Pokemon : I'm Just a Photographer!

Chapter 117: Chapter 117

Lucian exchanged a glance with Mike before walking over to guide him personally, giving Mike the opportunity to approach Glameow, who had settled on the ground a short distance away.

He reached down to pick her up, but Glameow immediately jumped aside.

Mike followed her movement and caught her just before she landed, pulling her securely into his arms as he stroked her head.

"Our dear Princess Glameow doesn’t need to imitate anyone."

Her ears twitched, and Mike smiled.

"Because no matter what Princess Glameow does, she’s already the cutest in my eyes!"

The round ears on top of her head softened almost immediately, while her spring-shaped tail lightly tapped against his arm.

"Meow."

[As if I needed you to tell me!]

Mike laughed, only for Gengar to cough and float directly in front of them.

"GAAaaAar~"

The noise that came out of his mouth was horrifying, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard while a rusty saw dragged across bone.

Mike’s scalp went numb, Glameow immediately clapped both paws over her ears and launched herself out of his arms, while Snivy covered her own ears as well, her normally serene face showing genuine horror.

Beedrill reacted entirely on instinct as string Shot flew straight toward Gengar.

"DON’T COPY HER!"

Mike tackled Gengar and clamped both hands over his mouth.

"She was trying to sound cute! You sound like you’re trying to kill me!"

Gengar struggled, but Mike refused to let go.

Then—

BOOM!

A violent impact shook the clearing.

Mike immediately released Gengar and turned toward the marked Stantler.

The enormous boulder he had been practicing against had exploded into fragments, sending chunks of rock flying in every direction.

Snivy’s Vine Whips snapped through the air and struck away every piece that threatened to reach the others.

Lucian, who had been standing beside the Stantler, stared at the wreckage in silence as Professor Kukui hurried over.

"That move just now..."

His voice trembled slightly.

Lucian shook his head. "I don’t know exactly what it was, but I’m certain it wasn’t Zen Headbutt, and it wasn’t any ordinary charging move either."

Both men turned toward Mike, whose expression immediately became serious.

He stood up and Gengar, apparently understanding the importance of the moment, pulled out the camera without needing to be told.

"I didn’t see it clearly."

Mike called toward the marked Stantler.

"Sigma Stantler, do it again."

The Stantler nodded, and Barrier appeared in front of him.

Lucian pointed toward Bronzong.

"Attack Bronzong."

The Stantler lowered his head and charged.

As he accelerated, the Barrier pushed outward, distorted, and then dissolved into flowing psychic energy that swept backward until it completely enveloped his body.

"Bronzong, Reflect!"

A translucent wall appeared.

Stantler slammed into it, and cracks immediately spread across Reflect.

Professor Kukui clenched his fist while Lucian turned to stare at Mike, who had already opened the system interface.

One entry in the marked Stantler’s move list was flashing.

{Psyshield Bash}

For a second, Mike simply stared at it.

Then his face lit up.

"He learned it!"

His voice rang through the forest.

"He actually learned Psyshield Bash!"

Professor Kukui rushed over and grabbed Mike by both shoulders.

"You’re certain?"

His grip tightened without him realizing it.

"Mike, are you absolutely certain?"

"Ow—ow, ow! Let go first!" Mike grimaced. "You’re going to crush my shoulders!"

Kukui immediately released him.

Mike rolled both shoulders several times and shot him a wounded look before turning serious again.

"Yes."

He nodded.

"That was Psyshield Bash—the old signature move of Stantler’s evolutionary line!"

Lucian’s eyes sharpened.

"If that’s true, then..."

He looked toward the marked Stantler.

"Does that mean evolution is possible now?"

"Eventually," Mike replied with a nod. "But not yet. He has only just learned how to perform the move. Before we attempt evolution, he needs to be able to use it consistently and without losing control."

Bang!

Another impact sounded nearby.

Everyone turned to see a second Stantler standing beside the sigma stag. He shook his antlers before giving the marked Stantler a small nod.

Mike recognized him immediately.

Stantler One.

He opened the system interface again and found Psyshield Bash flashing in that Stantler’s move list as well.

"He learned it too!"

The surprise didn’t end there.

With help from the first two, a third Stantler eventually managed to reproduce the same combination and successfully perform Psyshield Bash.

Three Stantler.

Three successful users!

Mike slapped both hands together and burst out laughing.

"I told you!"

He looked triumphantly toward Lucian.

"I TOLD you my method would work!"

Nothing beat a properly executed honey-deer trap!

Lucian frowned slightly, still struggling to accept that such a ridiculous plan had actually produced results, while Professor Kukui laughed along with Mike.

His trip to Sinnoh had been worth it after all.

A lost move had just been rediscovered—a signature move that no modern Stantler had been known to possess had returned.

That meant research, data, and, most importantly—another paper.

Once Mike finally calmed down, he turned toward Lucian and Kukui.

"I’ll leave the next stage to you two. Have them practice against your Pokémon so they can master Psyshield Bash as quickly as possible. Right now, they can use it, but they’re still not stable enough for evolution."

