Despite the proximity of the felled trees to the lake front, it takes a significant and mildly dangerous walk along the river to find Dawn and her beavers of interest.
Keeping the friendly company of Clyde's favourite otter, the journey passes without much trouble and without much of a care for the length as his attention is split between his Pokémon and her shenanigans as well as the unusual interaction he had less than an hour prior. Most things he has seen thus far are reasonably explained by the scientific method.
Voices with no determinable source are not.
An interesting situation, one that will no doubt consume much of his time, attention, and energy. It may not be biology, but some topics demand research no matter the researcher.
After a walk down the widening of the river, a rough wooden dome pokes out from the water. Sitting atop that, a small brown furry creature. Probably.
Clyde's vision isn't quite what it used to be.
A silent hand wave towards Oshawott who, infatuated with a stick, doesn't immediately notice. Several agonizing seconds of balancing being distracting enough to garner the attention of the baby Otter and not so much so as to draw the potential ire of the distant Bidoofs.
Eventually, she takes notice and swims over towards him. A point to the lodge, a finger over the lips, and the presenting of his Pokéball has Oshawott nod.
A moment later, she vanished from this world, returning to the small comfort that is a Pokéball.
Taking care to attempt to remain quiet and stay largely out of direct line of sight of the lodge, he proceeds to approach and scan his surroundings for Dawn. Step by step, looking for any semblance of the fellow trainer's bright clothing and finding naught but greenery. A brief idea of calling out for her was quickly shot down as he opted not to both draw further attention to himself and distract the Bidoofs in the distance. 'Getting Oshawott was enough of a risk. Don't need even more.'
Slowly drawing nearer to this miniature pond, a quick count shows six smaller beaver type animals with a larger one on the shoreline keeping an attentive watch. 'Best not draw any of their attention. Don't want to end up like Tom. Nasty scar. But that begs the question, where's Dawn hiding?' Several more careful steps has him paying more attention to the ground than the creatures in the distance. 'I wonder why it is they build lodges and probably dams. If they're based off the beaver, does that mean they experienced similar evolutionary experiences? Or if the nature of this place is more literal, do we subscribe to the mythos of creationism? Is Arceus, God of All Pokémon, praise be unto him, the literal creator of world? If so, that'd explain-'
'SNAP'
The resounding crack of a branch breaking in two echoes from beneath his step.
Mere moments after his misstep interrupts his train of thought and shatters the peaceful ambience of the river, he drops to the ground. There was no doubt that he had been heard, he could only hope he had not been seen.
Short flowering grasses obscure him from sight. Below them, pine needles lay strewn about. Seconds pass largely without any difference. The river continues to burble, the light sound of water dimly drowning out the serene silence of the forest.
As Clyde releases his held breath, another loud crack echoes through the trees. This one, he recognizes. "Great." He mutters. 'I've pissed off the giant beavers. Think tail splashing is an intimidation tactic? I've been here for three minutes and have already manage to anger the local beaver population.'
Contemplating his next actions, the sound of a hiss comes from his side. 'What now. If this is a snake…' He sighs, looking in the direction it came from.
Scanning the area and spotting nothing, he moves to rest his head on the grass as a small form lands upon his back, knocking the wind from his lungs. Scurrying, it climbs off him and moves to his sightline. It's a Pachirisu.
'Is that Dawn's?' He wonders, 'or is it just a random one?'
The small electric squirrel squeaks, waves to the trainer, climbs a tree, and gazes towards the grounded trainer.
'Probably hers.' He slowly gets to his feet, hunched over to try and limit his silhouette, and follows the little cute critter.
Passing through the trees, following the waterline, Pachirisu leads him to a body.
Through the rustling of the underbrush, Dawn rolls over and turns to meet Clyde's gaze, waving him over. In hushed tones whispering, "Come here!"
Obliging, he scampers over as well as a crouched man can.
It's disgraceful.
Lying next to her, she points forward. "Did you see that Bibarel? It splashed its tail in the water causing that cracking sound and all the Bidoofs around dove underwater! It was incredible, you should have seen it. That was you that snapped the stick, right? Impressive you managed to make that much noise."
