Pokémon from Galar

The next day, after registering for a challenge at the dojo, Mary and Yuri were hesitating about where to go when Sonia suddenly called.

"Long time no see! You've arrived in Zhanjing Town, right? Where are you now? I'll take you out for a meal!"

"Um... it's outside the Rock Gym."

"Oh, that's quite close. I'll go find you at the dojo in a bit. See you later!"

The call ended somewhat abruptly, leaving Mary and Yuri looking at each other, wondering what Sonia was suddenly up to.

"Shall we wait for Sonia at the gym?"

Yuri shrank her neck, raised her finger and pointed to the dojo behind her. Since they were waiting for someone, it would be more comfortable to stay indoors.

"Okay, let's go inside and wait."

Although Battlegrounds has two gyms, one represented by Mio (Ice-type) and the other by Magma (Rock-type), Yuri chose the Rock-type gym almost without hesitation due to type matchups.

Marie, who was basically indifferent, naturally chose the Ice-type gym.

According to rumors, although Mei Rong and Ma Gua are usually very nice to people, they become serious when it comes to trainer-related issues, and their daily training seems to be quite Spartan, resulting in not many trainers seeking to study at the two gyms.

But those who persevered were all exceptionally strong.

As for the many rumors circulating online about discord between the mother and son, according to Nie Zi, they don't seem to be as irreconcilable as they appear. Perhaps this is just a special way for the mother and son to communicate.

Of course, these things don't really mean anything to Mary. She's just an ordinary challenger who rarely sees the gym leader.

The two didn't wait long at the gym before they met Sonia, who was wearing a coat, and Hop, who was following behind her.

"Hep! It's been a while. How have you been?"

It was Yuri who spoke. Ever since she said goodbye to Hop in Dance Town, she hadn't seen him again, and she was still very concerned about Hop's condition.

"Haha~ I feel absolutely fantastic right now, how about we try a match later?"

Hep's confident smile, just like before, relieved Yuri; she seemed to have truly recovered.

"Okay, let's find a place to have a match this afternoon."

Meanwhile, Sonia came to Mary's side and stared at her silently, making Mary feel a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong……?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering how many secrets you still have hidden in your head."

"what?"

Seeing Mary's bewildered expression, Sonia couldn't help but feel annoyed, and raised her hand to pinch Mary's soft cheek.

"Don't play dumb with me. I already know why my grandma kicked me out to take risks."

"Forehead--"

Sonia's tone remained largely unchanged, so Mary couldn't discern her true feelings. Thus, faced with the two hands ravaging her face, she didn't dare to stop them for a moment.

After rubbing her face for a while to vent her frustration, Sonia let go of her hands, put them back in her pocket, and sighed with relief, saying:

"Phew—I'll tell you properly later. Let's go eat now. That teppanyaki place is really famous!"

"Teppanyaki...? Isn't that a dish from the Kanto region? Why is there a teppanyaki restaurant here in Zhanjing Town?"

"How would I know? Anyway, it tastes good, that's all that matters."

The four of them walked down the road after leaving the dojo. The teppanyaki restaurant was located near the city center, and it would take some time to walk there. However, no one seemed to care, and no one suggested taking the city bus.

"By the way, Mary, you'll fight me next time!"

Suddenly turning to look at Mary, Hep abruptly issued a challenge. Although she didn't know why it was so sudden, Mary nodded in acceptance.

“Sure, I’ll be staying in Zhanjing Town for a while anyway, so I can come anytime.”

"Hey... there's hardly anyone challenging anything here in Battleground Town, right? How long do you plan to stay?"

Sonia's gaze swept over Mary and Yuri, her expression suggesting she had probably noticed something, causing Yuri's face to flush slightly.

"Since we've come all the way to this hot spring town, let's enjoy it for a few more days. There's still plenty of time before the knockout stage starts."

Mary, on the other hand, seemed completely unmoved. What's wrong with spending a few days soaking in the hot springs and enjoying a date?

"Hehe~ Then I'm going to surpass both of you in one go!"

Hep had no intention of lingering, after all, she had fallen behind quite a bit and was feeling quite nervous about catching up.

"Ah... if you're planning to go to Spiketown in the next few days, you might as well stay in Battlegrounds or go to Motostoke. My brother isn't at the gym right now, so he probably won't be able to take on challenge missions for a while."

"Eh—"

Upon hearing Mary's words, Hep's momentum vanished, and she shrank back, looking distressed.

Sonia tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and then suddenly revealed a mischievous smile.

"Speaking of which... if a gym leader is away on a mission and a challenge needs to be arranged, I remember that you can ask a trainer in the gym to accept the challenge on your behalf, right?"

"..."

Mary looked at Sonia with a face full of disdain. Why did this person have to bring this up... There are only three trainers who have arrived in Battleground Town so far. If they want to challenge her, they can just say so and that's it. Waiting a few more days won't cause any trouble.

"Is there such a rule...?"

Yuri looked very curious.

This situation is quite rare. Galer is quite safe, and most problems can usually be solved by the police. Gym leaders tend to stay out of trouble as much as possible, and only by keeping their trump cards firmly in place can they give people a sense of security.

