Pokémon from Galar

"Yeah, after all, Tearful Lizard isn't as good as I-chan, so practicing by the river is enough for it and won't bother anyone."

No wonder I didn't see Sobble on Yuri; she must have been too tired this afternoon and was resting in her Poké Ball.

Just then, Nurse Joy called her name, so Marie went over and got her three Pokémon, letting Ralts lie in her arms.

"Shall we go for dinner now?"

"Hmm! I found a battle cafe on the street! Marie, wanna go play?"

Yuri pulled Marie's wrist and left the Pokémon Center, then made her suggestion.

"Are we going to have dinner... or do you want to go for a match?"

Hearing Mary's words behind her, Yuri scratched her short hair and said with a smile:

"I was planning to go check it out this afternoon, but I was too scared to go alone."

"What's there to be afraid of? The owner of the battle cafe will use different Pokémon depending on the opponent's strength. You can try Sobble. It's a good opportunity to use a new move."

At least Mary genuinely felt it was worth a try. Sobble Lizards had too little combat experience, and new moves needed to be tested in actual combat after being learned.

"...but the power of the tidal vortex is still very weak."

With Mari by her side, Yuri clearly started thinking about battles. Sobble was still too young; even after several days of training, she still wasn't very proficient at using the Whirlpool and Protect skills she had learned from her TM.

Leaving aside its power, it often fails. The light barrier it manages to maintain is also shaky and on the verge of collapse; Yuri thinks it can probably only withstand one of Hop's Scorbunny's attacks.

The Tight Binding skill was used entirely on Yuri's arm; it's unlikely an opponent would dare to bind it so closely.

I'm fairly proficient at using the Water Wave technique I learned a couple of days ago, but its power is questionable. On the other hand, the accuracy and power of the water gun are quite good.

"What does it matter? At most you'll be defeated once. Your Sobble is just a little timid, not averse to battle. As a trainer, it's time for you to take that step forward. Don't worry, I'll be with you."

Mari patted Yuri on the back. Most new trainers are like this; not everyone can adapt to battles where they need to take control and issue commands.

It's normal to worry, and it's normal to be afraid of failure. Mary went through the same thing, but she forced herself to get through it. And even now, Mary has almost always lost her battles against her brother.

So when Mary saw Yuri in this state, she couldn't bear to let her go through it alone, and a little encouragement was still possible.

"Uh-huh!"

Yuri swallowed hard. This battle was quite different from the one with Hop. Hop and Woolstuck had known each other for so long, so there was not much pressure in fighting them.

However, when battling strangers, with unknown Pokémon and tactics, Yuri naturally became timid.

Fortunately, Mary was by my side.

Yuri cautiously stole a glance at Mary's profile as she led her forward; the warmth from her hand reassured her considerably.

P.S.: Happy New Year! Because my area is too close to Wuhan, not only was the city locked down (lol), but the number of confirmed cases reached eight within a day. So, I don't need to visit relatives this year.

I think I can type normally now 23333333333

Chapter Twenty-One: The Pill Emperor's Greeting Gift

The owner of the Battle Cafe is quite considerate of new trainers. After seeing Yuri's age and Sobble's development, he took out a weak Tribeca Pokémon.

The breeding process looks promising, but unfortunately, before evolution, the three bees have virtually no combat capabilities.

After failing to dodge the water gun a second time and getting soaked to the bone, the outcome of the battle completely turned in Yuri's favor.

Mary could tell that the boss had gone easy on her. Putting everything else aside, if it had been Little Fairy Milk instead of Three Bees, with her Fragrant Mist and Angel's Kiss, Yuri definitely wouldn't have been able to beat her.

Well, she did win after all. Mari waved to Yuri, who was carrying the tearful lizard.

"Congratulations, what did the store manager give you as a gift?"

"Hmm... a candy ornament... judging from the packaging, it looks like a piece of candy."

Yuri, somewhat bewildered, placed a pink, heart-shaped candy with a printed design, packaged in a transparent bag, in front of Mary.

"Sugar ornaments? They can be used as evolution items. They look quite well-made."

Mary picked up the heart-shaped candy ornament and examined it closely. Since she had never been to the Battle Cafe before, this was the first time she had seen such a real object.

"Evolution? Evolution of what?"

"Frozen Milk Fairy's."

Mary pointed to the Creamy Fairy who was passing by as a part-time waitress. To be honest, Creamy Fairy smelled very milky. It is said that all kinds of cream products in this shop are made by Creamy Fairy and Little Fairy Milk, but she didn't know if it was true.

“Mary-chan…”

Yuri subconsciously glanced in Mari's direction. Mari, who was eating ice cream, paused, and the rest of what she was about to say was obvious even without hearing it…

"Have you thought this through? If I really find you a little fairy, you could easily end up with the same figure as that boss."

"...Gurgle"

Yuri glanced back at the coffee shop owner, who was heavily pregnant, and then smelled the milky scent left by the passing Creamy Fairy. Her eyes were filled with struggle.

