Chapter 88: Mount Acquired!

Around 2:00 in the afternoon, Andrew said to Diancie and the others, "Alright, it's time to send you all home. You all got a lot to take care of back home, and you've all need to worked hard these past few days."

Diancie cheerfully agreed, "Okay."

"Munchlax~"

Munchlax leaped into Andrew's arms, giving its master a reluctant hug.

After sending Munchlax and Drizzile back home, Andrew turned to the remaining Diancie and said, "Diancie, I need your help with something."

Diancie asked, "What do you need? Just tell me."

Andrew explained, "I want to see if you can bring a Veluza back to Nebel Plateau by putting it in a Poké Ball."

Diancie nodded, "Alright, I'll give it a try." If successful, it would be incredibly convenient, essentially giving Andrew a portable Pokémon teleportation device.

Andrew placed one of the Veluza into a Poké Ball and handed it to Diancie before teleporting her back home.

A short while later, Andrew brought Diancie back.

"So, did it work?" he asked.

Diancie smiled and said, "Yes, it worked!"

Andrew replied, "That's fantastic! Now we can teleport all the Veluzas back home. They won't have to stay cramped in this little pond anymore."

He crouched by the pond and spoke to the leader of Veluzas, "I'll be sending all of you to my home soon. We have a large lake there, much bigger than the river you're used to. You'll be free to swim and train as you like."

Veluza swam excitedly in the pond upon hearing this.

Andrew continued, "But once you're there, you need to behave and not cause trouble. If you have any questions, you can ask Politoed; he'll help you out."

Veluza nodded solemnly.

"Alright, it's settled then."

Andrew then put all the Veluza into Poké Balls and handed them to Diancie.

"Oh, wait!" Andrew suddenly remembered something. "Diancie, can you go to the Pokémon store and buy me some Poké Balls? I need them."

Andrew's system mission still required him to capture several more Pokémon. He used to think Poké Balls were unnecessary, but now that he needed them, he had run out.

Although the system store sold Poké Balls, Andrew was running low on happiness points. Just yesterday, he had spent over 10,000 happiness points on them, and if he kept spending like this, he'd have none left.

On the other hand, he had plenty of Alliance currency, and the Poké Balls at the store were priced at 500 Alliance coins each.

Diancie agreed, "Got it. I'll remember."

At that moment, Arven spoke up, "You don't need to buy Poké Balls. There are plenty at Research Station No. 1. My parents can't possibly use them all, so feel free to take as many as you need."

Andrew looked surprised, "Really?"

Arven nodded, "Yes, really."

Andrew asked, "I can use them too?"

Arven replied, "Yes, I heard my parents say that some of the Poké Balls have been there for years. They're just sitting around."

These Poké Balls were sponsored, so the researchers didn't have to spend any money on them, but there were simply too many to use.

Hearing this, Andrew told Diancie, "In that case, there's no need to buy Poké Balls anymore."

Andrew then teleported Diancie and the Veluza back home.

Next, Arven led Andrew to the storage area of Research Station No. 1, where the Poké Balls were kept.

What a sight! The warehouse was packed with boxes upon boxes of Poké Balls, including standard red and white ones, as well as Ultra Balls and Great Balls.

Just to be sure, Andrew asked the professors, and they assured him he could use as many Poké Balls as he wanted, considering it a reward for his lunch today.

Additionally, Andrew received a map of the Pokémon distribution in Area Zero from the professors, who had worked there for many years and knew the Pokémon situation well.

After taking a few Poké Balls, Andrew said to Arven, Oinkolognes, and Charcadets, "Let's continue capturing Pokémon!"

"Yay!"

"Oink oink~"

"Chaa~"

Arven, Oinkologne, and Charcadet cheered and eagerly followed Andrew out.

With the Veluza capture task complete, Andrew's remaining objectives were to capture Nacli, Smoliv, and Capsakid, which produced salt, oil, and spicy powder respectively.

