After burying the cloaked man and his Arbok, Leon continued his journey toward Moonview Lake.
As he ventured deeper into the forest, more Pokémon began appearing around him.
A few Rattata chased and played in the grass, accidentally bumping into a resting Skiploom.
Among the flowers, Butterfree and Combee busily gathered nectar.
A swinging Aipom shook too vigorously, causing a Pineco to fall from the tree.
The Pineco exploded upon hitting the ground, the loud noise startling a flock of Pidgey into flight.
Watching these diverse Pokémon, Leon's previously gloomy mood improved significantly.
His steps became much lighter.
After pushing through a thicket, Leon finally caught sight of Moonview Lake.
"Holy crap, this is beautiful!"
The clear lake surface rippled under the gentle breeze, the pale blue water sparkling under the sunlight like a dazzling sapphire.
The lake mirrored the sky and clouds like a mirror, creating the illusion of another sky within its depths, giving a surreal upside-down sensation.
At night, the bright moonlight would project clearly onto the water's surface, allowing viewers to see the moon reflected in the lake.
This was how Moonview Lake got its name.
Leon released Bounsweet and Aron so they could enjoy the view too.
As for Ursaring, he would wait before letting it out. Its intimidating aura would likely scare all the Pokémon away.
"Bounsweet!"
"Aron!"
The two little ones were equally amazed by the scenery and eagerly ran toward the lake.
"Wait for me! Scyther, let's catch up."
Leon followed helplessly, still unsure how to recruit Water-type Pokémon.
Upon reaching the lakeshore, Leon spotted many Water-type Pokémon.
Among them were his two targets: Poliwag and Marill.
Leon had carefully considered before choosing these two species.
While there were many Water-type Pokémon, few were suitable for irrigating farmland.
First, he had to exclude Pokémon like Magikarp and Goldeen that could only survive in water.
The reason was obvious: they couldn't leave the water, let alone irrigate fields.
So he needed amphibious Water-types.
Among these, the most ideal choices were starter Pokémon like Squirtle and Mudkip.
But they were rare and hard to find.
Even if he encountered one or two, they wouldn't be enough to irrigate the vast farmland in his territory.
Leon also considered Slowpoke, which could move on land and whose tails were considered rare delicacies.
Having them would mean both irrigation and delicious meals, killing two birds with one stone.
But he quickly dismissed the idea for one simple reason: Slowpoke were too slow.
True to their name, Slowpoke spent all day in a daze.
Leon couldn't communicate with them effectively, making it impossible to bring them back to his territory.
Even if he somehow managed to lead them back, they likely wouldn't follow human commands to water the fields, probably just standing around blankly.
Psyduck was the same.
Duckletts were cute, but their constant headaches left them in a perpetual daze, unable to accomplish anything, let alone irrigate fields on schedule.
After eliminating these options, his choices were limited.
He needed Pokémon that could walk on land, obey human commands, and naturally know Water Gun.
Most importantly, they had to be abundant enough to find around Moonview Lake.
The only two that fit all criteria were Poliwag and Marill.
Marill was self-explanatory—it met every requirement perfectly.
Poliwag had some difficulty walking on land, but it yearned for the surface and was willing to move about.
Thus, they were the most suitable Water-types for farmland irrigation.
The current problem was how to recruit them.
Previously, Leon had lured Pokémon like Diglett and Aron with food.
But Moonview Lake was rich in resources, and its Pokémon rarely worried about food.
While Leon's Pokémon food was delicious, they wouldn't abandon their long-time homes just for a temporary treat.
So the food-bait method wouldn't work here.
But Leon had another plan.
He took out a small burner from his backpack and placed a few incense sticks inside.
After lighting them, he set the burner on a rock near the Marill.
As the fragrance spread, the Marill quickly caught the scent.
Drawn by the aroma, they approached curiously, staring at the burner on the rock.
The smell was not only pleasant but also stirred a peculiar desire in their bodies, making them feel incredibly comfortable.
Seeing the Marill's entranced expressions, Leon knew the time was right and stepped out from behind the rock.
The Marill were startled and turned to flee, but hesitated, reluctant to leave the scent.
Noticing their indecision, Leon quickly reassured them.
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I just want to discuss something with you."
Seeing Leon raise his hands with a friendly smile, the Marill exchanged glances and decided this human seemed harmless enough to hear him out.
"You've probably noticed this scent. It comes from Sea Incense, which can increase your chances of breeding. Simply put, it makes it easier for you to lay eggs."
"Marill?"
"Of course it's true. You can feel it yourselves, right?"
The Marill nodded—they had indeed sensed it earlier.
Then Leon began his pitch, promising unlimited incense if they agreed to come with him.
They would also have plenty of food daily, no longer needing to scavenge for seaweed at the lake bottom.
All they had to do was water the farmland occasionally, with no other obligations.
If Leon failed to deliver on these promises, the Marill could leave anytime without resistance.
Such generous terms naturally swayed the Marill, especially the incense, which tempted them greatly.
In this Pokémon world, Marill eggs only hatched into Azurill, unlike the games where they could hatch directly into Marill.
Of course, breeding requirements weren't as strict as in the games—they didn't need Sea Incense to breed.
But the odds were lower, meaning fewer offspring.
If not for Marill's large population and some areas having Sea Incense-like treasures, their numbers might be rarer than starter Pokémon.
Moonview Lake had no such treasures, so the Marill here had low reproduction rates, making Sea Incense incredibly appealing.
As for how Leon obtained Sea Incense, that traced back to his father, but the story was too long to delve into here.
In short, Leon's father had been a lord for decades and left behind some assets.
The Sea Incense recipe was one of them, a major reason Leon targeted Marill.
"So, what do you think? With this incense, you can have many more babies in the future~"
Leon felt his wording was odd, but it worked.
After some discussion, the Marill agreed to Leon's offer.
"Great, Marill recruitment successful! Next target: Poliwag!"
Note: The Marill-only-hatching-Azurill detail is an original setting for this story, given the parallel universe premise. (Honestly, the idea of eggs hatching straight into evolved forms always felt weird to me—like a newborn baby already being 18 years old.)