Pokémon from Galar

……

The two gyms in Outland are located on the north side, close to the Forest of Light, and are not far from each other. The reason for building two gyms is simply because Outland has two Dynamax Power Points.

The two passed by the Fighting-type gym, glanced at it but didn't stop. Everyone knew that Bea had been busy with the ruins lately, and even she herself rarely appeared at the gym, so it wasn't very lively there.

Meanwhile, the Ghost-type gym was even less crowded because of the large cemetery nearby...

After all, not everyone likes that eerie atmosphere, and being pranked by a Ghost-type Pokémon is not a pleasant experience.

Entering the Ghost-themed gym, despite the bright lighting, Marnie and Yuri still felt a little uneasy, perhaps because there were so many Ghost-type Pokémon.

Mary looked up at the two crystal lamp spirits hanging on the wall, pretending to be a light source, and then at the magical coral spirit standing next to the potted plant, seemingly doing nothing.

There's also a teapot sitting on the table next to it, pretending to be a teapot, but its shell is broken and it can't hold anything. Besides, the dojo doesn't serve drinks in teapots at all.

Onio's Pokémon seem to be quite free and easy... at least Marie didn't see any Pokémon running around the lobby so casually in other gyms.

However, it's also possible that there are few people here, or that the only people here right now are Mary and Yuri, two outsiders.

"..."

Mary felt a little helpless; it was even more deserted than she had imagined.

Just then, a dream demon silently appeared beside the two of them, then held up a whiteboard with the following words written on it:

"Please wait a moment, the staff will be out shortly. Are you the challengers?"

"...Um, I'm here to register for the challenge."

Upon hearing Mary's reply, the nightmare nodded with a smile, and then the words on the whiteboard suddenly changed.

"I understand. Sorry, the people in charge of the lobby were helping out in the back; they're usually very responsible."

Mary blinked, staring at the whiteboard. If she wasn't mistaken, that was probably the illusion ability of the Dream Demon. She hadn't expected it to be used so skillfully.

"That's alright, but is the dojo here short of people?"

The Dream Demon nodded, and the words on the whiteboard changed again:

'After all, it's a Ghost-type gym, and Little Onion isn't used to having too many people around, so...'

That final ellipsis is so skillfully executed it's almost heartbreaking.

Chapter 216 The Ghost-Type Gym That's Almost Never Visited

"Excuse me, challengers! I had to go help out in the back!"

Mary and her companion didn't have to wait long before a young woman in uniform came running out, apologizing as she ran, looking rather flustered.

"It's okay, we're not in a hurry."

"Phew—I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

After standing in front of Mary and apologizing again, the staff member stood up, took out the tablet computer used for registration, turned to look at the Dream Demon, and said with a smile:

"Thank you, Dream Demon. To be honest, I think I can apply to have you take charge of the lobby."

The nightmare demon held up its whiteboard and said helplessly:

'You just want to slack off, don't you? I'd rather be free and unrestrained.'

"Hehe~"

The staff member took Mary's alliance card, entered the relevant information to retrieve Mary's data, and then said:

"The Ghost-type Gym challenge is 4v4, but unlike the previous gym challenges, from here on, before the official challenge, the challenger needs to have a 1v1 battle with two gym trainers and win."

Mary nodded; she knew these rules, but whether or not to set a rule for battling Gym Leaders was actually up to the individual, there were no hard and fast requirements.

Therefore, some dojos may require three or four people to fight, some only require two people, and some do not require any at all.

These are additional challenges to the Gym Challenge, and each Gym Leader has the right to decide for themselves. For example, Fairy-type Gym Leaders like to include Pokémon quizzes during the challenge.

"Please register the Pokémon you choose to use."

Marie didn't spend much time considering the members for this gym challenge. Three new members had already appeared last time, so it was time for other members to join the battle this time.

Let's take turns taking on the challenge.

Actually, when we were discussing the members for this competition, because Sis is a Psychic type that is weak against, Mary was considering whether to let Sis fight against the opposite type. However, Sis insisted on fighting with Ichigo.

So in the end, we decided to let Sue go. Although she hasn't learned Ghost or Dark-type moves yet, the power of Psychic-type moves hasn't been weakened, so her offensive options are still sufficient.

"My Pokémon are Umbreon, Dragapult, Gardevoir, and Corviknight."

"Wow—they're all at their final evolution stages! Is this Marie's first time participating in the gym challenge? You're incredibly talented, I'm looking forward to your performance!"

While typing in the Pokémon's name, the older sister casually glanced at Marie's information and praised her with a smile, saying that not everyone can train a Pokémon to its final evolution stage in a year, especially since one of them is an Umbreon with demanding evolution conditions.

"Thank you. When is the approximate time to take on the challenge?"

"Hmm—let me see. There are three challengers ahead of you, but Gym Leader Onio only accepts one challenge per day, so it will be your turn in four days."

"Only three? I just heard that Gym Leader Bea has been busy with the ruins lately, so wasn't she supposed to be reducing the frequency of gym challenges?"

Hearing Yuri's instinctive question, the older woman who had finished registering Mary looked up with a wry smile and gestured towards the eerie hall.