Looking between the Bibarel and the trainer by his side and with not thoughts on how to reply, he shrugs. "I have a way with nature, what can I say?"
She rolls her eyes with a smile and pulls up a pair of binoculars. "I've been watching them for a while." Dawn continues while observing the Pokémon through her lenses. "The Bibarel was just kind of sitting there up until you broke that stick. That's when it actually did something, hit the water both figuratively and literally, and swam."
Clyde nods, trying to observe what's going on in the distance. "I think it's a territorial or threatening action, but it could also just be a warning sign for the group. I don't remember much about them, unfortunately."
"Yeah, and it's an incredible use for their tail. They're able to swim a heck of a lot faster than the Bidoofs as well, so it's multi-purpose. Honestly it almost seems like Bidoof is more land accessible whereas Bibarel is the aquatic version. The evolution from one to another makes sense since it builds those… Lodges I think you said. And it has to be a lot safer in there than out here." She offers the binoculars to her friend and companion who accepts them and gazes upon the display.
Vision now magnified, he's able to see the lodge in much more detail. It seems roughly similar to what one might see in a lake in Canada, albeit likely larger. Scale is difficult to discern in the water but from what he briefly saw of them on land, they're large rodents.
"Absolutely." He adds, trying to gleam as much as he can from the sight. "Generally, they'd keep their kits in the lodge itself until they're strong enough to swim well on their own. Surprised to see Bidoofs don't have tails, beavers tend to even at young ages. Wonder why that is." The Bibarel continues to prowl the surface of the water, swimming in loose circles as it watches the trees bordering the pond. "Seems like a disadvantage, they're aquatic."
Producing her Pokédex, she reads over some of the data therein. "Actually, Bidoof is a normal type Pokémon." Continue to read through, "The entries advertise it as a fearless Pokémon with nerves of steel. Usually nests by water."
He pulls away the Binoculars and looks to his side. "Okay, wait. It's normal type, and nests by water but lives on land, allegedly has nerves of steel which to me sounds like it has a death wish, and evolves into a water based Bibarel?"
She nods. "Yep!"
"What even. Why would it not just live in the water in a lodge? I mean, it looks like these ones do. Yet the entry disagrees. There is essentially no reason not to, considering the evolution." Passing the binoculars back, he returns his gaze outwards. "What kind of species has offspring, abandons that offspring to the dangers of the world, only to accept them back once they've grown?" He pauses a moment. "I mean I can think of a bunch, like turtles, but none off hand are mammalian."
Setting aside her Pokédex and accepting the device once again, she looks forward. "And at what point do they evolve? What triggers the evolution? We know that battle experience can cause them to evolve, but how does it happen in nature? Are they territorial? Do they simply fight other Pokémon until they evolve? Is it environmental? Food availability or temperature or weather?"
The pair look in silence. Soon after, a few small forms approach the riverfront. "Hey look." Dawn points out. "More Bidoofs. Came from deeper in the forest."
"Reinforcements have arrived." The newly introduced Bidoof splash around the border of the river while the Bibarel watches them intently. "Maybe it's a cooperative evolution. Bibarel work with the Bidoofs."
"Honestly at this point, I'm tempted to catch one and find out myself." Dawn produces a Pokéball from her belt. "Could rule out a couple of the environmental cues or if it is co-evolution."
"You really want to take care of an extra Pokémon just like that?" Clyde asks, mildly surprised at the suggestion. 'Although I guess if I saw a good aquatic Pokémon, I'd be hard-pressed not to catch it.'
"Why not?" Dawn replies. "They're herbivorous, so its not like it'd take much to keep them taken care of. And it'll give us a little chance to get a view of them. Probably won't keep them forever, just a little while before returning them home. I don't know, I'll figure it out."
She continues to observe the Pokémon through the binoculars. "I'll think on it tonight, can always try to catch one tomorrow. Until then, want to head back?"
Clyde gives a non-committal nod of agreement, looking towards the discount beavers before slowly extracting himself from the undergrowth that had kept him hidden.
Once the pair are both up and ready, Dawn pauses her step. "Thanks for coming out here, by the way. I appreciate the company."
