Pokémon from Galar

A dazzling electric net spread out in mid-air, blocking about half of the air blades and unleashing a powerful gust of wind and an explosion. At the same time, Xiao Mo himself had already rushed to the vicinity of the Slashing Commander. Just as he was about to crash straight into the Slashing Commander's knee...

An electric current erupted instantly, spreading rapidly from the knee joint throughout the commander's entire body. The impact of the high speed caused him to lose his balance, and his limbs were paralyzed, unable to react properly.

So Bisharp was knocked away by Mo, and the two Pokémon rolled together on the ground. The damage wasn't serious, but at least Bisharp had disrupted his attack rhythm once again.

Siji, who easily dodged the sparse air blades using her shadow clones, was now ready to attack. The crow leader opposite her seemed to have slightly weaker willpower; its confused mind and paralyzed body made its movements terribly slow.

Even though Nie Zi tried his best to make his instructions clear, the crow leader, who was both mentally and physically exhausted, only managed to raise his wings and prepare to swoop down towards Xiao Mo when Si Jiang aimed at him.

But it was too late!

boom--!!!

A dazzling stream of energy shot into the sky from the silk sauce, slanting across the heavens and completely engulfing the crow leader in mid-air!

"Gah—!!!"

With a mournful cry, the dazzling light faded, and the crow leader lost consciousness, falling to the ground with a thud, lifeless.

Nie Zi sighed and took out a Poké Ball to recall the Crow Head. Then he turned to look at the other side, where Bisharp, who had rolled away with him, had stood up and raised its blade to slash at Xiao Mo.

However, Xiao Mo's movements were more skillful. While spinning at high speed, he avoided the direct attack of the sharp blade. Although he was unable to withstand the slash of the Commander of Slash, he managed to avoid the sharpest blade and was merely knocked away, rolling on the ground.

"Continuous strikes and pursuit!"

Nie Zi and Commander Pi Zhan did not choose to give up despite the loss of personnel. In fact, given Commander Pi Zhan's personality, the idea of ​​giving up was nonexistent unless he was defeated or won.

"Electric Net! Magic Flash!"

Mary, however, was determined to end the fight in one fell swoop. Mo couldn't keep using the high-speed spin indefinitely; it was fine once or twice, but no one could withstand it too often. Mo dodged two slashes and was now almost at his limit. The difference in strength might be made up for with skill and special moves, but that wasn't possible right now.

Upon hearing Mary's command, Xiao Mo was somewhat forced to turn sideways and was sent flying again. In mid-air, she gritted her teeth and twisted her body, rapidly gathering electrical energy in her hands. At the same time, Si Jiang had also mobilized her energy, calculating the timing of Xiao Mo's skill release, intending to launch a coordinated attack.

But at that moment, Nie Zi suddenly said calmly:

"Release, Commander of Slash!"

"ha--!"

Almost the instant she heard her brother's command, Mary sensed something was wrong. However, the commander's speed was far faster than her words. While Sis barely realized something was amiss, and Mo was completely oblivious...

Boom—! A powerful sense of oppression suddenly erupted from Commander Slash!

Crackling sound—Little Mo, less than two meters away from the Commander, was the first to be hit, caught completely off guard and enveloped in this oppressive aura. The electric grid in his hand, which had not yet fully stabilized, suddenly exploded, turning into a simple burst of electrical energy.

Although it still affected the Slashing Commander, it lost the binding and slowing effects of the electric grid.

Sisi's situation was almost the same; her half-formed magical shimmer was nearly interrupted by the sudden attack, erupting around her. Fortunately, it stabilized.

However, the release speed was inevitably slowed down.

So, having missed his chance, Xiao Mo could only manage to twist his body before being struck squarely by the Commander's series of slashes.

P.S.: Speaking of the high-five surprise attack move, I haven't figured out what kind of restrictions to change it to, so I just didn't use it at all lol.

Chapter 191 Victory in Battle and the Elder Brother's Authority

As expected, Xiao Mo fell down. He was interrupted halfway through his move and was hit by the Bug-type combo before he could even dodge properly.

The fact that Xiao Mo was able to hold on until now, despite the suppression of his strength and the advantage of his attributes, is enough to demonstrate his power.

The oppressive aura of the Commander-in-Chief had not been shown until now. Mary thought it was because her brother was deliberately holding back, but it turned out to be his trump card for a surprise counterattack!

