The soldiers watched from the cabin, Captain Valen among them. The sight of Tom, the grizzled veteran, kneeling in the glow of the sunset with the small electric Pokémon clinging to him, struck a chord with them all.
After stopping to pick up the defeated Ducklett, Daniel approached. He held an object in his free hand. "Tom," he called out.
Tom looked up, and Daniel tossed the item to him. He caught it and looked at it curiously. "What's this?" he asked.
"A Pokéball, it's a way to formalize your bond with Elekid. It will give you a way to call upon it in times of need and provide a safe place for it to rest when it's tired. When injured, you can also put him within and he will slowly heal from any and all wounds, no matter how serious the state of the injury. As long as a Pokémon isn't killed, a Pokéball has the ability to return it to its peak condition, given enough time." Saying these words, Daniel pulled another Pokéball out of his pocket, before tapping it against the Ducklett.
What happened next completely bewildered all spectators. A white beam shout out of the ball completely enveloping the Pokémon before retreating back within itself at rapid speed, taking the Ducklett's body with it.
All the men were stunned, wondering how a creature the size of a small toddler could possibly fit into a ball the size of a mans palm.
After getting over his shock Tom decided to heed Daniels words, remembering the explanation. Lowering the Pokéball to Elekid, Tom gave him an inviting look. Without any hesitation, Elekid preceeded to walk up to the ball. Smiling up at him, the Pokémon reached out pressing the button on its own. There was a flash of light, and Elekid was drawn into the Pokéball.
The ball shook in his hand for a moment before it clicked, signifying the bond being formed. Tom stood there, staring at the Pokéball, his heart pounding. It was done. Elekid was... his partner.
He pushed the button in the middle, releasing Elekid immediately. The small Pokémon appeared before him, looking up with a grin. Tom couldn't help but laugh. "Alright bud," he said, his voice filled with slight surprise yet clear joy. "Let's see where this journey takes us."
Elekid cheered, raising its arms as sparks flew between its horns, and the two of them stood side by side, ready for whatever the future held.
Captain Valen watched from a distance, his expression thoughtful. This bond between Tom and Elekid was something powerful. It was more than just friendship—it was a partnership built on mutual respect, not unlike the one he had with his men. And as he stood there, he began to wonder what role these creatures would play in their world. Would they be allies, potential threats, or would they bring about change that no one could foresee?
But one thing was certain: they were no longer dealing with mere beasts. They were dealing with something far greater. But for now, at least, they had someone like Daniel to guide them through this uncharted territory.
~~~
Daniel watched as the soldiers rode off into the distance, a complex feeling brewing within. They had made camp outside his cabin last night, only to wake up early to return home and report there findings.
It had been two months since Daniels arrival into this world. Turning around and walking back into the forest, he thought back at what he had accomplished in this short time.
After the first day, he decided to develop the a good foundation for himself and his future plans. Eventually, he wanted to build an grand woodland mansion featuring many things to help him on his journey. But for now he would start small. As long as he had a roof over his head for when he slept, he'd be satisfied for the time being.
The process wasn't nearly as difficult as he'd thought that it would be. With the help of some Pokémon, he was able to get it done much faster than he anticipated. Two Timburr contributed the most during the process, their natural familiarity with wood working and using loggs in various ways played a huge role.
This brought Daniel to consider summoning higher evolutionary forms of Timburr in the future. They may become crucial in ghe building projects he had planned.
When it was completed he had decided to do some exploring outside of the forest to familiarize himself with the surroundings.
Not long after his journey began, he found a road. Following it was a mistake though because he was soon attacked by bandits. They made their intent clear, to rob a seemingly lone individual with their superior numbers.
After failing at an attempt to convince the goup that he had nothing worth steeling, he decided to defend himself rather than risk further confrontation. With a signal to his unseen partner, a Dusknior silently rose up from a bandits shadow. He had summoned him before right before the journey began, just in case he needed protection. Clearly it turned out to be the right choice.
Using the move known as "shadow sneak," the Pokémon was able to silently knock out all bandits without them ever knowing who the assailant even was.
After taking the bandits valuables, Daniel returned to the forest. Deciding to wait a while longer before venturing out into the world.
This experience had opened his eyes. The world had many things prepared for him that he had no experience with. He needed to take his time in developing a better understanding, as well as a better footing, in this world.
He planned to introduce Pokémon to this world in a way that they would understand. In an era of Knights and cold weapons, might was the ultimate power. Luckily for him, if Pokémon had the potential for anything, it was their fighting potential.
Later, he summoned a small yet diverse number of powerful Pokémon. He decided to do this because he realized he had been naive. He had summoned mostly younger Pokémon before because he wanted visitors to be able to feel safe enough to visit the forest.
Perhaps they would even form bonds with Pokémon of their own free will. But he had ignored other, more negative feelings that people tend to have.
Greed, fear, pride, and disgust. These were all things that every person experiences, and with the changes that Pokémon were sure to bring, many people driven by such emotions would act rashly. They may end up harming the Pokémon, themselves, or worse.
The group of Pokémon he was summoning now would serve as protectors, guardians of the forest. They would keep a watchful eye on the younger ones, ensuring their safety among other things.
Within this group, he was very inentional on summoning one specific Pokémon among them, Lucario.
Lucario is a bipedal, canine-like Pokémon with sleek fur and a powerful, athletic build. Its main body color is blue, with black accents around its legs, shoulders, and mask-like face markings. It had a pair of red eyes and pointed ears that give it a sharp, focused expression. A prominent feature is the set of metal-like spikes on its forepaws and chest, signifying its strength and fighting prowess.
Lucario was known for its mastery of aura, an energy it can sense and manipulate. This allowed it to detect the emotions, thoughts, and actions of others.
It is because of this ability that Daniel chose to summon multiple Lucario. With the ability to all but read the minds of others, he planned to have them spread out among the entire forest.
When someone entered, it would be up to the Lucario to determine if the visitors were friendly or not. If they were indeed friendly, other than notifying the Daniel and / or the nearby guardians, Lucario would keep an eye on them from a distance, but do nothing more.
However if the visitors had unfriendly intentions, Lucario, along with any nearby guardians would act. Depending on the severity of the visitors intentions, they may just have all nearby Pokémon keep their distance from the intruder, isolating that section of the forest. But if the situation became dire enough, they were allowed to use force.
Daniel ensured all the newly summoned Pokémon were aware of this before releasing them to find a home of their choosing within the forest.
Soon after, Daniel also decided to summon a few more Pokémon that would remain at his side at all times. Rayquaza and Dusknoir were already such Pokémon. Other than roaming the forest occasionally, they mostly stayed beside Daniels side.
Daniel decided to summon these companions now to develop a better understanding and a better relationship with them for the future.
Sure, all summoned Pokémon trusted him and in general listened to him. But every one had a different personality, different traits, different likes, dislikes, you name it. These creatures were vastly more intelligent and than any other he had seen in any world.
It was because of this that Daniel didn't want to just summon random Pokémon. At least, not when it came to fighting or travelling. He wanted partners that he could trust, that he would truly grow with. After all, isn't that what being a trainer is all about?