"..." Marcus fell silent.
No wonder this little fellow always went out by himself, no wonder it always took the food away instead of eating it on the spot, no wonder it still looked so weak after so many days...
"Should I take it in...?" Marcus was conflicted.
Buneary's skill pool was indeed tempting, and even if its talent was affected, it was still close to 300. Normally, it would indeed be a good choice.
But the Lopunny family is best at speed, while Buneary, due to its Klutz ability, is not outstanding in terms of speed, even a bit clumsy...
"Buneary..." While Marcus was struggling, the sleeping Buneary whimpered softly, curling its entire body into a ball and snuggling into Marcus's arms.
It seemed to sense his presence, showing a relieved expression, rubbing its little face gently against his chest, finding a comfortable position, and continuing to sleep.
Marcus looked at it blankly, then smiled slightly. This feeling of being depended on seemed quite good.
"Good night, Buneary..."
He rubbed its soft fur and pulled the blanket over.
The next morning, Marcus opened his eyes amidst a tickle and warmth, and then met those pair of dark and bright big eyes.
"Buneary~!" Buneary called out adorably, sticking out its pink tongue and licking Marcus's cheek.
"Hahaha... that tickles, stop it!" Marcus picked up the little fellow, wiped the saliva off his face, and then looked seriously at Buneary.
"Bun?" The little rabbit tilted its head, habitually showing a smile, and then extended its small hand.
"So you're hungry... Come on~" Marcus took out one Attack-type and one Speed-type Pokeblock and placed them in its hand.
"Bun..." Buneary's mood suddenly dropped, and both of its ears drooped, looking very sad.
"Are you missing your grandma?"
"Bun..." Buneary nodded. It seemed to be able to understand Marcus's words a little.
Looking at its appearance, Marcus couldn't help but think of Whitney.
Once, she also cried in his arms, missing her Grandpa.
Rubbing Buneary's head, Marcus said gently, "Grandma wouldn't want you to not eat because of it..."
Seeing Buneary still looking dejected, Marcus continued, "Actually, Pokemon don't truly leave after death, but flow continuously with the rivers to another world..."
"Bun?" Buneary's ears immediately perked up.
"Of course it's true," Marcus replied with a smile. He actually understood what the little fellow meant.
"Legend has it that the deceased people and Pokemon will all go to a world called the Spirit World. Of course, your grandma is no exception."
"Buneary!" Buneary became even more excited.
Marcus held it and stood up, pointing to the faintly visible straight outline in the distance.
Mt. Coronet
"That's it, the summit of Mt. Coronet, the highest peak in Sinnoh. Without strength, it's impossible to reach."
"Buneary buneary!" Buneary jumped down from Marcus's arms and stomped its feet forcefully, waving its two ears like fists a few times, as if to say that it was very strong.
Marcus's eyes held a smile: "You're still far from enough... At least you need to be able to defeat it to have a chance."
Saying that, he released Miltank, and the powerful Gym-level aura spread out. Just one glance at the little rabbit scared it into hiding behind Marcus, clutching his pants tightly.
"Milu~" Miltank saw that the little fellow was frightened and offered it a cup of milk.
However, the little rabbit didn't pay attention. At this moment, it had realized its weakness and sat on the ground dejected, hanging its head.
"Do you... want to become stronger?"
"Bun?" It pricked up its ears again and looked up, meeting those eyes full of expectation.
Marcus took out a Luxury Ball and placed it in front of it.
"I want... to become companions with you. Although it sounds a bit strange to say this, I... I really like you, even if you're a bit clumsy. I hope we can work hard together to achieve our respective goals."
"Bun..." The little rabbit was a bit confused. It didn't understand why this person was so contradictory.
Seeing this, Marcus continued, "Perhaps there are better choices for me in this forest, but in my opinion, your independence, strength, and kindness are things that other Buneary don't possess."
"I... I also lived alone for a long time until later, someone took me home..."
"Now, I also want to take you home. Can I?"
Buneary tilted its head, looking at Marcus, its dark big eyes sparkling with starlight and a hint of tears.
"Buneary!" It seemed to have confirmed something, smiling and nodding, its little hand accurately pressing on the Luxury Ball, turning into a red light and being sucked in.
"Pop! Wiggle wiggle... Ding!" The special sound effect accompanied the moment, and the shaking of the Poke Ball returned to silence.
"..." Marcus looked at this scene blankly.
An unprecedented, fulfilled, and dreamed-of sense of trance and happiness welled up from the bottom of his heart.
He bent down to pick up the Luxury Ball, held it high, and finally shouted that deeply ingrained slogan: "Pokemon Getto Daze!!"
The countless shouts in front of the TV during his childhood, the tireless adventures in the game console during his youth, and the red eyes every time he heard this BGM as an adult, all culminated in this moment of fulfillment.
Even though he had been in this world for many years, at this moment of truly owning his own Pokemon, Marcus still felt a sense of unreality...
[Ding, the main quest 'Embark on a Journey' has been completed. Congratulations to the Host for taking a solid step on the path of a Pokemon Master. A novice gift package has been obtained!]
[Ding, the Host has gained Buneary's recognition, obtaining Master points × 5!]
The System's notification sound rang, pulling Marcus back to reality from his thoughts. He looked at the warm Luxury Ball in his hand again, and the corner of Marcus's mouth lifted. In this life, he would surely fulfill his dream!
[Ding, The novice gift package is now open, you obtained the Pokemon Language Mastery skill book, Master Dream Box, and the System Pokemon Training function is activated!]
[Pokemon Language Mastery skill book: Contains the authentic dialects of all Pokemon populations around the world. After use, you can communicate verbally with any Pokemon. If your acting skills are good enough, they might even treat you as a strangely shaped fellow creature.]
[Master Dream Box: Can independently lead Pokemon into the Dream Space for simulated battles and special training, continuously improving the combat literacy of the Host and partners.]
After looking at the two items, Marcus was very satisfied. As expected of the Master Training System, it not only trains Pokemon but also simulates battles to improve the Trainer's own abilities...
He clapped his hands together to use the skill book, then Marcus opened the System's Pokemon panel. He wanted to see what the System's training function was like.