Stantler and Bayleef
The Routes leading to Ecruteak were quiet today. Nearly two feet of snow was on the ground, making the green of the pines and cedars almost disappear. Glistening icicles hung off those branches, the signs, the country houses, and anything else immobile along the way. Although the snow had passed, the sky was still gray and the cold was still intense. But at least the wind was not blowing.
The crunches in the snow seemed especially loud then, compared to the distant calls of Pokemon. There were two distinct patterns to the footsteps. One was a steady 'crunch, crunch, crunch' from the boots of a teenaged girl. The other was an almost steady plowing sound of a Bayleef doing her best to walk alongside her friend and Trainer. Sometimes, the girl had to help pull her Pokemon out of a particularly deep drift.
Every time she did so, the girl got a whiff of the invigorating scent of the Bayleef's buds and leaves. It changed slightly from time to time for reasons she wasn't sure about. Today, it smelled like a mug of hot apple cider. It encouraged her to go on, where there might be a real mug of hot apple cider waiting to greet her.
"Are you doing okay, Verda?" she asked. "I can put you back in your Pokeball if you like."
She shook her head and flicked her head leaf back. She was doing just fine, even if it was tough going. Besides, she didn't want to leave her Trainer alone on this trip.
"Okay, just let me know if there's a problem."
The girl had no trouble on this trek, given her snow boots, snow pants, winter coat, gloves, and winter cloak. The last item was a bright red cape that came down to her knees and tied together at her neck, with a hood to go over her head. Although some of her peers poked fun at her for having nursery tale fashion at sixteen, she didn't care that they thought. She thought it was cute, lacking the hassle of having both a hat and a scarf.
In her arms, she carried an insulated basket. In it was some soup, some cookies, some Poffins, and a loaf of banana bread. All of it was homemade, the bread and part of the cookies all by herself even. "We're gonna make sure that our grandmas aren't alone for Christmas," she told Verda, even though they had talked about it before. "Everyone else is all busy or away, too concerned with themselves. But we'll be there, even if the snow storm comes back."
Although she didn't make much noise, ever, Verda made a clicking sound. She agreed and was going to go, even though the weather was cold for a Grass Pokemon like herself to be out. They were still young, so they could make the trip easily.
They then came upon something unexpected. While they often ran into other Pokemon on the trips between Violet City and Ecruteak, this one was unusual. It was a wild Stantler, lying in the snowbanks behind a large pine tree. An arrow was sticking out of his shoulder, the end of it with a few Fearow feathers tied onto it. Blood was caked in its fur, so it must have been at least several hours since he'd been shot. As if that wasn't strange enough, he wasn't the normal light brown of its kind. This Stantler was light green, matching Verda's skin tones.
"Oh, you poor thing," the girl said. She took a step closer, but paused. Should she really approach an injured wild Pokemon? Maybe… she spoke softly and kindly to it. "You must have a hard time hiding at winter with that coat. I'd like to help you. I'm Rosa. Verda, could you tell him that?"
Jumping through the snow, the Bayleef made her way over to the injured Stantler. He huffed, noticeably nervous. But Verda came over and sniffed at his nose in a friendly gesture. After a moment of getting to know each other's scent, the Stantler looked back at her, still wary but not as much. Verda looked back to her Trainer and gestured with her foot to come over.
Rosa did so, working on not making any sudden changes in posture or gait. She then removed a glove and let the Pokemon sniff her hand. Somehow, they were able to tell a lot by scent, or so it seemed to her. Once he seemed satisfied, she worked on removing the arrow. It took some work, but she got it out. Then, she took a High Potion she had and sprayed it onto the wound. While a rather expensive medicine to use on a wild Pokemon, she wanted to make sure it healed quickly.
A scab formed. On wiping the Stantler's fur down with snow, Rosa could see that the skin around the wound was only a little pink. "Okay, you can go now. I hope the hunter who caused it isn't around anymore."
Making a wuffling sound, the Stantler looked up to her. She looked back over his long face and his curved antlers. They were amazing things, those antlers, so beautiful. While looking into them, Rosa noticed something strange. The air between the horns seemed to shimmer and shift. Wondering what kind of power it was, she reached over. And a strange thing happened: something came into her mind as vividly as a powerful memory. Except, these weren't her memories.
-Rosa and Verda felt their hearts pounding, their senses heightened and alert. Facing them was a boy who had challenged them again and again, their rival. He stood by his Skarmory, smirking and believing the battle to be his. But they would not let him defeat them again, especially not at this final stage of the Johto Pokemon League.
-Rosa had spent her career searching for the most beautiful and talented Pokemon. She had rooms full of ribbons to prove it. As she came before the judges with Verda, who was showing off a new flowery scarf, she smiled with complete confidence. She would win the Grand Festival.