This afternoon, Andrew aimed to catch Smoliv or Dolliv and Arboliva!

Ideally, Dolliv and Arboliva, since Smoliv's oil isn't fit for eating.

It's not that it's inedible, but its flavor might be bitter and unpleasant. On the other hand, the oil from Dolliv and Arboliva is aromatic and nutritious.

With Komala in his arms and Arven leading the way with Oinkologne and Charcadet, Andrew strolled leisurely through the grassy fields, enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

"Let's see, where can I find some Smoliv?"

Andrew pulled out the Pokémon distribution map and quickly located the positions of Smoliv, Dolliv, and Arboliva.

"They're in the middle layer! It looks like we need to head there."

Following the map's directions, Andrew found the entrance leading from the upper layer to the middle layer, guarded by League personnel. He showed them the pass provided by the professor, and they were granted access.

As they walked through the grassy area, Andrew noticed that the environment in the middle layer was quite similar to the upper layer—lush green meadows and lakes created by waterfalls from above.

Pokémon played in the grass and swam in the lakes. The main difference was the increased presence of Tera crystals, with Andrew occasionally spotting Terastallized Pokémon.

These Terastallized Pokémon appeared quite fierce, so Andrew and his group kept their distance.

"Let's go this way," Andrew said, choosing a direction and directing Arven and the others.

"Sniff, sniff~"

"Sniff, sniff~"

The two Oinkologne, carrying Charcadet, led the way, sniffing around and occasionally finding special ingredients for Andrew.

"Looks like we'll have a great meal tonight," Andrew said with a smile.

"Oink, Oink~"

"Oink, Oink~"

The two Oinkologne worked even harder, recalling how delicious the lunch had been—Nasir hadn't been wrong!

As Andrew and his group continued, a flock of brightly colored, fast-running bird-like Pokémon suddenly charged toward them, slowing as they reached Andrew and his team.

It was a group of Espathra! Some were carrying their babies, Flittle, on their backs.

While Flittle can fly, they are too slow to keep up with the running Espathra, so they are carried by their parents.

Seeing the Espathra, Andrew's eyes brightened. Could he capture one as a mount? He remembered Nasir's Espathra mount and felt a pang of envy.

He used his observation eye to assess the Espathra. If he was going to capture one, he wanted one with excellent stats.

Suddenly, one Espathra caught Andrew's attention. It had outstanding stats, with maxed-out special attack, and it was a shiny variant!

However, it had a baby on its back.

After a moment's thought, Andrew decided to pass on this one.

A short while later, another Espathra drew Andrew's attention. This one had even better stats than the previous one, with maxed-out speed. Although it wasn't shiny, it didn't have a baby to take care of.

With no baby to worry about, Andrew felt more confident.

Pointing to the Pokémon, Andrew declared, "Espathra, I'm going to capture you!"

Upon hearing this, all the Espathra turned to face Andrew, their eyes glowing eerily. The sight made Andrew's hair stand on end.

"Oink, Oink~" The Oinkologne, hiding behind Arven, trembled even more.

Their eyes are so frightening!

"Charcadeeet~~"

Crybaby Charcadet, who had been on the back of the female Oinkologne, climbed onto the male's back, trembling in fear. It cuddled up to Goodboy Charcadet, who comforted it with soft pats.

"Charca~" It's alright, I'll keep you safe!

The Espathra formed a circle around Andrew and his group, enclosing them. The one Andrew had pointed at stepped into the circle and, with graceful steps, approached him.

"Espaaa~"

It accepted Andrew's challenge.

Under the Observation Eye, the data for the Espathra is as follows:

Espathra

[Type] Psychic

[Ability] Speed Boost

[Gender] Female

[Level] 49

[Moves] Lumina Crash, Growl, Peck, Feather Dance, Confusion, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Disarming Voice, Psybeam, Pluck, Uproar, Agility, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, Roost

[Individual Values]

HP: 24

Attack: 15

Defense: 23

Special Attack: 22

Special Defense: 19

Speed: 31

This Espathra is quite remarkable: high level, generally excellent individual values, and a wide array of moves. However, capturing it might be somewhat difficult.

