Pokemon : I'm Just a Photographer!

Chapter 119: Chapter 119

Once lunch was ready, Mike was about to carry the Stantler’s food over when Lucian approached him.

"Can I take that one’s meal?"

He pointed toward the sigma sigma stag.

"Of course."

Mike handed it over, and Lucian thanked him before taking the food to the sigma Stantler, while Mike distributed the rest among the others.

After everyone had eaten, they gave the Stantler a short period to rest and digest their food.

Then, at exactly 14:28, Mike stood up and raised his voice across the clearing.

"All right. Is everyone ready?"

"The recording team is ready," Professor Rowan answered.

He stood with a sheet of paper and pen in hand, responsible for recording the exact number of times Psyshield Bash was used during the evolution attempt.

"The filming team is ready too."

Gary looked down at the live drone feed displayed on his tablet. The angle was excellent, and he and Professor Oak would oversee the recording.

"Safety is covered."

Cynthia stood nearby with Garchomp at her side.

"The three Stantler are in good physical condition, and their food has been fully digested," Professor Kukui reported after completing one final examination.

Lucian adjusted his glasses. "Their psychic energy is also at its peak."

Mike nodded.

Several containers of PP-restoring medicine had already been placed on a nearby table, and with every part of the preparation complete, he took a deep breath.

Everyone had agreed that he would lead the actual evolution attempt.

Mike had originally intended to hand that responsibility to Professor Oak or Professor Rowan, but both of them had refused.

The theory had come from Mike, and so had the evolution method.

In their view, he should be the one to carry it through.

Mike turned toward the sigma Stantler.

"Then let’s begin."

His voice grew firmer.

"The Stantler evolution trial officially starts now."

He walked over, mounted the sigma stag, and gently ran one hand through the fur around its neck.

Almost immediately, he could feel how tense the Pokémon was beneath him.

The sigma Stantler understood what today meant.

The hope of its species, along with everything everyone had worked toward over the past several days, now rested on him and the other two Stantler.

His breathing grew heavier, and then Mike suddenly felt the Pokémon’s body become heavier as well.

Mike frowned and twisted around.

Gengar was sitting behind him.

"Get off."

He shoved Gengar backward.

"Gar?!"

Gengar fell to the ground, and the sigma Stantler went still.

’So THAT was why I suddenly felt so heavy.’

The absurd interruption unexpectedly eased some of the tension, and Mike silently gave Gengar a thumbs-up before leaning forward and gently massaging the Stantler’s shoulders and neck.

"It’s okay," he said softly. "You’ve worked hard. We’ve prepared everything we can, so all you have to do now is run forward."

Mike lowered himself closer to the Stantler’s ear.

"Believe in yourself. And believe in us. All right?"

The sigma Stantler turned his head, warm breath escaping through his nostrils before he nodded firmly.

"Good."

Mike continued the massage.

"Take a little time and settle yourself. When you’re ready, tell me."

Stantler closed his eyes.

The past several days of training passed through his mind.

Psyshield Bash had become almost instinctive by now, and his body knew the sequence.

Barrier.

Psychic energy.

Charge.

He had also developed a basic understanding of Agile Style.

Around them, everyone remained quiet.

Bronzong and the other Psychic Pokémon had already driven away the nearby wild Pokémon to make sure nothing interfered with the attempt.

The sigma Stantler lightly scraped one hoof against the earth before finally crying out.

"Stant—!"

Mike looked back toward the others.

Everyone was ready.

He turned forward again.

"Stantler!"

His voice rang out.

"Agile Style!"

The sigma Stantler broke into a full sprint through the forest.

A Psybeam shot ahead, but Garchomp vanished and, with a single slash, tore the attack apart and cleared the path.

Mike lowered himself over the Stantler’s back.

"Psyshield Bash!"

Barrier appeared directly ahead before immediately dissolving into flowing psychic energy, which wrapped around both Stantler and Mike.

BOOM!

A tree snapped and crashed aside.

"Again!"

Mike tightened his grip.

"Psyshield Bash!"

Overhead, the drone followed them through the forest while Gary carefully controlled its position, keeping Mike and Stantler centered in the frame.

Lucian and Professor Kukui followed on their Pokémon, while Professor Rowan rode alongside them on another Stantler, his pen moving rapidly across the page.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Four..."

The count continued to rise.

Broken trees began littering the training area around them.

Garchomp, Gengar, Snivy, Beedrill, and the others hurried to clear away fallen trunks and loose debris so Mike and the Stantler could keep moving without interruption.

"Seventeen!"

Professor Rowan’s voice grew louder.

The sigma Stantler’s breathing had become heavy, and everyone else’s had as well.

"Eighteen!"

The atmosphere tightened.

"Nineteen..."

Professor Rowan’s expression sharpened.

