Just then, a faint rustling came from the grass ahead.
"Huh? What was that sound?" May stopped and looked toward the bushes with curiosity.
Ethan stopped too and signaled everyone to be quiet. His gaze locked onto the grass, and his hand unconsciously tightened around a Poké Ball. Traveling through a forest meant wild Pokémon could appear at any time. Some were gentle, some were aggressive, and you had to stay alert.
A moment later, a cute Pokémon stepped out from the grass.
It was small and blue, with a round body and big eyes. On its head was a red heart shaped marking, making it look especially adorable. It held a tiny shell and kept rubbing it against its cheek, looking harmless and sweet.
"Wow, it's so cute!" May blurted out, eyes sparkling. "What Pokémon is that?"
She quickly pulled out her Pokédex and scanned it.
"Beep. Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokémon. It evolves into Marill. It has a gentle nature and likes living near water. It's good at Water type moves. Its attacking power isn't very high, but it's fast."
"Azurill? It's so cute! I want to catch it!" May said excitedly, immediately taking out Torchic's Poké Ball. "Go, Torchic! Use Peck!"
After all the guidance Ethan had given her along the way, May already understood basic capture knowledge. You had to weaken a wild Pokémon first instead of just throwing a Poké Ball right away.
[Azurill]
[Strength: Average Mid]
Ethan silently assessed Azurill's strength. It was stronger than May's Torchic. If Torchic wanted to beat it, it would be tough.
"Tor!" Torchic dashed forward at once, charging at Azurill. It was quick, wings slightly spread, body leaning in, its beak aimed straight at Azurill.
Azurill clearly did not expect to be attacked so suddenly and flinched. It tried to dodge, but Torchic was too fast.
Thud.
"Azu!" Azurill got hit cleanly and stumbled back a few steps. Its body swayed, and anger flashed in its eyes. It glared at Torchic, then opened its mouth and fired off Water Gun.
A blue jet of water shot toward Torchic, fast and direct.
"Dodge it, Torchic!" May shouted anxiously.
But it was too late. Torchic had just finished its attack and was still stiff from the motion, unable to evade in time.
Bang.
Water Gun struck Torchic head on, blasting it back several steps. Torchic wobbled and cried out in pain.
"Are you okay, Torchic?" May rushed over, worried.
"Tor!" Torchic shook its head and called to May to show it was fine. A stubborn spark flickered in its eyes, clearly refusing to back down.
Then Azurill suddenly turned and jumped into the nearby grass, trying to escape.
"Hey, wait! Don't run!" May called. "Torchic, go after it and use Peck!"
She did not want to lose her chance to catch Azurill.
"Tor!" Torchic charged into the grass.
But the instant Torchic entered, three Water Guns blasted out from inside the bushes and hit Torchic perfectly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The combined force was brutal. Torchic screamed, crashed to the ground, and lost the ability to battle.
"Ah! Torchic!" May cried, rushing to kneel beside it, panic written all over her face.
At that moment, three Pokémon jumped out from the grass: Azurill, Marill, and Azumarill.
Marill was blue with big ears and a long tail. Azumarill was much larger and sturdier, with an even bigger heart marking on its head.
All three stared at Ethan and May with furious eyes. Torchic attacking Azurill had clearly enraged the whole family.
"So it's an Azumarill family," Ethan frowned. Azumarill was not weak, and with three of them together, it could get troublesome.
He pulled a Potion from his bag and handed it to May. "May, use this on Torchic, then return it."
"Ah, okay, thanks!" May hurriedly took the Potion and carefully applied it to Torchic. The Potion worked well, easing Torchic's pained expression, but it still could not fight.
May returned Torchic to its Poké Ball, eyes glistening with tears.
"Go, Eevee! Use Shadow Ball! Phanpy, use Rollout!" Ethan immediately sent out his two Pokémon.
He knew they needed to end this quickly, or the Azumarill family might launch an even harsher attack.
"Vee!" "Phaaa!"
Eevee's eyes sharpened. It opened its mouth and condensed a black orb of energy, then fired Shadow Ball straight at the Azumarill family. Phanpy curled into a gray spinning ball and began rolling forward at speed, crashing toward them. Rollout would grow stronger as it continued, and Phanpy's toughness let it take hits.
The Azumarill family counterattacked immediately.
Azurill and Marill fired Water Gun at Eevee and Phanpy. Azumarill raised its arms and unleashed Hydro Pump, a massive column of water surging forward with heavy force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shadow Ball collided with the Water Guns, exploding with a burst of force. Rolling Phanpy pushed through the water streams and kept charging straight ahead.
"Vee!" Eevee darted aside, avoiding Hydro Pump, then formed another Shadow Ball and fired it at Azumarill.
Azumarill tried to dodge, but Phanpy was already in its face, slamming into it hard.
Thud!
Azumarill stumbled back, body swaying. At the same time, Eevee's Shadow Ball struck it cleanly.
"Azu!" Azumarill cried out. The fury in its eyes faded, replaced by fear. It understood it could not beat these two.
Seeing Azumarill get overwhelmed, Azurill and Marill hesitated too, starting to panic. They wanted to flee, but Eevee and Phanpy had already cut off their route.
"That's enough. Eevee, Phanpy, stop attacking. Just drive them back to the river," Ethan said. He did not want to hurt them. They were only protecting their child.
"Vee." "Phaaa."
Eevee and Phanpy nodded and let out a warning cry.
The Azumarill family immediately ran for the nearby river, leaped in, and vanished into the water.
The danger finally passed.
May stared at the Poké Ball in her hand, tears welling up as she blamed herself. "Torchic... it's all my fault. If I hadn't rushed to catch Azurill, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
Her voice trembled, and she looked genuinely crushed.
Ethan patted her shoulder. "May, don't blame yourself. For a beginner, you did well. The first time I battled a wild Pokémon, I was even more of a mess than you. You already used a Potion, so now let's get to the Pokémon Center and have Torchic checked properly."
"Pika." Pikachu jumped down from Ethan's shoulder, rubbed against May's hand, and made a gentle sound to comfort her.
May wiped her tears with her arm and nodded. "Yeah. Torchic will be okay!"
She steadied herself, then started running toward Oldale Town.
"Hey, wait up, May!" Ethan quickly returned Phanpy. Eevee hopped up onto Ethan's other shoulder, lying there beside Pikachu, and Ethan chased after her.
(End of Chapter)
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