranger, Bruce, just laughed from the driver's seat.

  "She did, but not quite? Nobody rides Leto, not even her kids. You apparently… 'surf' her snout. She doesn't count that as riding, since it's more like… what did Erin say?... It's not riding, it's you 'hanging on for dear life'!" I burst into laughter from the passenger seat. That made a lot more sense.

  The plains didn't exactly blur past the window, not like when I was riding… Cinder, but we were moving decently fast, just fast enough we weren't shaken to death…

  "She also didn't do it, because I'd have given her a black mark on her trainers card. Not to mention, I wouldn't want to put Leto through the hassle of keeping that nutcase alive and stopping a Stampede… I think she's kind of used to Erin's insanity, though." His face was happy as he said that, and I leapt on it.

  "That reminds me, why was there a statue of, uhh, Leto back there?" He smirked at me briefly before turning back to the sea of grass ahead of us.

  "Well, because Leto's awesome? We were joking around with her one day, and Jess said we needed a statue of her… so she made one." Okay, I could easily see that happening, but…

  "You seem to like Leto, but I would have thought the Rangers would be more… annoyed by such a huge carnivore?" Right? I know that a lot of trainers with carnivorous Pokemon did not like following the rules, but Bruce just chuckled.

  "Nah, Leto's great! She follows all of our rules, and we don't worry about her lying to us when she tells us how many Ponyta she took. Tauros, well, she can just hunt them whenever she wants, of course." That made sense. Well, the last part did. Leto followed rules?

  "She follows rules?" His grin just grew.

  "She does, and she also has three awards so far!" My jaw dropped as he continued.

  "She cleared out some Kangaskhan poachers for us and won herself a Meritorious Service Award, she did it again and received another, and then she has a Silver Star for saving poor Maxx." He was smiling, but there was… pride there?

  Wait, cleared out?

  "She 'cleared out' some poachers?" His grin grew feral for a moment.

  "Oh yeah, it was very convenient, we only had to go move their vehicles afterwards! We miss her already, in fact…" I don't know why I'm even slightly surprised, actually, Kanghaskhan poachers were some of the worst poachers. His face certainly had some vicious glee saying that, but underneath it… No, really?

  "You sound like you're talking about a… friend?" He chuckled again, just as a structure appeared in the distance. A medium-sized stone structure…

  "It's because I am. We're friends with Leto, and any Ranger that encounters her won't have to work too hard to make friends, either. Us Rangers are, as a rule, forcefully adjusted to intense aura's during training, you can't be freezing up in the field and losing your head. Leto really enjoys how we're not scared of her. I mean, sure, she could devour me, and my team would only slow her down, but she won't. What kind of Queen would eat her subjects? Or I guess… foreign subjects?" He looked slightly confused for a second before snorting.

  "So yeah, we're Leto's friends… and so are all the Kangaskhan-" What?! "-not to mention Maxx out here…"

  I leaned back in my seat, just… I wasn't stunned, I was… I don't know what I would call it, or what to make of all this information.

  I had watched the video of Leto devouring that poor man just outside of Freezingpoint… I had also eaten dinner with her, sat in a room with her. I knew she wasn't some rampaging monster, but still…

  Friends?!

  —

  —

  I really wasn't expecting the sight that met my eyes a half hour later, still sitting in the Ranger's vehicle in front of the walls. They weren't exactly the tallest walls, but even from this angle I could see just how monstrously thick they were! If the wall was twenty feet tall, the walls were almost ten feet thick! The steel gate set into the middle of the wall looked flimsy in comparison, honestly!

  Still, I had expected that after hearing about it from Erin Greenwood, and I had been expecting the twelve foot tall Kangaskhan that came ambling around the corner. I really hadn't expected there to be a human riding in her pouch, though! Along with… oh Arceus, there was a baby Kangaskhan in there, too! That is adorable!

  We got out of the vehicle and the Kangaskhan moved to meet Ranger Bruce, a wide smile on her face as she idly lifted the man out of her pouch. Said man stumbled slightly, but seemed very used to it.

