Pokémon from Galar

Yuri's Pokémon have undergone two evolutions in the last two days: the calm and elegant Inteleon and the somewhat roguish but actually very affectionate Toxtricity (in a low-key manner).

After evolving, both humanoid Pokémon are significantly taller than Yuri, thus shedding their "cuteness team" label.

Although the Thousand Faces Away seems to have a rather big personality after evolving, it is surprisingly used to taking care of children. After teaching Hime-chan the Tide Whirl move, it also taught itself the Water Ring.

"Ha... I still'm not used to it. How... how did he get so big..."

Sitting next to Mary, Yuri sighed softly. The girl she used to be able to hold in her arms was now the one holding her in her arms. Such a huge change happened in an instant, which was a little awkward.

"Isn't that great? The little guy who used to tremble with fear has become capable of standing on his own. You should be happy."

"Of course I'm happy, but... but it's really hard to accept the complicated feeling of watching your own son grow up!"

Listening to Yuri's very detailed explanation, Mary couldn't help but want to laugh.

"They've only changed in appearance; they're still the same as before, and they still like to stick by your side."

Just as Mary was explaining with a smile, the Thousand-Faced Escaper who was taking care of the child in the shallow water area intentionally or unintentionally turned his gaze to Yuri, his eyes full of affection and reassurance.

Having just finished training with Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt, the Vibrating Salamander ran up to Yuri without any regard for its image, nuzzling its head against her cheek. Its arrogant face turned into a smile, and it nudged Yuri's cheek without any sense of power, clearly seeking praise.

"Well..."

Yuri raised her hand and patted the trembling salamander's head, then used her fingers to comb through its bristling fur. By now, its electric control was much better, and it would no longer make Yuri twitch like it did at the beginning.

Not far away, Eevee was battling Eevee again. Although it hadn't evolved yet, its attacks were fierce. Combined with its ability to anticipate danger, its strength had always been among the top in Yuri's team.

Further away are the training grounds for stronger Pokémon like Palmon, since Pokémon like Chirp and Palmon can be quite destructive during training.

Silky meditates as usual, while also keeping watch over the battlefield between the two Eevee. Gardevoir can learn many skills, but Marie can't think of any specific skill to help her develop.

Perhaps it's time to learn some attack techniques with other attributes to supplement our offensive options.

"By the way, Mary, do you think I should get a mandible ant to keep as a pet?"

Just as she was quietly planning and strategizing for her Pokémon, Yuri's voice suddenly entered her ears.

"Hmm? Desert Dragonfly... It's not bad, but why are you suddenly bringing this up? Didn't you say you weren't planning to add more members to the team?"

"Hmm... because I suddenly realized that I don't have any Pokémon in my team that can carry me around! Marie, you have Chinchilla."

"This one,"

Mary raised an eyebrow and looked around. There were some flying creatures in Yuri's team, but they weren't big enough to carry Yuri into the sky. Maybe they were itching to fly after watching Xiao Chu take people into the sky lately.

But before Mary could reply, Yuri waved her hand and said with a smile:

"Just kidding. I've already planned to figure something out next year. It's already a bit difficult now, and I can't afford to support them if they come."

"A Pokémon that can carry people..."

Large Pokémon like Chinchilla are all big eaters, and their daily training is also very demanding. Not only do they need to eat a lot, but they also need to be nutritious. Basically, all of Marnie's expenses are for the Pokémon's food and lodging.

P.S.: Episode 7 of Dawn of Wings was fucking awesome! I feel like I could have written my battle scenes a bit bolder.

Chapter 193 Dojo Challenge Begins, Battle Against Kawu

A few days after Pazu's return, the day finally arrived for Marie to challenge the gym.

In the past few days, quite a few challengers have been defeated by Kawu. Kawu is a very strict hurdle. To be honest, if Mary had only trained her troops this time and hadn't used her four main fighters, she might have failed.

