"Hey? How is it, are you touched? But you're not allowed to give up your journey because of me..."
Whitney's voice carried a heavy nasal tone. Clearly, the crybaby wasn't as carefree as she pretended to be.
Marcus smiled slightly: "Didn't you want to know what my favorite Pokemon is?"
"Huh? What is it?"
"Maybe I wasn't sure before, but I'm sure now, it's... Miltank."
"Why?"
"Because... it looks like you."
"..."
On the other end of the phone, tears welled up in Whitney's pink eyes, but a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Also... I've already decided on the team I want to train..."
"Mm..." Whitney's voice was a little hazy.
"I'll become a Normal-type Pokemon Master. This way, our two dreams can be realized together."
"..." The other end of the phone fell silent.
No one knew better than Whitney how much Marcus yearned for his dream. She also understood that behind this seemingly simple decision lay over ten years of preparation he had put in.
He, surprisingly, chose a more difficult path because of her...
Finally, with a cry of "Wah—", the crybaby could no longer hold back her tears and burst into tears.
And only then did Marcus, opening the door, see the broadcast van parked in the center of the ranch.
The next moment, the car door opened, and Whitney stumbled out, throwing herself into his arms.
"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! I wasn't planning to cry! Marcus, you bully!!"
The front of his shirt quickly became wet. Marcus stiffly extended his hand and placed it on her small pink head.
It turned out she had never left. Saying she was going out to play was just a lie to him...
After sobbing for a long time, Whitney slowly calmed down. With red eyes, she said somewhat seriously: "You should still choose a more powerful Pokemon. Normal-types aren't easy..."
This was indeed true. Looking at the type specialists across generations, you could count the Normal-type experts on one hand. And those who ranked were basically Gym Leader level. An Elite Four member wasn't featured until the ninth generation's Scarlet and Violet, and that was a shared position...
However, since Marcus had decided, he wouldn't regret it.
He rubbed her head and said softly: "Don't worry, I will fulfill our dream. This is a promise between the two of us."
Whitney was startled, then nodded blankly: "Mm!"
Then she wiped her small face clean with her sleeve and showed a smile: "Happy birthday, Marcus!"
Marcus lightly tapped her nose with his fingertip: "Today is the happiest day of my life."
A few hours later, accompanied by Whitney and Mary, Marcus arrived at Goldenrod Airport.
"Why go all the way to Hoenn? Wouldn't it be better to travel nearby in Kanto?" Mary said, looking at the reluctance on Whitney's face.
Just as Marcus was about to explain, Whitney stepped forward and encouraged him: "It's okay, I believe you will succeed."
"Mm!" Marcus smiled. He found that this crybaby seemed to have grown up a lot: "Then... I'm leaving?"
After speaking, he turned around, ready to leave.
Looking at his back, a surge of emotion welled up in her heart. Whitney's vision suddenly blurred: "Hey, Marcus—"
She still couldn't help but call out to him.
Marcus turned back around and quietly looked at the girl he had spent several years with.
"You... you said you like Miltank, is that true?"
Her choked sobbing seemed to poke at the softest spot in Marcus's heart. He didn't answer directly but stepped forward and pulled the girl into his arms.
His hand stroked her small head, feeling its softness, and gently inhaling her unique fragrance.
He gently lifted the girl's chin. Her slightly round face was already covered in sparkling tears.
Their eyes met in the air. Shyness flashed in Whitney's pink eyes, but she didn't look away, anticipating Marcus's answer.
However, what she waited for was a handsome face slowly approaching hers.
Whitney instantly became nervous, her crying stopped, her chest rose and fell, and her breathing became rapid.
Oh my god, Marcus... is he going to kiss me?!
What should I do? Should I close my eyes?
As her mind raced with thoughts, a warm kiss landed on her tear stains.
Little by little, Marcus kissed away the tears on her face, and smiled slightly: "I'm leaving. I'll let you know I arrived safely when I get there."
After speaking, he turned around freely, leaving only Whitney staring blankly as she watched him leave.
It wasn't until Marcus's back completely disappeared that Whitney reacted.
"Mary, Marcus didn't seem to answer my question, did he?"
Mary was speechless: "Maybe..."
But inwardly, she was wailing, 'I'm single and I'm already stuffed from watching this, and you're still hung up on whether he answered the question?'
Damn it, one is bad with words and goes straight for a kiss, the other is silly and slow-witted emotionally... and they still spark something?
"When will it be my turn for something like love..." Mary sighed, pulling the confused Whitney away...
Around the corner of the airport, Marcus saw them leave and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Honestly, holding such a curvy, adorable, and somewhat naive girl, it was impossible not to be moved.
The reason he didn't answer directly was because,
If those two words were spoken, he wouldn't be able to leave at all.
"Strength..." Marcus clenched his fist. If he had the strength of an Elite Four Champion, he could keep that girl by his side forever...
He looked up again at the back view where her chest was visible from behind.
"Give me three years. By then, I will definitely come back and take my... Miltank!"
With that said, Marcus walked into the waiting room with firm steps.
Marcus's first stop was Hoenn.
Since he had decided to focus on Normal-types, he had to consider the Slaking with a base stat total of 670.
Speaking of the Slaking family, one must mention their powerful 160 Attack stat and their unique Truant ability.
In the games, with the Truant ability, after acting for one turn, they enter a lazy state the next turn, unable to use moves and only able to take hits. This is also the official balance for Slaking.
However, in the real world, Pokemon are creatures with infinite possibilities...
This can be seen from the Miltank at the ranch with the Early Bird ability. There are also many instances in the anime that break game settings.
It was precisely because of this that Marcus decided to go to the Hoenn region.
There is a Normal-type expert there who specializes in training the Slaking family.
Two days later, Petalburg City, Hoenn region.
As usual, Norman, the Gym Leader of the Petalburg Gym, was busy in the greenhouse in his backyard.
He is the strongest Gym Leader in the Hoenn region, controlling the Balance Badge. He is powerful and widely considered the successor to the Elite Four.
At the same time, he is also the father of May, the protagonist of the Advanced Generation.
"Excuse me, is anyone there?" Standing outside the Petalburg Gym was a tall, slender young man, who was none other than Marcus, who had traveled from Johto.
"Coming~" A beautiful woman with brown hair and blue eyes opened the door: "Are you here to challenge the Gym?"
Marcus recognized the person's identity at a glance. Wasn't it May's mother, Caroline?