Pokémon from Galar

Balu probably passed the minimum requirement, but without special training, it's probably not something he can do in a short time.

the other side,

Yuri, blushing and clutching a bath towel, carefully opened the door to the inner room after taking off her clothes. She immediately saw Mary standing under the shower, head bowed in a daze.

"Marie-chan?"

She walked over and called softly, but Mary didn't respond at all. Yuri blinked, stared at Mary's body for a while, and then reached out and poked Mary's waist.

“Mary-chan—”

"Hey—! Yuri?!"

Mary was startled when her soft flesh was suddenly attacked. She quickly turned around and found that it was Yuri who had run in at some point.

"What are you thinking about? I can't hear you when I call you."

"Uh...it's nothing, I was just thinking about the battle we just had."

"Didn't we win?"

"There are bound to be mistakes and shortcomings."

Mary raised her hand and brushed the hair and water off her face in one go, then tilted her head back slightly to move her face away from the showerhead, and turned to look at Yuri, asking:

"How did you end up here?"

"I was thinking I should take a shower too..."

Yuri blushed slightly as she turned on the shower next to Mary, avoiding Mary's gaze as she answered.

"By the way, I'll be staying here for a while, Yuri, you might have to wait for me a bit longer."

Mary bent down, squeezed a dollop of shampoo into her palm, raised her hand and rubbed it into her hair, saying this while squinting her eyes as she rubbed her hair.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

"It's what I told you before; it seems the two gym leaders will also be involved."

"...Wait? Mary, is what you're doing really that dangerous?!"

"Huh? Didn't I say that?"

"You never mentioned that it would require the involvement of two gym leaders!"

"Well... because I only found out about it myself, that's why I made you stay here in Suchuan Town by yourself for now."

"do not want!"

"Hi hi..."

With her eyes closed, Mary rubbed bubbles and smiled as she answered, but she couldn't see Yuri's expression or notice her approaching movements.

Reaching out, Yuri gently placed her hand on Mary's head, which was covered in white bubbles. Without saying a word, she stood in front of Mary and began to rub her head.

"...Yuri?"

"Let me wash it for you."

"Ah, oh... thank you."

Following Yuri's direction, Mary bent down slightly, closed her eyes, and handed the hair to Yuri, saying it was just a hair wash.

Yuri stretched out her foot and hooked the small stool over.

"Sit down, aren't you tired of hunching over like that?"

"...I can't see it anymore."

"Then let's sit on the ground."

"Hey—shouldn't you be the one helping me sit down?"

Yuri, clutching her hands full of bubbles, pressed them against Mary's shoulders, forcibly pushing her down to sit on the ground. Then she adjusted the showerhead to rinse all the bubbles out of her hair.

Chapter 228 Negotiations

After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Yuri took the two of them and left the dojo first, while Mari found a staff member and was led to a conference room.

"Oh—you're here. I've seen the challenge. Congratulations on passing."

As soon as she entered, Cai Dou greeted everyone, while Onio, who was next to her, said a quiet hello, just like he had seen her on the battlefield, and then fell silent.

"Thank you."

"Don't be nervous, just find a seat."

Mary smiled and nodded, pulled out a chair opposite them and sat down, then asked:

"Um, about the Forest of Light, I heard from the dream monster who was greeting people outside that she seems to be following me around?"

"...Yes, yes, the dream demon is very powerful..."

Upon hearing Mary mention his nightmare, Onio, though still timid, mustered the courage to speak up.

"Let me explain. Our intelligence indicates that two Pokémon hunters from other regions have infiltrated Galar, targeting the Glowing Forest..."

Before she could finish speaking, Mary nodded knowingly.

"So, this time they actually hired Pokémon hunters to handle it? Is this information accurate?"

"That's inaccurate. In fact, we can't find any evidence to prove who hired them. Those two guys are notorious and quite powerful. Mary, you need to be careful."

Cai Dou's expression was quite serious when she said this. She actually did not agree with letting Mary be the bait, even though Mary's strength was not weak.

Marie thoughtfully agreed to Aya's suggestion. She had guessed that the other party would send someone to deal with her, but to actually bring in a Pokémon hunter was a bit unexpected.