The battles are 3v3, and what Marie is most unsure about is Kawu's tactics. Weather tactics are what she least wants to see... Because of limited energy, rookie trainers like Marie and Yuri usually don't specifically build teams for a particular tactic, as they are easily countered.

This also means that securing weather conditions is extremely difficult. Even if you manage to secure the weather, it becomes almost useless if the player changes.

Moreover... the three Pokémon that appeared this time were not proficient in controlling weather changes at all, and these skills were not in the plan for the time being.

Marie wasn't the first to face this challenge today, but the two of them arrived at the Motostoke Arena a little early, intending to watch the gym challenges of the two trainers Marie had previously trained.

Wow—there are so many people today!

As Yuri entered the arena, she subconsciously marveled at the crowds inside, a sight that would likely continue for quite some time, as more and more trainers were breaking through Lulina's level in the past month or two.

Most of them perished here in Kawu.

Kawu is not a local trainer; he comes from Hoenn and is a very competitive and passionate man with great strength. In recent years, he has been particularly enthusiastic about developing Will-O-Wisp, and countless teams centered around physical attackers have fallen to Kawu.

However, to be honest, although the ten gym leaders are of very different ages, they are all very strong. There have been many rankings of their strength circulating online, but most of them are just for fun.

Looking around at the people in the arena, there were several large screens hanging in the hall, broadcasting live the events that were happening on the battlefield. Some people liked to watch closely from the sidelines, while others, who were more sensitive to the heat, preferred to stay inside the hall and watch the broadcast.

Not hearing Mary's response, Yuri didn't mind, and with a smile, she turned around, grabbed Mary's hand, and said:

"What should we do? Should we go to the stands?"

"Let's stay here, it's too hot."

As Mary spoke, she glanced at the screen, which looked like it was about to turn into a sea of ​​fire... The combination of a sunny day and a Dynamax move made the heat wave feel like it was hitting her even through the screen.

The audience seats were alright, thanks to the energy shield that provided some protection. But Mary couldn't help but sigh at the thought of having to face them head-on in the center of the arena.

Unable to find seats, the two bought some drinks from a nearby shop and then stood huddled together in a corner, whispering to each other.

"Speaking of which, when I came to challenge him last time, it seems that the Kawu Gym Leader didn't use weather tactics."

"Because that's too unfair. Weather tactics are not something a newbie can master, unless it's a Pokémon with a weather ability. If Kabu uses it, you basically have no way to fight back."

"Hmm... I really want to get stronger quickly, so that I won't be so obviously let down."

"You should be content; your newbie benefits will only last for a year or two."

"Hey hey hey..."

Yuri chuckled a few times, then lowered her head and took a sip from the straw of her milk tea. Meanwhile, on Mary's side, Xiao Mo snuggled into Mary's arms, sharing her milk tea. He was the glutton among them.

"Speaking of which, I haven't been in touch with Sonia lately. I wonder what she's up to these days?"

Looking at the screen, Mary inexplicably thought of Sonia. She had called to let Sonia know she was safe after returning, but they hadn't been in touch since, and she didn't know where Sonia had gone.

"She's probably busy. Sonia abandoned the clues in Traverse Town and ran off to Alola, which has taken her so long..."

Yuri said this with a hint of embarrassment, which made Mari feel a little embarrassed as well.

"Hmm... I'll have to find some time to formally thank you later."

"Hehehe~ The statues in Suchuan Town are so cool! Mary, you have to go see them!"

Yuri was one of the witnesses, and she sounded quite proud. It was indeed something to brag about, as she had witnessed the ancient historical site being rediscovered. It was harmless for her to be a little proud.

"Yes, of course I'll go."

Although I've already seen many photos of the statue online, since I'm going to Suchuan Town anyway, it's good to check it out on the way.

"Marie, why do you think people buried the statues and painted strange pictures on them back then?"