"Think nothing of it. Always happy to keep a friend company." Clyde gives a small smile.
Dawn returns it and with a chirp from Pachirisu who takes up position on Dawn, the pair set off away from the lodge that had transfixed them for so long.
Heading back towards the camp, the pair discuss theories on how and why Bidoof might evolve. Most discussions revolve around what potential environmental causes might trigger the evolution from Bidoof into Bibarel, though they are very fast and loose with any specific hypothesis. The pair decide that, depending upon how Lucas feels, they'll stick around another day or two to gleam something from the semi-aquatic rodents.
"And, it'll give me a chance to try to get to the bottom of the lake's secrets," He adds. "Spooky voices and what the foundation of the ecosystem's food chain is. Nothing jumps out as a filter feeder, nor something that'd eat the larger grasses. Surely there's something."
Dawn, contemplating his words, suggests "What if it's Magikarp?"
Clyde blinks. "There's no way. They're goldfish, right? Or koi or whatever the proper term is for them. They can't be the primary consumers. Or secondary if there's plankton. They can't be the foundational species." The idea is alien. To the best of his knowledge, Magikarp is objectively the single most useless Pokémon in existence. It serves no purpose other than as fodder, or as means by which one can get a Gyarados. Of course, his knowledge on Pokémon ecosystems is non-existent as they are rarely if ever discussed in any media. Yet the idea of Magikarp actually having a reason for existence simply feels wrong.
He looks towards the river they walk along. "No, no I refuse to believe that. The idea is absurd, and I'll disprove that notion." He ponders a moment. "Or I'll end up proving myself wrong and answering the question in the process. Either way, it's a win. But it still feels wrong on a basic level. They splash. That's it."
She chuckles in response to his bravado. "I think you'll surprise yourself. Anyways, spooky voices by the lake? Was there someone else out here?"
"I don't think so, it seemed like it was coming from the lake itself. Sounded kind of like a kid? Really unnerving. It mentioned that I should come back at dusk to talk more which, on the one hand, scientific curiosity, but on the other, I have a strict rule against interacting with demons or ghosts. And hindsight, that gives incredible ghost vibes." He shivers at the recollection of the feeling the voice gave when it spoke. Imperceptible at the time, it felt like he was speaking and hearing his own voice echo back. Nothing specifically wrong about it, just a general feeling of wrongness similar to when one hears their own voice and are not used to it.
"Well, we can always go as a group. Make sure no ghost type haunts you. It'd be unlikely but not impossible that the ghost of a Pokémon long since gone would prowl this area. It's largely been left alone, and people don't often come out this far but sometimes unexpected things happen so you never really know." She produces her Pokégear and examines it. "I'll check to see if there's been any reported sightings of anything unnatural around the lake. If it's here now, it'd would have bene here for a while."
Breathing a sigh of relief, "Well I'm glad you don't think I'm hallucinating or am crazy or anything. I've been trying not to think about it, and Bidoofs have been a fantastic distraction. Honestly this whole situation has been a great distraction." His mind wanders briefly.
"From what?" Dawn inquires innocently.
The seconds hang as his thoughts are elsewhere, contemplating and arguing over what to do. When to stop. A tormenting conflict looming just below the surface. Flashes of the present conflicting with the past, a wonder about how home life has been going.
"Vacation," he eventually adds. "Stressful being far from home."
Dawn nods. "I understand that feeling. I don't go on vacations often, though. Did once a few years back for a few months and it's just a fine balancing act between your sense of adventure and your desire to feel at home."
"And that balancing act is something I need to work on." He mutters. "There's so much wonder and potential out here, I don't want to squander this opportunity."
"Then don't! You're here now, right?" Dawn chirps with renewed enthusiasm. "That's what matters most. While you're here, enjoy yourself! Whether that means relaxing, fishing, or spying on Bidoofs. Whatever serves as an opportunity to get some rest and relaxation in."
With a reluctant nod, "Yeah. No sense on dwelling upon a future that may not come to be. Live in the moment, enjoy every second and all that."
