Chapter 68: The Forgotten Elves
In the lake of the Eternal Forest, a battle repeated countless times over the past century unfolds once more.
One is a three-meter-tall, brown bear with a blood-moon pattern on its forehead; the other is a meter-long, mottled white-striped bass deep in the water.
The Bloodmoon Ursaluna (Heymoon) and the White-Striped Basculin.
Both inhabiting the Eternal Forest, their relationship is extremely hostile, and they fight almost every time they meet.
Today is no exception. As the Bloodmoon Ursaluna comes to the lake to fetch water, a "Ice Beam" wreathed in "Whirlpool" shoots out from underwater.
The latter, having anticipated this, immediately "Snarls" (Roars Loudly), unleashing a jet-black sonic wave that shatters the water and ice before striking in the direction from which the attack originated.
This level of attack is commonplace for both of them.
The battle between fish and bear is about to erupt, attracting a large number of Pokémon dwelling in the forest. At times like these, even the Grimmsnarl (long-haired trolls) that roam the Eternal Forest dare not show themselves before the two exceptionally ferocious Pokémon, lest they incur their wrath and be attacked by their combined might.
Just as the two were locked in fierce combat, the two humans finally arrived and saw the two Pokémon at the center of the battle.
With just one glance, Cynthia (Zhulan) recognized the species of the giant bear—it was the evolved form of Ursaring, which had lost its ability to evolve due to environmental changes!
"The Pokémon fighting it is... a Shiny Basculin?"
Cynthia knew relatively little about this species, only that Basculin was ferocious and aggressive, but its taste and meat were of the highest quality.
"I think it's not Shiny, but a special White-Striped Basculin with a unique spawning method that is now endangered. The Basculegion (Darktail Blackfish) of the Hisui (Washgreen) region is its evolved form, but due to the peculiarity of its evolution method, it's basically extinct."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, even the ever-confident, elegant, and composed Cynthia couldn't help but lose her composure.
"The white-striped Basculin lives in extremely cold seas, and when they spawn, they collectively migrate back to the rivers where they were born. Their journey home is also a path of death. Schools of Basculin swim upstream, and the souls of those who die in the harsh environment, filled with hatred, possess the living individuals, ultimately causing them to evolve into the Ghost-type Basculegion."
At this point, Link pointed to the white Basculin.
It was fiercely fighting, its pale body bursting with raging black flames, burning the Ursaluna, which was manipulating "Earth Power" to form a shield around itself.
The white-striped Basculin didn't know any fire-type moves, and the black flames weren't real fire, but rather an abnormal Ghost-type energy that seemed to possess its own consciousness.
"If I'm not mistaken, those flames are the collective souls of the White-striped Basculin that have died in this basin over the past few centuries. Unable to leave this place to return to the river where they were born to spawn, their hatred lingers, which is why the Basculin possessed the power to manipulate Ghost-type energy even before evolving. Of course, it's just a guess."
Link's guess was based on his understanding of the Pokédex, but he couldn't be sure of the reality.
But Cynthia, hearing this, could no longer stand idly by. These two Pokémon were even rarer than Legendary Pokémon, and they absolutely couldn't afford to suffer any loss because of their battle. If the White-striped Basculin were to become extinct, it would be a disaster for humans, Pokémon, and the academic world.
"Garchomp, Lucario, I'm counting on you."
Without needing to say more, the two Pokémon understood their trainer's intentions. Garchomp rushed towards the Basculin in the water at supersonic speed, while Lucario approached Ursaluna at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
The arrival of the uninvited guests put the two Pokémon on high alert, and they immediately turned their attention to the outsiders who couldn't read the room. However, they quickly discovered that both Pokémon were far stronger than themselves, not even in the same league as the local Pokémon of the forest!
In almost no time, Garchomp and Lucario had each suppressed one of the Pokémon, forcibly "mediating" their battle. Seeing Pokémon even stronger than the two overlords suddenly appear, the others who had been watching from afar quickly retreated, leaving this dangerous place behind.
The suppressed Basculin and Ursaluna were still unconvinced, trying to break free several times, but they were simply no match. The difference between wild Pokémon and the Champion's heavily trained Pokémon was simply too great.
"Link, the rest is up to you."
"Huh? Me?"
Link didn't understand. They'd already finished fighting, why was he being asked to do anything? Just pass the ball!
Seeing his bewildered expression, Cynthia explained, "Can't you communicate with Pokémon? Why don't you take this opportunity to tell them your purpose?"
Link seemed thoughtful, vaguely understanding the Champion's unspoken meaning. He then went to the riverbank and looked at the Basculin being suppressed by Garchomp. Upon seeing a human approach, its fiery spirit launched an attack, but was dispersed by Togekiss behind him.
"Hello, I'm Link, and that's Cyndaquil over there… Senior, please believe that we have no ill intentions towards you."
The Basculin looked at the human unhappily, its eyes devoid of any trust. If this was considered harmless, then it had just been playing around with the bear.
"Actually, it's like this. We're trying to make the Basculin great again, to allow them to reproduce and grow stronger to prevent your extinction, so we hope to bring you back to the river where you were born to lay your eggs. We don't know if you're male or female? But it doesn't matter, if you are…"
At this point, Link covered the Fennekin's (Fire Fox) large ears; what he was about to say wasn't suitable for her to hear. She shook her head uncomfortably, feeling extremely itchy.
"If you're male, we'll find a bunch of Ditto to transform into females for you to fertilize; if you're female, we'll find a bunch of males for you, okay?"
Not far away, Cynthia's face darkened. What on earth are you talking about?! While this is indeed one of the correct practices for protecting endangered species, it sounds so strange coming from you.
"So, I guess you've been stuck here and can't get out. Why don't you just tell me your birthplace and let the Champion lady over there take you there?"
"Bass?"
Hearing something unbelievable from a human, the Basculin's eyes lit up with hope. The long-held wishes and resentments of countless Basculin before their deaths over the past hundred years had left it with no hope. Could it possibly be fulfilled with the help of this human?
Thinking of this, it couldn't help but tell Link its wish—"I want to go home."
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(End of Chapter)