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It wasn't that Wurmple hadn't thought about running away. But watching Darkrai drift around nearby, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, Wurmple felt her chances of success were basically zero.
Since she couldn't escape anyway, she decided she might as well eat more. No matter how things turned out, she wouldn't lose out, maybe Luther and Mai would even feel it was too much of a loss and let her go.
This "genius plan" was quickly put into action.
With the goal of eating Luther and Mai into poverty, Wurmple made sure to eat until she physically couldn't anymore at every meal.
But she soon gave up on that strategy.
Chansey simply gave her far too much food each time… so no matter how hard she tried, Wurmple couldn't finish it all, and there was always plenty left over.
Soon after, while calculating the route and realizing they weren't far from Veilstone City, Luther decided to give the entire team extra meals. Wurmple watched as Marill devoured food twice the size of her own body, then looked down at the mountain of food in her own feeding bowl…
From that day on, Wurmple resigned herself to fate.
She couldn't beat them, couldn't escape, and clever tricks didn't work. Wurmple decided that living as a useless little bug who freeloaded for food wasn't such a bad life.
Her job was simple: spar with Milcery.
Her attempts to slack off with harmless 'String Shot' or deliberately miss with 'Tackle' had already been seen through by Luther. He spent a long time explaining things to her, telling her why he had brought her into the team in the first place.
Once that was cleared up, things became easy. It wasn't a difficult matter, and Wurmple agreed.
Luther commanded Milcery, while Mai commanded Wurmple. In order to improve Milcery's battle experience, they sparred for at least one hour every day.
At first, Milcery was a bit unaccustomed to it. But seeing the other Pokémon around her all focused on their own training, she didn't feel like slacking off either. Gritting her teeth, she followed the rhythm.
Wurmple, on the other hand, adapted just fine, as long as she could eat her fill, that was enough.
What's more, this kind of back-and-forth battle was actually very beneficial to Wurmple herself.
Watching the scene before him, Luther felt deeply gratified. At one point, he had even thought that if Milcery truly wasn't suited for battle, having her help Chansey with logistics wouldn't be bad either.
But the toughness Milcery was showing now proved that her future was something to look forward to.
Wurmple and Milcery were locked together, literally wrestling.
Wurmple curled her body and forcibly wrapped Milcery up.
Unable to break free, Milcery resorted to using 'Dazzling Gleam'.
Even while in pain, Wurmple refused to loosen her grip, which gave Milcery quite a headache. 'Dazzling Gleam' consumed a lot of stamina for her, and now she was nearly unable to counterattack.
This kind of refusal to give up, fighting until the very last moment, was enough for Luther to decide that Milcery was worth cultivating into an outstanding Pokémon.
Just as Luther was about to call a halt, Wurmple suddenly felt the force she was exerting hit nothing but air.
Luther stared in shock at the sticky puddle of cream on the ground, watching it continuously shift and reform, recovering into Milcery's original shape.
"Liquefy…" Mai stared at Milcery in astonishment as well.
Milcery had learned 'Dazzling Gleam' on her own, without Luther even realizing it.
And 'Liquefy' was something she had comprehended on the spot during battle.
If learning 'Dazzling Gleam' felt like a matter of good luck and sudden insight, then what Milcery had just done clearly proved her comprehension and talent.
Among the team, the most talented one was Marill, as she picked up and mastered moves effortlessly. The only move that had ever stalled her progress was 'Ice Punch'.
Wurmple didn't continue attacking. Seeing Luther and Mai both squat down, she stopped as well. After following them for so long, she had at least learned how to read the atmosphere.
"Milcery, can you use it one more time for us to see?" Mai asked encouragingly.
Milcery smiled and nodded. Her body gradually turned liquid again, spreading out across the ground.
When she noticed Luther reaching out his hand, Milcery hurriedly recovered to her original form, hopped into his palm, and claimed her well-deserved milk candy.
Watching Milcery savor the candy with great enjoyment, Luther could finally be certain that "Liquefy" hadn't been used by accident, it was a move she could fully control.
Dinner was extremely generous. A literal mountain appeared in Wurmple's feeding bowl, making her seriously wonder whether the food sliding down might actually crush her to death.
The chivalrous Marill appeared just in time. After checking on Wurmple with concern and realizing she couldn't possibly eat that much, Marill very kindly helped her finish more than half the bowl, then left after letting out a satisfied burp.
"We'll reach Veilstone City tomorrow. What about Wurmple?" Mai suddenly asked.
"Going any farther, I'm worried the environment won't suit her. She's always wanted to leave, hasn't she?" Luther teased Milcery with his finger, then thought for a moment. "Let's find her a good place and release her before we set off tomorrow."
Wurmple froze. At first, she felt an urge to jump up in joy, but two seconds later, her mood suddenly sank.
She didn't actually dislike Mai and Luther.
Sure, they had forcibly dragged her along, and their Pokémon had threatened her before, but after joining the team, they treated her quite well.
She could eat her fill every day and even grow stronger. No matter how she looked at it, it was a great deal.
Milcery, who sparred with her every day, was practically an angel. During breaks, she even released her aura once and let Wurmple have a taste.
"It tastes so good…"
Wurmple was utterly intoxicated.
She desperately hoped that Luther or Mai would try to keep her. As long as they asked, even once, she would nod without hesitation!
As if hearing Wurmple's thoughts, Mai, who was standing nearby, got up and walked over to her.
Wurmple stretched her body, waiting for Mai to speak.
"Eevee, Tackle!"
Wurmple tilted her head. Darkrai was on alert, and there were no wild Pokémon in sight. Who was Mai's Eevee attacking?
Eevee's figure rapidly grew larger in Wurmple's vision. By the time she realized Eevee was charging straight at her, she was already seeing stars from the impact.
Before Wurmple could even process what had happened, a Poké Ball struck her on the head. A flash of red light enveloped her, and she was pulled inside.
The Poké Ball shook once, then stopped.
"I've been watching Wurmple's performance these past days, and she's been pretty good. It's better to catch her," Mai said with a smile. "I've never raised a Wurmple before, it should be interesting."
"Besides, Milcery's ideal sparring partner can't leave the team at a time like this. Training another Pokémon up to that level wouldn't be easy."
Mai smiled as she picked up the Poké Ball and released Wurmple again.
Wurmple was completely dazed. She knew that from now on, she was Mai's Pokémon.
But… this wasn't how it was supposed to happen!
Wasn't Mai supposed to ask whether she wanted to travel together, then gently take out a Poké Ball and catch her?
Where did the beautiful, idealized scene she'd been expecting go?
Were all the stories the forest Pokémon told her lies?
As Eevee, the culprit who had slammed into her painfully, came over to greet her, Wurmple remained utterly stunned.
(End of Chapter)