He gestured toward the remaining two Stantler.

"And have these three help teach the others. If possible, I’d like all five to learn it."

"Leave it to us," Lucian said.

Professor Kukui nodded. "We’ll handle it."

"All right."

Mike pulled out his Rotom Phone.

"I’ll call Professor Rowan and the others."

He stepped away and contacted Rowan first. The video connected, revealing Professor Rowan in his usual formal clothes.

"Mike? Calling this late—did something happen with the research?"

Mike grinned.

"Professor. We did it!"

Rowan’s eyes widened.

"What?"

"Three Stantler have successfully learned Psyshield Bash."

Professor Rowan’s voice immediately rose.

"You’re certain?"

Mike nodded.

"Lucian and Professor Kukui are training with them now so they can stabilize the move and become fully proficient. If you have time, could you come back to Oreburgh within the next couple of days? If everything goes smoothly, I think we’ll be ready to attempt evolution very soon."

Professor Rowan didn’t hesitate.

"I’ll be there tomorrow."

"Good. I won’t keep you, then. I still need to call Professor Oak."

"Understood."

Mike ended the call and dialed Professor Oak.

The video connected, but Professor Oak wasn’t the person who appeared on-screen.

Instead, Mike found himself looking at a teenage boy with spiky brown hair and a pendant hanging around his neck.

Mike froze.

Then recognition struck him.

"Gary?"

The boy on the other end blinked and stared at the unfamiliar man who had just called him by name, searching his memory and finding nothing.

"Hello. Have we met before?"

"Halfway."

Gary stared at him.

"...Halfway?"

Mike immediately changed the subject.

"Is Professor Oak there?"

Gary had just opened his mouth to ask what that meant when Professor Oak’s voice came from nearby.

"Someone looking for me?"

"Yeah."

Gary handed over the phone.

Professor Oak took it and smiled when he saw Mike.

"What made you call at this hour? Did something go wrong with the experiment?"

Gary had been about to walk away, but at the word experiment, he quietly stopped and remained exactly where he was.

"We’re halfway there," Mike said.

Professor Oak’s expression immediately became serious.

"What do you mean?"

"Several Stantler have successfully learned Psyshield Bash."

Oak’s eyes widened.

"We’ll probably attempt evolution within the next couple of days," Mike continued with a smile. "I wanted to ask if you have time to come over personally. If everything works, you might get to witness the birth of the first Wyrdeer in the modern world."

Professor Oak nodded at once.

"I’ll come tomorrow."

Then his expression became stern.

"Do not let them evolve before I arrive."

Mike laughed.

"All right."

Once the call ended, Professor Oak immediately started packing.

Gary followed and helped with the luggage while asking, "Grandpa, what kind of experiment are you involved in?"

He frowned.

"I heard you mention Stantler. Can Stantler actually evolve?"

Professor Oak laughed and explained everything they had discovered so far, and Gary’s expression grew steadily more astonished as he listened.

"Stantler evolves into Wyrdeer? And it needs to learn Psyshield Bash?"

Professor Oak nodded.

"And there really are Stantler that have learned it?"

"According to Mike, yes. Lucian and Professor Kukui are there as well."

Gary hesitated before asking, "Can I come too?"

Professor Oak smiled.

"Of course. If you’re serious about becoming a Pokémon researcher, this is exactly the kind of event you should witness."

He pointed toward Gary’s room.

"Go pack. We’re leaving tonight."

"Tonight?"

Gary stared at him.

"Grandpa, Sinnoh is really far away."

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow.

"You think I’m too old to make the trip?"

Gary: "..."

There was no point arguing.

More importantly, Gary quickly realized his grandfather was seriously considering flying to Sinnoh on a Pokémon, so he immediately abandoned the debate, bought two plane tickets, and made certain they traveled like normal people.

...

Back in Oreburgh, Mike called Cynthia next.

The screen flickered, and Cynthia’s cool, elegant face appeared.

"What is it?"

Her tone carried its usual faint distance at first, but when she realized it was Mike, that distance softened.

"One of the Stantler learned Psyshield Bash."

Cynthia immediately looked away from the ancient text spread across her desk and focused on the screen.

"Already?"

"Three out of five."

Mike nodded.

"The remaining two are still working on it. If you have time over the next couple of days, come over. There’s a good chance you’ll be able to witness the first Wyrdeer of the modern era."

"All right."

Cynthia stood.

"I’m coming now."

She took the coat hanging beside her desk, opened the office door, and left.

The call ended.

Mike looked at the dark screen.

Cynthia really was decisive whenever something important was involved.

If only she could choose ordinary things that quickly.

Everything was ready now.

All that remained was for the Stantler to completely master Psyshield Bash.

Mike looked toward the training area.

Wyrdeer.

A Pokémon once associated with ancient Hisui, a species that had disappeared as the region changed over the centuries.

Could it truly return to modern Sinnoh?

Mike didn’t know.

But with that question hanging over everyone, preparations for the evolution attempt finally began.

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