Pokémon from Galar

"Uh-huh!"

"...?"

Yuri, who was also saying goodbye to everyone and exchanging some small gifts, finally couldn't help but turn her head and cast a questioning look at Mari when she heard Lillie's part.

"Uh...cough cough..."

Slightly embarrassed, Mary shrugged, then looked at Dr. Kukui beside her, handed him the house key, and said with a smile:

Thank you for taking care of me during this time.

"Welcome back to Alola. Here's something for you."

Dr. Kukui took out two badge-like objects and placed them in Mari and Yuri's palms.

"This is?"

"The Ultimate Defense Force's badge. Although we're leaving soon, everyone agrees that we should give the badge to you."

Listening intently to Dr. Kukui's explanation, and looking at the blue badge in her palm, Marilyn couldn't help but smile, clenching her hands tightly around the badge.

"I understand, thank you everyone, I will cherish it."

P.S.: Alright! The Alola part is finally over~ Time to head back to Galar for more gym challenges!

Chapter 185 Return, Machine City

Galer region, Mech City.

After a half-day flight, Mary and Yuri finally landed and looked at the bright sunshine outside, feeling a slight sense of disorientation.

"Ha...we're back again~Where to next?"

Yuri, holding the white Vulpix, turned to look at Mari beside her. She had one more badge than Mari, but during her time in Alola, she had still managed to pull ahead of other strong challengers.

For example, Hop, although we haven't contacted him yet, judging from his rate of progress, he should already be on his way to challenging the fifth gym.

"Hmm, let's go to the Bud Inn and get a room first. Yuri, you can go and rest first. I'll book the gym challenge myself later."

"Let's go together, hmph~"

Yuri held the little six-tailed fox in her arms and let out a soft snort, seemingly a little angry. Mari twitched the corners of her mouth with a helpless expression; of course, she knew why.

Yuri was jealous of the conversation she had with Lillie when they said goodbye.

"Yuri~"

After thinking for a moment, Mary suddenly raised her hand and took Yuri's hand, then stepped forward, closing the distance between them to face each other.

"What, what are you doing—"

Being suddenly attacked outside the airport in front of so many pedestrians, even Yuri blushed instantly, her eyes darting around, unable to meet Mari's serious gaze.

Instead, the little six-tailed cat, sandwiched between the two, happily placed its little paws on Mary's chest and pressed them.

"Yuri, if you can get jealous of Lillie, does that mean you really like me?"

"Wh-no, don't say that in a place like this! You idiot, you idiot, you idiot—!"

Then, in a fit of embarrassment and anger, Yuri broke free from Mari's grasp, casually stuffed the little six-tailed creature into Mari's arms, and squeezed it together with the ball-shaped sea lion. She then raised her hands and her two little fists rained down like raindrops.

Holding the bewildered little six-tailed fox in one arm, she raised the other to deflect the tiny, light punches. However, she had to hold back her laughter, otherwise Yuri would really get angry.

"kon~ (What are they doing?)"

"Aww~ (I don't know~)"

The two of them played around on the roadside, ignoring the curious stares of passersby. Only after Yuri finally stopped, satisfied, did Mary ask with a smile:

"All right?"

"Not ready yet! Humph!"

Perhaps realizing what shameful thing she had just done, Yuri's cheeks were still flushed and showed no signs of improvement. Seeing Mary's docile smile, she inexplicably felt a lack of anger.

He reached out and scooped up Little Sixtails, then turned and tossed it to Mary, before heading towards the bus stop. It was quite a distance from the Shy Bud Inn, so taking the bus would be faster.

"Wait for me, Yuri."

Mari didn't find Yuri's little quirks annoying; rather, she found them so rare that she simply found them adorable.

On the bus, Mary took the opportunity to contact Nie Zi. Nie Zi had been helping her purchase the new Rotom phone and the new Giant Wristband, so she would need to find time to meet with him later.

Moreover, according to Nie Zi, because of Balu, Nie Zi has been staying in Machine City recently, so it is easy for them to meet.

After putting away her phone, Mary leaned against Yuri's shoulder and let out a long sigh.

"Ugh... I'm going to get scolded by my brother again."

"Um, it shouldn't be that bad, right? Everything seemed fine on the phone just now."

Yuri raised an eyebrow. The tone of her voice during the call didn't seem angry at all, and hadn't she already reprimanded her before?

Mary sighed softly again. Didn't she know her own brother? He wasn't just not angry; he was practically holding his breath, waiting for her to stand in front of him.

"Never mind, we agreed to meet again tomorrow anyway, so I'll not think about these things today."

"Um, is this okay? You're just pretending you don't know anything."

"It's nothing, he just got a scolding. At least my brother didn't tell our parents, so we should thank him for that."

"..."

Yuri thought about it and decided not to continue ignoring Mary's ostrich-like behavior. Besides, being scolded was good; it would prevent her from deliberately participating in dangerous activities next time.

