For the first time in Nina’s two lives, she felt fear. True fear.

There had been times in the past where she had been afraid before; getting jumpscared by a cockroach, getting into a car accident, Leanette and her crazy eyes… But all of them pale in comparison to the true heart pounding, gut wrenching fear she was experiencing right now.

An average sized Donphan usually reached the height of an adult’s waist, a Donphan with the giant’s gene would be the height of an adult male. But the one before them was three meters tall at least, towering over even the likes of Stephen Rockford who was considered above average by human standards.

Donphan were often called the Armor Pokemon. And frankly, Nina had always thought that to be mistaken nomenclature. They weren’t exactly armored in the conventional sense, they only had a tough strip of hide that ran from the trunk, all the way to their tail. The rest of their torso, while tough, was relatively exposed in comparison.

But the Alpha Donphan that Nina and her companions were hiding from truly lived up to the name. Its thick strip of hide was more rock than leather, letting off an ominous gleam in the light, reminiscent of obsidian.

Its tusk might as well have been steel with how hard they were, the chips and scratches adorning the two ivory spears told tales of countless struggle.

Its monstrous legs were large enough to encompass even the largest of adult humans, capable of squashing them with a single Stomp.

Everything was going so well just a few moments ago. They stalked the herd of Donphan, but after noting that there wasn’t much time left in the day, Nina came up with the brilliant idea of using Berries to lure strays away from the pack.

They crushed up a few Oran berries, hoping that the sweet scent would lure at least one curious Pokemon over. And it worked, a stray Phanpy wandered away from the safety of its herd in search of the sweet treats.

Stephen was in the midst of feeding the gluttonous little runt, telling him all about his home and his family in a bid to convince the adolescent Pokemon to join his family, when the ground shook.

Stephen did not hesitate. The moment that the monstrous trunk unveiled itself, felling a tree in its way, the seasoned trainer abandoned the Phanpy where it was, scooped up his two charges and began running.

Everything after that was a blur, Nina only remembered Stephen sending out Pidgeot in one smooth motion and telling the bird to pull the Alpha away from them while they escaped.

Nina almost felt bad for using the Flying Type as bait, but then she recalled Masayuki telling them that the Pidgeots for rent were the same ones that the Rangers used on the daily. They had the pokemon on rotation to give them a bit of a break and some variety. As evident by the fact that Pidgeot did not even hesitate to fly towards the intimidating Alpha Pokemon.

When it became obvious that the gargantuan Donphan wasn’t the slightest bit bothered by the imposing Pidgeot, Stephen hid the three of them in the crevice of an ancient tree. Hoping that the smell of moss and decay will help mask them.

If it were Nina, she might have attempted to smother them in Repel. But after a bit of consideration, she understood why Stephen hadn’t done that; Repel worked well on weaker Pokemon, but the repulsive scent might serve to agitate stronger ones instead. Not to mention, dealing with an Alpha is always full of uncertainties.

They stayed there for Arceus knew how long, trying their best to control their breathing as they awaited for signs of the Alpha’s passing. Stephen clamped his hands over Nina and Charlie’s mouth, not wanting to risk the two children making any noise. But nothing could stop Nina’s heart from pounding.

Within the dreadful silence of the tree’s confines, her heart was beating so loud that it felt like someone was playing drums in her head.

Not long after, a quiet screech snapped the trio from the thralls of fear. Stephen peeked out to find a slightly ruffled Pidgeot, nodding as if to reassure the humans of their safety. They each let out a long sigh of relief as the group exited their hiding spot.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Ninna rummaged through her pouch for berries to reward the brave bird, while Charlie was simply too shocked to speak, his eyes still slightly glazed over, and his feet unsteady from the ordeal.

“Thanks, Pidgeot,” expressed Stephen. “Pretty sure we’d be dead without you.”

The Pokemon in question puffed out her chest in pride, only to be interrupted by the unfamiliar cries of a different Pokemon.

“Phan phan! Phanpy!”

Four sets of eyes, humans and Pokemon alike, slowly turned their gaze towards the tree’s dark crevice, to find a small, blue skinned baby elephant lightly tapping its feet in excitement at the sight of berries in Nina’s hands.

“Shit!” Cursed Stephen. A sentiment that Nina deeply concurred with.

“Hey, little guy…” Approached Stephen, whilst frantically waving his hand behind his back, signaling for Nina to put her berries away. “Did you follow us all the way here for treats?”

The Phanpy tilted her head in confusion, not really understanding what the strange human was saying.

“You know, your family’s really worried about you. They’re probably out looking for you right now. That was your daddy wasn’t he? That big scary Donphan? Or is he your grandpa?”