  I had heard about Maxx briefly from Erin Greenwood, but I had somehow been expecting someone… I don't know exactly, but not this. He seemed… normal! Even with him having been carried around in a Kangaskhan's pouch like a baby, he looked… Not bad, actually, kind of cute, my age too… He was deeply tanned despite the wide hat he wore, jet-black hair peeking out from underneath it, and seemed completely at ease in some sort of thick, cream-colored leather jacket, cargo pants bulging with what was obviously camera equipment.

  "Bruce, this is unusual! What's up?" He sounded slightly concerned, which… I guess that was reasonable? I'll bet the Rangers didn't just casually drop by every day…

  "Well, you know how Mrs. Tanaka sends the idiots our way? Well, she sent us a slightly different variety of idiot this time." I scowled at the man as I strode up to them around the front of the vehicle.

  "I am not an idiot. That Rapidash could have outrun a herd of Tauros, and I have protection from anything the plains could throw at me!"

  Maxx looked more than slightly confused now, but it was Bruce who I was glaring at, a glare that grew more piercing for his next words.

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure your Meowth or Skitty or whatever could take an Arcanine…" Really?

  "My Skitty? Oh, well then, want to come say hello, Barker?" I grew slightly red in the face as they both smiled at the name, but I had been eight!

  Their faces certainly lost the amused looks fast enough.

  Stoutland were not a common Pokemon to find outside of Unova, but they were far from uncommon. Barker had been my first Pokemon, way back when I was a kid. He had been intended as a house Pokemon for the family, as Lilipup were known to be quiet in comparison to most other canines, perfect for the apartment we lived in. Barker obviously defied at least that part of his species. He was still kind and gentle and brave like most Lilipup, though, and had refused to let me Journey without him…

  Barker came out with a low woof of greeting, and I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. Barker wasn't the strongest Pokemon in the world, sure. I had only gotten five badges during my initial Journey, but he had been my main battler, and he still trained occasionally.

  "I think that Barker here could have stopped an Arcanine. In fact, I know he could have… He'd just rather not, considering the fire…" He growled a little and nodded at that, because yeah… He took great pride in his long, luxurious mustache… It would regrow completely in a few days, but those days may as well be torture for him…

  "Well… Okay, maybe Mrs. Tanaka didn't get the entire picture…" It felt good to surprise Bruce, especially after that Skitty comment…

  I really should have expected the next reaction, though.

  The huge Kangaskhan rumbled out a greeting, and Barker ambled over to her with his own low woof. Then I saw something I had never seen before, not that I'd been in this situation before…

  Most Kangaskhan would kill someone who touched their baby, so her placing her baby on the ground in front of Barker was… surprising, yes, but Stoutland were also very well known for their caring attitudes towards children. Barker sniffed the baby deeply, let out another low woof, and sat down.

  The two men didn't look very surprised by it, though, and Maxx finally looked directly at me with a puzzled expression.

  "So, I assume you're here for… me? Why?" I grew red at that, even as Bruce grinned at me.

  "Well, to start, I'm a reporter… and the other day I interviewed Erin Greenwood-" He burst into laughter, the same look in his eyes as the Rangers'd had!

  "Sorry, it's just… how?! I thought Erin would have used those terrifying kukri of hers on any reporter!" Her kukri? Oh… Those…

  "No, I just… asked politely?" Maxx and the Kangaskhan both burst into laughter, and I knew what his next words would be, because I'd already heard them before!

  "That's one way to throw off the Tiny Tyrant, just be nice! She can't be mean to someone nice!"

  I knew they weren't laughing at me, but still… Was it really that funny that I had been polite?

  Well, some reporters had a very valid reputation, so maybe it was…

  —

  —

  "She took a photo?!" No fucking way! The Tyrant Queen took a photo?

  Maxx just laughed and began to leaf through a file cabinet full of photos. It was obvious where they came from, considering the heavy, expensive looking printer sitting in a corner of his house. His pentagon-shaped hut out in the middle of the plains, lets not forget where I was…

  "She did, actually! Well, she got everything arranged how she wanted, then I framed it as best I could… she clicked the button with her claw, though, so I count it as hers! Well, I also don't want to count it as mine…" Oh Arceus, what kind of picture would put that face on someon-

  Arceus! A headless Arcanine posed sitting on top of a boulder in the plains?! 'Modern Savagery from a Prehistoric Queen'!?

  "It really is a… good photo, it's just not one that I would hang up where people could see… now, for one of those that involves Leto…" He chuckled and began to search again, and I took the chance to look around some more.

