Chapter 207: May and Max (Part 2)

"What about you, Rex? It's a pity about the Ever Grande Conference a while back. What are your plans now?" May asked, intrigued after Rex initiated the conversation.

May was quite curious about Rex, her temporary travel companion. During their journey together, his maturity and steadiness had left a deep impression on her.

Moreover, Rex's strength as a trainer always seemed unfathomable. May often wondered how far Rex could have gone if he hadn't withdrawn from the Ever Grande Conference.

Based on his performance at the conference, Rex's strength appeared on par with Ash and Tyson. In fact, May thought Rex might even be stronger.

"I don't have any long-term goals right now. For the moment, managing Rex Farm well and improving my Pokémon's strength is what I want to focus on," Rex said casually, looking out at the lake.

Rex hadn't really thought much about May's question. He was a Pokémon trainer, but he trained his Pokémon primarily to secure his place in this world, not out of any lofty ideals.

Although he looked like a 13- or 14-year-old boy, his mental age was over 20. As a mature adult, talking about ideals seemed a bit late for him.

May wasn't entirely satisfied with Rex's answer. She felt he hadn't shared his true thoughts but didn't press him further.

Soon, Gyarados brought them to the ice surface in the middle of the lake. Everyone was delighted by the large frozen area.

"Sis, do you want to come up and play?" Max, sitting on Lapras's back, asked happily upon seeing his sister.

On the ice, there were many intricately designed slides, obviously made by Lapras using Ice Beam.

Max had been enjoying the slides immensely, sliding with Lapras and creating new slides with Ice Beam.

"You go ahead, Max, but be careful!" May declined, not wanting to play like her brother.

Max, seeing his sister wasn't interested, continued directing Lapras to slide away.

May then released her Bulbasaur and Skitty to play on the ice. Skitty immediately started chasing its tail joyfully, while Bulbasaur stayed quietly by May's side, observing its surroundings.

Yuli and the others found a suitable spot for a picnic and began preparing lunch. May joined them in setting up.

Rex noticed a small head popping up from the distant water, curiously watching them. When the Pokémon saw Rex looking, it quickly submerged.

Rex wasn't concerned, knowing that Jade Moon Lake was home to many wild Pokémon. As long as they didn't attack, he was happy to coexist peacefully with them.

However, for safety, Rex instructed Gyarados and Milotic to stay alert for any potential threats.

Milotic and Gyarados, now guardians of Jade Moon Lake, had already asserted their dominance over the local Pokémon. Stronger Pokémon had either been driven away or had submitted to them.

Rex was unaware of the specific Pokémon that once ruled the lake but knew that something must have maintained order before Gyarados and Milotic took over.

Just then, Yuli called Rex and Max for lunch, snapping Rex out of his thoughts. He smiled and walked over.

"Max, aren't you tired after playing with Lapras for so long?" Rex teased upon seeing Max reluctant to part with Lapras.

"Not at all! I want to keep playing with Lapras this afternoon!" Max replied eagerly.

Rex didn't mind, as Lapras kept Max entertained, making his job easier.

Everyone enjoyed the delicious food prepared by Yuli and the others. Picnicking on the unique ice surface was a novel experience for all.

"Hey, what's that?" May suddenly noticed something on the lake, catching her attention.

"Milotic!" Rex called out.

Milotic understood immediately, creating a huge water current with its tail and splashing it in the direction May indicated.

A blue Pokémon was flung into the air by the water, and Rex recognized it as a Marill.

"It's a Marill. Anyone interested in catching it?" Rex asked.

Yuli already had a Marill and wasn't interested, nor were Yui or Karen. Only May showed some interest.

"May, if you're interested, try catching it through a battle," Rex suggested.

"Rex, could you have Milotic place Marill on the ice and heal it first? I'll ask for Marill's permission before attempting to catch it," May requested.

Rex agreed, having Milotic place Marill on the ice and heal it with Life Dew.

Marill quickly regained consciousness but pretended to faint again upon seeing the group.

Everyone found this behavior amusing, and May became even more determined to catch it.

(End of the chapter)