Pokémon from Galar

A violent explosion, mixed with a powerful hurricane, swept through the entire cave. Even Mary, who was being held in Sis's arms, felt the earth shake violently. Stone chips fell down, making Mary worry that the cave might suddenly collapse.

"Cough...Ptooey!"

He squinted and waved his hand in front of him, blowing pebbles into his face, almost putting them in his mouth.

Baloo, standing next to Marie, intently watched the Dragon-type Z-Move, his heart pounding with excitement, and even his still-present domineering aura seemed to intensify.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to try it out when we get back."

patting Baloo's tail, Marie smiled and told Baloo that he would soon be able to use that powerful special move.

"Hoo—(I can't wait!)"

Balu smiled, withdrawing his domineering aura. Ichigo and Suzu also dissipated their auras and looked towards Mizuki. The completely unconscious Pheromosa was easily caught by the Ultra Ball. Only then did Mizuki turn around to look at Mari and Lyra and the handsome guy who had arrived at their side.

"Got it! Are there any more?"

"No more, only two have been confirmed."

Lila shook her head, announcing the successful conclusion of the mission.

Seeing that the battle was over, Mari had Sue put her down, then picked up the Ultra Ball that had fallen to the side, thought for a moment, and asked:

"What will they do after this? Send it to the Ether Foundation?"

"Well, after a simple data recording and login process, the Aether Foundation will open the Ultimate Hole to send them back."

Lila still had that serious, unsmiling expression, but her tone had softened considerably. Clearly, today's battle had improved Lila's impression of Mary slightly.

Mary nodded and handed over the Ultra Ball, but Lila refused to take it.

"You all have to come along too. We'll leave everything with you until it's sent back."

"what?"

"However, it's just that you're going to the Aether Foundation together now. You'll be back this afternoon. After all, sending them back requires opening the Ultimate Void, so we need some highly trained people to guard them and prevent UBs from suddenly attacking and hurting people."

Mary thought about it and it seemed to make sense, so she didn't say much and casually hung the Ultra Ball on the buckle on her waist. Mizuki also picked up the Ultra Ball and said with a smile:

"I can freeload lunch again! The lunches in the research lab over there are really good!"

"Really? Now that you mention it, I'm starting to look forward to it."

……

The Ether Foundation's small aircraft arrived quickly. Mary and the others waited outside the lush cave for only a few minutes before the aircraft landed and took the four of them to the Ether Paradise in the sea.

Since the two Pheromosa were badly beaten by Marie and Mizuki, the Aether Foundation had to treat them and help them recover before opening the Ultra Vault.

In the laboratory, Marie and Mizuki sat together at the desk next to each other, eating the lunch that Miss Beeko had brought when she came over earlier. In the empty inner room, the two Ultra Balls containing Pheromosa were being injected with a powerful healing medicine.

The entire process is mechanized, and no staff will approach. Even though the Ultra Ball is a specially designed Poké Ball with enhanced binding properties, there's still no guarantee that it won't break free.

Mary and Miyuki stood guard at the exit to prevent any unexpected situations from occurring.

"Thank you all for your hard work this time, especially Miss Mary, who came to help even though her injuries hadn't fully healed."

Miss Beeco politely thanked her from the side. As a researcher, she had always held a great liking for Mary, especially since Mary proved the existence of another Alola, which made Miss Beeco extremely excited.

"No... to be honest, I've always been the one being taken care of by Mizuki. I just wanted to help out a little."

Halfway through her meal, Mizuki suddenly interrupted the conversation:

"By the way, when will Lillie arrive? I sent her an email today but she hasn't replied."

"Miss Lillie should be sleeping right now. The plane will arrive late tonight."

"Oh, I got it! Marie-chan! The exploration plan to the other Alola can finally officially begin!"

"...When was this plan decided? Besides, aren't you supposed to be here overseeing the Ultra Beasts?"

"Of course we're not going right away, it's just a plan. We'll have to ask Lillie for her approval first, since Nebula listens to her more."

Mari didn't take Mizuki's words too seriously. What plan? It was just her and Lillie going on a trip to another world, with her acting as their guide.

After leisurely finishing her lunch, Mizuki retrieved the two Ultra Balls. The Pheromosa inside should have regained consciousness and recovered from its injuries, but the Ultra Balls remained almost completely still. Clearly, the two inside were behaving unusually well and weren't trying to cause any trouble.

They might be plotting something, but it didn't matter to Mizuki, since she was going to be sent away soon anyway.

The group moved to another research lab, arriving at a more spacious area. Marie and Mizuki entered the secluded space, released their Pokémon, and after taking protective measures, the machine in the center of the chamber started up and constructed a stable Ultra Cave.

Bal and Ichigo instinctively assumed alert postures, while Mari and Mizuki exchanged a glance, pressed the switch for the Ultimate Ball together, and then threw it out with force.

