"Welcome aboard Altaria Air, I hope you enjoy your flight!" The flight attendant by the hatch smiled warmly at the group. "If you'll show me your tickets, I'll take you to your seats."

Following the flight attendant, Enterprise gestured for Unicorn to take the window seat which delighted the little carrier. Enterprise took the seat beside Unicorn while Sheffield and Belfast occupied the seats behind them. The flight attendant returned with four champagne flutes which she set on the fold-out tray before each of the ships and proceeded to pour out a sparkling gold liquid into each glass.

Belfast leaned forward and spoke softly in Enterprise's ear. "I thought a little celebration was in order, and since you and Unicorn don't drink, I requested sparkling cider instead."

Lifting the glass and sniffing the sweet aroma, Enterprise finally allowed herself to relax and smiled. She cheerfully clinked her glass with Unicorn and took a sip delighting in the flavor. "Are you excited Unicorn?"

The young girl turned her shining eyes towards Enterprise and nodded, grinning brightly. "Oh yes big sis," she reached out and took Enterprise's hand, "I'm very excited to be traveling with you and the other big sisters. But…" she lowered her head. "I...I wish Javelin, Laffey, and Ayanami were here with me. I miss my friends."

Enterprise stroked Unicorn's head and smiled. "Well I can understand missing your friends, but I hope you consider me a friend too, and not just a big sis." She glanced up, watching other passengers move through first-class towards the other sections of the plane before turning back to Unicorn. "Now that we're really on our way to an adventure, I'm kind of excited. And I'm really glad you and Yuni are here with me." Reaching over Enterprise lifted the little plush which struggled for a moment little wings fluttering before it settled down in her lap.

Watching the exchange, Unicorn smiled up at her. "Of course I think of you as a friend Enterprise, and so does Yuni. And I'm really glad that I am on an adventure with you."

Once they were safely in the air, Enterprise took over the window seat, allowing Unicorn and Yuni to cuddle in her lap. In a few minutes Unicorn had drifted off and not long after that, Enterprise had drifted off as well. She was awoken when the pilot announced that the plane would be landing in fifteen minutes and to make preparations for landing. Gathering up the various snacks that had been left on their trays, Enterprise passed them back to Belfast but kept a packet of Pewter Crunchies to take the edge off her hunger.

Enterprise took Unicorn's hand and together they exited the plane, followed by Belfast and Sheffield. The first thing Enterprise noticed upon entering the terminal, were the vast number of strange creatures. Some followed passengers, while others held the creatures in their laps. They hastened after Belfast, having stopped to look around in wonder. There was a tram ride that took them into the city and a short walk found them standing outside a hotel named: Rose of the Rondelands.

Unicorn looked around the large elegant lobby of the hotel. Some of the strange creatures had intimidated her, but then she noticed a young boy holding a fox-like creature, with six tails, in his lap. With Enterprise and the others distracted, Unicorn wandered over to the boy, who looked up and smiled when she approached. "Excuse me, but would you mind if I petted your fox?"

Grinning widely, the boy shook his head. "Not at all, you don't mind do you Vulpix?" He patted the cushion beside him. "Vulpix!" The creature agreed happily. "This is Sparks, he's a Vulpix."

Unicorn sat down, and gently stroked Spark's head. He had very soft fur and she could feel heat radiating from its body "Pix pix pix!" It trilled happily. "Excuse me, but what's a Vulpix?" Unicorn wondered, delighting in the feel of the soft fur on her palm.

"Oh, it's a fire-type Pokemon." He frowned slightly at her look of confusion. "You don't know what a Pokemon is?" At her headshake, he grinned. "Oh! Well, all the creatures around here that you see are called Pokemon. It's short for Pocket Monster. Trainers, like me, can catch, train and battle Pokemon in various arenas. It's a lot of fun." He paused thoughtfully. "Of course not every trainer likes to battle. There are Pokemon Coordinators who have stylized battles that are judged for the elegance and beauty of the moves. There are Pokemon Performers which are more of a beauty pageant, or you can just have a Pokemon to help around the house." He tapped his chin, "You know, you can stop by any police station and get registered as a resident. The regional professor would give you your first Pokemon and a Pokedex, but if you want I can give you a Pokemon of your own. I have a couple of spare Pokemon and I can give you one." He thrust out his hand. "I'm Micah, it's nice to meet you."

