Dude, I just realized, in Pokemon, they probably use Phantump sightings to local searches for missing people. But it’s like a double edge sword, because you know you’re looking for a body at that point.
Like imagine officer jenny having to report to the family “… I’m sorry… but there’s been a Phantump reported in the area.”
How many kids have died in the damn forest?!
okay but
what if the search team caught the Phantump
and they have to report to the family that their child may never come back as themself, but … perhaps you should have a look at this Pokémon. you might recognize it, or maybe it will recognize you
and okay, it may be a little bit harder to communicate with their little one now, and the future they imagined for the kid may not be a possibility anymore, but they found their baby, it’s right here, it’s safe, not to mention capable of pulling some sick magic tricks so nothing will ever be able to hurt it again
how many Phantump do you think live with their human families still, either because a rescue team caught them and sent them home, or because they found their way back eventually
how many children have kid siblings who just so happen to be Phantump, or big siblings who act like kid siblings because Phantump don’t grow up the same way human kids do
is there a network for people whose children have turned into Phantump so they can trade back and forth and let their little ones grow up into big strong Trevenant and move out into forests of their own
how many family reunions involve a Trevenant lumbering out of a nearby forest like [EARSPLITTING INHUMAN SCREECH] “oh hey, Brenda’s here you guys, welcome home Brenda”
just
think about this for a moment ok
consider it
Consider me going into a forest and capturing someone’s actual child’s ghost/soul in a ball and using it to fight some rats and lizards and shit
Alternatively to the trevenant trading network, could the reason they evolve when trading be because they feel they're being abandoned again and get so upset over it that their only outlet is enough rage to transform about it
And the reason there are wild trevenant is because people catch phantump and release them
