Pokémon from Galar

"Well..."

Mary nodded without making any further declarations; after all, she wasn't like Mizuki or Yuri, and was naturally a woman of few words.

During their conversation, the waiter brought over the drinks they had ordered.

Meiyue poured a pot of flower tea, then called out Ye Yibu, made her squat on her knees, and poured Ye Yibu a cup of tea as well.

When Qibana saw Yeebu, his eyes lit up. He could tell that Yeebu was very strong, roughly on par with his main Pokémon, or even slightly stronger.

Perhaps it was because of Kibana's direct gaze, but Mizuki put down the cup she was holding and looked at Kibana sitting opposite her.

"Um... what's wrong, Master Kibana?"

"Ah, sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment."

Coming to his senses, Cibana smiled and apologized. It wasn't a perfunctory apology; he had genuinely been lost in thought.

"I see..."

"Well, I'd like to ask if Ms. Mizuki would be interested in playing an exhibition match, the kind that's open to the public and broadcast live on a TV show."

"Huh? Why suddenly—"

Before Mizuki could react, Mari spoke first.

"By the way, can these kinds of exhibition matches be held so casually?"

"Of course I can. As a gym leader, it's not difficult for me to broadcast an exhibition match if I want to. It's just that gym leaders rarely do this on a regular basis."

Cibana took a sip of coffee, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and spoke in a tone that seemed to be showing off.

"Really? That's great! I've been wanting to experience the atmosphere of a dojo challenge for a while now!"

Then, as expected, Mizuki got really into it.

This child probably doesn't know what shyness is; he doesn't seem to be shy at all in public.

"OK—then let's start at 7 PM tonight, 6v6. Since it's not a formal competition, Mega Evolution and Z-Moves are allowed."

Cibaner snapped his fingers, casually establishing this rule.

Marie's eyelids twitched at these words. Was he serious? Mizuki had the Dynamax Band she gave her, as well as Z-Moves. What if she somehow got her hands on a Mega Stone? Could Raihan hold out with just Dynamax?

Mizuki probably realized this too, and quickly shook her head, taking out the giant wristband that Marie had given her from her backpack and showing it off:

"No need, no need. I have the Giant Bracer that Marie gave me. When you come to the Galar region, you should naturally do as the locals do."

Qibana grinned. Of course he could guess that Mizuki had a wristband; otherwise, what would she be experiencing? He only meant that he wanted to experience Mizuki's full strength, okay?

Even if he really loses, it just means he's not as skilled as the other person. When has he ever been afraid of failure?

Besides, these gym leaders have all had some private experience with Mega Evolution, but they haven't used it in official competitions.

"Alright, since Miss Mizuki puts it that way—"

Qibana nodded in agreement. Since his opponent had said so, he wasn't a stubborn person. To be honest, if Mizuki really used all three at once, he would be quite nervous.

Without hesitation, Cibana immediately pulled out his Rotom phone and started sending messages to his assistant about the exhibition match, urging her to contact the TV station and live streaming platform as soon as possible.

It's clear that Cibana is really looking forward to it.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Once you reach his level, there are only so many equally matched opponents, even if you look at other regions. You also have to exclude some retired people. It's rare to find a completely unfamiliar new opponent.

The more Chibana looks at Mary, the more he likes her. Not only has her workload been reduced, but she's also found him a very stressful rival.

After thinking about it, Chibana realized that he seemed to owe Mary a favor.

How about I get her a Max Soup next time? That Corviknight named Chirp has good potential; it should be able to get one.

Chapter 258 An Encounter

Not long after, just as Mary and the others finished their drinks, they received a notification from the online live streaming platform about the announcement of the Chibana Gym Leader and the mysterious challenger.

After resting for a while, Kibana needed to return to the dojo to prepare. Just as he was about to say goodbye, a voice suddenly called out to him:

"Hey~ Long time no see, Mary and Yuri."

Turning around in the direction of the sound, I saw Sonia appear on the sidewalk next to me at some point.

"Long time no see. Has Sonia been in Hammerlocke City lately?"

Mary raised her hand and waved, casually greeting Sonia who walked up to her.