"By the way, how's Balu's situation? It's been several days already."

"It doesn't seem like it's happening yet. Anyway, there's no rush. I'll be staying in Machine City for a while longer."

"So, Pazu won't be allowed to participate in this gym challenge?"

"Of course not. It's a rare opportunity to play, so it's better to let the new members take the field."

The only trainers in the team who need some competitive experience right now are Hime-chan, Morpheus, and Kyon. The only thing that worries Marie is Kyon's existence. Even if you search all over Alola, you might not be able to find another trainer who can produce a Pokémon like Nihilego.

Even including wild ones, the number probably doesn't exceed the number on one hand. Without exception, Marie's heterochromatic Nihilego is absolutely unique and can be used as a trump card.

Whether or not to let Kyon appear so early is indeed something that Marie is struggling with.

While Mega Evolution and Z-Moves are prohibited in Galar's official competitions, Pokémon are not prohibited from appearing. Marnie also has to consider whether, after registering Kyon, the Gym Leader might use his strongest main Pokémon to test the waters due to the unknown.

The gym battles in Motostoke City are still 3 vs 3. Kyon's strength is barely passable. He can still fight against special attackers that are weak to him, but if he encounters a physical attacker's main Pokémon, he will definitely be overwhelmed.

Seeing Mary suddenly lost in thought after she finished speaking, Yuri lowered her head and looked curiously at Mary's face, asking:

"what happened?"

"Ah, nothing, I was just thinking about a challenge."

When she met Yuri's gaze, Mari suddenly paused for a moment, only then remembering that her purpose in participating in the dojo battle this year was not for the championship, but for the possible Eternatus incident.

Having the aura of a dominant force is enough when it comes to trump cards. There's no need to hide anything in terms of team composition. No gym battle would be so boring as to target a newcomer who has been around for less than two years.

Rather than so-called "hiding one's strengths," it is more important to provide one's team with appropriate opportunities to hone their skills in matches.

"I plan to send Hime-chan, Momo, and Kyon to the field. They are all quite strong, and it's time for them to experience the battlefield under the spotlight."

"Hime-chan too? She's only been born a short time..."

"But its strength is not weak. After studying with Mizuki's Primarina for a while, it is quite powerful. The only pity is that it would be great if it could go back to Waterloo Town and ask Lulina for advice again. The layout and environment of the Fire-attribute gym are not very suitable."

"Let's go in the second half of the year. Sonia is so familiar with her. Once the first three gyms are less busy in the second half of the year, there should still be a chance."

"That's true, that's all we can do. Sigh~ I'll have to ask Sonia for advice about her Milotic next time."

Chapter 186 A Girl's Thoughts Are Always Hard to Decipher

After spending another hour or two applying for accommodation and registering for the challenge, the two of them were so exhausted that they didn't even have the energy to finish their meal. They ordered takeout and returned to the familiar Shybud Inn.

As soon as she entered the room, Yuri kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the soft bed.

"Ah... I'm so tired, I want to sleep..."

Mary walked to the sofa, put down her backpack and Poké Ball, then sat down, patted Yuri's waist casually, and said with a smile:

"I'll take a bath before I go to sleep, and I haven't even had dinner yet."

"Hi hi..."

Yuri nodded, then turned to face Mary beside her, placing her hand on her soft thigh, but made no move to get up.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how Hep is doing. Yuri, have you contacted him yet?"

"Happy... I wonder how she is now. I'm a little worried..."

However, Yuri's expression didn't look too good after his name was mentioned, and her tone suggested that something had happened.

What happened to him?

"Hmm, do you remember his woofer?"

"I remember, I was almost always the first player in every match."

"Last time... before I went to Alola, when I battled him in Strangetown, Hop replaced Wooloo from his team..."

Hearing this, Mary frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and asked:

"Could it be that they're training new partners like I am?"

"...If that's really the case, that would be great. But Hep isn't in good shape. Maybe losing to Peter was too much of a blow to him?"

As a childhood neighbor and playmate, Yuri was still very concerned about Hop's condition. However, she had been distracted by Mari's matter before, and now that it had suddenly been brought up again, her worries resurfaced.

“Peter… ah, that’s the trainer whose challenge qualification was revoked. He’s quite strong, so it’s normal for you to lose to him now.”

“Of course I know, and I think Hop knows it too… but Hop is the champion’s brother, so—”

Hearing this, Mary understood. It was the external pressure, including his own pride, that put too much pressure on him. Because he was the champion's younger brother, he was expected to do even better. This sense of indifference and burden was probably the reason for his confusion.

"I'm feeling lost..."

"Yes, I'm a little worried, as are Hop and Woolwire."

Yuri rested her forehead against Mary's body, tapping Mary's hand absently with her fingers.

"But Peter... how is he now? His qualification to challenge the gym has been revoked, so Hop probably doesn't know where to go to get revenge."

"Haha...who knows?"