Pokémon from Galar

She didn't make any definitive statements, after all, Yuri had only heard the news from others.

"Hmm~"

Sonia propped her head up with her hand and smiled at Mary, making strange noises. Mary helplessly shrugged.

"You guessed it already, I don't know anything more. This fifth tapestry was obviously destroyed because it involved the existence of a sword and a shield, but for some reason, half of it was salvaged."

"So that's how it is... Then who is the owner of this tapestry..."

Sonia squinted and thought for a moment, then didn't continue. If the tapestry had really just been accidentally lost and then bought by the shop owner and hung in the restaurant, it was impossible for the Alliance to let it just hang there.

Even if it's damaged, it's still a cultural relic. Ordinary people would be too busy protecting it to just hang it on the wall.

It was probably the work of a nobleman.

Mary has some prejudice against nobles, but not to the point of hating every noble she sees. The fact that she would so openly display this suggests that she doesn't care much about swords and shields.

"Well... it's just a tapestry. Maybe they're just rich and capricious. This tapestry has been sturdy for nearly three thousand years. You can hang it in a house, or even on a city wall, and it might last for hundreds of years."

"That makes sense."

Cultural relics need to be carefully preserved because most of them become fragile after a long period of time, but this carpet is obviously not of ordinary quality. It has lived longer than a dozen generations before them combined, so they have no reason to worry about it.

Having figured this out, Sonia became less concerned. Just then, the chef brought the dishes to the table. Sonia withdrew her elbows from the table, leaned back in her chair, and looked forward to the teppanyaki that was about to be served.

Do you need me to make you some teppanyaki?

After putting down what he was holding, the chef thoughtfully asked a question, since not everyone knows how to do this, and most customers need their help to cook.

"No need, I can do it."

Sonia rolled up her sleeves, looking eager to try.

"I understand. You can call me anytime if you have any questions."

"Okay, I understand."

Sonia nodded as she picked up the small shovel, her movements appearing quite skilled, which secretly relieved the three people waiting to eat nearby.

"Let me tell you, I've practiced this specifically at home."

"Oh--"

Yuri and Mari watched Sonia's skillful movements and clapped quietly.

P.S.: Actually, I mainly wanted to have Mari and Yuri fight first. It's been too long since I wrote about Yuri's battles, so you guys won't always treat her like a weakling. Actually, Yuri's strength is quite good, especially after she went to the Radiant God's side with Mari and did some light work.

Writing about the gym battle would be too wordy, so I plan to have two people fight one battle in Spiketown, and then open a Team Rocket mini-battle.

Chapter 287 Completely Enjoying a Hot Spring Trip

After dinner, Mary successfully invited Sonia to go to the hot springs together. The three girls arrived at the hotel where Mary and Yuri were staying, which naturally also offered private hot spring services.

As for Hop, he went to special training after dinner. His match with Yuri was postponed to tomorrow because all four of them were too full.

"Phew, that feels so good. You two are really generous. This place must be very expensive."

Sonia soaked her body in the hot spring, then lay down by the pool, squinting her eyes and exhaling a breath of hot air.

"Fortunately, the Ether Foundation gave me a lot of money."

Mary spoke of it casually, but Sonia knew how much risk Mary had taken.

"Tsk tsk... I could never learn your way of making money."

Sonia had never experienced such a thrilling adventure. When she first traveled with Leon as his rival, she simply completed the entire journey and watched Leon soar into the sky.

After taking care of the little ones, Yuri walked over to Mary and sat down next to her, but her gaze kept glancing in Sonia's direction.

You can't really tell when they're wearing a coat, but once they take it off, you realize... it's quite large.

"What? Are you envious? You'll have that too someday."

Noticing the gaze directed at her, Sonia smiled, rolled over, and then deliberately puffed out her chest.

"Forehead……"

Yuri gestured to show her size with a hint of disappointment, barely heeding Sonia's words of comfort.

Mary, caught in the middle, didn't care at all. Although she had been a girl for more than ten years, some things would not change, such as caring about the size of such places.

At most, I'll just pray that Yuri will grow up eventually; as for myself... well, forget it.

"Sonia, will you continue your investigation into the legend of the sword and shield?"

"Ha...that's true, probably, even though it was Grandma who arranged it for me."

Sonia was visibly taken aback when she heard Mary's question. Then she looked up at the snowflakes falling slowly from the sky, her tone indescribably complicated.

Professor Mulan specifically secured enough research funding for her granddaughter to apply for the Pokémon Professorship; perhaps this was one of the conditions she initially agreed to assist Chairman Rose.

Sonia isn't stupid; after traveling to so many places, the fact that her investigation progressed almost without any obstacles is naturally suspicious.

"Hmm? Isn't that good? He's a Pokémon professor, you know."

Yuri didn't think too much about it. In her opinion, what her family gave her wasn't something unacceptable.