After glancing at Yuri, who was changing topics very quickly, Mari thought for a moment and guessed:

"Perhaps it's to cover up the legend of those two Pokémon? The legends nowadays have all been abstracted into swords and shields, which is obviously abnormal."

"Could it be that the Pokémon and the King are at odds?"

"...It can't be that bad. If it were really a conflict between humans and Pokémon, there would at least be a record of the war. I think it's more likely that they deliberately hid it so as not to disturb Sword and Shield."

"Oh—then it won't be difficult for Sister Sonia to find the information."

"I guess so."

Mary shrugged. Although she knew some things, Sonia was a researcher, and some conclusions were useless to her. Without supporting documents and data, even the most logically sound conclusions were just conjectures, and she couldn't really help her in that regard.

The two chatted casually, changing topics frequently. When the second challenge ended, Mary finally went to the dressing room to change her clothes.

She entrusted the backpack and Ichigo and the others to Yuri's care.

"Hehe, I'll be watching from the stands~"

"Do as you please, but I might not be able to find you."

"Hey—look for me! It's okay!"

"I'll try my best."

Mary smiled, raised her left hand to pat Yuri's head, and then turned and walked into the challenger's passage.

After a break of about half an hour, Mary's challenge began.

Standing in the long corridor, Marie suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia. In the Alola before, the battles were more casual, and the battles with Ultra Beasts had a bit of a fighting spirit. Suddenly standing on a modern battleground, she felt a little nostalgic.

Mary raised her hand and patted her cheeks, quickening her pace as she walked out of the passage and onto the battlefield. Across from her, a fiery-red man was approaching from afar.

Among the dojo masters, two are relatively old: Kawu and Popra. One never stops working, while the other is already planning to retire. However, Kawu is much younger than Popra, so the comparison is not very meaningful.

Mary glanced at Kawu's graying temples a few times before looking away. She reached out and grasped Kawu's rough hand, her brows furrowed with seriousness, like a volcano about to erupt.

"Looking forward to your performance."

Kawu's face was quite serious, and he spoke very briefly. It was unclear whether Mary, who was meeting him for the first time, was acting this way because of the high frequency of their battles or because of his personality.

"I'm really looking forward to my match against the Kabu Gym Leader."

"But you didn't even bring out your main force."

"Newcomers need opportunities to practice, especially guidance from experienced individuals. Besides, my Pokémon are not weak."

Mary didn't intend to hide her purpose, and there was nothing shameful about it; this was the significance of a dojo challenge for a newcomer. Kawu, after hearing Mary's words, remained noncommittal, releasing her hand and saying:

"Looking forward to your full strength in the next battle."

After saying that, he turned and walked back to his seat.

Slightly relieved, Mary felt a sense of pressure from Kawu's restrained yet heavy presence. At least, she felt quite stressed when talking to him at close range. She didn't know what Kawu meant by those words, but Mary didn't think today's challenge was a losing proposition.

Whether we can win or not, we'll only know after we play.

Turning around and returning to her position, Mary gripped the Poké Ball with her right hand, and then saw Kawu take the Poké Ball and throw it high into the air, where a Torkoal appeared on the field.

Having probably received instructions beforehand, Torkoal activated its ability to its fullest extent as soon as it appeared, causing the sunlight on the field to suddenly become intense.

"..."

He sighed inwardly. Although he could tell that this Corydoras wasn't very strong, probably about the same level as Hime-chan, it was still quite ruthless of him to use his weather ability right away when it came to his own...

Chapter 194 The Battle Begins, Gigantamax!

Marie doesn't have a weather setter, at least not any of the three Pokémon she plans to use today, and it's a sunny day.

Looking up at the Torkoal opposite her, she saw it wasn't very strong, but its physical defense was high, making it unsuitable for Mo. It was pointless for Kyon to be used and worn down, since Mari wasn't sure what the strength of the final Pokémon Kawu had arranged for this battle was.

"Ha... Please, Hime-chan."