The Pokémon journey begins in Galar

"Ptooey Chuu chuu!! (You can't do this! This is abuse! I'm just a poor, weak, helpless little bird and you seriously shoved me into the dirt?!)"

The Rookidee flapped its wings wildly as it struggled to yank itself out of the ground. After spitting out a beakful of mud, it flared its wings and pointed dramatically at the one who had sent it flying, hopping around and squawking indignantly.

"…Keep squawking and I'll bury you again."

"Chuu... (Yes ma'am! I'm sorry!)"

"…"

Even Moonlight stared silently at the Rookidee, a bit stunned by how fast it folded. She couldn't believe she'd actually gotten angry at something like this earlier. It felt like it had cost her brain cells.

The Rookidee twisted its stubby little neck to look around, then cautiously fluttered down and landed beside Marie. Trying to be charming, it rubbed its round body against her leg like a cat.

"Chuu chuu... (Heh heh... I was just hungry, you know? And then I caught a whiff of something sweet and delicious, and, well, miss... um...)"

"Sigh..."

Marie let out a tired breath. Still, she didn't seem too bothered by the Rookidee's constant chatter. It was just one bowl of curry, and there was still plenty left in the pot.

She walked over, grabbed an unused dish, and ladled out a small portion, placing it down beside the little bird.

"Go ahead."

She didn't say much else. After all, it was just a loudmouth bird. He wasn't big enough to eat a ton anyway. A single curry serving wasn't going to break her bank.

"Chuu chuu!! (Thank you so much! You really are the best, miss! I think I'm falling for you! Seriously though, need a new Pokémon? I'm super fast, I swear!)"

"Huh?!"

"Vee? (Wanna repeat that?)"

"Chuu! (Wow, this curry smells amazing! So tasty!)"

The Rookidee instantly ducked his head and started scarfing down the curry, not daring to say another word.

"…"

Yuri leaned in close to Marie and whispered, her voice carrying the scent of curry, "What happened just now?"

"…"

Marie instinctively leaned back a bit. She didn't mind Yuri whispering in her ear, but talking while still smelling like lunch was… strange.

She gave her a quick rundown of the conversation with the Rookidee, softening the details slightly so it wouldn't sound too fantastical.

"Pfft... That's actually kind of funny."

"What part of that is funny?"

Watching Yuri laugh so hard she couldn't even eat properly, Marie let out a sigh and tried to explain.

"Okay, let me put it this way. Imagine a human falling in love with a two-meter-tall bird Pokémon and wanting to marry it. Still funny?"

"...That's kind of gross."

Yuri's smile dropped in an instant, her expression changing so fast Marie almost missed it.

"Exactly. That's why I said it's a pervert."

"Chuu chuu!! (I'm not a pervert! I just have a different sense of beauty from other birds! You can't discriminate against minorities!)"

Hearing Marie's blunt assessment, the Rookidee looked up with curry still on its beak and declared righteously.

"It's not discrimination. The moment you started projecting your weird preferences without caring about mine, you officially became a pervert."

"…"

"Chuu chuu!! (You really are the best, miss! No one's ever validated my feelings before! I'm gonna cry)"

Marie caught the little bird mid-dive as it lunged toward her in tears, holding him at arm's length with a look of pure disgust. His feathers were still smeared with curry. No way she was letting him mess up her clothes.

"Off. Now. I didn't validate anything. Whatever you're into is your business, not mine."

"Chuu chuu!! (Exactly! That's why I want to follow you, miss! My whole family thinks I'm a freak and won't even talk to me!)"

Meanwhile, Silk listened in on the exchange, then turned to look at the ever-watchful Moonlight. She patted her on the leg gently.

"Ruru... (Do you not like that Rookidee either, Moonlight?)"

"?"

Moonlight glanced down at the little Ralts beside her and shook her head.

"Vee... (I'm just protecting Marie. That's my job as her Pokémon. And it's not actually that rare for different species of Pokémon to form... relationships. Once you've seen enough, it's not a big deal.)"

"Ruru? (Really? I've never seen it.)"

"Vee~ (It mostly happens with a trainer's own Pokémon. So it's normal if you haven't.)"

Off to the side, Balu, who had been quietly spacing out, twitched at their conversation. Listening to Moonlight casually dig herself into a pit with that comment, he had a feeling things were only going to get more interesting from here.

As for the Rookidee, after getting slapped away by Marie again, he finally calmed down and returned to his curry. Still, his gaze kept drifting at Marie, at her luggage clearly scheming about how to sneak into the party.

Once lunch was over, Yuri helped clean up this time, not wanting to leave everything to Marie. She stayed close, helping pack up the bags and wash the dishes.

"So, what are you going to do about that Rookidee, Marie-chan? He looks like he's latched onto you."

Yuri glanced at the bird zipping through the air. He was flying so fast that she could only catch a clear glimpse of him at the moment he turned midair.

"Hmm... He really is fast. And that gust of wind... if I'm not mistaken, he's using Tailwind."

Feeling the shift in air currents, Marie raised an eyebrow. She'd assumed he was just bragging, but apparently he had some real skills. He had triggered Tailwind the instant he took off, and even after accelerating, he maintained full control, darting through the sky effortlessly.

That kind of speed alone made him worth considering.

If only his personality weren't so... warped, Marie would've thrown a Poké Ball already.

"Chuu chuu!! (Look, look, miss! I'm super fast, right? Pretty amazing, huh?!)"

He pulled off an exaggerated air-brake and hovered right in front of her, panting slightly from the effort. The intent was obvious and made Marie want to laugh.

"Speed alone's not enough. Show me your strongest move. If you want to impress me, you'll need actual firepower."

"Chuu chuu... (That... well, I do have one...)"

The Rookidee hesitated, but after a few seconds of internal struggle, he seemed to make up his mind.

"Chuu ! (Alright! I'm going all in, miss! Just wait!)"

That serious tone piqued Marie's interest. A normal move shouldn't take that much conviction.

Before she could even ask, the Rookidee descended, energy starting to surge around his tiny form. Marie watched with surprise as he cast Roost, calmly landing and beginning to restore his stamina at a visible rate.

"Chuu chuu... (Okay, just in case I pass out later, can you not leave me behind?)"

"Huh? Pass out? Don't worry. I'll bring you to the Pokémon Center."

"Chuu! (Great! Then here goes nothing!)"

He gave an excited cry and soared high into the sky. A dense mass of Flying-type energy began to condense around him.

After a brief moment to charge up 

"Chuu!!"

The Rookidee dove with immense force, cloaked in energy disproportionate to his size, aiming directly for the trunk of a nearby tree.

Boom!!

Crack!

The impact blew clean through a tree several times thicker than he was and drove him straight into the ground.

"Marie-chan... that was amazing."

"Yeah. It really was."

Marie nodded calmly, though inwardly she was impressed. That buildup, that destructive force Brave Bird. One of the strongest Flying-type moves there was. With a base power of 140, it was just a shade below Hyper Beam.

She followed the long trail carved into the dirt and found the Rookidee passed out at the end of it. Without complaint, she crouched down, gently brushed the dirt off his feathers, and picked him up.

"Vee? (Marie, are you going to catch him?)"

"..."

Marie hesitated for a moment, her expression unreadable. She didn't answer. Instead, she set the Rookidee down and pulled out a potion to begin treating his injuries.