On the Way to the Violet City

After almost an hour of recovering with the help of Viridian force, Victor decides he's well enough to head to Violet City. Even though he didn't achieve his goal this time, there will always be another chance. At least he managed to escape that sticky situation alive, and it turned into a valuable lesson for him: never underestimate the danger that might be present in an area that seems harmless.

With renewed determination, Victor stands up and begins walking toward Violet City. A few minutes into his walk, Victor and Sentret realize they're being followed. Glancing back, they spot Marill hiding behind a tree, watching them. After walking a bit further, they look back again and see Marill still there.

Approaching Marill, Victor asks, "What is it, little guy?"

"Mari Marill Marill!" When called "little guy," Marill responds angrily, shaking her tiny arms and bouncing around.

"Ohh, so you're a girl. Sorry about that," Victor says, amused by Marill's complaints. "But why are you following me?" he asks again.

"...Mari Mari Marill." Putting her little paws behind her back, Marill answers shyly.

"You're curious about the human world and want to come with me?"

"Marill."

Listening to Marill, Victor begins to think: 'I could take her to explore the city as a thank-you, or I could capture her. I just need to know which moves she has. Judging by this Marill's muscular development, there's almost a 100 percent chance she has Huge Power as her ability.'

'And what's her potential?' His eyes shining, Victor looks at Marill, surprised at her potential. 'Pink!'

Surprised by Marill's potential, he considers capturing her and recalls the moves Marill and Azumarill can learn.

"Marill, can you show me which moves you know?" Victor asks, curious about her abilities. If she has two specific moves, he'll capture her. After all, an Azumarill with Belly Drum to maximize its strength combined with Huge Power is a monstrous threat. And if she also has Aqua Jet to offset her lack of speed, in theory, Azumarill could become a true dragon-slayer, a machine of immense damage.

"Marill?" Marill looks a bit confused about why Victor is asking about her moves, but she starts demonstrating them anyway.

She begins by rolling on the ground, causing an energy to cover her and increase her defense.

Next, she claps her hands, and a semi-transparent glow surrounds Sentret, giving him a slight energy boost, though it quickly fades—possibly because she hasn't fully mastered it.

Finally, she covers herself in normal-type white energy, jumps, and strikes one of the surrounding trees forcefully.

…

After demonstrating a few moves, Marill stops and asks Victor to step back. Once Victor has moved a bit away, Marill takes a deep breath, inflating herself. As she puffs up to a slightly larger size, she begins pounding her belly, producing loud booming sounds.

"DUM DUMM DUUMMM."

Hearing these noises, a thought pops into Victor's mind: 'Belly Drum, hahaha, that's amazing. Even without Aqua Jet, she'll still be incredibly strong.'

As Victor contemplates, Marill, after using Belly Drum, quickly envelops herself in a layer of water energy. Fully covered in water, she launches herself at extreme speed, crashing into a tree.

CRRAAACCKKK!!!

The tree shatters into pieces from the impact, startling both Victor and Sentret. Observing the destruction caused by Marill, it's hard to believe something so cute could have such tremendous power.

Recovering from the shock, Victor begins analyzing the moves Marill demonstrated: 'Defense Curl, Helping Hand, Tackle, Rollout, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Bubble Beam, Charm, Slam, Mega Punch, Aqua Jet (egg move), Belly Drum (egg move), Tickle (egg move). Hmm... these moves are pretty decent. Wait! Mega Punch? I haven't seen that since my childhood playing Pokémon Fire Red.'

'Maybe I can teach her Mega Kick too; that move was really strong,' Victor thinks with a mischievous smile, recalling Mega Kick's 120 base power.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Victor makes a decision.

"Hey, Marill. You said you wanted to see a human city, right?" Victor asks Marill, quickly thinking of a way to get her to agree to become his partner.

"Mari Marill!" Marill responds with an excited nod, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"But isn't that a bit too simple of a goal?" Victor asks, already having an idea to pique Marill's interest.

"Marill?" Marill tilts her head, curious about what the human in front of her means.

Seeing that he's successfully captured Marill's attention, Victor gives a sly grin. *'Wait, why do I feel like a villain? No, it's more like I'm the weird uncle trying to lure in the kids.'*

"Cough, cough." Clearing his throat, Victor shakes off his odd thoughts. Noticing Marill's attentive gaze, he continues.

"In the future, I want to become a trainer, but I love photography, so my goal is to travel the world and see the landscapes from every place."