“I know Grandma meant well… I’m not a sentimental person, I’m just a little unwilling to accept it. I’d rather rely on my own abilities to complete the research and become a PhD.”

Sonia's research level is actually quite high, but she just doesn't have a suitable topic to work on. The biggest project in Galar is led by Dr. Mulan. If Sonia were to follow that project, even if she actually came up with the results herself, it would easily attract criticism.

"Dr. Mulan must be quite old..."

Without thinking, Mary thought of Dr. Mulan's age.

"Yeah...sigh."

All the words she wanted to say turned into a sigh, and for no reason, the image of that man reappeared in Sonia's mind.

When his opponent ascended to the championship throne... it seems like a similar situation. What were Leon's feelings about that championship title back then?

Let's get in touch and see.

Having a temporary goal or direction eased Sonia's mood considerably; that's the kind of charm Dante has.

"Let's not talk about that. What I'm really curious about is why the sword and shield suddenly woke up at this time. They hadn't made a sound for three thousand years, but suddenly appeared in front of Yuri and Hop."

"Who knows? We'll probably find out next time we go to the Misty Forest."

"Do you know something again?"

Mary felt that Sonia didn't trust her at all, and that even a casual remark could somehow involve her.

"Have I noticed that you've been particularly distrustful of me lately?"

"Ahaha...sorry, sorry~"

Sonia laughed awkwardly a few times and quickly apologized. She decided not to pursue the matter with Mary. If it was related to Dark Night, it was probably part of her grandmother's and Chairman Loz's plan. Forcing Mary to answer questions was obviously not a good choice.

"However, although I don't think anyone would be that stupid, you'd better keep your Pokémon with you for the time being."

"Eh—is it really that scary?"

"My brother has been missing for so long, can't you guess how complicated things are?"

"Ah, so Nie Zi's involvement is related to these things... No wonder. Well, I'll teleport Milotic and the others over tomorrow. It's been a long time since I traveled with them."

"How long does Sister Sonia plan to stay in Battleground Town?"

Yuri looked at Hime-chan swimming towards Mari and asked her a question.

Sonia also noticed the approaching Primarina, and curiously examined the beautiful Pokémon before replying:

"Since we have nothing else to do, we might as well spend a few days with you guys in Zhanjing Town."

"That's great! Yuri and I were planning to go skiing. Does Sonia know how to ski?"

Mary reached out and helped Hime-chan, who was leaning in and affectionately touching her cheek with her mouth. Hime-chan placed her hands on either side of Mary as if she were about to hug her, which, to be honest, felt a bit like being approached by a mermaid.

"what happened?"

Mary raised her hand and patted Hime-chan's head, then asked with a smile,

"Aww~ (I thought of a nice melody and want to sing it to Mary~)"

With her tail gently patting Marie's legs, Hime-chan looked like a child waiting for praise, incredibly cute and straightforward.

"That's amazing! Could you sing it for me if you like, Hime-chan?"

Sishima's singing voice is already excellent; even a simple melody, when combined with a touch of alluring vocal technique, becomes incredibly beautiful. Therefore, Mary is really looking forward to Hime-chan's singing.

Maybe we can go to other regions in the future and take Hime-chan to participate in the Grand Contest, otherwise it would be quite a pity.

Overjoyed at the compliment, Hime hugged Mary tightly, kissed her cheek, and then let go. She stepped back slightly, hummed a nameless tune, and casually summoned some translucent bubbles, which, combined with the light of the moon, enhanced the atmosphere.

"Your Primarina is really amazing... This kind of control isn't something you can just do casually."

"Hime-chan has been training this ever since she evolved. The sand cactus she encountered back then had a really big impact on her."

"Shouldn't we go participate in a grand competition?"

"We have this plan, after Hime-chan has grown a bit more."

"Wow, that's really nice. I'm thinking of getting a bouncy sea lion to keep as a pet."

Sonia said this while listening to the relaxing music.

Chapter 288 Indoor Hot Spring

After soaking in the hot springs, and having arranged to go skiing and shopping with Sonia later, I watched her leave the hotel where Mary was staying.

Back in the room, Mary looked at Yuri, who was curled up on the sofa watching TV, walked over, bent down and kissed her forehead, and asked with a smile:

"Speaking of which, Yuri, you have a match against Hop tomorrow, is it alright to be so relaxed?"

"Oops—why did you suddenly kiss me!"

Yuri covered her forehead where she had been kissed, blushed slightly, glared at Mary, and then quickly returned her attention to the dojo challenge program playing on TV.

"What do the two of us care about?"

Mary took off her coat and sat down next to Yuri, stretching her arms.

This is what it means to waste one's days.

Mary couldn't help but think this way. Today's training volume was almost half of what it used to be. Although it was indeed fun to slack off, she felt uneasy doing nothing like this.

"Ha... Are there only the three of us who have arrived in Zhanjing Town so far?"