"I don't know why, but something about the way you're saying that feels... off... Grrrr~"
Halfway through her sentence, Akari's stomach rumbled loudly. She let out an embarrassed laugh. "Guess I'm kinda hungry..."
"Here."
Paul pulled some food from his bag and tossed it to Akari before grabbing some for himself.
"Whoa! A sandwich! It's been a long time since I last had one!"
Akari scarfed it down in record time, then turned her sparkling eyes toward Paul's backpack.
"Not enough?"
"Well, I did burn a lot of energy today, haha..."
She chuckled sheepishly but didn't take her gaze off the bag.
Back in Hisui, she had probably grown tired of the simple rations Paul carried, but after all this time, there was a sense of nostalgia. Eating it now somehow made it taste even better.
"Take as much as you want."
Paul grabbed a few packs of Pokéblocks, then simply tossed his backpack over to Akari before focusing on preparing food for his Pokémon.
"Much appreciated!"
Akari happily searched through the bag, picking out more food and eating as she went. She was even considerate enough to take out some Pokéblocks to share with her Pokémon.
At the same time, her eyes flickered with mischief. Sneakily, she reached into her pouch, pulled something out, and slipped it inside the backpack. Then, waving a handful of Pokéblocks, she ran toward her Pokémon, grinning.
"Come on everyone, dig in!"
The meal didn't last too long. After some time, both trainers and their Pokémon had finished eating.
"You wanted to catch some Pokémon from Hisui, right? Let's go! I know this area well—I'll take you to see what's around."
Akari stretched lazily, retrieved Arcanine and Braviary into their Poké Balls, and nodded toward Paul.
"Electivire, let's move."
"Viree!"
"Ahh—!"
As soon as Paul gave the command, Electivire immediately grabbed both him and Akari with its two tails. Then, in a flash, it flew into the sky.
"Whoa! So this is a thing now?!"
Akari had never flown like this before. Excited, she stretched her arms out like wings.
Paul reminded her, "Point us in the right direction."
"No problem!" Akari shouted back.
Following her guidance, they quickly landed in an open field dotted with sparse trees, where several Voltorb were rolling around.
"I'm a pro at catching Pokémon for others. Just tell me which one you want, and I'll handle it!"
Akari dragged Paul into the tall grass and whispered.
"That one."
Paul was curious to witness how trainers from Hisui captured Pokémon, so he didn't refuse. He even handed Akari a few of his Poké Balls.
"Leave it to me!"
Akari pounded her chest confidently, bend down, and carefully sneak toward the target. She rolled, ducked behind cover, and finally got close.
With a swift motion, she grabbed a rock from the ground, took aim, and hurled it with precision. The Poké Ball followed immediately after.
THUD!
The Voltorb hadn't even reacted before it was struck, dazed, and engulfed in red light. The Poké Ball trembled a few times before settling.
Unlike modern times, where captured Pokémon were instantly transferred, the Poké Ball remained on the ground, unmoving.
"Not bad, huh? Catch!"
Akari grinned proudly and tossed the Poké Ball toward Paul.
"Decent enough."
Paul caught it and gave a slight nod.
He had fully grasped what had happened—Akari had thrown the rock first, stunning the Voltorb. The Poké Ball that followed sealed the deal with minimal effort.
A true Hisuian capture method.
Even if he had used his Pokémon to battle, the process wouldn't have been much more efficient.
"How many more do you need? Got any specific requests? I'll handle it all!"
Akari returned to Paul's side, brimming with confidence.
"I need as many Pokémon as possible that start out in their Hisuian forms. I want to see if I can raise them to retain their Hisuian traits even after I return to the modern era."
Paul had a limited number of Poké Balls, so he had to be selective.
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
Taking the dozen or so remaining Poké Balls from Paul, Akari sprinted off toward the wilderness, forcing him to follow.
As time passed, more and more Pokémon were captured.
After catching a total of ten Pokémon, Paul had exhausted his supply of Poké Balls.
Aside from a few that had broken due to being thrown too hard, the rest were filled with newly captured Pokémon.
"Mission accomplished! We can—shhh, something good just showed up!"
Akari clapped her hands together, then suddenly grabbed Paul and rolled into the grass with him. She whispered, "Look over there."
After a few seconds, they both peeked out.
Standing in the distance was a Wyrdeer—a large, muscular stag with gray fur and long, curved antlers. It grazed peacefully, unaware of their presence.
"A Wyrdeer?" Paul murmured.
"Yeah! Wild Wyrdeer aren't that common."
Akari nodded. "Do they still exist where you're from?"
"Barrier Bash is a lost technique."
Paul spoke quietly.
In the modern day, losing speed-focused or power-based battle techniques wasn't a big deal. With enough research, alternatives could always be developed.
But when a species' evolution method became lost to time? That was a whole different problem.
"Wait, seriously? That means Stantler in your time must be really weak..."
Akari was confused. A whole species had lost its unique evolution method? That was tragic.
"You want me to catch it for you?"
"I'm out of Poké Balls."
Paul searched through his belongings, considering which Pokémon he should release to make space for Wyrdeer.
If he could bring one back, he could recreate its evolution method. Worst case scenario, he could at least rediscover Barrier Bash. Either way, it was a huge gain.
"No Poké Balls? No problem. Here, take one of mine!"
Akari didn't think too much about it. Hisuian Poké Balls weren't bound to specific trainers like modern ones, so she had no issue giving Paul one.
Without hesitation, she rushed forward to capture Wyrdeer.
Moments later—
"Got it!"
Akari returned with a Poké Ball in hand, grinning as she handed it to Paul.
"You don't have a Stantler—don't you want to keep it?"
Paul hesitated to accept. In his mind, Wyrdeer, Sneasler, and Braviary were the defining mounts of Hisui—yet Akari only had one of them.
"Why would I need it?"
"As a ride Pokémon."
"Do I look like I need one?"
Akari raised an eyebrow.
She had Pokémon that could travel across land, sea, and air. Plus, her own physical abilities were decent enough. Did she really need a Wyrdeer?
"...Fair enough. Thanks."
Paul didn't argue and accepted the Poké Ball.
"No need for thanks. Just cook me a proper meal later! I haven't had modern food for a long time—I'm craving for it."
Akari waved her hand dismissively.
"Fine."
Paul agreed and called out Electivire. Just like before, they took off into the sky heading back.
Through it all, Paul had never used once his Pokémon to battle.
Over ten captures and every single one had been done by the trainer's own hands.
A rock. A Poké Ball. A miracle.
Turns out if a trainer was skilled enough, sometimes Pokémon battles weren't even necessary.
As the wind roared past, scenery blurred beneath them.
Perhaps from exhaustion, Akari was much quieter on the way back.
Still, from time to time, she pointed out various landmarks, eager to let Paul experience the true essence of Hisui—even if only for a little while.
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