"Exactly." She huffs. "Now. Is there any reason I can't get a Bidoof…"
The rest of the walk is spent discussing the practical logistics of actually acquiring a Bidoof. A rough idea of luring one with treats is decided, then she hopes to 'convince' it to temporarily join the party. How she hopes to achieve this is a mystery to everyone but herself, yet she seems confident in her plan.
Arriving back to the camp, it was surprisingly quiet. Compared to their previous night's miniature camping trip in the backyard of the lab, this had absolutely no noise of human activity. Neither man nor Pokémon roamed the tents until Clyde and Dawn return once more. "You two have been busy." She says, looking over the progress he and Lucas had made surrounding a fire pit and wood. "We have a fire pit. This means we'll have a fire and can now tell ghost stories. Anyone got any smores?"
Clyde sighs, "I'm potentially about to live through a ghost story, I'll pass thank you. Give me wholesome stories of comfy good times."
"Honestly fair point. Well, we've got some daylight left still, I want to reference existing literature to see if anything jumps out about Bidoof or if we can note down new observations. Can also help guide future expeditions to the lodge. Anything you want to do offhand? Aside from not get haunted, I mean." She chuckles quietly, trying to keep the situation light despite the potentially problematic result.
Gathering some additional kindling, "Fish, probably. Your talk of catching a Bidoof got me thinking, everything in the lake is a Pokémon, right?"
Dawn nods. "Of course, everything is except the plants. Mostly. Some plants are but those are the exception and not the rule."
"Alright cause I saw a loach in there and am mildly curious to learn more about them. Always been a fan and this is a great opportunity to get one. If I don't find anything more interesting while fishing, that'll be a thing I can do. Especially given we're probably not going to be neat the ocean for a while yet." Adding to the pile of small twigs and branches, he stretches.
"We could always take a detour. Would probably take half a day all told." Dawn adds while, with the help of Pachirisu and Piplup, assembling their grandiose tent.
"Future problems. For now, fish. Later, ghosts. I can keep one of my catches, assuming I'm lucky, if one of us can fillet it. I know I can't, can you?" He's met with a shaking head. "Well, here's betting on Lucas. Wonder how his berry gathering expedition is going."
Lucas stands bordering a small clearing that harbours a single berry bush, eyes transfixed upon the Pokémon defending it. A several foot tall, large blue beast stares at the budding trainer, waving its arms threateningly.
He looks between Turtwig and the Wobbuffet that stands between himself and his prize.
A minute passes as he contemplates his odds.
Breaking the stare-off, a Staravia descends upon the Wobbuffet, swiping at them and screeching in the process. Wobbuffet turns away from Lucas and follows the newly arrived bird who quickly shifts their flight to assault once more.
They move to attack when in a flash of movement, Wobbuffet instead hits them. A single cracking blow sends the flying-type crashing into the underbrush outside the clearing. A confident "Buffet" is all it says before returning its gaze to the trainer.
"Nope." Lucas states emotionlessly.
He leaves.
Continuing through the underbrush has him stumble upon a second berry bush. Eyes wide with excitement, he rushes towards the bush, grabs one of its teal fruits, and gleefully bites into it. Immediately he's met with a revolting flavour and spits out the abomination, scraping his tongue to try and get the remnants off in the process.
Turtwig, curious at the reaction of his trainer, approaches the bush and licks a berry. They shy away and do not partake in the fruits of this bush most vile.
Resigned not to go back empty handed, he grabs some of the berries and toss them into a small container in his backpack.
Beginning his walk away, he hears the telltale screech of a Staravia as it swoops towards him. Much larger than the Starly of nights past and having lost the previous bush, it does not appear to want to back down from this new bush of fruity delights.
Back peddling quickly, the bird lands atop the bush and grabs a berry.
A moment later, it too spits out the berry.
Giving one last screech, it flies off leaving the scared trainer unaccosted.
"You know, I'm starting to not like the forest. Hostile Pokémon, no good berries. You'd have thought we'd find something by now." He looks to his Pokémon who yawns sleepily. "Well, at least we got these. Let's keep looking around a bit before heading back. I want to find a Watmel berry bush so help me Arceus."
The two continue their search, dodging branches and marching through the undergrowth in hopes of locating the famed berry bush of his desires.
