Marcus sighs.  "If your plan for fighting off an ambush is to throw a Pokeball at it, you're gonna have a problem.  I mean, even if you have some way to defend yourself, you need the right reflexes."  He looks cautiously at Eric's collection of Pokeballs.<br/><br/>"Well, if he lives near here, why not?"  He shrugs good-naturedly, glancing around the forest as he re-wraps the spiked chain around his armored forearm.  "I don't have anywhere special to be."  And that's quite the understatement.  It's something of a tradition to begin Pokemon journeys by just heading generally for the next town and seeing what happens.  In retrospect, Marcus thinks, that can't possibly be the most efficient way...even if it usually works out.<br/><br/>"I guess you could call it the Creature Codex," he muses.  "Or maybe the Beast Bible?"