Pokémon from Galar

"It might really be true, and this place is so close to Machine City."

The two huddled together, discussing trivial matters, as they passed through the orchard. The terrain there was relatively easy to walk on, with few slopes and not dense trees.

Chapter 201 Mary's Strange Reaction

Motostoke City is located roughly in the center of Galar. To the north lies the most advanced city, Gate City, while to the south is Motostoke City, the center of gym challenges and the most industrialized city.

These three cities run through the entire Galar, and it is no exaggeration to call them the lifeblood of Galar. They are very different in style and each has its own characteristics. Among them, the city of Hammerlocke is the one that best makes people feel the weight of history.

Most of Galar's historical documents and materials are preserved in Motogakure, making it a favorite destination for historians.

When Motogakure was first established, the designers boldly used a magnificent ancient castle as its foundation, preserving most of the castle's architecture to build the city.

However, the history of the ancient castle in the center of the Hammerlocke city is particularly vague. All the available information consists of various inferences and speculations. The only certainty is that the castle was built after the end of the 'Dark Night'.

Some speculate that it was built to commemorate the end of the night and the beginning of a new kingdom, while others believe it was a gift from Galar to the savior in history.

Of course, some conspiracy theorists speculate that the castle was built as a huge prison to hold the original savior.

In short, there are many conflicting accounts, but no documents or records have been able to prove that period of history. It's as if the existence of this ancient castle was deliberately erased from history books.

Just like... the stone wall hidden outside the sculpture in Suchuan Town.

Mari and Yuri stood outside the tall city gate. The gate of Hammerlocke City was built in the shape of a giant dragon head, with protruding fangs on both sides of the high steps. To be honest, it was quite cool.

Standing at the bottom of the steps, Mary frowned slightly. It was her first time in Hammerlocke City, and the city gave her a somewhat peculiar feeling. A massive energy conversion machine slowly rotated in the sky; its noise reduction was excellent.

It should have been a good thing...

But Mary felt a faint sound surrounding her ears, like tinnitus, subtle and rhythmic, like whispering in her ear or chaotic noise.

"...What's wrong? You look terrible. Are you sick?"

Yuri tiptoed with some concern to look at Mary's slightly pale face. When the two of them walked near the city of Hammerlocke and got close to the city wall, Mary's expression seemed to have started to change.

"No, maybe I was just a little tired from the journey..."

Mary shook her head and made up an excuse on the spot. In fact, she herself didn't know what was going on. The only abnormality she could think of was Mugentana.

But Eternatus is just a Pokémon after all. She's seen legendary Pokémon before, and Lunaara and Solgaleo are no weaklings either, yet they haven't encountered anything like this.

"Then let's hurry inside and find a hotel to rest!"

"Okay, let's go in."

Mary nodded, letting Yuri hold her arm, and officially entered Hammerlocke City.

"Let's go to a hotel first. The one I stayed at last time was pretty good, and it's not far away."

Yuri, having been there before, volunteered to be the guide, while Marie glanced at the bridge leading to the arena and the Pokémon Center not far away, nodded, and agreed with Yuri's suggestion.

"How about we rest for two days before heading to Suchuan Town?"

Perhaps considering Mary's condition, Yuri made this suggestion, to which Mary responded with a smile:

"No need, let's leave tomorrow. I just need to rest for one night. I'm not that weak."

Mary didn't want to tell Yuri about her symptoms, at least not before leaving Hammerlocke City. If it was really just physical discomfort, she could rest and recuperate in Souzen Town. But if it was related to something here, Mary didn't want to get involved at all.

The two found the inn Yuri had mentioned. The inn's decor, like the rest of the city, was in a medieval style, and the price was even higher than in Machine City. However, they were only staying for one night, and since Mary was now quite wealthy, it didn't matter to them.

Mary collapsed onto the bed, smiling as she looked at Yuri beside her and said:

"It's amazing that you're willing to live in such an expensive place."

Yuri, who had been somewhat worried, suddenly changed her expression, raised her hand, slapped Mary's bottom, and said with a pained expression:

"Do you think I wanted this? This is already considered cheap, okay? Prices here are too high..."

"It's okay, I'll take care of you. From now on, you'll be my number one enforcer. Once I become a champion, you'll cooperate with me to fix matches every year."

Mary joked, and Yuri, knowing Mary had received a lot of money from the Ether Foundation, chuckled and mimicked Mary's gesture, lying down beside her and saying with a smile:

"Dream on. I'll eat your food and use your things, and then I'll kick you off your champion's throne."

"You must be living in a dream. With those skinny arms and legs, who could you possibly kick?"

Mary smiled and reached out to pinch the soft, cotton-like flesh on Yuri's arm. "That's it?"

"You're no different! Look, I'm going to kick you down right now!"

Perhaps Mary's sarcasm hit a nerve, because Yuri turned around in a fit of embarrassment and anger, and then raised her foot, which was clad in white stockings, and kicked in Mary's direction.

"Hey, you actually kicked me."

Yuri didn't use much force; her white-stockinged feet kicked at Mary like a massage. Mary grabbed the leg that had kicked her chest with both hands, feeling the smooth touch from her fingertips. Mary smiled and looked at Yuri, who was bent over and facing away from her, and said:

"If you kick it and it never grows up, you'll be responsible."

"Tch~ If you can't grow up in just a couple of seconds, it just means you were never going to grow up to begin with."

Yuri pulled her leg back, then rolled around on the bed, so that she was now facing Mary, and they could feel each other's breaths.

"..."

"..."