Last time he was that slacker uncle, and this time he has immediately become a ruthless Pokémon hunter. Isn't this change a bit too much?

"...Do those people do this often?"

After thinking for a moment, Mary finally voiced her doubts.

Cai Dou was silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"No... In fact, we were also surprised, otherwise we wouldn't have let the Dream Demon follow you. This matter is very strange, and it's possible that someone else is involved. The investigation by the Kibana side has already begun, and we should have results in a while."

"..."

To be honest, Mary had a slightly unpleasant feeling when she heard this.

"I understand, but please tell the succubus that if anything happens, please protect Yuri. I have ways to protect myself."

Rainbow Bean frowned, her eyes seeming to express both approval and displeasure. She stared at Mary for a moment before saying:

"Don't be careless. You've always participated in formal competitions, so you may not have a concept of the rules. Those criminals won't follow the rules. Trainers on the battlefield are the most vulnerable link."

“I know. I’m saying this because I really do have a way. It’s a very special method. If you’re curious, I can show it to you tomorrow.”

Seeing that Mary didn't seem to be joking, Cai Dou nodded with some skepticism.

"Let me take a look tomorrow, otherwise I won't feel at ease."

"...Um, I think I know what it is..."

O'Neil, who had been standing quietly next to Aya, suddenly raised his hand and then said something shocking, which startled Mary, who stared at him. O'Neil, in turn, was also startled and shrank back.

"It was...it was those Gastlys who told me...they like to wander around, and they said they saw a strange person and a Pokémon combined...you mean, Miss Marie, right..."

"It was seen by Pokémon... No wonder there was no warning."

Previously, when Marie was training to fuse in the wild, she only asked Baloo and the others to be wary of approaching humans, and didn't care about the Pokémon. Otherwise, with so many wild Pokémon, it would be impossible to manage them all.

"Combination...?"

Perhaps it was because Onio's choice of words was a bit strange, but Aya's gaze towards Mary also became somewhat subtle. Mary noticed this gaze and her lips twitched. She didn't know what to say.

"I'll perform for you tomorrow, not today."

"why?"

There are some subtle side effects that will take time to subside. It's nothing serious.

Mary added at the end that this matter would most likely be impossible to hide from her older brother in the future, so it was better to be honest and explain it to avoid being questioned again one day.

……

I didn't stay at the dojo for too long, just to catch up on some plans. It didn't take much time. And starting today, Mary will be training at the dojo for the next few days. If anything comes up, we can talk about it then.

Back at the hotel, I saw Yuri hanging the washed clothes on the makeshift clothes rack next to her. Smiling, I walked into the room, reached for the clothes and hangers that weren't yet hung up, and said:

"I am back."

"Yes, welcome back."

"Let's go to the dojo together tomorrow, I'll show you something fun~"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Yuri turned to look at Mary with a puzzled expression. "What's so interesting? Weren't you talking about serious business?"

"Hehe~ It's a secret, you'll find out tomorrow."

"Eh—"

After hanging up her clothes, Yuri walked to the sofa next to her and sat down, curling up inside, seemingly lost in thought.

Mary walked over, boldly propped herself up on her arms, and struck a pose resembling a wall slam, looking down at him with a smile as she asked:

"What are you thinking about? Ever since the arena incident, I've felt like you've been preoccupied with something."

"...It's nothing."

Yuri blushed slightly and shook her head, raising her hand to try and escape from Mary's arm that was propping up her head. Unfortunately, Mary reached out and grabbed Yuri's wrist, continuing to follow Yuri's gaze as she spoke:

"You don't look like you're alright."

"It's really nothing..."

Yuri seemed reluctant to lower her head, rolled out from under Mary, and was about to leave the sofa with her back turned when Mary reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and slammed her to the ground.

He used his body to pin Yuri down on the sofa, leaving her no chance to escape.

Nose to nose, Yuri seemed not to have realized what Mari had done, and just stared blankly into Mari's eyes. After a few breaths, her cheeks turned red at a visible speed.

"Still won't you tell me?"

"I...I'll tell you! Please...please don't do this..."