Marcus quickly glanced left and right, picked up the little guy, and planned to slip away...
You see, Sunflora, a Pokemon representing nature and sunshine, holds a high status in Artazon. If the local residents discovered someone beating a Sunflora, conflict would be inevitable.
It's similar to how Ash and the others in the original story stepped on a Slowpoke's tail in Azalea Town and were targeted...
"Buneary! (Let me down, I still want to fight!)" Buneary struggled in Marcus's arms.
"Be good, I'll give you another bottle later. How about we let it go?"
Before Marcus could comfort the little rabbit, a voice sounded from the side: "Hmm? How did this Sunflora get injured?"
A tall man wearing a strange suit stood there. His waist had a belt made of vines, and the buttons on his clothes were made of ginkgo leaves, giving off a... strange artistic sense.
"Uh, hehe... yeah, how did it get injured?" Marcus decided to play dumb.
"Hmm... it's hard to imagine a sunny Pokemon like Sunflora having such a pained expression... almost like, constipation?"
The man stepped forward curiously to examine it.
As he got closer, the Sunflora's facial expression changed drastically. The next moment, a puddle of milky white liquid sprayed out, directly hitting his face.
"Pah!"
The man wiped away the sticky substance mixed with Gastro Acid from his face, staring blankly at the Sunflora.
Marcus and Buneary exchanged glances, confirming with their eyes that they should slip away.
Just as they were about to quietly sneak off, the man suddenly shouted, "This is great! This is truly a work of art! It's simply too avant-garde!"
"Don't you think so!" The man suddenly turned his head, the heavy bags under his eyes indicating his mental instability...
"Uh... um... yes, yes..." Marcus responded with a stiff upper lip.
But when he saw the man's face clearly, he was stunned for a moment and asked, "Um... are you Brassius?"
Brassius, the Gym Leader of the Artazon Gym, and a Grass Type Pokemon expert from Paldea.
"Hmm? I didn't expect that I, an artist who advocates for nature, would already be so famous!"
Brassius elegantly took out a fountain pen from his jacket pocket: "Come, I am never stingy with my autograph, it's not worth much anyway."
Marcus's mouth twitched. Looking at it from another angle, he was quite self-aware...
He randomly found a piece of paper and handed it over for Brassius to sign, saying at the same time:
"Gym Leader Brassius, I'm from the distant Kanto, and I want to go to the nearby Olive Forest to catch a Smoliv. I wonder if you could give me some good advice?"
Since the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games hadn't been out for long in his previous life, Marcus didn't know much about Smoliv's habits. So he planned to rely on the strength of the locals, which was also his main purpose for coming here.
Smoliv was the second target Pokemon Marcus had decided on.
As he spoke, he observed Brassius's expression and tentatively added, "Actually, there are many fans of yours in my hometown. We've always believed that the combination of nature and art is the most wonderful thing..."
Brassius's lips curved upwards uncontrollably by a few points: "Hmm... young man, I have to say, you have excellent taste! Finding me, Brassius, for matters concerning Grass Type Pokemon is absolutely no problem!"
Saying this, he elegantly brushed his curly hair and looked at Marcus playfully: "How about this, you give me some creative inspiration, and I'll tell you a secret about the olive groves?"
[Ding, a commission quest has been detected, please check the quest panel...]
[Brassius's Creative Inspiration: Help Brassius find a creative breakthrough. Upon completion, you will receive the secret about the Giant Pokemon of the Olive forest.]
"Creative... inspiration?" Marcus was startled, then fell into thought.
Suddenly, he thought of something, and then tentatively said, "Uh... how about, you try a mixed style?"
"Hmm? What's that?" Brassius became interested.
"For example... look at that Sunflora, what do you see?"
"I see... a Sunflora?"
"No, no, no, I can't agree with that view."
"Actually, the scientific name of Sunflora is Kid the Phantom Thief, because it often performs slam dunks under cherry blossom trees, so some people also call it Sakuragi Hanamichi;"
"Even stranger, Sunflora always keeps its eyes squinted, making it impossible for anyone to see its eyes. Legend has it they are also elder families in the Hidden Leaf Village, inheriting strange white eyes, hence the name Hyuga..."
"Putting it together, it's 'Strange Flower Hyuga' read backward, meaning Kid the Phantom Thief stole Sakuragi Hanamichi's basketball, allowing Hyuga to practice for two and a half years and then master the ultimate technique Kamehameha."
"So, you can't just look at the surface of things, and art is the same."
"Do you... understand?"
Marcus rambled on, making up a strange story that looked somewhat "normal," but not by much, with his wild fabrications...
Brassius was stunned. He looked at the young man who was talking eloquently before him and suddenly felt as if a brilliant light was emanating from behind him. For a moment, he was excited beyond measure:
"This, this, this... could this be the highest realm of art?"
Marcus's mouth twitched violently... Sure enough, artists and madmen are always equated. He could just spout nonsense and give him inspiration.
He cleared his throat in a pretentious manner: "I wouldn't dare claim the highest realm, I still have a long way to go... After all, a true Master should always have the heart of an apprentice!"
Brassius immediately bowed down: "Master! I understand!!!"
[Ding, the host has stimulated Brassius's artistic cells using diverse cultures. The commission quest is complete!]
Brassius took out a scroll of yellowed paper and said, "This contains the secret of the olive groves, Master, please take care on your way!"
"Hmm, you should keep working hard..." Marcus sighed in his heart, patted his shoulder, and turned to leave.
Behind him, Brassius suddenly thought of something and asked, "Master, why two and a half years of practice?"
"That question... you'll have to wait until the trial to ask..."
Marcus said profoundly, then disappeared at the end of the road, leaving Brassius staring at the Sunflora in his arms, frowning in thought.
————
Seeing that Brassius didn't chase after him, Marcus finally let out a long breath...
"Indeed, talking big is fun for a moment, and talking big all the time is fun all the time..." Shaking his head, he opened the roll of yellowed paper.
This was a painting. On it was a towering giant tree, but this tree was somewhat peculiar. Not only was it unusually tall, but two thick branches extended from the trunk, growing downwards.
"Huh... that's not right, why does this look like an Arboliva?!"
A passage in the corner of the paper caught Marcus's attention: "The origin of the Olive forest is the giant Arboliva located in the center of it. It seems to have existed for countless years and possesses power exceeding that of ordinary Pokemon."
"Giant Arboliva?!" Marcus's heart jumped, and a strong impulse arose within him.
There must be a reason for the formation of these special Pokemon, and behind it lies a huge opportunity.
Arboliva, with Normal and Grass Type attributes, is a Special Attack-oriented tank Pokemon, and was one of Marcus's favorite tormentors in his team in his previous life.
And its initial form is Smoliv.