Andrew didn't dare handle it himself this time. He patted his Komala's belly and said, "Komala, I'm relying on you."

"Snore~~"

Komala let out a snore and rolled lazily from Andrew's arms onto the ground, approaching the Espathra at a slow pace.

Andrew said, "Let's start!"

As soon as Andrew finished speaking, the Espathra initiated an attack, using its signature move—Lumina Crash!

A ball of shimmering, colorful energy was shot towards Komala.

Komala, still holding its log, began spinning rapidly. The resulting air current deflected the Lumina Crash away.

After stopping its high-speed spin, Komala yawned widely.

At this point, the Espathra was unaware of what was about to happen. Seeing that its Lumina Crash had missed, it used Psychic. Its eyes gleamed with a bright light as it tried to control Komala.

The Espathra levitated Komala into the air with its psychic powers.

Just as the Espathra was about to throw Komala, it suddenly fell asleep—Komala's yawn had taken effect.

Komala fell uncontrollably to the ground but landed gracefully, rolling only a couple of times with no damage.

Taking advantage of the bird's slumber, Komala rolled to its feet, grabbed one of its legs, and slammed it down onto the ground.

Komala used its normal-type move, Slam, but with controlled force so that the Espathra wouldn't be too badly hurt.

Boom!

With a loud crash, a deep pit formed in the ground, and the Espathra lay motionless inside.

The power difference was too great; the Espathra couldn't withstand even one hit from Komala.

Just as Andrew pulled out a Poké Ball, he noticed the other Espathra all turning to look at him. Andrew froze, "What's going on? Are you not letting me catch it? Should I leave?"

Hearing this, the other Espathra turned their heads back and walked over to check on the one in the pit. They then all took off in a cloud of dust.

These Espathra are honorable Pokémon! They wouldn't renege on their promise after a loss.

Andrew then threw the Poké Ball with confidence. The Espathra in the pit was absorbed as a red light.

The Poké Ball shook twice before calming down.

Espathra, GOTCHA☆!

Andrew walked over, picked up the Poké Ball, and hugged Komala, saying, "Thanks a lot, Komala. You were a huge help!"

Komala remained unresponsive, only rolling over in Andrew's arms and blowing a small bubble from its nose.

Andrew opened the Poké Ball again to release the Espathra and fed it a berry. After a moment, the Espathra slowly woke up.

The first thing it did was look at Komala, with a look of shock in its eyes! It had always considered itself quite strong, with no one in its group able to beat it except the leader. Yet it hadn't managed to take a single hit from the small Pokémon before it.

Andrew's voice interrupted its thoughts.

"Espathra, let's work well together from now on!"

The Espathra turned to Andrew and nodded gently.

It wasn't sure if this human could help it get stronger, but it hoped that one day it could defeat Komala.

Little did Andrew know, this Pokémon was eager to improve and wanted him to train it hard.

Once the Espathra regained its strength, Andrew asked, "Can I ride on your back?"

He had just captured this Espathra, and it appeared to be at least two meters tall.

The Espathra nodded and slowly crouched down.

Andrew happily invited Arven to climb up.

As soon as the Espathra stood up, Andrew raised his fist and shouted, "Let's go find Smoliv!"

No sooner had he spoken than the Espathra took off running. Oinkolognes and Maschiff quickly followed.

"Ahhh!!!"

Andrew and Arven's screams echoed in the air.

They clung tightly to the Espathra's neck, barely keeping from being thrown off by the powerful wind.

Andrew had forgotten that while the Nasir family's Espathra was trained for riding, this one wasn't.

"Espathra, slow down! Run slower!" Andrew shouted.

The Espathra came to an abrupt stop, nearly throwing Andrew and Arven off.

Panting, Andrew said, "Slow down! Slow down!"

This kind of speed was just too thrilling!

(End of Chapter)