Pokemon: A Legendary Adventure

Chapter 13: Attempt



Victor continued talking with Tyson and Azami while Lakin remained reserved, merely listening.

"So, Azami, you want to be a Pokémon breeder, right?" Victor asked curiously, trying to gauge Azami's level of knowledge as a breeder.

"Well, yes." Azami responded hesitantly, unsure why Victor was asking her about it.

"Oh, I was just curious because I'm a breeder too. So I was really interested in what path you want to take as a breeder and how far you've come." Noticing Azami's hesitation, Victor quickly explained his reason for asking.

"You're a Pokémon breeder too, Victor?" Tyson asked, eyes widening with curiosity after discovering something interesting he didn't know.

Even Lakin, who hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation, perked up and started listening more closely.

"Yes, I am," Victor said, puffing out his chest with pride, recalling how much knowledge he had accumulated.

"That's cool," Tyson said, clearly surprised by the revelation.

"Hey, Tyson," Victor said, as something came to mind.

"What is it, Victor?" Tyson asked, momentarily shifting his attention back to the ongoing speed challenge. On the obstacle course, a large Raticate was dashing through at high speed, skillfully maneuvering past the obstacles.

"I just want to give you some advice."

"What advice?" Tyson asked, clearly curious.

"Well, since you want to be a trainer, it would also be good for you to start learning about Pokémon breeding. There's actually a well-known saying about it." Victor paused, looked at the three siblings, and continued, "Not every great breeder is a decent trainer, but every great trainer is at least a decent breeder—or has the support of one."

Tyson thought for a moment before flashing a big smile at Azami and saying, "Hmm... That's actually really good advice. I'll study for a while, but if I struggle, I have our dear Azami to help, right, Azami?"

"Yes! I'll help big bro with whatever he needs," Azami said with a sweet smile, blushing slightly.

"Hahahahaha..." Tyson laughed heartily after hearing Azami's confirmation.

Watching their interaction, a small smile appeared on Victor's face. But as he glanced away, he noticed Lakin observing Azami and Tyson with a complex expression, lost in thought.

Not knowing what Lakin was thinking about, Victor decided to let it go and continue watching the ongoing challenge attempts.

"You're not going to try?" Victor asked, looking at Tyson, curious why he wasn't attempting the course with his Scyther, a Pokémon famous for its speed.

"Me? No, I'm not," Tyson responded a bit sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Why not?" Victor asked, now even more curious.

"Well... The reason I'm not trying has nothing to do with Scyther's speed or anything like that. I'm actually very confident in my Scyther's speed. But my Scyther is a warrior—he doesn't like dodging; he always faces things head-on, which has given me a lot of headaches, hahahahaha..." Tyson said proudly before continuing with a chuckle. "In this obstacle course, you can't destroy anything; you can only dodge. And knowing my Scyther's personality, he'd tear through everything in his way."

"I see," Victor said, nodding in understanding.

Continuing the conversation, Victor asked, "Where are you guys staying tonight? Do you have any plans?"

"Why do you want to know?" Lakin asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"Relax, man. I'm just curious. Besides, I'm staying at the Pokémon Center, so if you need a place, I can ask Nurse Joy if she'll let you stay there for the night," Victor said with a playful grin, raising one hand in a gesture of peace.

"Hmm... We were planning to camp in the city park, but if you can convince Nurse Joy, we'll take the offer. What do you think, Lakin?" Tyson said, stroking his chin as he thought about it.

"Fine by me. It'd be nice to sleep in a comfortable bed instead of a sleeping bag in the woods," Lakin replied indifferently, though a small smile hinted that he wasn't eager to sleep outdoors.

"What about you, Azami?"

"It's fine with me too. But are you sure it's okay for us to stay there? We may already be ten years old, but we haven't gotten our trainer licenses yet, so we're still considered youngsters," Azami answered Tyson before quickly turning to Victor with her concern.

"Well... Let me talk to Nurse Joy." Understanding her worry, Victor pulled his Pokégear from his pocket and dialed the number he had seen on the Pokémon Center's counter.

Ring ring ring ring...

"Hello, this is the Violet City Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy speaking. How can I help you?" came Nurse Joy's voice from the other end.

"Nurse Joy, this is Victor," he said calmly.

"Oh, it's you, sweetie! What can I do for you?" Recognizing his voice, Nurse Joy spoke in a kind tone.

