Diana
—
I desperately tried to plan out what questions I would ask as I followed the three kids back to the Pokemon Center they were going to stay at. Tried, and failed. Not because I couldn't think of any questions, of course…
I was trying to figure out where to start and where to stop! What not to ask! I hadn't planned to interview Erin Greenwood, I had simply noticed her walking into a store! I usually did stupid little gossip pieces!
Nobody had ever gotten this far! To be fair, most people in my profession hadn't treated her like the live wire Erin Greenwood clearly was. They had been too excited, too interested in the insane child and her story to act cautiously. No, they simply rushed her and asked questions… at least at first.
It had never been recorded, or reported officially, but it was fairly well understood by reporters that she could somehow wield aura. There was no other reason for the reports of being hit by invisible, intangible forces. Someone with a noticeable aura could make you feel that way, but it was undirected in those cases, more of a pressure than a strike. The latest video featuring her had certainly gotten more than a few views…
The two idiots in Pewter had apparently decided that it would be worth testing the Champion's temper, not to mention Erin's, ambushing the three girls walking ahead of me like they were common civilians. Well, they were civilians, of course, but when these civilians had a literal Master-level Alpha Tyrantrum, one with a well-documented list of humans devoured? One recorded on video?!
There were tiers of civilians…
Her threats had been slightly alarming, especially with the huge Rotom Phone floating behind her glaring, but expected. The last few seconds of the footage, though? As she pointed the cameras held in frozen hands away from her before turning them off? Quite a bit more alarming. Neither reporter had explained what happened afterwards, but it was easy enough to guess. More pointed threats…
Still, I had apparently put the right foot forward by not immediately recording, and asking nicely to talk. The other two had seemed slightly reluctant, but I was still here, following them… I knew they were talking to each other somehow, though, even if they were completely silent. The glances, and faintly moving lips, had clued me in. A Psychic Pokemon relaying their words, would be my guess…
Probably that Alpha Hattrem! That was one question right there! Two, really! How did her Pokemon Evolve into an Alpha? How had she gotten a Hatenna in the first place? They found humans and our emotions to be so loud! Not that I'd known that a month ago. Most people in Kanto hadn't, because they were one of the rarest Pokemon to find as battlers even in Galar…
The sun was starting to set as we reached the Pokemon Center, and Erin looked back at me with a searching gaze. Apparently she didn't find anything wrong with me simply following them quietly, and smiled slightly.
"Have you had dinner yet?" I shook my head, confused, and she sighed a little.
"Well, if we're going to talk, you might as well join us for dinner…"
"That sounds good!" I kept my tone bright, but I was not looking forward to eating Pokemon Center food. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great, even the dishes you had to pay for…
To my surprise, though, we didn't get in line to order food. No, we walked to the far end of the cafeteria, to the row of stoves, ovens, and tools there. It was fairly common for older, more experienced trainers to cook their own food, of course. You can only eat the free meals so many times before they got bland, or even the meals you had to pay for.
I hadn't expected kids to cook, but I assumed they had some instant dinners or something. Even ramen was better than the free meals, so that made sense…
I really wasn't expecting the wave of red that erupted from all three of them. I knew what their Pokemon were, for the most part, but I still felt my knees buckle a little as the Tyrant Queen rolled her neck, hunched over even in this huge, tall room… Her gaze met mine, eyes squinting slightly, but after a moment she gave the tiniest nod of her head. The rest of the dragons, far more than I had ever seen in person, also nodded, and I barely remembered to nod back. I didn't want them to think I was being disrespectful…
I don't think most of the trainers in the cafeteria were prepared for the sight, either… I got the feeling that if anyone had been planning to cook soon, they suddenly found the prospect a little too much for them…
"Ever cooked, Diana?" I looked at Erin in confusion as she washed her hands, because… I was an adult! Of course I had cooked before!
"Yeah, I cook for myself unless I'm too busy…" She nodded as she pulled a few items out of her pack, before looking back up at me.
"Do you have any issues with eating hunted meat?"
Here was my first hurdle. I didn't, no, but I preferred to eat farmed. Killing an intelligent, free being just to eat it was… Honestly, I didn't have a problem with it in theory? Pokemon ate Pokemon, Pokemon ate humans, and humans ate Pokemon… I also knew intellectually that farmed Pokemon may be dumber, but they were still intelligent compared to, say, insects… The Tauros tenderloin I'd been treated to after my last promotion was still stuck in my mind, though…
"No, I eat hunted Pokemon. Not often, but I do…" She brightened up a little before opening a refrigerated Storage Ball, pulling out…
Arceus!
