Chapter 4 The Ultimate Steed is…?
It was only about fifteen minutes later that Minato returned. Luckily nothing bothered me besides a few Taillows that dropped down and observed me, luckily I had a few graham crackers in my lab coat I was saving for a snack. After giving them a few pieces they gave me a few chirps in thanks and flew off.
Minato returning didn't shock me but when I noticed an aged Stantler trot behind him I was mildly surprised. I got up quickly to greet them both as a new voice entered my head.
"A courteous human…. Odd, usually the ones your age will come running out of the woods throwing those balls at us" A seemingly wise old voice spoke with a hint of femininity in it.
"Uh hi there, Elijah Connors. It's a pleasure" I said while slightly caught off guard by it being able to use telepathy. 'That is further proof that will justify my theory, gotta remember to write that down in the report'
"You seek a young Stantler to join you on your journey I presume?" She asked as she approached me further.
"Yes….." I answered honestly while slightly uncomfortable, she seemed to have me under a microscope but seeing Minato not make a move I assumed it was unthreatening.
"I'm curious as to why." She said she came to a stop next to me and I had to admit that their horns did look rather majestic in person.
"I wish to have a Wyrdeer in my team and possibly revive the lost evolution across the world," I said honestly as I assumed a Pokémon could tell a lie if they were capable of telepathy. Another question for Minato for another day.
She seemed genuinely confused for a moment before her eyes widened in understanding before they narrowed at me further.
"And you believe it's possible to rediscover the legend?" She asked me seriously while I was genuinely confused. 'I guess their evolution is akin to a folk tale for them now. A legend seemed slightly presumptuous though' I just nodded that I indeed believed it was possible.
This would become the main part of the paper. A conversation with an elder stanler confirmed my hypothesis that their evolution was lost to time. It would prevent people from even having the faintest idea I arrived from another world with prior knowledge.
"You may approach any of my kind that you wish, but please don't force any to join you. Some have already made a family" She said as she turned away and began heading back towards her herd. 'Well, that went easier than I expected.'
"So did you scout any of them with potential?" I asked Minato as I walked up to him, he nodded slightly as he turned and began guiding me.
"I was able to get a basic grasp on what an average Stantler feels like. Most of the ones above the basic psychic level are the older ones. But I noticed one of their young ones that was well above that average." Minato said as he pointed out one Stantler that seemed to be relaxing under a tree.
'Well let's get the awkward introductions over with' Smiling I walked over towards the Stantler that began to open its eyes as I approached.
It seemed slightly spooked and hopped to its feet but when it realized I stopped moving it relaxed slightly. I continued forward until I was near the tree.
"Mind if I join you?" I asked curiously as I nodded towards the tree it was at. It seemed to think it over before it shrugged and laid back down under the tree's shade. Though its eyes never left mine.
'Pretty chill guy, well deer are peaceful creatures when they aren't spooked' I reflected as I sat with my back to the tree.
"So do you enjoy life here, it seems nice. Mildly peaceful while chilling under trees during warm days." I asked while observing the area. The Stantler seemed to think it over for a while before replying.
"Stant Stan Stantler," it said which I obviously didn't understand but I got a vibe of indifference toward my question.
"Hey Minato, think you could link us with your telepathy?" I asked my partner, unsure if that was even possible.
"Sure," the fox said as he sent a pulse of energy toward us.
"It's not a bad life, grazing the land, slowly traveling. It's beginning to grow rather dull I'll admit, but that may be because I haven't found a mate as my mother had been insisting" A new voice spoke, a slight teenage-sounding voice but still with a minor gruffness to it.
"Building a family is nice, I've heard, gives your life purpose and all that. I couldn't see myself having a kid though, sounds horrible. Plus I've heard women begin to nag constantly after having a child" I said as I whispered the last part jokingly. The young Stantler seemed to find it funny as he started chuckling and agreeing with me.
"So what's your offer, mysterious human?" The Stantler asked as it seemed he was done with the small talk.
"Join me, battle other Pokémon. Maybe go on a legendary adventure that will be told for centuries." I said with absolute seriousness. He seemed caught off guard by my bluntness before he began to think it over.
"Sounds like fun." He replied as he stood up. 'Well that worked out well, chill deer dudes for the win!'
"Won't make you regret it," I said with a smile as I held out a great ball. He walked over and hit the button with one of its antlers, three wiggles later he was caught.
I waited for a minute or so but it looked like he wasn't coming out. 'Guess he likes the inside of the ball?'