Heading to the lakefront once more armed with a fishing rod and sunblock, Clyde searches for a good spot in which he can fish. Recalling the tall rock they crossed prior, he re-traces their steps southward in hopes that the rocky terrain will lend itself well towards a deeper region to fish compared to the shallows of the beach right by camp. Freeing Oshawott, they frolic towards the water and slip beneath the waves as naturally as a fish.
A short walk later, Oshawott once again exploring the shallow, close-to-the-beach lakebed, they reach their destination. A towering rock outcropping several meters tall. The moderate incline makes it mildly difficult but not impossible to climb, neither requiring rock-climbing equipment nor upper body strength. Careful steps, attentive prods to verify its stable, and only a single scramble to not fall, the top had been reached.
It wasn't much, but the view was nicer from the height. Looking down, the lakebed wasn't immediately visible and would hopefully provide a better opportunity for fishing. Taking a brief moment to get set up, fishing pole lured and baited, he casts a line.
Flying through the air, in lands more than a few meters away with a small splash where it sits.
'With a bit of time and luck, hopefully I can catch something. Who knows if I will, or if there's anything larger than a loach.'
Within the seconds of him finishing the thought, the line runs taut as something pulls upon it.
"That's fortunate. What's the opposite of a jinx?" Standing and slowly reeling it in, an orange form is visible breaking the water. "Carp."
Oshawott, taking great interest in the sudden appearance of fish, approaches it. The Karp resists the reeling and flops aggressively, splashing a large radius around it including the Oshawott themselves.
The otter, taking personal offence to that, tackles the Magikarp.
The fish catches air as the force of the collision throws it from the water, still hooked on the line.
Landing with a large splash, they struggle weakly against the line before coming still. Clyde reels in the fish to discover they have acquired a Magikarp, as hypothesized. "Well, that actually worked really well." He says, placing it on the rock on which he stands. Looking over it, it's big. Maybe a meter long, weighs at least fifteen pounds, give or take five. Remarkably similar to the one he bartered for earlier, albeit larger.
"That went well." He mutters while inspecting the unmoving creature. It seems dazed rather than deceased, likely knocked unconscious by the blow from Oshawott. "I'll keep this one, let's give it another shot."
Re-baiting, he casts it once more.
Within the minute, another bite.
"Do fish Pokémon just have the innate desire to immediately bite fishing lines?"
Once again, splashes of orange splash from the water. Oshawott, much more cautious, keeps their distance. Slowly reeling in the line, flashes of white are additionally visibly present upon the fish. A stark contrast against the oranges prior.
Eventually, taking care to not over-stress the line, a fish is pried from its watery habitat and flops through the air as if trying to swim.
"This one's new. Just give me a moment, and I'll free you. Don't even know if you understand words." Despite his uncertainty, the fish calms itself somewhat. Grabbing hold of the line and pulling it close reveals something that more closely resembles actual koi. Largely white despite initial appearances with patches of orange which likely vary based on the individual and strangely enough a horn on the front of its head. The scales are much smaller and smoother than the coarse appearance of a Magikarp. The tail fins flowed as a betta, displaying detailed patchwork colouring of varying shades of white and orange as they blew gently in the wind.
It is noticeably smaller than the Karp he had just caught, being only half the size at least. Contemplating the nature of the creature, he recalls his Pokédex. Setting down the fish for a moment, causing it to immediately start flopping again, he produces the device, activates it, and with a few second delay, scans them. While it loads, he grabs hold of the line once again and frees the Pokémon of its hook before tossing it back into the water. 'Too pretty of a fish to give to Oshawott or eat. I'd feel bad.' As soon as the fish hits the water, Oshawott dives towards it and gives chase, quickly disappearing into the depths of the lake.
"That otter is going to get up to some shenanigans, I can feel it." A few seconds later, the device chirps and displays information.
'Goldeen, Goldfish Pokémon. It swims elegantly by flittering its tail fin as if it were a dress. It has the look of a queen. If it senses danger, it will strike back with its sharp horn. If one of these Pokémon is placed in an aquarium, it will shatter even the thickest glass with one ram of its horn and make its escape.'