"...There are quite a few people who are afraid of Ghost-type Pokémon, plus this kind of hall, and everyone seems to prefer Bea's appearance to Onion, the Gym Leader, who doesn't like to show his face."

At the end, the older sister seemed a little dissatisfied, pouting her lips.

"The Onio Pavilion Master is so cute! Like a little animal!"

"Well..."

Mary nodded in response to the staff member in front of her. She could tell that this person, like Yuri, was a fan of Onio's mother.

However, when fans actually work at someone else's dojo... I really don't know whether to call it being abnormal or having great perseverance.

Moreover, strictly speaking, Onio is quite popular, so the bigger reason should be that these Ghost-type Pokémon are too scary, but the person in front of him probably doesn't realize it.

Or perhaps many people who like Ghost-type Pokémon are unaware of this.

In just a short while, Mary saw Mimikyu and Dusknoir passing by, as well as some Gastly and Haunter flying around her and Yuri's heads.

After being glared at by the older sister, at least it didn't come down and cause trouble, probably because it knew that the older sister was only receiving challengers.

Noticing Mary and Yuri's curious gazes, the older sister, who had been directing the kettle to bring over two hot drinks from the side, smiled and said:

"Actually, most of them are wild Pokémon that just habitually visit this area, so occasionally some trainers will come here specifically to find suitable Pokémon."

"I see..."

Your dojo keeps going back and forth to the cemetery; no wonder you're not getting any more customers...

While silently complaining to herself, Marie thanked the paper cup handed to her by the Polka Doll. After watching Baloo play with the two little ones for a while, she left the Ghost-type gym with Yuri.

Stepping out the door, Yuri glanced inside through the glass before turning back and remarking with a sigh:

"It feels like there's another world just because of this door... The atmosphere is so different."

"After all, it's a place where Ghost-type Pokémon gather, so it's normal for this to happen. Or rather, if it weren't for that atmosphere, so many Pokémon wouldn't gather there."

"Speaking of which, that dream monster looks really smart. I'd like to raise one if I have the chance."

Hearing Yuri's words, Mari shook her head, dismissing her wild idea.

"There is no record of Misdreavus appearing in Galar. The one in the gym must have been brought from another region. Like your Vulpix, it will be quite troublesome to get it."

"Eh~ I guess I should travel to other regions more often in the future."

"Of course, just traveling in your own hometown isn't enough."

The two stood at the bus stop not far away, waiting for the city bus. Yuri looked around, glancing towards the cemetery a little further away, then suddenly turned her head and chuckled, saying:

"Should we go take a look at the cemetery?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Maybe I'll run into Onio—"

"You won't find one. If you don't want to see anyone, do you think you can find a Ghost-type Trainer in a cemetery?"

"...That's true."

"That's true. The cemetery is such a small place. If we really could find someone, we would have found them long ago."

"Ah~"

Having been persuaded by Mary, Yuri sighed and plopped down next to Mary, leaning her head on Mary's shoulder, looking completely unenthusiastic. She absentmindedly tapped Mary's heel with her toes.

Chapter 217 Contact from the Nobles

One day before the challenge, Marie, who was training Pokémon alone outside the city, was stopped by someone.

Marie recognized the man's face; he was one of the people on the list that Chibana had given her. He was quite strong, and if you had to use those unreliable online ratings, he would probably be considered an elite trainer.

In terms of strength... he's probably stronger than Marnie on average, but weaker than Marnie in top-tier battles. His main Pokémon, if I remember correctly, are an Orpheus and a Golisopod.

"Judging from your expression, you probably already recognize me, so I won't bother with any unnecessary pleasantries. Mary, are you interested in joining us?"

"...Has anyone ever told you that you're completely unsuitable to be a lobbyist?"

Mary was secretly wary of the man in front of her, but to be honest, she wasn't worried that he would make a move, especially since they could openly ally with nobles in the territory controlled by the Pokémon League without any problems because the League officially recognized the title of noble.

So as long as they don't do anything outrageous, even if their names are put on President Loz's desk, they can still get resources from the nobles and live a good life.

"Haha~ Some people say I'm very suitable to be a persuader, especially for people like you who don't like beating around the bush."

The man relaxed and sat down on a stone stool next to Mary, then raised his hands and continued:

"Relax, I really just came here to talk. I'm not stupid. Putting aside whether I can win or not, if I really lay a hand on you, Nie Zi would tear me apart."

The man's tone betrayed a hint of apprehension when Nie Zi was mentioned. While Mary was concerned about what her brother usually did, she wouldn't dare ask this unknown person at a time like this.

"I don't think there's anything to talk about between us. Guys who have already failed once should face reality."

Although she didn't say it explicitly, the man opposite her naturally understood which guys Mary was referring to. A wry smile played on his lips as he rested his elbows on his knees and said:

"That's quite a blunt remark, no wonder you're a genius young lady."

Mary glanced around at the Pokémon who were training diligently, then looked at the man and said:

"You're not going to tell me any nonsense about being born into poverty and having no choice in the world, are you?"

"Of course not. I'll be frank. I don't know how Loz told you about his plan, but do you really think that madman can succeed?"

"What plan are you referring to? But then again, whatever the plan, do you think the person behind you is stronger than Chairman Loz?"