“Phan!” cried the Phanpy, but it did not seem like she understood much of what Stephen said. Instead, she just sat down on her bum, tongue sticking out like a Growlithe waiting for treats.

Stephen sighed. “Nina, can you give me more of those Oran berries? I think we need to capture her.”

Nina was a little reluctant but still handed a couple of berries to her interim guardian. “Would that be ethical? She’s clearly too naive to know any better.”

“I know, but we don’t have much of a choice. That scary motherf- I mean, that Alpha might come back at any moment. I’ll consult Masa about this, maybe the Rangers can help bring her back to the herd. Besides, I was going to capture her if she agreed to come earlier anyway,” explained Stephen.

“We could just leave her here,” suggested Charlie, only to earn looks of disbelief from his companions. Stephen’s in particular, seemed to be tinged with disappointment.

“Son, the forest is crawling with dangerous Pokemon. This Phanpy is clearly a newborn. If we leave her here, she’s liable to get hurt if the herd doesn’t end up finding her. So no, we can’t just leave her here.”

Charlie drooped his head in remorse, and Nina placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “It’s okay, you just went through a harrowing experience. It’s hard to think straight after something so extreme.”

Realizing his mistake, Stephen quickly spoke in support of Nina. “She’s right, it’s just a matter of experience. I remember pissing my pants way back when I first climbed Mount Moon, I was hiding from a pissed off Onix. It’s a good thing that Rock Types aren’t known for their sense of smell, otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now.”

Charlie seemed to cheer up a little at his father’s self-deprecating story.

After that, Stephen captured their mischievous little Phanpy. The young pokemon did not seem to understand much, but after promising more treats for her when they got back, the blue elephant baby willingly booped Stephen’s Safari Ball with her stubby little trunk.

“Alright Pidgeot, get us out of here,” requested Stephen, with much relief in his voice.

***

After Pidgeot had guided them safely out of the forest, they met up with the rest of their group and flew back to the villa right after sunset.

To say that Kumiko was not happy with her husband was an understatement. There were times where Nina was worried that the woman might throw Stephen into the maw of her Gyarados just to teach him a lesson.

Stephen’s misfortune was further compounded by the reprimand of Masayuki when the old Ranger found out about the events that had transpired.

“It’s only day one, Stephen. Didn’t I tell you to stay out of trouble.” Said Masayuki with a sigh. You knew the man was serious when he didn’t call his former mentee a twerp like he always did.

“I’m sorry, Masa. I was pretty sure that we weren’t in a red zone. Everything was fine and dandy until that freak of nature showed up.”

“He’s right,” added Nina. “I was checking the map constantly as we went.” She pulled out her map and began marking out the forest where they were.

“I’m pretty certain that this was the path we took, but even then there shouldn’t have been a red zone anywhere near this section of the forest to begin with anyway. Is it possible that the Alpha Donphan strayed from its designated territory?”

Nina’s statement elicited a groan from the old Ranger. “I’ll need to have some words with the Ranger in charge of looking over Murphy.” Murphy was presumably the Alpha Donphan’s nickname. There was probably a story behind it, but Nina did not care to ask.

“For now, let’s see this little troublemaker that you caught.”

Stephen guided his friend out onto their villa’s backyard where the curious little Phanpy was bouncing around all over the place, yapping at each of the Rockford pokemons and being pampered in return.

The little daredevil was fearless. Where most Pokemon would have cowered in fear of a Gyarados. Phanpy had made a game out of climbing Gyrados’s coiled body, like it was a mountain to be conquered.

“Phanpy! Come here, I’ve got treats for you,” called Stephen, with some Berries in hand to entice the hyperactive pokemon.

“Phan!” she cried, her floppy ears perking up at the mention of treats. Both Kumiko and Nina couldn’t help but swoon over the derpy little baby. Even Tiffany, with all her emo edgelady facade was a little moved.

“Well that’s one problem settled,” chimed Masayuki.

“What do you mean?” Asked Stephen.

“I mean you should keep the little twerp. It’s one thing if she wasn’t fitting in with the rest of your team. But from the looks of things, that won’t be an issue. If we bring her back to the herd as she is, there’s the risk that they might reject her after she’s been contaminated with foreign scents.

“Besides, I can tell from her personality that even if you hadn't found her, she would have run off with the first trainer who fed her anyway. So honestly, I’d rather leave her with you than a stranger.”

Stephen nodded in understanding. “Alright, I guess… Welcome to the family, Phanpy!”

Everyone cheered, much to Phanpy’s confusion. The baby elephant, not understanding what had just happened, simply titled its head and continued gorging itself on berries.