Of course, Mary didn't blame her brother. After all, it wasn't agreed that they would hold back. She was just a little upset that the team lost a member because of this unexpected incident, which was supposed to be a sure thing for the final blow.

Mary's jumbled thoughts didn't reach Sis's mind for the time being. The magic flash, which had almost failed due to interference, was about to complete when Little Mor was hit and sent flying. The oppressive feeling of the cleaving commander didn't cause Sis any more trouble.

The Slashing Commander, momentarily stunned by the attack on Xiao Mo, was successfully locked onto by Si Jiang. Then, a dazzling torrent of energy erupted, precisely avoiding the flying Xiao Mo, and just like the Crow Leader before, engulfing the Slashing Commander's body!

As the light faded, Sis-chan warily withdrew her hands, looking at the Commander of Slash, who stood motionless on the field, his body emitting smoke. She was somewhat unsure of his condition.

After a stalemate of about a second, accompanied by a soft sigh from Nie Zi, Commander Pi Zhan's body swayed and then he fell straight to the ground.

"...I lost."

As Nie Zi said this, he took out some potent wound medicine that he had prepared in advance from his pocket, went to the side of the fallen Commander Pi Zhan, and released Crow Leader as well.

Mary ran over and hugged Mo in her arms. She then took out her powerful healing potion. Although Sis could also heal with healing waves and life drops, she had already fought and didn't want to bother her anymore.

As she sprayed the medicine on Xiao Mo, Mary looked up at Si Jiang, who was standing in front of her and whose aura was gradually dissipating, and smiled, saying:

"Thank you for your hard work, you did a great job."

"Shh... (Mmm~)"

There are no immediate plans to start the review process. After all, there's no rush, and it's fine to rest first before starting.

“Cha… (Mary…)”

The powerful healing medicine was incredibly effective. Little Mo woke up very quickly. As soon as she opened her eyes, she raised her little hand to meet Mary's gaze, as if she was being affectionate or regretting her rudeness on the battlefield.

After carefully putting away the remaining half-full bottle of medicine, Mary smiled and reached out her right hand to gently squeeze Little Mo's little hand, comforting him:

"You did a great job, and your judgment in the battle was very accurate, so get some rest and don't think too much. Xiao Mo is very good."

"Hehe... I'm hungry~"

Holding Mary's right hand, Mo chuckled and rubbed his cheek against hers, his eyes narrowing. The encouragement from his trainer made him very happy. He wanted to win without a doubt, but what he wanted even more was affirmation from his trainer.

After Nie Zi and Marie restored their Pokémon's status, they found a place to sit down and chatted casually.

Xiao Mo snuggled in Mary's arms, accepting her food. Although it was no different from what he usually ate, he seemed exceptionally happy.

"...So, the crisis in Alola isn't actually over yet, and the berserk Radiant God could go berserk at any moment?"

Nie Zi was, after all, just a gym leader in Galar. Although he could find out some things about Marie, he could only hear about more complicated matters from Marie.

Under Nie Zi's persistent questioning, Mary honestly explained most of the situation.

Seeing Nie Zi's eyebrows furrowed together, Mary immediately knew what her brother was thinking.

"It's alright. The King of the Island and the Champion will be participating in the operation together, and it's not certain whether I'll be called away."

Turning to look at Mary, who was explaining with an embarrassed smile, he thought to himself, "If you can't lie, you shouldn't say anything at all..." He sighed inwardly. His younger sister had always been very opinionated since she was little. Although she was usually very obedient, she could occasionally become quite stubborn.

Nie Ziguang could easily guess why the other party would invite Mary to participate in that operation. In terms of strength, they were far superior to Mary, and the only thing worth paying attention to about Mary was her talent.

The prerequisite for atonement is that the person involved must be conscious. And if there is no certainty of waking the deity by force, then awakening it through words is obviously a worthwhile endeavor.

Mary was involved in such an extremely dangerous operation.

"I'll go with you then."

"Huh?"

Seeing Mary's somewhat bewildered expression, Nie Zi felt a little relieved.

"I said, either I'll go with you on that dangerous mission, or I'll defeat you and lock you up so you can't go. You choose."

"..."

Mary shrank back, because she realized that her brother seemed to be serious... If she refused to let Nie Zi come along, he would really beat her up and lock her up to prevent her from participating.

Nie Zi didn't mind not hearing Marie's reply immediately. He just sat there, watching Marie's changing expressions with a half-smile. It was clear that Marie wasn't so irrational as to think that her ragtag team could defeat Nie Zi's nearly twenty Pokémon.