-Only the rarest of Pokemon would do. Those that spent months tracking down, months observing, and dozens upon dozens of battles to finally capture, these were the rarities that Rosa wanted. And even those had to be different, the coveted shiny Pokemon of unique and sparkling colorations. Her reputation as a Collector was at stake with every choice she made about her team. However, this new one… the breeder wanted Verda in exchange.
-Rosa was beautiful; no one could compare. The studios all begged for her to star in their shows, the camera men constantly followed her around for a rare candid photo, and she had fans by the thousands. She didn't have to work for anything; she had the money to get whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. And her servants didn't let her do anything that might harm or dirty her. And yet, to think of what price she had paid for this glamour and luxury… poor Verda.
Rosa smelled hot apple cider. Verda bumped her cheek, helping to snap her out of the trance. Somehow, she had collapsed into the snow. "Sorry girl," she said, patting her Bayleef before sitting up. "I'm not sure what happened."
After she got up, she made sure snow hadn't gotten into her protective clothing. Her red cloak had some snow stuck to it, but a good shake got that off before they soaked the thick fabric. She also saw that the Stantler was still with them. He was standing now, apparently well enough to have moved a couple of feet. From his poise, she could tell that he wasn't sure if he should run or fight them.
"It's okay, Stantler," she told him. "I don't even have an extra Pokeball on me. It's just me and Verda, as always. Whatever I saw, I don't want any of that. You go on back to your family. That's where we're going."
"So that Stantler isn't yours?" a man asked.
Rosa turned and saw a stranger come out of the trees. He was tall and fairly well-built, an obvious outdoorsman. In hand, he carried a sturdy compound bow, with a single arrow. The tanned hide of a Mightyena had been turned into his cloak; eerily enough, it still had pointed ears, a tail, claws, and all its fur. On top of that, he wore a quiver for his arrows. A Houndoom stood by his side, smoke curling out of the canine's nostrils.
"He's not mine," Rosa said. Then she noticed that his arrows were all like the ones that had been stuck in the Stantler's side, with Fearow feathers attached. "Why do you ask?" she added
"I've been hunting this one down," the man stated flatly. "It's a rare shiny, which will make a valuable trophy."
"You should leave him alone," Rosa said, angry at the hunter. "You've already caused him enough suffering, so just leave him be."
"I won't let something like this slip my grasp," he said, then brought his bow and arrow up.
The green Stantler made a nervous whinny, then tried to run into the trees. However, it was greatly weakened and couldn't run as fast as it usually could. Rosa wasn't sure what came over her, but she felt frantic that her efforts to heal the Pokemon would go wasted. "I said don't!" she shouted, jumping in front of the hunter's arrow.
Thankfully, he stopped, hesitant to shoot a human. But his Houndoom saw her action as a threat to his master, so the black canine leapt at her and bit her arm. Rosa screamed, while Verda tried to help by tackling the Houndoom. But he wouldn't let go.
That is, until his master ordered him. "Houndoom, no!" He gave a reluctant look to the woods, then ran off with his Pokemon.
A burning sensation ran up Rosa's arm, causing her to drop her basket. Verda came over and whimpered in sympathy, sniffing her wound. Picking her basket back up, the girl grimaced, trying to ignore it. "W-we'd better get to Ecruteak. There's a doctor there."
After going a short ways, they heard a snort. The green Stantler had come back, for some reason. He came up beside Rosa and tapped her with his antlers. Then he knelt down a bit.
"Are you sure?" When he didn't move, Rosa carefully got on his back. She left the basket down so she could keep a grip with her uninjured arm. Verda shook her head leaf, then shot a Magical Leaf through the snow to clear a path. Then she picked up the basket and led the way to Ecruteak.
An hour later, Rosa's arm was all bandaged up and numb as she lay in the hospital bed. The wild Stantler had collapsed upon reaching the hospital with her, so one of the nurses had his Pokemon help bring him to the Pokecenter. And Verda returned, bringing with their grandmothers. "Well I'm glad that you're okay now," Rosa's grandmother told her after hearing the story. "You were lucky to have found a kind Pokemon to help out."
"I just wanted to see you for Christmas, like always," Rosa said, clasping her wrinkled hand.
When Rosa left for Violet City a week later, she went with Verda the Bayleef and Francis the green Stantler.
...
Stantler Fire Red entry: Those who stare at its antlers will gradually lose control of their senses and be unable to stand.
Leaf Green entry: Its curved antlers subtly change the flow of air to create a strange space where reality is distorted.
Bayleef DPPt entry: The buds that ring its neck give off a spicy aroma that perks people up.
Written for Christmas. Very fitting, since a shiny Stantler is so green, you can tied a big red ribbon around its neck and instant Christmas feel! As a side note, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, hence the Stantler's name.