"Hey Minato, what's it like being in a Pokeball?" I asked probably the most humane question.
"Hard to explain, it's like having an entire clearing to yourself to walk around and stretch your legs. My grandfather told me that if you sleep in that place it's like no time passed when you're removed from the ball. I didn't like it myself but it seems everyone is different" Minato replied as I released Stantler from his ball.
The Stantler seemed to find the ball comfortable as he was in a relaxing position and his eyes were closed.
"Come on buddy we've got to finish introductions before you pass out," I said as I walked over and began nudging the lazy deer.
"Elijah Connors and the floating guy is Minato, nice to have you with us. How would you feel about me giving you a name?" I asked as he seemed to begrudgingly give up his sleep and stand up.
"That would be… nice," He said as I began racking my brain for a good name.
'Hmmmmm, well I named my Wyrdeer in legends Arceus Roach. But I'd like to try something new…'
"How do you feel about Torrent?" I asked. He seemed to think it over for a few seconds before he nodded his assent at the name.
"I like it." He said honestly as he yawned.
"Good, I guess everything worked out today. We managed to get that done in a decent amount of time, hey Minato, teleport us back towards the waterfall. I'd like to get a look at what water types are in the area." I said as I gave Torrent a pat on the forehead and returned him to his ball.
"Looking for a third member already? Grab my shoulder, we'll be there in a moment" Minato said as I nodded and placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Never hurts to check, might be able to find another Pokémon from my list," I said with a smirk to which Minato broke his concentration to roll his eyes.
"I doubt you'll find a Dratini or a Larvitar in a forest like this" Minato said as we just popped in and appeared in another part of the forest, marking the change with the sound of roaring waters.
"Not with that attitude we won',t" I said as I pulled one of his whiskers much to his chagrin as he shanked me with his spoon.
"Alright let's just go take a look, surely there'll be at least a few species at a waterfall. We might even see a Squirtle or a Totadile." I said with an insane amount of optimism. 'I'd probably abandon all my precautions to get a chance at one of the starters. Well as long as there's no Gyarados in sight.'
He nodded quickly as we both got low and started heading into the brush that separated the river from the tree line.
There were a surprising amount of choices relaxing at the foot of the waterfall, a few Seakings, and a pair of Slowpoke which I probably would have caught if I didn't already have two psyphics. Of course, there were a few Magikarp and Tentacool but unluckily I didn't spot any signs of a Squirtle or a Totodile.
Thinking today may have been a bust I was beginning to debate whether I should try battling any of these Pokemon in hopes that this trip didn't turn out to be a waste. It wasn't until I saw a small seahorse hop out of the water and onto dry land that I decided to scrap all of the plans.
Usually, it wouldn't have been as serious, it wasn't like Horsea was a rare encounter, at least in the games. What made it so dire was the fact this particular Horsea owned a beautiful fluorescent scale that was tied to its torso with some kind of sea plant, likely kelp. Most likely a gift from one of its parents. A dragon scale.
'Luckily the Horsea looked like it fought a few battles given its size and the fact that no stronger Pokemon managed to take its scale from it. It definitely had a few scuffs on its body and a slight scar over one of its eyes. Good, I would've felt bad about 'kinda' kidnapping him or her if it was a youngling'
"Ok Minato, grab that Horsea and teleport back to the cave, Torrent and I will meet you there," I ordered as I backed out of the brush and released Stantler, who looked ready for anything instead of half asleep. 'So they can tell what's happening outside of their balls, convenient'
Minato seemed surprised by the gruff order but just nodded his head. I nodded to Torrent and we began jogging for about three minutes until we arrived at the cave that served as one of Minato's teleport points.
But unlike usual, the area wasn't filled with a serene peaceful feeling. Why? Well, there were powerful streams of water firing off every few seconds. Proving that Minato must have succeeded in teleporting the unaware Horsea.
-Current Party—-
Name: Minato
Species: Kadabra
Type: Psychic
Level: 17
Ability: Inner Focus (Prevents Pokemon from flinching)
Moves: Psybeam, Confusion, Teleport, Reflect, Hypnosis, Calm Mind.
Name: Torrent
Species: Stantler
Type: Normal
Level: 19
Ability: Intimidate (Cause a Pokemon to slightly flinch in the presence of this Pokemon during battle. Lowering the opposing Pokemon's physical attack)
Moves: Tackle, Hypnosis, Stomp, Sand Attack, Bite (egg move), Double Kick (egg move)