"I understand, I understand, let's go together then."

Nodding in satisfaction, Nie Zi didn't pursue the matter any further. Trainers always encounter various opportunities and dangers, and Nie Zi couldn't stop Marie from doing this. He couldn't possibly be so cruel to his own sister.

After much thought, the best solution seemed to be to accompany Marie on her adventure. And to be honest, he was quite interested in the legendary Pokémon himself.

……

Just as the brother and sister were having a harmonious and friendly conversation, Yuri finished her own business and rushed over. What surprised Mary was that Yuri had changed into a whole new outfit.

Could what she meant by "going shopping for clothes" be? After thinking about it, I decided not to ask. After all, my brother is still alive, and it's best not to discuss this kind of topic.

In reality, Yuri was simply nervous. After all, she had inappropriate thoughts about Nie Zi's younger sister, and Nie Zi's strength was enough to easily defeat her. Just thinking about it made her unable to calm down.

After much deliberation, they decided to get a nice outfit, at least to leave a decent impression, even though they had met before the challenge even began.

But back then, Yuri didn't have any improper thoughts, right?

P.S.: After thinking it over, I've given up on thinking about the high-five surprise attack move. I won't bother with any reasons or explanations. I'll just use it once per appearance when I write this. Anyway, there are so many moves... only Xiao Mo knows this one.

Chapter 192 Before the Dojo Challenge

Nie Zi stayed with Marie in Machine City for a few more days, and Balu returned safely just before the challenge began. Of course, he brought two new meal tickets with him.

The two little guys, Xiao Zuo and Xiao You, went on an adventure together. Bal was a little worried, so while searching for a new Doromisia, he gave Xiao Zuo some special training before they parted ways and returned to Motostoke City.

"You've worked hard, welcome back."

Mary raised her hand and patted Baloo's tail, tilted her head up and smiled to greet them. The two little guys on Baloo's head were still a little shy, and following Baloo's lowered head, they just clung to him and cautiously looked at Mary and the others.

"Hoo~ (Sorry to keep you waiting~)"

Marie smiled at the two little guys on Baloo's head. She suddenly realized that if she used her own Pokémon's growth rate as a standard, even without arranging a high-intensity training plan, Baloo would probably have to replace a batch of little guys every year.

To be honest, it's a little scary.

It took Xiao Zuo at least six years to evolve recently while following Balu, but now that Balu is with Marie, that time will likely be compressed to around a year.

It feels like farming...

With a subtle feeling, Mari blinked and looked away, wondering if Balu had thought of this. If they really opened a breeding shop or something in the future, they might be able to use Doron Baluto as a brand name.

……

After Balu's return, Nie Zi naturally said goodbye to Marie. As for the gym challenge, he could just watch the live stream. He was still very confident in Marie's strength, and who knows, Marie might give him an even bigger surprise when she appeared in front of him in six months.

Before leaving, Nie Zi gave Mary some good news: he would help her find out about Mega Stones, as Galar's unique system made obtaining such items quite difficult.

Although Mary had never discussed this matter with Nie Zi, since she didn't want to rely too much on her brother, she didn't feel awkward about it when Nie Zi brought it up. There's no need for siblings to care about such things.

Besides, Nie Zi himself already owns a Gyarados, so Marie guesses he's already thinking about Mega Evolution. Otherwise, why would he keep a Magikarp? If it's not going to Mega Evolve, he might as well form a Sandstorm team, at least Tyranitar could be a core member.

After seeing Nie Zi off, Mary didn't think much of it. Mega Evolution was too far away; the gym challenge was right in front of her.

Mary focused on training Hime-chan in the use of moves. Hime-chan can now use quite a few water-attribute moves, such as Water Gun, Water Jet, Water Ring, and Enchanting Voice.

Hime-chan's moist voice is a natural talent for vocal techniques. She studied with Mizuki's Seishi Sharon for a while and has already developed a pretty good singing voice.

It's a pity, Mary. If there had been more time, it would have been great if Hime-chan could have learned to sing. The battles would have been much easier.

At Lake Milotic, Marnie's attention darted back and forth between the Pokémon, but she didn't really need to worry about them much; her main task was to keep an eye on them to prevent any lazy ones from appearing.

Therefore, more attention was actually focused on Hime-chan and Chi-men-hime, who were studying hard in the shallow water area.