Gary’s palms had begun sweating around the drone controls.

’Will it work?’

The sigma Stantler was panting now, and his legs were trembling.

Using Psyshield Bash nineteen times in succession while maintaining Agile Style was something his body had never experienced before.

Mike was exhausted too, though not physically.

It was mental exhaustion.

Every successful charge brought them closer to the number he remembered.

"One more."

Mike leaned forward.

"Just one more."

The Stantler’s breathing came raggedly.

"Hang in there!"

Bronzong approached with a PP-restoring medicine.

The sigma Stantler looked at it, then shook his head.

He refused!

Instead, he drew in a long breath and steadied himself.

Mike placed a hand against his neck before giving the command.

"Psyshield Bash!"

The final charge burst forward.

Professor Rowan’s voice rang across the clearing.

"Twenty!"

His pen stopped.

Everyone stared at the Stantler.

Mike dismounted and took one step back, then another.

Nothing happened.

There was no light, no change, and no evolution.

Mike’s expression slowly stiffened.

’No...’

A terrible possibility entered his mind.

Had too much changed?

Had the passage of time altered Stantler so much that modern Sinnoh could no longer produce Wyrdeer?

Professor Kukui looked toward Lucian, who returned the glance. Neither of them spoke.

Professor Rowan frowned.

"Maybe twenty isn’t enough anymore?"

Mike reached out and gently stroked the Stantler’s head.

"It’s okay," he said softly. "We’ll rest first, then—"

He never finished his words.

"STANTTTTTTTTTTTTT—!!!"

The sigma Stantler screamed as his legs gave out beneath him.

Mike immediately dropped beside him.

The Pokémon’s entire body began convulsing.

Something enormous had awakened inside him.

Psychic power surged wildly through his body, tearing through muscles and bones that had never carried this kind of energy before, while his limbs trembled uncontrollably.

Mike immediately opened the system interface.

{Stantler}

{...}

{Description: Its dormant genes have begun to awaken. Psychic power that vanished from its bloodline long ago is being reborn within its body and surging out of control. Because it has never experienced such immense psychic energy before, it cannot yet regulate the force. Once that power is stabilized, evolution will become possible.}

Mike’s eyes widened.

"Lucian!"

He shouted toward him.

"Get over here!"

Lucian rushed over and crouched beside them.

"Help stabilize the psychic power inside him," Mike said quickly. "He’s about to evolve, but the process awakened a huge amount of psychic energy and he can’t control it!"

Lucian nodded.

"Understood."

He placed one hand against Stantler’s body, and the moment he sensed what was happening inside, his expression changed.

’What an incredible psychic power...’

"Bronzong!"

Bronzong moved beside him and closed its eyes.

Its psychic energy spread over the Stantler’s body.

Rather than forcefully suppressing the wild energy, Bronzong began guiding it and helping the surging psychic power circulate along a stable path.

Little by little, the convulsions eased.

The Stantler’s breathing steadied, and after several moments, he slowly forced himself back onto his feet.

Then he raised his head toward the sky.

"STAAAANT—!!!"

Brilliant blue-white light exploded from his body!

Everyone froze.

Stantler disappeared inside the glow as his silhouette began to change.

Gary’s eyes widened.

"This is..."

"Evolution light," Professor Rowan said quietly.

The drone immediately rose higher, while Snivy brought the camera closer with Vine Whip and trained the lens directly on the evolving Pokémon.

Professor Oak’s eyes were shining and Professor Kukui stared without blinking.

"It really worked..."

The brilliant light slowly faded.

Where Stantler had been standing was now a Pokémon none of them had ever seen alive before.

"Wyr..."

The newly evolved Pokémon gave a low cry.

Mike stared at him.

His body had changed dramatically.

The brown fur he once possessed was now gray-white, while a thick white beard covered his lower face and chest.

Dense white fur surrounded the lower portions of his legs, with two distinct raised tufts near the front.

His tail had turned completely white, and the fur around his jaw, limbs, and hindquarters had grown longer and heavier.

There was no doubt.

Wyrdeer.

The first Wyrdeer of the modern era!

For several seconds, Mike could only stare.

Then he turned toward everyone else.

No one had reacted yet.

They were still processing what they had just witnessed.

Mike’s face broke into a grin.

"Everyone!"

His voice rang through the clearing.

"We did it!"

Then he shouted with everything he had.

"WE BROUGHT WYRDEER BACK!"

Those words finally broke the silence, and cheers erupted throughout the clearing.

"It... it really worked..."

Professor Kukui rushed forward and threw his arms around Lucian in excitement.

"Wyrdeer..."

Professor Oak stared at the newly evolved Pokémon for another moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

He looked toward Mike.

"As expected of you!"

From that day onward, the Pokédex would once again gain an entry for a Pokémon the modern world had thought lost.

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