Blushing, Unicorn shook his hand gently. "Oh, I'm Unicorn and this is Yuni." She held up her plush. "And, what do you mean you would give me one of your Pokemon?"

Micah's eyes widened. "Unicorn? You're one of the Azur Lane ships! That's sooo cool!" He smiled, "As for a Pokemon, trainers catch and keep Pokemon in a special storage system. I have quite a few and I can certainly afford to give you one. Even if you don't want to battle, you can keep it as a friend and companion. There's a Pokemon Center right on the other side of the square. I can access my storage from there."

"Uhhh….ummm, I need to check with my big sis first." Unicorn walked over to where Enterprise stood looking bored while Belfast and Sheffield waited to check-in. "Enterprise, umm, this is my new friend Micah and we're going to go over to the Pokemon Center on the other side of the square. Is that okay?"

"It's the white building with red trim and a Pokeball in the center of the sign. I promise we'll go straight there and come straight back." Micah added with a smile.

Belfast turned and looked at Enterprise and gave a gentle smile. "Enterprise, why don't you walk over there with Unicorn? I imagine you're bored, I'm pretty sure I can handle checking in without you. But rest assured that should the Sirens attack, I will know where to send Sheffield to find you."

Unicorn walked alongside Micah, still clinging to her plush. Enterprise followed along behind them. Micah led the way to the Pokemon Center. Unicorn was again filled with wonder this time at the Pokemon Center. To the left, there was, what appeared to be, a juice bar. To the right, she could see trainers making purchases at a small store. Straight ahead, a woman in a pink and white uniform took Pokeballs from trainers and put them on a machine, then returned them. "That device heals Pokemon after a battle. Regardless of health or status conditions." Micah told her as he walked over to a machine in the wall beside the healing machine. Unicorn watched in wonder as he searched through Pokemon on a screen before selecting one. He tapped the screen and the machine whirred softly. On a round panel attached to the machine, a Pokeball materialized. Micah took the Pokeball and nodded at Unicorn. "Come on, let's go outside."

Unicorn followed Micah to an out-of-the-way spot. When he held out the Pokeball towards her, she accepted it and studied it for a moment. Micah showed her how to release the catch on the Pokeball and it opened. A beam of red light shot out and materialized into a Vulpix. This Vulpix was white with gray paws. The two stared at each other, and Unicorn glanced over at Micah. "Why is it white?" She wondered.

Micah laughed, "This Vulpix was caught in the Alola region. They adapted to the cold weather of Mount Lanakila." He patted the Vulpix's head. "Snowdust, I'm going to give you to my new friend Unicorn. I want you to travel with her and help her on her journey, okay?"

"Vupix!" Snowdust agreed. She walked over to Unicorn and reared up on her hind legs, resting her front paws on Unicorn's knee, wagging her fluffy tail.

Unicorn scooped up Snowdust and hugged her and Snowdust snuggled close. "Micah, she's warm, and yet she's cold."

Micah nodded, "Snowdust is an Ice-type Pokemon, so she's going to radiate cold. She's also trained and battle experienced, so you can use her as your lead Pokemon until your other Pokemon get trained up." He nodded. "Set her down, and I'll show you." Unicorn set Snowdust down and looked expectantly at Micah. "Alright, now give her a command. Speak clearly and firmly and she'll obey." He pointed to a patch of grass. "Tell her to use Powder Snow."

Unicorn looked down at her Vupix and nodded, pointing at the patch of grass. "Snowdust, use Powder Snow!" She called out, remembering to speak firmly.

Snowdust inhaled and breathed out an icy wind that froze the patch of grass. She stopped and turned to Unicorn, "Vulpix...pix pix!" She yipped, clearly pleased with herself.

Unicorn stared in amazement, then giggled, scooping up Snowdust and snuggling her. She turned to Micah, "And you're sure it's okay if I take her?" She wondered.

