This is a Pokemon that resembles a deer.
It has gray deer fur, a fluffy white tail trailing behind it, and its branching antlers display hues alternating between black and gold, majestically extending to the sides.
Its face is covered with white fuzz, and a dense circle of white beard grows on its chin, giving it a fairy-like and valiant appearance, both elegant and majestic.
"This... What is this?!!"
Ash looked at the Pokemon before him, his eyes shining.
This was a Pokemon he had never seen before!
Even Cynthia beside him had a glimmer of interest in her eyes.
Let alone Ash.
Even she, a historian and archaeologist, had never seen such a Pokemon.
This Pokemon does not exist in the modern era, nor is there any record of it in ancient texts.
It appears that even in modern times, no one has yet discovered fossils of this Pokemon.
"This Pokemon is called Wyrdeer."
Mai, gently petting Wyrdeer's head, explained to the group.
"Legend has it that once a hero led ten Pokemon to challenge the Venerable Sinnoh."
"In that earth-shattering battle, the Venerable Sinnoh recognized the strength of humans."
"And the descendants of those ten Pokemon became the kings and Mount Pokemon of the Hisui Region."
"This Wyrdeer is one of the legendary Mount Pokemon."
"However, this particular Wyrdeer is different from ordinary ones; it's the only one summoned by a special flute melody."
"Besides it, there are four other Pokemon that can be summoned using special flute melodies."
"We speculate that these five Pokemon have inherited a part of their ancestors' power from the challenge against the Venerable Sinnoh!"
Mai paused, as if recalling something.
"Oh, by the way, that Mysterious Tablet was actually gifted to our Diamond Clan by this Wyrdeer..."
"It's just that we have never discovered the function of that tablet, so we took it out as a reward for this mission."
"After all, regardless of its use, being a tool given by a legendary Pokemon, it still has valuable significance."
That's why the tablet could be used as such a reward.
The information contained in Mai's words was overwhelming.
It left Ash and Cynthia momentarily speechless.
Even the intellectual Cynthia felt her mind overloaded.
Firstly, the "Venerable Sinnoh" challenged by Wyrdeer's ancestor... It should neither be Dialga nor Palkia, but—
Arceus!
It was due to Arceus's recognition that Wyrdeer possessed the Mystical Slab.
Not only Wyrdeer but the remaining nine Pokemon had also challenged Arceus!
Including Wyrdeer, five of these Pokemon are known as Mount Pokemon.
And the other five Pokemon... are called Kings!
Since Wyrdeer can be summoned by humans using flute melodies, those "Kings" should also have intricate links with humans.
Moreover, since Wyrdeer possesses the Stone Tablet.
Then the other nine Pokemon are likely to possess tablets too!
Their current main goal is to go home, and that requires gathering all eighteen Stone Tablets.
Finally, they have some leads on the tablets' whereabouts, not just wandering aimlessly.
Cynthia quietly held Ash's hand.
Ash understood, channeling Aura Power to Cynthia to enable encrypted communication between them.
'Ash, these so-called Mount Pokemon and those Kings should all be closely related to Arceus and the tablets.'
'After completing this event, we'll start fully investigating the matters related to these Kings and Mount Pokemon.'
'Alright!'
On the other hand, Mai saw Cynthia holding Ash's hand upon seeing Wyrdeer.
For a brief moment, Mai thought Cynthia was frightened by Wyrdeer.
Mai displayed a kind smile, explaining to the two.
"You don't need to be afraid."
"Though Wyrdeer has inherited the Venerable Sinnoh's power, it doesn't fight, nor does it attack humans."
"On the contrary, it's always been kind to humans."
"Just as it fulfills its role as a Mount Pokemon, Wyrdeer only performs its duty of carrying humans."
"Ah, you misunderstood; I'm not afraid of Wyrdeer."
Cynthia waved her hand, hurriedly explaining.
"I just... am not used to letting go of my brother's hand."
It's fine if she doesn't explain this.
Because of her explanation, Mai's gaze at her became even more peculiar.
This woman... is a brother-con???
Sensing Mai's strange gaze, Cynthia's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly coughed to change the subject.
"Ahem, it's about time; shall we set off?"
"Alright."
Mai nodded.
Ash, however, was still intrigued by Wyrdeer, circling it with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
"Speaking of which, this Pokemon called Wyrdeer is truly beautiful!"
"Miss Mai mentioned earlier that this Wyrdeer inherited the ancestors' power, right?"
"So... are there other Wyrdeer out there?"
After all, Wyrdeer is a Pokemon never seen in modern times.
As someone always deeply interested in Pokemon, Ash's desire to explore Wyrdeer's existence is perfectly natural.
As always.
Despite carrying the responsibility of returning home, his passion for Pokemon and exploring new things remains undeterred.
Mai walked to Wyrdeer, gently petting its head as she spoke to Ash and the others.
"Yes, there are indeed other Wyrdeer in the Hisui Region."
"Furthermore, our research indicates that these Wyrdeer evolved from Stantler!"
"Evolved from Stantler?!"
The words caught even Cynthia by surprise.
She never imagined that this elegant white deer was evolved from Stantler.
As known, Stantler's habitat is in the Johto Region.
And had long been confirmed as a species without evolutionary forms.
Yet, here in the Hisui Region, it possesses an evolutionary form...
Indeed, there are significant differences between ancient and modern times!
Mai seemed quite satisfied with Cynthia and Ash's surprised reactions.
In the earlier battle, she was helplessly beaten by Ash.
But now, witnessing Ash's shock in another context somewhat soothes her injured pride.
"Stantler's evolution, hmm..."
Ash murmured while approaching Wyrdeer.
Imitating Mai's previous actions, he intended to reach out and touch the top of Wyrdeer's head.
Standing beside Ash, Mai saw this and quickly intervened.
"Wait, Ash, Wyrdeer..."
However, Mai's words halted abruptly as the scene unfolded before her.
Ash's hand gently rested on Wyrdeer's head.
Wyrdeer not only didn't reveal any disdain but instead closed its eyes comfortably, completely accepting Ash's touch!
"How... is it possible?"
Mai's face showed disbelief.
No matter how effortlessly she summoned Wyrdeer with a flute, this Wyrdeer differed from those found in the wild.
It wasn't that it hated humans, but inherently it was quite proud, which was understandable considering it inherited ancestral power; a hint of arrogance is expected.
Mai spent countless efforts to barely build a rapport with Wyrdeer and could use ancestral flute melodies and flutes to summon it.
But... who exactly is this boy named Ash?
Upon their first meeting, he managed to win its affection with a mere head pat!
This is truly incredible.