A New Legend

The Coastlands

Two Years had passed since the rift opened. After remaining inactive for so long, Kamado had allowed the supply corps to resume their work in the Coronet Highlands, so long as they provided sufficient reasoning for the trip. The village had seemed to calm down a bit about the situation. At the very least, people had other things to talk about now. The Ginkgo tribe had been allowed to set up shop in town, much to the dismay of the supply corps. Now they had competition.

"Nanbu!" Hatano called. "Nanbu, wake up! It's time for breakfast!"

Nanbu sat up in his futon. He pushed the sheet away from himself and stood up. It had been years since he'd been allowed to leave the village, even including places like Prelude beach. Being cooped up all day was starting to get to him. Entering the main room of the house, he found his dad, already in uniform, waiting for him with breakfast.

"Good morning, Nanbu." Hatano said.

"Good morning, dad." Nanbu replied.

As usual, while they ate their breakfast, Hatano explained the day's work. "Well, today they told me we're running low on pop pods. The best place to look for those would have to be the Cobalt Coastlands."

Nanbu quietly ate, only half listening. "You know, Nanbu?" His father started. "Why don't you tag along with me today?"

Nanbu practically jumped at the words. It had been so long since he'd left the village and he wasn't about to turn down an offer to end that streak. "YES!" He blurted out.

Hatano smiled. Seeing his son so happy made him happier too. "Go get dressed. I'll show you what to do once we get there." He said.

As Nanbu ran off to get ready for his big day, Hatano couldn't help but mumble to himself. "I just hope we don't see any of those darned Skorupi."

As the father son duo arrived in the coastlands, Nanbu couldn't help but drink it all in. The warm sea breeze rustled through the few trees in the area, as the small waves splashed against the sand. On the beaches, a group of Spheal were rolling around. Washed up on shore, was exactly what they were looking for: a pop pod.

"Don't worry about the Spheal." Hatano told him. "They're more curious than anything, and if they start to bother you, they scare easily."

If Nanbu were honest, he wanted to play with the Spheal more than anything. However, he had agreed to help his dad pick pop pods, so that would have to wait. Nanbu hoped he would be allowed to play with the Spheal. Maybe towards the end of the trip, his dad would allow it? For now, he had pop pods to gather.

"I'm sure you can tell how to spot them, but do you know how to pick pop pods?" Hatano asked.

When Nanbu shook his head, Hatano elaborated. "Now sometimes, just picking them up is fine enough, but sometimes, the roots are too long. I brought us some sticks to measure them." He explained, handing Nanbu a measuring stick. "If the roots are too long, just pull them off. We don't need them for anything anyways."

As Nanbu picked up the first pod, his dad watched. Measuring the roots showed one that was way too long. Using way too much strength, he ripped the root off. Hatano couldn't have been prouder. The supply corps was an important job, and one his son looked to be enjoying.

Before the two separated, Hatano had one last thing to say. "Nanbu, make sure to stay away from any Skorupi." He said. "They're extremely aggressive and they pack an awful venom. Worst of all, the ones around here typically hang around an Alpha pokémon."

The weight of the word "Alpha" was not lost on Nanbu. He knew just how big and dangerous an alpha could be. If one of them was leading a pack of Skorupi, that'd only make the alpha even more threatening. He shivered at the thought of running into it.

The day went by without much interruption. Some Spheal had rolled up to investigate the people on the beach, but they weren't any trouble. Nanbu only saw one Skorupi and luckily, it didn't see him. It wouldn't be much longer now before they would head back to the village. Nanbu decided to put in as much effort as possible since he had stopped to play with a Spheal earlier.

As he picked the pop pods and yanked off roots, once again, a Spheal rolled up to him. It bumped into Nanbu's leg, causing him to drop a few of the pods. "Hey!" Nanbu laughed. "You gotta be a little more careful, buddy."

The Spheal looked up at him and then back down at the pop pods he had dropped. Surging forward, it grabbed a pod in its mouth and rolled up the beach with its prize. "Hey!" Nanbu yelled out. "Come back! I need that!"

Nanbu chased the Spheal up the beach a good distance until he saw it rolling back towards him, no pop pod in sight. He couldn't help but notice how fast the Spheal was moving. As it zipped by, he realized that something must have spooked it. He'd have to be cautious.

He followed the Spheal's path as quietly as possible until he found the stolen pop pod. When he knelt down to pick it up, he realized what a terrible mistake he had made. He heard the four legs scuttling in the sand behind him. He heard the clicking of claws. The roar sent Nanbu tumbling over himself, landing on his back with a good view of the alpha Drapion.

Seeing the enormous pokémon put a feeling of pure dread in Nanbu's heart like he had never felt before. He had to get back on his feet and run, but he just couldn't. He couldn't look away. It was as if he had been paralyzed by its glare. This was it. He was done for. The Drapion approached, pincers ready to seize its prize. "NANBU! RUN!"

Hatano plowed into the side of the Drapion, catching it by surprise. When it toppled over, Nanbu was able to get up. In a blind panic, he ran as fast as he could. He didn't have the rational thought to return to Jubilife Village. His brain was running on adrenaline and all it said was to keep running.

Author's Note: Yay! Trauma! This is where things are really going to ramp up with this story and I can't wait to keep the ball rolling. I don't really have much to say here, so I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter!