Journey Through Johto |Discontinued|

Chapter 2.3: One Big, Happy Herd

The next stop on their journey was a busy metropolis they had run across after smooth traveling from Florando.

They were enjoying a leisurely walk through the park when they heard it, a rustle of bushes. "Hmm? What is that?" Zia asked as they stopped and looked over at it. Two yellow horns peeked out.

Each horn had a dark orb in them, almost making it seem as though they were eyes. But anyone smart enough wouldn't be fooled. "It's staring at us..." Emmy whispered as she shivered, thinking it was creepy. Zia and Sky sighed in disappointment. Just then, the actual head popped out, showing an amazingly cute deer-like Pokémon.

Stantler: The Big Horn Pokémon
Those who stare at its antlers will gradually lose control of their senses.

"This doesn't seem like a city Pokémon." Sky muttered. "Yeah, it says they're supposed to live in the mountains with herds. I wonder why this one is alone, especially because it seems so young." Zia agreed as she walked a little closer and squatted down, trying to seem nonthreatening.

"You poor thing, are you lost? I won't hurt you, see?" Zia assured as she held her empty hands up. The baby Stantler cried softly as it stepped forward a little. It was only half out when it stopped, but that was enough for the girl to see what was wrong.

She sat down and pulled a bag of Pokémon treats out of her bag. "Your leg is hurt, isn't it? You must be hungry since you can't find much in the middle of the city. Here." She offered up a handful of the food.

The Stantler sniffed the air for a moment before Zia, Sky, and Emmy smelt something. "That smells great." Emmy drooled. Even Sky was a little out of it. Zia was too before the baby Stantler nudged her, making her focus on it instead. "Aren't you the cutest little thing?" She praised as she pet it.

"Uh, Zia?" Sky suddenly asked. "What?" Zia asked back as she looked up. "Look behind you!" Emmy said, gesturing into the thicket of trees and foliage behind the girl and normal-type.

Zia looked at them confusedly before turning around, only to gasp in shock. There was a whole herd of adult Stantler, glaring at them. If she could think clearly, she might've approached this differently, but the sight of dozens of sharp horns aimed at them made her throw all rational thinking out the window. "Run!" She yelled just as the Stantler herd charged.

Further down the path, they stopped to breathe once they realized they weren't being chased anymore. "Where'd they come from!?" Emmy exclaimed. "They must be experts at hiding. It must come from hiding from predator Pokémon in the wild." Sky informed.

"Yeah, but they were just there and now they're nowhere in sight." Zia stated, trying to think. There's no way that many Stantler just appeared and disappeared that quickly. Another rustle of bushes near them revealed Officer Jenny.

"Oh, Officer Jenny! Has there been any Stantler herds around here?" Zia questioned. If anyone would know, it'd be the blue haired police officer. "You should come with me. I'll fill out a report." Jenny responded.

Down at the station, they all sat down as Jenny explained. "Usually, that park is full of families on vacation, but recently, out of nowhere, a huge herd of Stantler moved in and scared everybody off. Now, no one wants to go anywhere near there." She said.

"But what would've caused so many Stantler to come down from the mountains into a city park?" Zia asked, thinking this wasn't adding up. "That's what I don't understand either. We've tried to find an answer, but nothing has come up." Jenny sighed.

Zia hummed, looking down at the table they were sitting at thoughtfully. "Maybe... those Stantler weren't in the park in the first place." She finally muttered. "What do you mean? What were we running from then?" Emmy asked in a way that even Off. Jenny could tell what she meant.