"Well... I met some friends from Purple City at the bazaar. They were planning to camp in the city park tonight, so I wanted to ask if they could stay at the Pokémon Center instead." Victor asked, as Azami and Tyson looked at him hopefully, and even Lakin's usual indifference seemed to fade slightly.

"Oh, is that all? Of course, they can stay! You're in room 13 alone, so they can stay with you, dear," Nurse Joy replied warmly, then continued, "Are you coming back soon? The battle will start shortly."

"Really? Thanks, Nurse Joy! She said yes," Victor announced, turning to them and nodding. Azami and Tyson cheered, punching the air excitedly. Then, he returned to the call. "I'll be back soon, I just need to finish something first."

"Alright, don't take too long," Nurse Joy replied.

"Great, she allowed it. I just want to try the obstacle course once with Sentret, and then we'll head to the Pokémon Center, okay?" Victor asked the three siblings.

"Sentret, Sent!"

"Alright," Tyson said, waving his hand.

"I'll be back soon." Bidding them farewell, Victor walked toward the obstacle course owner.

After waiting in line for a few minutes, he spoke to the owner.

"How much is a try, sir?"

"Hey, kid, it's 200 Pokédollars per attempt. You want to give it a shot?"

"Alright, let me explain the rules. First, you can only dodge. Second, you can't use offensive moves that could damage the course. And third, Ghost-type Pokémon and those that know Teleport are strictly prohibited. Got it?" the stall owner said in a deep voice, emphasizing the rules with hand gestures.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Victor replied casually, patting Marill's head.

Standing at the starting line, Victor signaled to Sentret on his shoulder.

"I'll leave this to you, Sentret."

"Sent!" Sentret responded, thumping its chest before leaping off Victor's shoulder.

"Seriously? He's using a Sentret?"

"Sentrets aren't even that fast."

"He probably won't pass the challenge."

As murmurs filled the crowd, Victor and Sentret focused on the challenge ahead. For many rookie trainers, this kind of trial was difficult, but for Victor and Sentret, it was great training.

Unnoticed by anyone, including himself, Victor's eyes took on a faint greenish-blue glow.

The stall owner blew the whistle.

"Ready?! Piiii!!!"

At the signal, Sentret dashed forward at high speed.

"Wow! How is a Sentret that fast?"

"Incredible!"

"Oh my Arceus!"

Victor suddenly noticed something strange.

"Weird... Why does everything look slower?"

In Victor's vision, the world seemed to be moving slower.

Wasting no time, Victor refocused on the challenge. Noticing an unusual movement on the track, he exclaimed.

"Sentret, Quick Attack! To the left!"

Hearing his trainer and trusting him, Sentret quickly entered the "Quick Attack" state and dodged to the left. Suddenly, a trapdoor opened to his right—if he hadn't dodged, he would have fallen straight into it.

"He dodged?!"

"How the hell did he get faster?"

"How did he train for this?"

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Victor saw Sentret approaching the ball launcher section.

An idea sparked in his mind, and a mischievous grin formed on his face.

"Sentret, use Tidy Up."

Hearing his trainer's command, Sentret started gathering Normal-type energy as he ran.

Dodging another ball, Sentret suddenly let out a cry. Then, energy-formed brooms appeared across the course.

"You can't damage the structure!" the stall owner shouted.

"Don't worry, this won't damage the track," Victor responded with a playful smile.

As the brooms began sweeping the ground, the trapdoors started opening.

"What?!"

"How?"

"The energy, transformed into a physical object, must have triggered the trapdoors."

"Seriously, Lakin? That's incredible!"

The crowd erupted in astonished exclamations, with Lakin adding his own surprised analysis.

With the trapdoors now visible, Sentret had an easier time maneuvering and successfully reached the end of the course.

As the challenge concluded, the stall owner approached Victor and congratulated him before turning to the crowd.

"Congratulations, kid! And everyone, give a round of applause to our third winner of the day!"

The crowd suddenly burst into applause, leaving Victor surprised by their reaction.

"Surprised? It's rare for anyone to clear the challenge, so we always applaud those who succeed," the stall owner explained, noticing Victor's confusion. He then handed Victor a small box.

"This box contains a set of six different Poké Balls made from Apricorns."

"Thank you," Victor said, expressing his gratitude before bidding farewell and returning to the three brothers.

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