Micah laughed and nodded. "Sure! I can catch another one if I wanted. When you get to meet a regional professor, he or she can show you how to register Snowdust as your Pokemon. Once you're registered as a trainer and have a Pokedex and Pokeballs of your own, registration will happen automatically. He turned to Enterprise, "And what about you? Do you want a Pokemon too?"

Enterprise blushed slightly and shook her head. "Uhh, no thank you. I just came to keep Unicorn company. But thank you for your generous gift." Unicorn nodded, thanking him as well.

Micah shrugged, "In time, you'll learn that sometimes the only way you can get certain Pokemon is to trade them. Also, because of her lack of experience, most Pokemon won't obey commands from her. But a trained Pokemon that's been given to her, will listen and obey." He looked at Unicorn, "Hopefully you'll receive a starter Pokemon soon. There are three types that the regional professors give out. Fire, Grass, or Water types. These are the easiest Pokemon to train, and you can keep whichever one you chose to get you started. In the Galar region, the Fire-type is Scorbunny, the Water-type is Sobble, and the Grass-type is Grookey. Each type has its strengths and weaknesses, which you'll learn in time. Just don't get into any battles until you've registered as a trainer. You don't want to get in trouble for battling without a license." Micah reached into his backpack and withdrew a packet of pellets. "This is Pokemon food, formulated specifically for Ice-type Pokemon. While Snowdust likes it and it's pretty cheap, I recommend supplementing her diet with food she may like. Any berries you see that aren't on private property, such as people's residences, are free for the taking. You'll have to experiment to see what sort of berries she likes." Running his fingers through his hair, Micah laughed. "I could spend all day telling you about Pokemon and not even scratch the surface. The very best way for you to learn about Pokemon is to just have an adventure. Explore the various regions of the world and see and meet as many Pokemon as you can. A tip though, trainers love to battle. While almost every trainer will be more than happy to help you in your journey, not all of them are nice. I recommend finding a Pokeguide who can train you and help you avoid sticky situations.

"Well, I need to get going, it was very nice meeting you Unicorn, and you as well Enterprise. I hope we meet again, Unicorn, and when we do, let's have a battle!" He grinned and offered his hand.

A tingle of energy rippled through Unicorn and she clasped Micah's hand and shook it. "Yes! Let's have a battle when we next meet."

Unicorn set down Snowdust and turned and walked back towards the hotel. Snowdust followed beside her and Enterprise trailed behind her. Unicorn's mind was whirling, she was more eager than ever to learn about the world of Pokemon that Belfast had brought her to.

Belfast and Sheffield waited outside the hotel, "Well well Unicorn and Enterprise, there you are. And who is this with you?" She wondered.

Unicorn blushed slightly and smiled. "This is Snowdust, my first Pokemon." She looked down. "Is...is it alright if I keep her Belfast?"

Belfast smiled, looking somewhat pleased with herself. "Why of course it is Unicorn. I didn't bring us here just to sightsee." She turned to Enterprise. "And what about you Enterprise? No Pokemon for you?"

Enterprise blushed brightly and looked away. "Well...I….you see...he offered but…" She stammered.

Belfast covered her mouth with a dainty hand and giggled quietly. "As I suspected. However, I believe you'll be far more interested once you see an actual battle. So how about we have some dinner before we go and see a battle?"

Dinner was a pleasant affair, and Unicorn was surprised at how involved Pokemon were in the day-to-day living of the people in the city. Some Pokemon helped restaurant servers by bringing food to a table. At various shops, she saw Pokemon helping shop owners. She watched, what she guessed was a Grass-type Pokemon, water flowers on display outside a shop. During her wanderings with Sheffield, Snowdust followed beside Unicorn. When Unicorn stopped, Snowdust would sniff around, exploring a bit. Occasionally she would bring Unicorn something she had found.

When night began to fall, they met up outside an enormous stadium. There were thousands of people and Pokemon making their way inside. Unicorn clung to Enterprise's hand and held Snowdust in her arm as they made their way inside. The people in line were very friendly and soon both Belfast and Enterprise were caught up in conversations.