  Not that there was much to see.

  There was everything you'd expect to find in a studio apartment, honestly. A nice large TV, computer station, a comfortable-looking bed, a plush armchair obviously for Maxx, a gigantic cushion for his Kangaskhan Rosie, a small shower area, free-standing kitchen and fridge… It looked almost normal with the number of rugs, but the smooth stone walls and ceiling really gave it away.

  The Tyrant Queen had built her friend a house out here so Rosie didn't have to stray too far from her herd, not to mention Maxx actually enjoyed living out here! Well, that one I could… almost understand. The plains were far more beautiful than I would have expected, in all honesty…

  "This is the funniest picture I ever took of Leto… so far, I get the feeling if she hears that she'll take it as a challenge." I chuckled a little as he slid a photo across his small table, prepared for insanity this tim-

  Arceus!

  Okay, not nearly as bad as the headless Arcanine, but Leto tossing a blazing Rapidash into a river?! That was not what I was expecting!

  "Here's her favorite photo, actually…" Oh no, what was it going to be this ti-

  Wow, that is a lot of Kangaskhan. Like, a fucking lot! I looked up at him in shock and he smiled widely at my expression.

  "That was after Leto had been gone for a few weeks. The herds all love her, she's friends with them all." He chuckled a little as my mouth dropped open. I mean, I had heard that, yes, but seeing photographic evidence was a bit different! She looked like she was… presiding over them!

  "It makes a lot of sense when you really think about it. She's a huge, hugely overprotective mother, and Kangaskhan as a species are huge, hugely overprotective mothers. Not to mention Leto clearing out those poachers…" He turned a little green, and spoke before I could even ask the question… You know, like reporters usually do…

  "I was there for the second… devouring. I'm not exactly comfortable with it, but considering they're Kangaskhan poachers?" His face, so gentle and soft, turned harsh briefly. "Well, it's better the meat doesn't go to waste, I guess…" Arceus… Yeah, I guess I could understand that, considering the Kangaskhan nodding along with his words…. Not sure I agreed with it, but I certainly understood it…

  Especially considering the absolutely adorable sight of Barker playing with the baby Kangaskhan, currently a game of tug of war that involved one of the many, many toys strewn about his house.

  Maxx sat back down and took a sip of the tea he had made us, before giving me a very direct look.

  "So, you wanted to interview me, right? I assume it's about Leto?" I nodded, feeling myself flush a little as his eyes drifted slightly. He was cute, and my age… but I would save that for after this…

  "Well, yes, or at least initially… I'm certainly still going to ask some questions about her and Erin, but I think at this point I'm more interested in you." That was not how I meant it to come out, but… he didn't look disappointed, that's for sure.

  Neither was I.

  "In fact, I can stay out here for up to three days, if you'd like to hold off…?"

  The way his eyes lit up was telling. I bet it got kind of lonely out here, the only humans to talk to in person Rangers unless you ran all the way to Fuchsia… something Rosie could do in a couple hours, sure, but still…

  Maybe I'd get more than just a story out of this? I mean…. Listen, he was cute, okay!? Can I be blamed? I don't get a whole lot of opportunities to meet people! Or at least people that aren't wary of me…

  His eyes grew slightly warmer at that, and he chuckled.

  "Oh, so you already interviewed Erin? Can I see that?" I felt my own smile grow wide as I pulled my PokeNav out.

  I could be a reporter tomorrow, today I'm just Diana, and this wasn't 'the photographer Leto saved', this was just Maxx… I might get to have a tiny little vacation, actually!

  "They printed it a couple days ago, but here's the site…" He smiled as he took it from me… then a few seconds later laughed lightly, almost certainly at the picture of Erin relaxing on her terrifying Zweilous.

  "Cerberus at least looks nicer these days… Well, his angry head looks slightly less rage-y…" I chuckled, because yes, he apparently had been good recently…

  I didn't notice the scene playing out behind my back, and Maxx was too busy focusing on my PokeNav to notice, either… Rosie and Barker were certainly giving us looks, though, and then they shared a long look of their own…

  A minute later I found an adorable baby Kangaskhan at my side, eager to play with the new person, and I smiled widely as I stood up.

  Maybe the plains weren't so bad after all…

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