"Somehow I knew it wouldn't have been a good fit. Need to find that loach." Reading and re-reading the entry, a thought crosses his mind. 'If this is actually a goldfish Pokémon, what the hell is a Magikarp? If it's not a goldfish, maybe it does eat plants. Just feels wrong though.' He looks between the device and the Karp on the rocks to his side and sighs. "Sometimes, I'm incredibly stupid."
Shaking his head, he proceeds to scan the Magikarp he had previously caught and sits awaiting the results of the scanned Pokémon. "Least no one was around to see that. Though I should start scanning everything I see at this point. Build up a repertoire of Pokémon from which I can reference and note." Letting the moments pass in silence, Oshawott soon surfaces once more. They give an irritated splash, presumably at having lost their prey. Clyde holds a tight smile. "You'll catch them one day, little buddy. Soon, no fish will be able to resist your charm. Or at least out swim you."
Just as it did prior, the device beeps once more displaying its wealth of information.
'Magikarp, Fish Pokémon. Magikarp is a pathetic excuse for a Pokémon that is only capable of flopping and splashing. This behavior prompted scientists to undertake research into it concluding that in the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today. Despite that, it is actually a very hardy Pokémon that can survive in any body of water no matter how polluted it is. If it survives for many years, it can leap a mountain using Splash. The move remains useless, though. Overall, it is virtually worthless in terms of both power and speed. It is the most weak and pathetic Pokémon in the world.'
He can't help but laugh as he reads through the entry. "Knew I wasn't wrong in calling it useless. But if it really is that robust and can survive in polluted water that other Pokémon can't, it'll likely have to feed on plants. Or phytoplankton or something. Hm."
Keeping the thoughts in mind, he repeats the same motions, casting the line once more. "Might as well try again while thinking."
Catching fish, noting down their surface level observations, setting aside a couple Magikarp for Oshy and the others, releasing the rest, all things Clyde does while enjoying his time at the lake.
A couple hours, seventeen caught fish, and a plethora of noted information surrounding Magikarp and Goldeen, he casts his line once more. The sun while getting low remained far enough from sunset, giving the sky an azure colour. 'Hopefully time for one or two more before heading back. I got what, eighteen? Two more for a nice twenty would be nice.'
Oshawott, through all the fishing, amasses a tidy collection of small pebbles, smoothed glass, and quartz. The beginnings of a rock castle on a small outcropping just above the waterline is formed. The Queen designs her kingdom carefully, meticulously placing each pebble where it would be either most structurally sound, or where it would look nicest.
"It looks very nice, Oshy." He compliments his Pokémon's creation while waiting for a bite. She in turn presents a shiny piece of quartz and motions towards him before setting it to the side and returning to her construction, occasionally hopping back into the water to acquire additional materials.
'I have absolutely no idea what that could mean, so I'm just going to guess that that makes me the regent of her kingdom. It's more interesting that way. Which, if that's the case, never a dull moment.'
The pair continue their business, one fishing, another building. Constructing a kingdom is no easy task, fortunate she is that she's had ample food thanks to the plethora of Magikarp that live within these waters. Two of which had been given to her by her trainer.
Enjoying the lovely weather, calm sounds of water, and friendly company of a happy otter, a sudden shift disturbs the serene beauty.
"You're still here. We weren't expecting you to spend so much time by our lake." The child-like voice returns, echoing as it had earlier in the day.
Unlike earlier, Queen Oshawott is startled by the sudden voice and quickly scampers as well as she can out of the water and onto the rocky outcropping of her Kingdom, long may she reign.
"Apologies, little one." The voice continues. "We did not mean to scare you."
As it speaks, a faint figure almost fades into existence. A small form, floating a few meters above the water. Four long, drooping pink appendages extend from its head which has a red gem centered upon it. Two tails hang low, each harboring an additional gem.
"Your trainer is not from around here; We are simply here to try and help them."
'This is… concerning.'
The apparition opens its eyes. Yellow orbs stare into him as if measuring the weight of his soul.
"As I thought. We have much to discuss. Worry not, we will provide all the help that we can."
'That is not reassuring.'
"This one is known as Mesprit and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your name is?"
'That is absolutely not reassuring.'