Entering the stadium, Unicorn stared wide-eyed at the enormous field set in the middle of the arena. She followed behind Belfast and slid into the row of seats with her. She settled down, feeling much safer between the maid ship and Enterprise. She set Snowdust on her lap and stroked her head gently.

"That's a lovely Vulpix you have there." The woman sitting beside Belfast commented. "An Alolan regional variant, an Ice-type as opposed to the Kantonian Fire-type Vulpix." She gave Unicorn a cheerful smile. "I'm Professor Burnet, a Pokemon Researcher. I'm from the Alola region, my husband is the regional professor."

Belfast smiled pleasantly, "Well met Professor Burnet, I'm Belfast and these young ladies with me are all members of Azur Lane. Unicorn, Sheffield on the end there are from the Royal Navy. Enterprise is from Eagle Union. I brought these ladies here to see their first Pokemon battle."

Burnet beamed with excitement. "Well then Belfast, would you and your friends care to join me when I return to the Alola region? I have a bit more influence with the regional professor there and even if your friends don't become trainers, taking a visit to the Pokemon School is always a fun idea."

"If you're certain we wouldn't be an imposition, we would be delighted to take you up on your offer." Belfast replied pleasantly.

When the battle began, Enterprise found herself riveted to her seat, clutching tightly the armrests. The battle was between the current reigning champion Connor and the previous champion Leon. The battle was intense, and the skill with which the trainers directed their Pokemon was incredible, but when they Dynmaxed their Pokemon, Enterprise found herself on her feet, cheering with the rest of the crowd. When the match was over, with Connor soundly defeating Leon, Enterprise collapsed in her chair, a new fire burning within her heart. She had overheard Belfast talking to the woman beside her, something about professors and regions, but she couldn't get the images of the battle out of her mind. How positively thrilling it would be to wage war on a battlefield like this, directing Pokemon and basking in the adulation of the crowds.

"Enterprise dear, please focus. We need to start making our way to the exit." Belfast chided gently, indicating the diminishing crowds.

The group slowly made their way out of the arena and Burnet led them through the crowds to a small Battle Cafe. At a quiet table, enjoying mugs of Tapu Koko cocoa, Belfast related their story. "You see, Burnet, after the defeat of the Sirens and the reunification of the various nations, things became quite peaceful. Enterprise will always be a warship at heart and she was growing despondent without a battle to engage in. While most of us have embraced our humanity, Enterprise is the ever-vigilant warrior. I had heard of Pokemon and Pokemon battles from some of the visiting staff officers. I decided to take leave with the others and see about introducing Enterprise to Pokemon battling. Judging by her recent reaction, I would say she is quite eager to join the fight.

"As for little Unicorn, well Enterprise is her hero after Enterprise saved her during a conflict with the Sakura Empire. As for Sheffield and myself, we are both maids and since I guessed correctly that Unicorn would want to go with Enterprise, I asked Sheffield to help me take care of the two of them."

Burnet smiled and nodded, "Well, there is a helicopter coming to take me back to Melemele Island where I live, in the Alola region. You would be more than welcome to join me, and my husband Kukui would be happy to help you get started."

Belfast glanced at the others, and having received nods all around, she smiled. "Well, I think we are all in agreement, professor. At what time should we meet you tomorrow?"

"Well, the helicopter arrives at nine, so let's meet here at the cafe at eight-thirty. That will give us half an hour for breakfast. Then we can walk to meet the helicopter."

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully for Enterprise. She and Unicorn wandered around Wyndon, Enterprise letting Unicorn show her various stores she has discovered. Eventually, they made their way to their hotel room. Unicorn had turned in quickly and was soon sound asleep with Snowdust curled up on her belly. Enterprise remained awake for a while, watching television. She particularly enjoyed Professor Oak's "The Basics of Pokemon Training" show and Leon's "Fundamentals of Battling" show before she was finally able to drift off to sleep, wondering about what sort of Pokemon she would choose.

Morning came and Enterprise found herself enjoying a hearty breakfast at the cafe they had sat at last night. The walk to the helicopter pad was only a few minutes and Enterprise was on her way to a new adventure in the Alola islands.