"So much information in the Pokédex… my head hurts."
"It looks like I won't be able to copy everything down in a short time. I'll return the Pokédex to you for now and borrow it again later."
"For now, let me introduce you to Rei, Professor Laventon, and Irida."
Akari stood up and handed the Pokédex back to Paul.
"Time is limited—you use it first."
Paul didn't take it. Instead, he calmly pulled out his phone, displaying a countdown timer.
"My phone shows that I have less than 15 hours before I travel back."
"What?! Why?! Damn it, why does your phone have a time-travel function?!"
Akari was dumbfounded. She pulled out her own Arc Phone, an old-fashioned device for this era, tapping at it to compare it with Paul's. She was thoroughly frustrated.
It was rare enough to meet another traveler from the future, and now he was telling her that he'd be leaving the next day—while she herself had no way of going back.
That was just unfair.
"…Fine, whatever. If I can't go back, I can't go back. I'll just focus on getting stronger, meeting every Pokémon I can, and when I see Arceus again, I'll try to negotiate."
Akari sighed before cheering up again with a smile.
"Since you don't have much time here, is there anything you want to do or any place you want to go? I'll take you there."
"Is there anywhere nearby where Samurott can be found? Or places where Hisuian Pokémon are common?"
"I want my Dewott to communicate with Samurott and try evolving into Hisuian Samurott. I also plan to catch some regional variants."
Paul got straight to the point.
"Hmm… I don't think there's a Samurott habitat near the Coronet Highlands. But I do remember seeing Hisuian Pokémon like Electrode, Sneasel, and Sneasler. If you're lucky, you might come across Kleavor, Wyrdeer, or Ursaluna."
Akari recalled.
"I see…"
Paul frowned slightly.
To him, evolving Dewott took priority over catching new Pokémon. But whether a modern Dewott could evolve into a Hisuian Samurott was something he wasn't certain about.
For now, he could only let Dewott interact with Hisuian Samurott and try to grasp its "ruthless and relentless" nature to increase the chances of evolution.
"Actually, according to Professor Laventon's research, as long as a Dewott enters Hisui and is exposed to special energy, it should be able to evolve into a Hisuian Samurott."
"If you want to be absolutely sure… maybe I can help you."
"?"
Seeing Paul's doubtful look, Akari smirked playfully and tossed out a Poké Ball.
"Come out, Samurott!"
"Yah~"
What emerged was an imposing Pokémon. It had long, white whiskers extending from its snout, a deep-blue helmet-like shell on its head adorned with crimson wave-like patterns, and sharp lance-like lump at the front.
Its limbs were covered in deep-blue and crimson armor, with retractable sharp blades hidden in its front legs, ready to strike in an instant.
One glance from it could silence enemies, and a single roar could intimidate them. In the blink of an eye, it could reveal its leg blades and cut down opponents before retracting them.
This was Hisuian Samurott!
"This is my very first Pokémon—Samurott!"
Akari hugged her Samurott and introduced it proudly.
At that moment, Paul recalled that when Akari was the protagonist, they were a master of capturing Pokémon. In the game, their main focus was on studying Pokémon in their natural habitat and capturing rare species.
So it wasn't surprising that she had Hisuian Pokémon.
"What other Pokémon do you have? If you don't mind, could you let them out for me to see?"
Paul's gaze showed a rare flicker of excitement as he asked.
In some ways, Paul was deeply passionate about Pokémon. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gained the recognition of Mesprit.
His love for Pokémon was just a little… unconventional compared to normal Trainers.
"Oh, sure! Everyone, come on out!"
With a smile, Akari casually pulled out over a dozen Poké Balls and tossed them all at once.
"Roar~"
"..."
Typhlosion, Decidueye, Zoroark, Braviary, Ursaluna, Goodra, Arcanine, Lucario, and Kleavor—nine Pokémon in total—appeared alongside Samurott.
Except for Lucario, all of them were Hisuian regional forms. Additionally, Goodra and Arcanine were alpha Pokémon—larger and stronger than their usual counterparts.
Ursaluna was even more special. Not only was it an alpha Pokémon, but it was also a shiny variant, its fur a striking reddish-brown color.
"..."
Paul was momentarily stunned, seeing Pokémon that were on par with his own in terms of strength.
As a traveler from another world, he felt a mix of excitement and confusion.
He blurted out the question in his mind:
"You can carry that many Pokémon at once?"
"Why not? In this era, Poké Balls haven't even been around for long, and I have to document everything for the Pokédex. What's wrong with carrying more Pokémon?"
Akari said casually before adding,
"Of course, if I ever have too many, I can ask the Galaxy Team members to help send some back. But I don't really mind, so I just keep them all with me."
That made sense.
Unlike in modern times, there was no Pokémon transfer system here. If someone caught a hundred Pokémon, they had no choice but to carry them all.
Paul understood.
But…
"Are these all the Pokémon you have?"
Given that Akari was the protagonist of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Paul found it hard to believe she only had this many.
"I'd love to catch more Pokémon as partners, but I just can't afford it…"
A hint of bitterness flashed across Akari's face. She wanted to catch more, but raising them was another matter entirely.
After realizing that Pokémon needed to be fed, trained, groomed, and cared for, she had decided to restrain herself and avoid catching too many.
If Professor Laventon needed specific Pokémon, she could help catch them, but raising them? That was a different story.
It was simply too exhausting.
"…That's real."
After a moment of silence, Paul gave his evaluation.
In reality, raising Pokémon wasn't just about resources—it also required food.
And in this era… food wasn't as abundant as it was in modern times.
Even healing medicines weren't as easy to come by or develop as in the games.
Not to mention, Pokémon in this era were far more aggressive. Without a Trainer's care and guidance, they wouldn't easily obey orders.
"My Pokémon are amazing, right? Every single one of them is incredible!"
Akari proudly looked at her team and then turned to Paul.
"What about yours? Let them out too! Let's all get to know each other!"
"Alright."
Paul wouldn't let such a rare opportunity slip away. He tossed out his six Poké Balls at once.
"Viree~"
"Raaa~"
"Eeno~"
"Ursaa~"
"Gaaar~"
"Cha~Cha"
Electivire, Torterra, Froslass, Ursaring, Garchomp, and Dewott appeared. Then, upon seeing Akari's Pokémon, they all froze.
Most of the Pokémon in front of them were ones they had heard of before… but why did they feel different?
"Ursaa?"
"Cha?"
The most stunned were Ursaring and Dewott.
One was questioning—Wait, I can evolve?
The other was thinking—Wait, I evolve into THAT?
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