They looked at each other in silence, staring intently into each other's eyes, when Yuri suddenly said:

What would you like to eat for dinner?

"I don't know, what good food is there in Motogakure?"

"The stores I went to last time were pretty good. I'll go buy them for you later."

"Hmm? What about me?"

Mary blinked, but Yuri suddenly raised her hand and gently placed it on Mary's temple, beginning an awkward massage:

"You should just rest in your room. You've looked terrible ever since we got closer to Hammerlocke City. I'll take Suzu and the others to help you out."

"..."

Mary was silent for a moment, feeling Yuri's rather unskilled massage, then suddenly reached out and hugged the girl's body, and said:

"Actually, it's like this..."

I decided to tell Yuri anyway. She'd already seen through me, and keeping it a secret would only erode the trust between us.

P.S.: To be honest, I'm thinking of adding some of the original character settings for Mugentana, since the game doesn't explain it enough. However, I'm also a little worried that it might not be able to make sense. I'm a bit conflicted about whether to write it or not.

Chapter 202 Entering the Dream

After concealing the existence of Mugentana, Mari told Yuri what had happened to her, which unsurprisingly made Yuri worried.

"I'll go buy you dinner. Mary, you should rest well in your room."

Yuri took Baloo out of the room, leaving Sue and Eevee to take care of Marie. Although Marie herself didn't think it was a big deal, Yuri and her Pokémon unanimously agreed that she needed to rest, leaving Marie unsure how to argue.

"Sha~ (Want to take a nap?)"

Sis sat down next to Mary and asked with some concern. Judging from her posture, it seemed like she wanted to hypnotize Mary...

With a hint of helplessness, Mary grasped Sis's hand, smiled, shook her head, and said:

"It's okay, you're making a mountain out of a molehill. I just have some tinnitus, it's not like I'm critically ill. I'll be fine after lying down for a while."

While Mary was still explaining to Si-chan, I-chan was already controlling the blanket to lift it up, ready for Mary to lie down.

With a mix of helplessness and relief, Marilyn shrugged, pinched Ichigo's ear, and then obediently followed her Pokémon's kindness, snuggling into bed.

"Good night."

"Ee~ (Goodnight~)"

Yi-chan burrowed into the blankets and nestled into Mary's arms, lifting her head to lick Mary's cheek and squinting her eyes. Meanwhile, Si-chan sat beside Mary, reaching out to hold Mary's hand and quietly watching over her.

Xiao Mo and the others quietly stood guard beside her. The smaller ones huddled together on the bed, while the larger ones stood and rested nearby, surrounding Mary completely.

……

As Mary closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, the sounds that had been lingering in her ears seemed to fade away a little. But what disappeared seemed to be just background noise. As Mary's consciousness gradually sank deeper, those faint sounds gradually became clearer...

“...the child...is special...coming…”

Little by little, Mary felt like she was hearing something, but when she vaguely realized it, she found that she couldn't understand anything. The tinnitus sound seemed to sink into her dream, but at least it didn't bother Mary.

Mary suddenly realized she was having a dream. When she found herself in a technologically advanced place, she was fully aware that she was dreaming.

Where is this place?

Mary looked around with some surprise, then casually walked to the nearest facility, which consisted of rows of very tall, cylindrical, transparent chambers that seemed to contain some kind of pale purple liquid.

What's in there? And why is it empty...? In typical SF novels, shouldn't these cylindrical chambers be filled with all sorts of random things? By the way, how tall is this? This place is huge...

“Your idea is very interesting. I know a little about those novels, but this place is different. They just store these liquids.”

Who?

The sudden sound behind her made Mary turn around in surprise, only to see a blurry shadow, or perhaps mist.

Mary stared at the shapeless object in front of her, unsure how to define it. Was it this thing that was talking? How did it make a sound? Her sleep state made it a little difficult for her to concentrate, and her thoughts were wandering.

"This isn't speaking; I'm just letting you hear the message I want to convey, just like the message you've given me. As for my appearance... it's probably because you have no idea what I should look like."

So what exactly are you? Speaking of which, your voice sounds familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before? Wait, when did I send you a message? I mean, how come you've been reading minds since just now?

"That's not important. What's important is that you can hear my voice, sense my presence, and even enter my dreams."

Your dream? Am I dreaming? This thing can switch channels? Seriously, where is this place? There's nothing here except this long, thick glass jar, and I can't even see a way out.

Mary looked up helplessly, but the dome above was completely dark and she couldn't see anything. She began to think that her dream was a bit too far-fetched. She rarely read sci-fi novels, and now she had such a dream; it just didn't seem normal.

"Okay... how should I put it, this is the underground compartment of Motogakure City."

The underground of Motogaku City? Wait—the underground of Motogaku City, isn't that where Mugentana is imprisoned?!

Just as Mary was thinking of this, the purple shadow beside her suddenly began to churn and then solidify, transforming into the form of Eterna from Mary's memory.

"Oh~ You not only know I exist, but you even know my skeleton? Have you seen me before? But I have no recollection of it at all."

Unbelievable! No wonder I had this dream all of a sudden. It turns out it's about Muktana. Was I really that afraid of him? If I remember correctly, there should be a platform at the top of this place where Muktana was imprisoned.

As Mary thought about it, she boldly walked over and began to examine Mugenta. He looked a bit more handsome than in the game, and the texture of his clothes was really beautiful.

He reached out and tapped on Mukyuu's skeleton, but his fingers pierced through the bones, sending up a few plumes of smoke, and he couldn't touch anything.

……