Thump—thump—

Two Pheromosa appeared before them, reverting to their haughty demeanor from when they first met. One of the Pheromosa turned to look at Marie, then casually placed one hand on its hip, staring at the six Pokémon with a look of utter distrust as it stood two meters away from Marie.

He lowered his head and met Mary's gaze.

P.S.: Should I get an Ultimate Beast? I prefer Nihilego a bit, but the description doesn't make it seem like it can be caught.

Chapter 158 About to Set Off Home

"Tch—(Next time I'll make you mine.)"

"You'll be caught by me again next time."

Mary didn't care about Pheromone's yandere-like remarks. "Will you be able to find me again when you go back? Besides, if I can catch you once, I can catch you again."

Pheromone didn't say anything extra, after all, she was the one who was defeated today. She just stared at Marie for a while before disappearing into the Ultra Hole with her companions.

"What did you say to that Ultra Beast just now?"

Mizuki watched the Ultimate Hole gradually disappear and curiously turned to talk to Marie, but Marie just shrugged and raised her hand to bring everyone back.

"No, it's just a declaration of not giving up."

"Haha~ Marie, you really do manage to talk to every Ultra Beast you encounter."

"...In the end, I've only encountered three monsters, and I couldn't communicate with Nihilego at all during that encounter."

"Haha—is that so?"

Although Mari's meaning seemed to suggest that Nicholas was more dangerous than the other two, for Mizuki, every single monster she had seen so far was dangerous, and there was no order of importance between them.

"Well, I never want to have anything to do with Nihilego Pokémon in my life, even though it looks pretty much to my liking."

"Although I would like to say the same thing, I'm afraid I can't escape it anytime soon."

The two left the secret room together and did not stay in Ether Paradise any longer. After all, there was nothing else for them to do, so they did not waste any more time and returned to Meiyue's house.

"Ugh—I don't want to go out today, Mary-chan. Let's order takeout later."

As soon as she entered the house, Meiyue threw herself onto the sofa without any regard for her champion image, hugged a cushion, and lay down on it.

Mary sat quietly to the side and said with a smile:

"Sure, you can decide that."

"Okay, then it's settled."

Mizuki lazily raised her hand and waved, then moved her body and placed her two slender and cute legs on Mary's knees. Mary didn't mind; after thinking for a moment, she reached out and pinched Mizuki's smooth calf.

I've been wanting to try massage for a long time.

"I plan to go out this afternoon, but I'll be back before dinner."

"Hmm... so Mary, you really do know how to give massages."

"Of course, didn't I say I specifically studied it?"

"Hehehe~"

Hearing Mizuki's unguarded laughter, Mari smiled slightly as well. She always felt that Mizuki and Yuri were similar in some ways, and perhaps the two of them would get along well after meeting.

"Also, I feel much better, and I should be able to go back tomorrow."

"..."

Mizuki paused for a moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I know, remember to come back early, you promised me."

"Hey hey... I won't go back on my word."

After massaging Meiyue for a while, Mary grabbed her ankle and moved it away, stood up herself, said goodbye to Meiyue who was still lounging on the sofa, and left the house.

It wasn't a big deal, but the feeling of being carried by Xiao Qiu in flight this morning was quite novel. Although Balu can also fly, he always carries me, so the feeling is quite different from Xiao Qiu's.

So to sum it up, Mary is probably a bit playful.

After walking a few steps, Mary took off the Poké Ball and released Chirp.

"Gah—(Hey, hey~ Want to go on a date with me~)"

As soon as Little Chick ran out, it realized it was all alone outside, so it immediately landed next to Mary, lowered its head, and spoke in a strange tone while rubbing its head against Mary's chest.

"..."

Mary, who was about to reach out and pat his head, paused, her face immediately darkening. This guy has evolved twice already, how can he still be so cheeky?

Finally, Mary gave Little Chick a few light pats on the head. After Little Chick chuckled and straightened up again, Mary said:

"Take me flying up and feeling the breeze, I want to clear my head."

"Gah—(Of course you can~ Come on up~)"

"Remember to fly slowly."

"Gah—(Don't worry, it'll definitely give you an amazing ride, Ouch—! Ouch, ouch, ouch! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!)"

"..."

Having already ridden on Little Chick's back, Mary heard the automatically censored comment and grabbed Little Chick's neck feathers with both hands, pulling hard. Although she didn't manage to tear them off, hearing Little Chick's pitiful cries immediately improved Mary's mood.

"...Why can't you cure your mouth?"

"Gah—(This is my talent! What do you mean by healing?!)"

"Come on."

As they spoke, Little Chick spread its wings and carried Mary into the air. Unlike when they were traveling that morning, Little Chick flew slowly and steadily. Mary hugged Little Chick's neck with both hands, lowered her body, and looked at the ground getting smaller and smaller, feeling a little excited.

"Gah—(Marie, where would you like to go for a stroll?)"

“That makes sense. Let me think, let’s go to Ula Ula Island. We’ll go to Marie-La City for a stroll. I’ll give you directions.”

"Gah—! (OK! Let's go!)"