Tropius

"Good morning, Tropius!"

The giant sauropod Pokemon strengthened his last few wing beats to land gently beside the bamboo thicket. He then bowed his head to the Bug who had greeted him. "Good morning, Pinsir. How're you doing?"

"Great, just eating some bamboo... oh, but you're more than welcome to join me. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking."

A Swellow flew nearby, but stopped to hover by them. "Hey, have you guys seen any Mightyenas today? I was driving a couple away last night, so be careful."

"Okay," Tropius replied. The large black wolves were one of the predators of his kind, so he was especially grateful for that. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem." She flew off to patrol some more.

"I could scare them off too," Pinsir said. "If I caught them by surprise, you know."

"I'm sure." He then settled in for a mid-morning snack on the bamboo stalks. Between his great size, his unorthodox flying, and his constant movements, photosynthesis was just not enough for his energy needs. He was hungry almost all the time. Thankfully, this bamboo grew as quickly as his hunger did.

'They're all so nice to me this morning,' he thought. He didn't have to wonder why. Like all Tropius, he grew a cluster of fruits underneath his chin. Their scent was losing the tart tang of greenness and taking on the mellow sweet of ripeness. All the Pokemon he knew loved the rare delicacy of a Tropius fruit. And so, every time a cluster approached ripeness, all of his neighbors became extra kind and generous.

Although he liked the special treatment when it came, it was disheartening to know that they were only nice because they wanted one of his fruits. Once they were gone, he would have to watch out for Pinsir defending 'his' portion of the bamboo. And if any predators came, he would be on his own.

There was also the antagonizing debate over who he should give a fruit to. Some took the fruit and never spoke to him again. Others, if he didn't give them a piece, would be bitter and hate him for some time. But he only had so many pieces of fruit, this time eight. There were far more than eight Pokemon who would be asking to get them.

Still, the special treatment was only available to him twice a year. He might as well enjoy it while it lasted. It was a pity, though. He was the most avid lover of fruit in the jungle, but he could not eat the fruits that his own body grew. It just wasn't right to eat a part of oneself.

There was a rustling in the bamboo. A Zigzagoon came out of the thicket, wagging his tail. "Hey Tropius!"

He swallowed his piece of shoot and bowed his head. "Good morning, Zigzagoon."

"Hey, I smelled really nice and fruity on the other side. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe a new kind of fruit."

A new fruit? It sounded intriguing. "You think? I may know it; I've eaten every kind of fruit that goes in this jungle."

"I don't know what it is. But it sure smells good."

"I should go check it out with you, just in case it is new. Otherwise, I can tell you what it is."

"Okay! It's over on the other side somewhere." He darted into the thicket.

As the bamboo was growing too thick for him to walk through without knocking a bunch of stalks over, he beat his wings rapidly to take to the air. It was a short flight to cross over the thicket. Once in the clear, he hovered until he saw little Zigzagoon in the open. Then he landed.

And he could smell the new fruit too. "Oh wow. That smells amazing."

"Doesn't it?" Zigzagoon asked. "I was gonna check it out, but then I thought, you're a nice guy, so you should come check it out too."

After the new fruit and his own? Tropius was too interested in the new scent to be bothered. "Thanks, you're a good buddy."

"So what is it?"

He walked towards the scent. "It might just be new. It smells a little like Leppa berries, but not. Strong. Maybe fermented some, but it should be safe to eat. And yet there's such depth and complexity to it, tartness and sweetness, with a hint of various spices. If that would grow here regularly, it would be wonderful."

"Wow, I wouldn't have picked up on that much. I just thought it smelled good."

"I'm an expert on fruit. It's my passion. Should be... very near here." He looked down.

There was a wide ceramic bowl on the ground. But there was no fruit inside. Instead, the white interior showed off an amber colored liquid. It was this liquid that was giving off the heavenly scent.

"That looks like some human thing," Zigzagoon said, patting the bowl.

"I wonder where the human is, then." He looked around and sniffed the air, but the fruit juice drowned out all other scents from his nose. There didn't seem to be any other signs of human activity.

"They're awfully forgetful, leaving this kind of thing behind. Maybe they left more stuff." His innate curiosity led him to sniff along the ground, looking for some trinket treasure.

Tropius lowered his neck all the way down so he could take a couple of drinks from the bowl. He wound up drinking most of the liquid in doing so, but left a bit for the other Pokemon to try. It was thick and smooth, tasting exactly as it smelled. Hints of spiced complexity, yet tones of fruity simplicity, it was one of the best snacks he'd ever come across.

He lifted his head back up with a smile. "Like Leppas, but somehow different. This is really amazing. You've gotta..." he yawned. "Oh my. All of a sudden... I feel incredibly tired." He collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.

Zigzagoon looked at him with wide eyes, then rushed off towards the bamboo thicket. "Poison! Murder! Help!"

But despite how quickly his neighbors came, the Tropius was captured by a human Trainer who had been hiding behind the bushes.

Moral of the Story: Don't drink apple cider from an open bowl. Somebody may have spiked it with tranquilizers.

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Tropius FR/LG entry: It lives in tropical jungles. The bunch of fruit around its neck is delicious. The fruit grows twice a year.

Weird random morals for the win!