She pulled out two Pidgeotto! Two plucked and gutted Pidgeotto! The heads were gone, thankfully, but… Okay, not that surprising, sure, but that was not what I expected to see! I'd thought there may be a few Pidgey, or even some Tauros! The video of her 'mother' culling a herd was still popular over a month later, in fact. Disturbing and terrifying, but popular.
"I don't suppose you know how to disassemble an avian, do you?" I shook my head, but she didn't look very surprised. Neither did the other two, who were already standing there, ready to help. I flushed a little and went to wash my hands as Erin began delegating.
"Leaf, could you get me a sheet pan and a mixing bowl? Get some wheat flour, salt, and black pepper out too, please. Alex, zest and juice a few lemons?" She glanced over at me with a considering look.
"Diana, could you get a pot out, one deep enough for boiling pasta, and a wide pan?" I nodded and opened a cabinet, idly noting the plethora of 'You use it, you wash it!' notes taped to the inside of the cabinet.
I filled the pot with water and placed it on a large burner, leaving the pan empty, and looked behind me to the island where Erin was. I felt mildly sick as I did, actually. I ate meat, but the most 'deconstructing' I did was basically slicing Pidgey breasts into strips!
Erin had a very sharp, thin blade in her hand and was very quickly slicing a Pidgeotto carcass apart. I found myself oddly fascinated as she barely paused for joints, and then she was left with a very stripped carcass, or really, just the rib cage… I expected her to toss it to one of the dragons intently watching us, even the terrifying Zweilous looking in the direction of her hands, but no, she just sat it to the side. She noticed my look and smiled.
"I'll make some stock later, no need to waste anything. This wouldn't be more than a nibble for basically anyone, so…" She got back to work, and I found myself very puzzled.
She acted so… sure, so certain as she cut, like she had been cooking for years and years! The other two kids moved like I expected them to, not that they were doing anything complicated of course. They still acted like kids cooking, not a professional! Alex, somehow the Champion's kid, was juicing some lemons after zesting them, but there was none of the casual confidence that Erin had.
Eventually Erin finished, four huge Pidgeotto breasts in front of her as she tossed the wings and thighs into another container. A quick wash of her hands and they were stored again, before she turned to Leaf, pulling a small whisk out.
"Okay, if anyone ever tells you it's okay to fold seasonings into flour, they're either idiots or were trained wrong." She poured some flour into the bowl before she poured some salt into her palm, not bothering to measure, but she didn't appear to need to measure. She spent a few seconds cracking some fresh black pepper over the bowl, lightly smiling as she did.
She pulled back and Leaf began to whisk the flour, but apparently she was doing it wrong to Erin's sensibilities. A quick demonstration later and Leaf was rapidly whisking briefly, and I once again grew confused.
Something as basic as whisking wasn't exactly hard, sure, but she was so… confident! Confident based on experience. Had she cooked a lot… before?
That was the biggest question that had never been answered, actually. Where had this insane girl been before she somehow appeared in the Lowlands of the Crown Tundra Preserve, one of the deadliest places in the world? There were no missing persons reports in any region that even slightly resembled her! There were plenty of isolated regions in the world, sure, but still!
She lifted a couple Pidgeotto breasts into the tray, pulled a pre-cut section of paper towel over them, and then began to pound them with the palm of her hand.
She noticed me watching and laughed.
"I'm just making sure they're as close as I can get to evenly thick." Yeah, I knew that! I might not cook much meat, but I still do! Soon enough she was done doing that with every breast and glanced over at me.
"Turn the water on to boil, please?" I turned on the burner, waiting for a good chance to talk, but I didn't get one yet…
She pulled out a container of olive oil and poured some into the pan, adding a large amount of butter as well before turning the heat on. She then pulled a large package of… pasta out. I mean, she had said pasta, but that looked like… Galarian pasta? Kalosian? Much thinner than the spaghetti I was used to seeing in supermarkets…
"What's this dish called, by the way?" I didn't miss the way she froze for a split second before she shook her head.
"Not sure what this specific dish is called, exactly, other than picatta. I just learned it at some point, and it's delicious and easy…" I knew when I wasn't going to get a real answer and dropped it… I was curious, though. It was just food, why partially avoid the question? Why get nervous?
Leaf and Alex were watching Erin, sure, but they were giving me looks, and I did my best to smile in a friendly, open manner. No need to alienate them before I could get some real questions in…
Eventually the water began to boil, but Erin just reached over to turn it down slightly.
