The Journey Continues

The Naranja Experience

Throughout the years, Ash has went on many journeys, exploring all the hidden nooks of the regions to which he's travelled. It's an activity he takes immense pride in, it's his form of connecting to the world around him and the pokémon that inhabit it. The adventure will usually start with him landing in the region's capital's airport, meeting the local professor, getting a starter pokémon that's native to the area, recruiting a couple of new friends, and going out into the wild, with the goal of defeating every gym leader and taking on the league. This time, it was different. Ash felt the sudden downwards force, getting pushed into his seat as the wheels of the plane made landing with the runway. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived in Mesagoza. The local time is 6 minutes past 2 in the afternoon, and you'll probably be pleased to know it's a bright sunny January day in Paldea, the current temperature being 10ºC. Thank you for flying with Latias Airways, we hope to see you again soon." He was still arriving in a new region, had a scheduled meeting with someone who seemed to be the leading academic authority around, was most likely going to make some new friends along the way, but one thing's missing: the adventure. Instead, he's going to be attending school, following through with a commitment he made to himself to deepen his understanding of pokémon. Of course, you learn most in life by practical experience, but to actually study is also to broaden your horizons, deepening your understanding of the intricacies that make this Universe what it is. This has always been a field where Ash has been lacking in, he's never been particularly knowledgeable in the workings of science compared to some of his other companions. All he really knows going into this is that science is amazing, which, to be fair, is a better understanding of it than a lot of people in this world have. 

Really, he's kind of surprised that school isn't obligatory. Sure, you have to attend until you're 10, but after that, you're a free man. Wouldn't the world be a better, more advanced place if kids went to school until adulthood? That way, they'd learn much more, and have much more knowledge that they could apply to whatever their passions in life may be. At least teach them how to pay taxes, right?

But nevermind that, Ash thought to himself, as he stepped off the airplane, taking in the atmosphere of Paldea for the first time. It wasn't too bad for the time of year he found himself in, certainly warmer than Jubilife, Wyndon, Castelia or Lumiose, but still obviously colder than Lilycove and Hau'Oli. In fact, it was quite comparable to the weather this time of year in his home region of Kanto, albeit quite a bit sunnier. Soaring above him were a flock of an unfamiliar, pink bird-like pokémon. He took his pokédex, pointing it to the sky. "Flamigo, the synchronise pokémon. This Pokémon apparently ties the base of its neck into a knot so that the energy stored in its belly does not escape from its beak." Maybe he was going to be corrected about this in the school he was about to start attending, but Ash was pretty sure the concept of vertebrae stopped that from being possible.

He made his way through the airport in a practiced manner, quickly finding the metro station. He attained his bright red Mesagoza transit card, and made his way onto the platform, noticing the distinct advertising effort Paldea had made to show off their country to new arrivals. The city's underground rail was smooth and effective, transporting him into the city centre with no problems. There was his destination: the prestigious Naranja Academy. The downtown was absolutely bustling, full of people from all different backgrounds getting about their business among the historic streets lined by buildings of long-forgotten architectures. Mesagoza was truly a world-class city. Ash took the opportunity to, of course, gouge himself in some of the local cuisine. He bought a chocolate-filled churro for now and a satisfying ham and cheese toastie for later. In the middle of it all, Naranja Academy stood tall, imposing its influence on the whole city. An exceptionally long staircase led up to the entrance doors, those themselves being many times larger than a human being's proportions.