"Yes, I've done a lot of research on the sculptures in Suchuan Town."

Sonia smiled and tugged at the ends of her loose hair. She didn't say much, but instead turned her gaze to Chibana, placing her hands on the back of Mary's chair as she spoke:

"The head of the Kibana Gym is out having coffee with three little girls in the middle of the day instead of working?"

"Ahem! We happened to run into each other, so we discussed the match that night."

Startled, Qibana twitched his lips and quickly offered an explanation to avoid any strange rumors about himself.

"Did Sister Sonia find anything?"

Yuri pulled her attention away from Nyanko-sensei, leaned back in her chair, and looked up at Sonia.

"Well... I didn't find any detailed information. It might be better to check other cities as well. By the way, I haven't congratulated you on getting your fifth badge yet."

"Hehe~"

After exchanging greetings, Sonia turned her gaze to Mizuki beside her. She knew a little about Mizuki; they had met once on the phone before because of Mari, but this was their first time meeting in person.

"This is the first time I've met you in real life, Alola, Mizuki."

"Alolan, Miss Sonia."

"I just saw the notification. Is Chibana's opponent today Mizuki?"

"Yes, it was just agreed upon."

"I see... So it seems you're actually a very skilled trainer, Mizuki."

Sonia only knew that Mizuki was from another Alola, but she didn't know her specific identity or strength. She made the guess by looking at Yeezy next to her, but she didn't expect it to be true.

After a short delay, seeing that the time was almost up, Cibana stood up and said:

“Perfect, I’ll leave the three of them to you, Sonia. I have to go back to the dojo to take care of some things. Well then, Miss Mizuki, see you tonight.”

See you tonight.

Mizuki waved with a grin, watching as Chibana picked up the receipt and headed to the counter before turning her gaze back to Mary.

What are we going to do next?

"...Let's find a hotel to stay in first, then go shopping. We don't have anything else to do anyway. Sonia, do you want to come along?"

"Let's go together. We were originally planning to go to the next city first, but we have a match tonight, so we'll rest for a day first."

Anyway, Sonia always takes the train or a flying taxi, so there's no rush.

……

In the evening, after dinner, the group arrived at the arena in Hammerlocke City. The lobby was full of staff, but the stands near the arena were bustling with activity.

At this point, Mizuki had already changed into the enormous wristband that Mari had given her.

Before they could speak, an older girl walked over.

"Hello, are you the challengers that Gym Leader Kibana mentioned?"

"Well, it's me."

Mizuki nodded and took a step forward.

The older woman was probably surprised by Meiyue's age and glanced at her a few more times, but her excellent professionalism allowed her to quickly regain her composure.

"I understand. The gym leader told me you're from another region. While it's not strictly necessary, would you like a challenge outfit prepared for you?"

"Is that okay? I heard from Mary that it takes time to customize, right?"

"The customized ones are coded. We have plenty of unnumbered sets in stock. Come with me, and I'll take you to get one."

"Then I'll go with them first?"

Mizuki turned around and looked at Mary and the other two.

"Let's go, let's go straight to the stands."

"Okay~ then I'll go."

Meiyue raised her hand and made a gesture, then followed the older sister who was waiting next to her, heading towards the changing room.

"I've been holding back from asking before, but who is that kid? He's so strong, he can't be an ordinary person."

Sonia, walking beside Mary, finally couldn't help but ask.

Mary blinked.

"Didn't I say that?"

"No."

"Oh... Mizuki is the Alola Champion."

"real or fake?!"

"Really? I actually have a serious business to attend to in this world."

"So she came to see you...?"

"I'll go help too."

Does your brother know?

"..."

"Hey--"

Seeing Mary avert her gaze, Sonia immediately sensed something was wrong. Here you go again? If this happens again, won't Nie Zi fly over and scatter her?

Just as Sonia was about to say something, her gaze fell on Yuri, who seemed hesitant to speak, and so, as if possessed,

"Is Yuri going this time?"

"I'll go, it's on our date."

Mary nodded without hesitation, confirming Sonia's guess. However, before Sonia could react, Yuri was the first to be startled.