"The pasta is thin, so it'll go quickly and clump if the rest isn't ready…" She peered at the pan with oil and butter, placing the back of her hand over it for a moment. "Which it's going to be soon, actually. Okay, now it will go fast."
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It did too, as she poured the flour mixture into the empty sheet pan, tossing the flattened breasts around until there was a solid layer between each one and they were all coated. She brought the tray over to the pan of oil and butter and grinned happily.
She gently laid the Pidgeotto breasts into the pan, managing to barely fit two in as the oil popped and butter bubbled. My stomach actually growled a little, because it already smelled kind of good…
After another few minutes, and after flipping them once, she pulled the meat out onto a plate, added some more butter, then waited a moment before she added the rest of the breasts. After those were done she turned the heat up on the pan before pouring in the lemon juice, a bit of water, and a small scoop of some paste.
"I haven't had a chance to make my own chi- Pidgeotto stock, so concentrated Pidgey stock works… Leaf, salt the water and drop the pasta, please? Keep stirring it pretty much continuously, actually, it clumps up so easily…"
She then opened a jar, and I saw that the small green plants were labeled 'capers'. I'd never had them, but she offered each of us one. It tasted… good, I guess? It was a unique taste, though the main flavor seemed to be salt… She tossed a large amount into the pan and began to stir, scraping the bottom as she did.
Another couple quick minutes later and we were sitting down at a table, plates of food in front of us. The pasta was thin, a small layer of the sauce poured over it before a huge Pidgeotto breast was placed on top, followed by another portion of sauce.
I tried to ignore the sounds of crunching behind me as the carnivores ate their 'ration' of meat they had collected from the counter, but it wasn't hard. This dish smelled delightful. I looked up from it to find the kids already eating, happy looks on their faces. I shrugged and dug in myself. The meat was so tender I could cut through it with a fork…
Arceus above! I had eaten at some very exclusive restaurants before, and this… This wasn't the best food I had ever eaten, but I'd never had something exactly like this, either. It was also good! It tasted like it should be too salty, too lemony, but it was… perfect!
Erin grinned at me, fork halfway to her own face.
"Glad you like it! I hadn't cooked anything even this hard in a while, and this is easy food…" I smiled, but I was too busy eating to respond.
Damn, this was a first! My interviewee is feeding me! Feeding me delicious food!
—
—
I tried to relax as I sat in their huge room, but it was hard.
The Tyrant Queen was bad enough, curled up in the middle of the room staring at me, but she had a good record here in Kanto. I honestly wasn't scared of her, it was just instinctive terror from being in front of such a massive predator. It wasn't even the fact that Leaf and Alex were using her as a couch, cushions up against her huge torso. It wasn't all the fae, but I might get to ask about that if I could focus.
It was mostly the Alpha Zweilous that Erin was using as a literal chair. She was sitting on his knees, and his heads were her armrests! I had never heard of one this compliant… He was very happy-looking, though, as Erin idly scratched his heads, but one head looked a good bit angrier even through the huge grin…
"So, you had some… questions?"
I blinked a few times at the question before I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I let it out slowly, and when I opened my eyes they all looked amused. Understanding, but amused.
"We get it, trust us. You're in absolutely no danger, but I know your body might not believe you." I managed a laugh, and that loosened me up a little.
"Okay, so… What's up with the Contest? Their PokeNet site says one of the guest judges is going to be the Tyrant Queen?"
Erin was obviously prepared for this question, but I still detected some nervousness there…
"Well, one of the first things mom ever saw on TV was a Pokemon Contest, and she's been fascinated ever since. She's a bit unfair to battle, though, so her competing hasn't exactly been working out, or even being allowed inside… Until mom's reputation improved, at least. She's really looking forward to a whole Contest's worth of participants doing their best to impress her, like the queen she is…" The massive Tyrantrum huffed a little and nodded, smiling widely. A terrifying sight, honestly, but she looked very excited about it…
"Is there any reason you came to Kanto when you left Galar?"
She gave me an easy smile.
"I just like Kanto, I guess?" Well, that wasn't the best answer…
"Is there anything you're willing to share about your time in Galar?" C'mon, give me something!
She seemed to think for a moment before shrugging.
"I survived, and I met part of my family there, so I'm grateful in one sense? I'd rather have kept the pinky, sure, but it was… more than worth it. I wouldn't mind going back, actually getting to see the region, but I'll have to see…" I couldn't imagine the Tyrant Queen being welcomed back into the country…
"Speaking of family, how is it that you came to be the daughter of the owner of the first rescue organization to open since Victoria?" She frowned, but still answered.
