Chapter 208: May and Max (Part 3)

"Marill, we won't hurt you. I want to catch you. If you agree, we can have a battle. If you don't want to be caught, you can leave!" May said soothingly to the seemingly timid Marill.

Marill, who had been pretending to be unconscious on the ice, opened one eye to peek at May upon hearing her words.

As a small, struggling Pokémon living in Jade Moon Lake, Marill often had to compete with other Pokémon for food. Although the food resources in Jade Moon Lake were abundant, Marill barely got by. It had revealed itself to Rex and the others today, hoping to catch the eye of a trainer and secure a life free from want.

Seeing the female human wanting to catch it, Marill was actually willing but wanted to test if she was qualified to be its trainer.

May noticed Marill peeking at her and gave it a gentle smile, hoping to ease its fears.

Seeing May's kind demeanor, Marill stopped pretending to be unconscious. It swiftly got up and looked around to familiarize itself with the surroundings.

When Marill saw Gyarados and Milotic watching it intently, it felt a sudden pressure and didn't dare make any big moves. Though Gyarados and Milotic usually didn't bully the wild Pokémon in Jade Moon Lake, their battles had been witnessed by these Pokémon, and Marill knew how terrifying their strength was.

May saw that Marill was still a bit scared, so she took out a Pokéblock and handed it to Marill, gesturing for it to eat.

Marill took the Pokéblock with its tiny hands, examined it carefully, and couldn't resist the delicious smell. It ate it in one bite, closing its eyes in enjoyment.

After eating the Pokéblock, Marill made up its mind. It struck a battle pose, clearly wanting to battle May.

May, seeing Marill's stance, released her Bulbasaur, intending to use it in the battle. Based on the types, Bulbasaur had the advantage.

As the battle began, May ordered Bulbasaur to use Vine Whip on Marill. Two vines extended from Bulbasaur's bud and quickly whipped towards Marill.

If hit, Marill would suffer significant damage. However, Marill lightly bounced with its tail to dodge the vines, then quickly grabbed one and swung it, causing Bulbasaur to lose control and be thrown into the air.

"Huge Power ability!" Rex recognized Marill's ability, noting its deceptively cute appearance hid immense strength, often catching opponents off guard.

But May was no longer a novice trainer. She commanded Bulbasaur to use Petal Dance after landing, deciding not to get close to the powerful Marill.

Marill countered the incoming petals with Bubble Beam, but the level difference was too significant. The bubbles only neutralized a portion of the petals before the remaining ones hit Marill, causing substantial damage.

"Go, Pokéball!" 

Seeing Marill severely injured, May didn't order Bulbasaur to continue attacking but threw a Pokéball instead. Though Marill was still able to fight, it didn't want to get hurt anymore and didn't evade, being caught in the Pokéball, which only shook twice before completing the capture.

"Congratulations, May, you caught Marill!" Rex congratulated May on the successful capture.

"Thank you, Rex, but could you ask Milotic to heal Marill?" May said, releasing Marill and looking at Rex.

Under Milotic's Life Dew, Marill quickly recovered. After being caught by May, it lost its previous reservations and started playing naturally with Bulbasaur and Skitty.

After the Marill capture, everyone continued their picnic on the ice. The girls planned to visit the terraced garden later, while Max intended to keep playing with Lapras in Jade Moon Lake.

Rex let Gyarados take Yuli and the others back to shore, while he stayed with Max to ensure his safety.

In the afternoon, Rex, feeling playful, directed Gyarados and Milotic to create various ice sculptures using Ice Beam.

Finding it fun, Max and Lapras joined in, creating a family portrait ice sculpture. Max felt deeply satisfied seeing the lifelike sculpture.

However, happy times always pass quickly. As the sunset glow faded, it was time for May and Max to leave. They had planned to spend only one day at Rex Farm.

May and Max had a great time at Rex Farm, especially Max, who had so much fun with Lapras that he was reluctant to leave.

"You could stay a few more days. It'd be livelier with you around," Rex invited them.

"Thank you, Rex, but I've already planned our next trip. Maybe next time," May said regretfully.

She had decided to head to the Kanto region for the contests and couldn't accept Rex's invitation. But she had a wonderful day and caught the adorable Marill.

Hearing May's words, Rex vaguely recalled that Ash would soon be challenging the Battle Frontier, and May might travel with him until the challenge was over.

Like when they arrived, May and Max said goodbye to Rex and the others, then rode their father's Pidgeot towards Petalburg City.

(End of the chapter)