If it weren't for the involvement of the Rockets, a notorious international terrorist organization, Nie Zi wouldn't have been sent to handle this.

"Yes, yes, in such situations, the gym leader can appoint a trainer from the gym who is strong enough to act as a substitute, so..."

Sonia, halfway through her sentence, deliberately turned her gaze to Mary, a 'come and hit me' smile that was infuriating.

"Wow—that means Mary can become an agent?! That's amazing!"

Yuri, as usual, had no intention of doubting whether Mary was capable of handling such a challenge. Mary, rubbing her forehead in slight distress, let out a long sigh.

"Stop joking... If it were really a matter of taking over, it wouldn't be my turn. There are other people in the dojo."

"But I heard that Mary is very popular right now, especially in Spiketown. No one will object if you become her agent, and I'm sure the viewers watching the live stream will find it very interesting."

Sonia's relentless stirring up trouble here was a blatant act of revenge, leaving Mary, while dealing with Yuri and Hep with a headache, silently marveling at the terrifying nature of a woman's vengeful heart.

P.S.: I'll just write about some everyday life now, and also brainstorm some plot ideas for Mugentana.

Chapter 286 The Fifth Tapestry

Along the way, Mary tried her best to avoid the topic of the acting gym leader. It was a troublesome matter to think about. Mary was mainly worried that if the acting position continued for a while, the acting gym leader would eventually become the real gym leader.

Nie Zi's idea of ​​letting Marie inherit the gym and then running away was not something that had just started recently. Basically, after Marie demonstrated her talent as a trainer, he had brought up this matter in front of Marie, intentionally or unintentionally.

As for other aspects, there are no problems. After the gym leader selects an agent, the league will also conduct a simple review.

Marnie's strength is almost at the passing mark for applying for a gym, with only Himeko, who recently evolved into Primarina, being slightly weaker. In terms of strength, apart from Nie Zi, there probably isn't a trainer stronger than Marnie in Spiketown.

After all, it's only one of eight checkpoints. Even if two or three more people are allowed to pass, there's still Chibana behind them.

Given the overall atmosphere of Galar's [Gym Leader Star-Making Project], as long as Marnie doesn't slack off during battles, the audience should be very happy to see her.

Mary breathed a sigh of relief when she finally saw the restaurant's sign, as Yuri and Hep's attention was easily drawn to the bright red sign.

"Ah~"

Mary sighed and followed him into the restaurant, where she immediately saw the restaurant's signboard girl, a flaming centipede.

The shop itself wasn't particularly unique, so Mary's attention instinctively fell on the Flame Centipede. Its flames resembled whiskers, and its body alone generated a very high temperature during battle.

However, it now seems that they are deliberately maintaining a temperature that will not harm people.

Perhaps already used to being scrutinized like this, the Flame Centipede even struck a few photogenic poses under Mary's gaze.

"Squeak—(Want to take a picture? It looks better from this angle.)"

He specially styled his fiery whiskers, and the Flaming Centipede swayed its body slightly, making Mary unable to help but smile. No wonder he stayed at the restaurant entrance; he has quite a cheerful personality.

"Hey, Mary, what are you doing?"

Having found an empty seat, Sonia noticed Mary still standing by the door, observing her with the Flame Centipede. She raised her hand and called out.

"Coming right away."

Mary turned her head and responded, then took out her Rotom phone and snapped two pictures of the Flame Centipede.

"He's very handsome."

After saying that, he turned and walked to the inside, to where Sonia and the others were.

Sonia handed the menu back to the waiter, and after watching Mary walk away, she raised her hand and pointed to the half-tassel hanging on the wall behind her.

"Look at this, I don't understand why such cultural relics would be so easily hung in a restaurant."

Sonia's tone was somewhat helpless. Although, like the tapestries in the treasure vault, they were of exceptionally high quality, this casual way of preservation was still a bit hard for her to accept.

"It's probably because it was already damaged."

The tapestry has obvious charred marks where it was burned, and it's unknown what this fifth tapestry went through.

Mary pulled out a chair and sat down next to Yuri, answering Sonia's question somewhat casually.

“Almost every painting records crucial information. The treasure vault records the savior from the arrival of disaster to his coronation. So what information does this fifth painting record?”

Sonia seemed to be talking to herself, but her gaze remained fixed on Mary, as if she wanted to ask for an explanation.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Hmph~ My grandma already told me, Mary, you know more than I do."

"..."

Mary scratched her cheek. She did know a lot, but the information that Dr. Mulan and President Rose thought she knew was not the same as the information she actually knew.

This is quite subtle.

"Actually, I could probably guess even without you saying it, right, Hep?"

"Huh? Do you think the Pokémon that Yuri and I saw in the Slumbering Forest could possibly be Sword and Shield?"

Hep wasn't stupid; after listening to so much from Sonia along the way, it was normal for her to have such a guess.

Yuri glanced at Mary subconsciously, as if asking if she should nod in agreement. Mary responded with a smile, indicating that she could do as she pleased.

"I think so, but I'm not entirely sure."