Although Alcremie is quite formidable in battles, most ordinary girls would find it hard to resist its sweet, milky aroma.

To be honest, Mary didn't want to see Yuri become Yuri a year from now.

Moreover, Mary herself doesn't remember promising Yuri how many Pokémon she would help her find. In any case, she can only bring six, and if she's going to participate in the challenge this year, there's no time for Yuri to change the team members halfway through.

Leaving aside the training issues, there's no way to improve the intimacy level alone.

"Ugh... Well, then I'll find one for my mom and send it over..."

Yuri gritted her teeth, looking as if she had made some kind of 'life-or-death decision,' which made Mary want to laugh.

"Alright, hurry up and finish your ice cream and then go eat. Should we invite your friend?"

"You mean Hep?"

Yuri bit her spoon and thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Forget it, that guy probably isn't interested in shopping with me. If I go to him now, he'll just keep pestering you to spar with him, Mary-chan."

Mary casually fed Ralts a spoonful of ice cream, and upon hearing Yuri's words, propped her head up and replied:

"Speaking of which, shouldn't I have sparred with you first? I heard from Sonia that you and he are rivals, aren't you?"

"Well... that's true, but it's only been a few days since the last match at home. I don't think it's very beneficial to play against the same person so frequently."

Marie reached out to support Ralts, who was half-lying on the ice cream glass and eating it, and poked its red horn, whispering a word of advice:

"Don't eat too much, or you'll get diarrhea."

"Raru! (I'll be careful!)"

Baloo and Ichigo had both eaten ice cream because of Mari, but Suzu, who had always lived in the wild and was quite young, was eating it for the first time and was very curious about the taste.

"Then I'll have to fight Hop one-on-one."

It seemed like he was talking to himself, yet also like he was speaking to Yuri, but Yuri simply waved her hand dismissively.

"You'll definitely have Suzu go for the singles match. If you put Ichigo or Balu in, Hop will cry."

Mary and Sis quickly finished their ice cream together, preventing Sis from ordering another one. After Yuri finished eating, they left the cafe.

The two walked along the street toward the arena. With the opening ceremony imminent, the closer they got to the arena, the more bustling the street became, and the more shops there were.

While walking down the street, a fire-breathing dragon suddenly flew over and stopped beside me.

Because the Charizard was so eye-catching, both Mary and Yuri were drawn to it, and then they saw Leon following behind.

With the same flamboyant outfit as in the afternoon, passersby naturally recognized her. However, everyone politely restrained their urge to surround the champion, only taking photos around her before leaving to avoid causing a traffic jam.

"Charizard! Thanks to you for being with me, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have made it to the arena by myself."

"..."

Mary listened to Dante's words and was speechless. There was a main road leading directly from the city gate to the arena. How could anyone possibly get lost on that road...?

"Oh! Yuri, and the afternoon lady too!"

With keen eyes, Dan Di spotted two little girls in the crowd, greeted them warmly, and then walked over.

"Mr. Dandi, we meet again."

"Brother Dan Di!"

When Mary heard Yuri's address, she subconsciously turned her head to look at her. Were they that close?

Dante stared at the tearful lizard in Yuri's arms for a while, then nodded and said with a smile:

"You and Sobble Lizard seem to be growing quite well. Here's an item for you; you should be able to use it properly now."

As he said this, Dante took a mysterious droplet out of his pocket and handed it to Yuri.

This item is quite common and inexpensive to buy. It's also very useful, with a gentle effect, making it a common item for novice trainers.

"Ah, thank you! Thank you, Brother Dan Di!"

Yuri accepted the mysterious water droplet with a somewhat flattered expression, then hung it around the teardrop's neck, smiling brightly.

Hmm, this is also a Dan-e fan...

Mary figured it out instantly.

However, Leon is indeed very strong and has a lot of personal charisma. It's no joke that he has a large number of fans in Galar.

"And you, Miss, I didn't expect to meet you here. This is for you too!"

"Huh? I have one too..."

Mary was a little stunned and hadn't reacted yet when Ralts in her arms reached out and took the item.

It is a pink Poké Ball with a heart-shaped print.

"...Sweet Ball, Mr. Leon?"

Marnie, who adores Poké Balls, recognized what kind of ball it was at a glance. Although the fact that it made it easier to catch Pokémon of the opposite gender was a bit strange, it was, after all, a rare ball like the Moon Ball.

So far, the only rare ball types that Mary owns are the Moon Ball and the Friend Ball, both of which were gifts from her brother.

"Haha~ Miss, your name is Mary, right? I thought you looked familiar before, and after asking around, I found out that you are Nie Zi's sister. I happen to have a Poké Ball that I haven't used yet, so I'll give it to you as a gift for disturbing your afternoon nap."

“…Well then, thank you, Mr. Dante.”

Mary blushed slightly and nodded. She hadn't really wanted to accept it... but the ball was just so beautiful.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Opening of the Dojo Challenge

The opening ceremony was to begin the following morning.