"Well, I met Leaf and was going to Journey with her after Professor Oak introduced us, and I already liked her mom before she adopted me, so I guess it just… made sense? Especially after Pewter, and me refusing to put down the rescues, she knew I would need help… and that I was stubborn enough to think I didn't need any." That was also a bit of a non answer! Damnit, I had one question I needed to ask, but I was going to save it for last…
"How is it that your Pokemon Evolved into Alpha's? Most Alpha's want nothing to do with humans, or even kill humans, but…" I trailed off and waved a hand at the plethora of Alpha Pokemon watching me. Erin just shrugged, though.
"They're all family, so as far as them not hating me, that's probably why… As for them Evolving into Alpha's? I'm honestly not sure, and neither is Professor Oak, we just have some theories. It all boils down to pressure, and I think mom is a huge part of that?" Expected, honestly. Alpha's and the reasons for their existence were still hotly debated.
"You have a Hattrem, and that's very rare for a trainer. How did you two meet?" Her eyes tightened up, and most of her team tensed up as well.
"Hecate was… looking for a change of pace when we… met. She's still not that comfortable in cities, but she's learned to tune out a lot. I do still get told off for being loud in my own head sometimes, though…" She was smiling wryly, and the Hattrem also smiled at her. It was a very intimidating smile, though, despite cute appearances. Alpha Hattrem were kind of scary… Hecate looked over and winked at me, well aware of my thoughts, of course…
"Beyond being a stronger trainer, do you have any major goals in life? Trying to become Indigo's Champion, perhaps?"
She looked conflicted and confused as she frowned.
"That's a really good question, actually… Just… seeing the world, I guess? I've got more than enough time to figure out what I want the rest of my life to look like, so in the meantime I'm just traveling?" Not the most unexpected answer from a teenager, and many first-Circuit trainers were simply using the time to broaden their horizons before returning to school, but usually serious trainers had something, like 'I want to beat the current Champion!' or 'Help my family financially'...
"This question is about the Tyrant Queen, actually. Why did she save that photographer in the plains?" Unspoken was the 'Why eat humans in Galar?', because I'd never ask that to her huge face… and jaws…
Erin just snorted, though.
"Because she's actually very kind, honestly. She helped Maxx because she wanted to, and then she helped him again because she liked his photos. You saw the picture of him in her jaws?" I nodded and she grinned. It was a vicious, amused grin, and it looked far more intimidating than I would have expected from a small teenager, given her seat.
"It's one of the more horrible experiences I've ever had, but mom didn't just take him to the Rangers in her mouth. She brought him to a herd of Kanghaskhan first." She barked out a laugh. "She found a Kangaskhan that was interested in photography, one willing to basically be his assistant. Rosie already takes good photos, actually… Then she took him to the Rangers to make it official." I was a bit stunned by that, honestly.
What had leaked was the photo, and the fact that the Tyrant Queen had saved that man. Apparently she also found him a Pokemon?
"Later on she found them while they were out taking photos, and after talking to Rosie, decided that they needed a house in the plains instead of an apartment in Fuchsia." A house in an area like the plains? "I still don't know how mom got the Rangers to authorize it, but she built Maxx a… stone hut? A small walled compound? It looked a bit rough on the outside, but the inside was nice and smooth… She also helped pull a bunch of furniture out there for him one time."
She really doesn't mind talking about her mother's… friend, it sounded like? Still…
"Getting into some more serious questions, Team Rocket. Is there a specific reason for your… ways of dealing with them?" I expected some sort of reaction to the Team name, like anger, but she just shrugged.
"They're knowingly in a Global Terrorist organization, they know what those uniforms mean. I have interviewed their Pokemon, the same ones at our Ranch. They are a cancer, and you remove cancers. I don't feel like I'm doing anything great and good when I remove them, it's just a chore to accomplish, one that should have been unnecessary. I feel better about freeing their Pokemon than anything else, honestly. Most of them are so happy to be freed…" I didn't ask about the ones not happy… It was unfortunate, but some of them enjoyed being in Team Rocket…
"Are you related to the closing of Mt. Moon? There are reports of you walking through Pewter with the Champion the day it happened." She tensed, eyes flaring, but answered calmly enough.
"The closure was Lance's idea, not mine, but I do agree with his decision." Okay, she just calls him Lance, then…
"And you agree because…?" Her eyes narrowed at me.