"Marill?" Marill asks, clearly intrigued by Victor's words.

"Marill, did you know that right here in Johto, there's a mountain that's covered by lightning storms all year round? Legend has it that it's home to the legendary Raikou, one of the three legendary beasts. They say his roars are what make the lightning strike the mountain."

"Besides this mountain, there's also the Illex Forest, where a shrine is dedicated to Celebi, the god of the forest. Rumor has it that Celebi sometimes visits this shrine and blesses the Pokémon of the forest."

"There's also the Lake of Rage, inhabited by countless Gyarados, making it an extremely dangerous place for beginner trainers. Even advanced trainers stay away from there."

"Marill Marill Marill," Marill says, after hearing Victor talk about these places in Johto.

"Yes, I want to visit them all—and not just places here in Johto, but in other regions as well. But I don't want to go alone; I want to go with many friends, especially with the Pokémon I've met and bonded with along the way."

"Now, the question is, Marill, would you like to be my partner? And travel to these places with me and Sentret?" Victor asks, kneeling down on one knee and extending his hand toward Marill, inviting her.

After hearing Victor's invitation, Marill falls into deep thought, considering his proposal.

After a moment, Marill looks seriously at Victor and asks, "Marill Marill Marill, Marill?"

"Of course, there'll be plenty of food; I'd never let that be lacking! Another great goal to add to the list is to try the food from every place we visit," Victor responds, smiling at Marill's question.

"Sent Sent Senttt," Sentret agrees, excited about Victor's suggestion to taste the local cuisine in each place they visit.

Marill's eyes light up upon hearing Victor's words, and she lets out an enthusiastic cheer.

"MARILLL!"

Seeing Marill agree, Victor picks her up in his arms and says, "Welcome to the team, girl!"

"Sentret Sent," Sentret, sitting on Victor's right shoulder, also welcomes Marill, waving his right paw at her.

With a new friendship formed, Victor, Sentret, and now Marill continue their walk toward Violet City. After some time, Victor begins to spot one of the historical landmarks for which Violet City is famous: the Sprout Tower.

As the late afternoon sun begins to set on the horizon, it creates a beautiful contrast with the city—a blend of classical Japanese architecture, best represented by the Sprout Tower, and tall Western-style buildings, surrounded by the lush forest stretching across the distant mountains.

Looking at this scene, Victor, despite just escaping a near-death experience, feels more alive and relaxed than ever.

*'This sunset? It'd be hard to see one like this back on Earth. This would look incredible in a photo—wait!'*

Victor smiles with deep nostalgia at the thought of his former life, until he suddenly freezes, as if he's remembered something terrifying.

Quickly crouching down, Marill jumps from his arms, and Sentret leaps from his shoulder, landing beside Marill on the ground. Victor grabs his backpack, realizing it's still soaked. He opens it and frantically searches through it for something.

While Victor digs through his bag, Sentret and Marill exchange glances, curiosity glinting in their eyes as they wonder what could have caused Victor's reaction.

"No! My camera?!" Noticing his camera is completely drenched, Victor pulls it out of the bag, shaking water off it.

"Turn on, turn on, turn on!" Victor desperately tries to power on the camera.

"NO!" Realizing it won't turn on, Victor drops to his knees, utterly disappointed.

Photography was a passion he discovered in this life after being reborn in the Pokémon world, and since then, he'd grown to love it more and more.

"Sent? Sentret Sentreeett!" Seeing that the camera broke after getting wet, Sentret begins dancing joyfully, thinking the embarrassing photos of him were lost.

"Marill?" Marill tilts her head, puzzled by the two's reactions.

Noticing Sentret's happiness, Victor glances sideways at him and decides to put an end to his excitement.

"Don't get too happy, Sentret, because your photos are already saved on my computer," Victor says with a playful smile.

"Sentret…" Hearing this, Sentret falls onto his back on the ground, deflated like a popped balloon.

"Marill Marill Marill," Marill says, trying to comfort her new friend by patting him on the back, even though she doesn't fully understand.

Looking at his broken camera, Victor shakes his head and puts it back in his backpack. Glancing at the two little Pokémon, he picks up Sentret and places him on his right shoulder.

"Come on, buddy. How long are you going to sulk? They're just some photos," Victor says teasingly with a laugh, looking at his downcast friend.

"And as for you, Marill, don't mind his antics; it's just a little game between us." Picking Marill up in his arms, Victor explains as he strokes her head.

With that, Victor resumes his journey toward Violet City.

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