"Pass." Damnit… still, I had one last question for that subject…
"So…" I smiled uncertainly. "My boss will kill me if I don't at least attempt to ask these questions…" She smirked and nodded, but considering her answers so far I wasn't that hopeful.
"Is that meeting with the Champion how you ended up traveling with his… child?" Her eyes slid behind her and Alex nodded. Erin sighed before leaning back on her 'chair'.
"Yeah, Lance noticed that we were… competent, we wouldn't take advantage of someone, and his relative needed a good group to travel with, so it just kind of… happened, I guess?"
I looked at Alex with hopeful eyes and she sighed, too, before addressing me.
"Lance didn't tell me who I was looking for when he dropped me off to begin my Journey, just a description of the type of group to join, one that was suspiciously close to their description… It was not funny when I met their teams for the first time. And yes, I know what you want to ask… Lance is my adopted… father, odd as it feels to say that. He's a great guy though, so I'm not exactly upset about it…" She trailed off, and I knew a dangerous trail to tread when I saw one. No way I was asking why he adopted her…
After being around her for this long, I could kind of guess… I'd heard that a lot of Clan Blackthorn was… 'traditional', and it wasn't hard to connect those dots… Still, not going to ask it, not going to report it.
I cleared my throat and looked at Leaf.
"So… your mom and Lance?" Leaf's face screwed up and Erin laughed as her sister appeared to shut down.
"Yeah, mom likes him, he likes her, it worked out really well, actually. I don't see anything going wrong with their relationship, either. They're both stupid happy with the situation, reporters aside." She was grinning at me as she said that, but I knew I was about to go slightly too far soon… Not that I would screw this up. Exclusive interview? Great! Exclusive interviewer? Much better!
"Speaking of your mother, she's also refused most interviews about her new Rescue Ranch. You alluded to it earlier, but…?" Leading questions seemed to work best on Erin Greenwood, and continued to as she smiled happily.
"Well, our first set of rescues were in need of a Ranch, I couldn't just wander around with all of them, and mom had a lot of empty land behind her house… She also knew I wouldn't just stand by and watch Team Rocket in the future, so she took all the tests and got herself certified, got the Ranch built, and then got the community to agree. She worked herself ragged, honestly…" She cleared her throat. "Mom wanted to help me and the rescues, and she found the best way she could."
"It's been reported that your rescues are all… bound by a fae's true contract. How did you-" She shook her head, cutting me off.
"Yes, they all are, but I'm not willing to talk about the details in any form." I frowned, because…
"I have one more question I have to ask, and I saved it for last for a reason…" Her face tightened up, but she nodded.
"What happened to you on Mt. Moon? There's a video of you flying there on an Alpha Fearow, then unconscious in the Pewter Pokemon Center…" I trailed off at the look in her eyes.
Blank. Like she had put a mask on, and her purple eyes were just staring through me.
I only had a moment to notice that before the Tyrant Queen growled, followed by the majority of the Pokemon in the room. I flinched, but they weren't continuing to growl. They had all just… reacted instinctively.
"Sorry, no need to answer that one, either…" Shit, I kind of wanted her to remember me as the reporter that doesn't ask invasive questions, but still! I knew it had to be related to Mt. Moon in some way! Leaf had used a Clefairy for her first Gym Battle! I glanced up, and they were all looking at me in anticipation.
"Sorry, that was it, really…" Erin looked relieved, but puzzled.
"I know you have to have more questions than that. Not going to ask them?" I shook my head, deliberating with myself for a moment. The honest truth seemed the best way to play this.
"Honestly? I'm trying to make a good impression. I had a few questions I had to ask, but beyond that? I'm just happy to be the first reporter to get an interview. Ideally you feel comfortable enough to actually answer some questions in the future, or to come to me if you actually want to say anything."
She looked a little guilty even as she smiled and nodded, because… yeah… I kind of got some good answers, but more deflections than anything.
Still, I got some details on the Champions kid!
"Well, you're not wrong. If I ever need to talk to a reporter I'll be calling you… if I don't hate what gets reported here." Yeah, we were just kind of feeling each other out… "Maybe Lance will too, honestly. Hopefully it will show the rest that they just lose their chances to ever interview him when they act like greedy idiots…"
Even better! Press conferences were one thing, but the Champion almost never sat down for actual, one-on-one interviews!
I was very happy to get out of that room, though. I didn't quite run, but… I was walking very fast. I knew they wouldn't eat me, but that many predators watching your every move was a bit much, not to mention some of the predators themselves!
Ideally I had made a decent first impression.
Hopefully that led to an even better second impression! And interview, obviously…
