Pokémon from Galar

"Don't go too far! We'll stay here tonight and get to the mine by noon tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you, Mary! I'm off to special training now~"

Watching Yuri walk to the open space a short distance away and begin to ponder training matters, Marily turned to her Pokémon and said:

"Baru, when you're practicing high-speed movement in conjunction with Dragon Dance, could you please keep an eye on Yuri and the others for a bit?"

"Huh? (Are you sure you want me to practice Dragon Dance near them?)"

"Um...you're right. You should practice on your own. I'll go over and keep an eye on things later."

"Hooray~ (Haha~ I'm off then.)"

Looking at where Balu had flown a little further away, he turned back to Ichigo and said:

"Ichiko, you've become much more skilled with poison lately. I'll take you to Sonia's research institute to analyze the toxicity sometime later. For now, keep practicing your proficiency so you can sneak up on your opponent without them noticing during a fight."

"Eek~ (I know... but to be honest, I still don't really like this move; it's easy to accidentally get it on you, Mary.)"

I-chan's voice wasn't very enthusiastic; she seemed to have a slight dislike for the poison ability.

Mary crouched down and reached out to pat Ichigo's head.

"That happened so long ago, haven't you got it under control now?"

"Eek... (It's all because of you, Mary, that I had to learn about poisons. How am I supposed to control it...?)"

I-chan's tone, unusually, carried a hint of complaint, leaving Ralts speechless. It was the first time he'd ever seen I-chan so adorable!

Eevee's evolution was quite random. When Eevee was just a regular Eevee, it didn't have a particular preference for any of its eight evolution forms. It was just that Marnie's family had the most Dark-type Pokémon.

So it was slightly affected, and after a bit of effort, it evolved into Umbreon at night.

But Umbreon is poisonous...

An emotionally charged Umbreon lost control of its evolved form, causing Marie to become poisoned.

Although the toxicity was weak and did not have a significant impact on Marie, it did cause Ichijo to have some strange feelings about her evolved self.

With Mary's encouragement, Ichijou chose to work hard, but unfortunately, what had happened could not be undone, and the fact that she had hurt Mary could not be erased, which made Ichijou unable to let go.

Even Mary herself couldn't let it go. Ichigo's talent should have been something for her to be proud of, not something Ichigo should have disliked. Running away might be helpful, but many times there's no way to run away.

Umbreon's poison talent is undeniable, and no matter how much Eevee hates it, it can't be changed. So, we can only try to find a way to make Eevee feel better.

If she wanted Ichigo to forgive her, Mari knew she had to do something herself.

As Ichigo's family member, as a trainer, or even as a 'victim'.

Mary tried several methods, but ultimately chose the most honorable one: to confront what she hated.

Umbreon can learn Toxic, so after consulting with Eevee, it learned Toxic, a move used to taunt its opponent.

Yi-chan is actually very clear about her own feelings and Mary's thoughts, or rather, Mary has never hidden her thoughts from her.

I want to face my inner self and eliminate the feelings of rejection and disgust I have for myself.

Therefore, after some twists and turns, it took Ichigo to forgive herself. It can only be said that simple-minded children like to get stuck on things. This even made Marie consider whether she should study Pokémon psychology, a less popular subject.

On the other hand, while I-chan has forgiven her past self, she still likes to complain about drugs, especially in front of Mari.

One reason is habit, and the other is that it allows her to openly act cute...

Mary cupped Ichigo's head in her hands, her thumbs tracing her small face. Seeing Ichigo tilt her head slightly, she smiled, leaned down, and gently kissed her forehead, then nuzzled her cheek against Ichigo's.

Finally, he buried his entire face in Ichigo's fluffy fur and started petting the cat.

Then Mary was pushed away by I-chan's paw.

"Ee! (I'm off to training! Get out of here!)"

"???!!"

Having watched from the sidelines for so long, Si-chan's impression of Sister Yi had been both shattered and rebuilt, to the point that she didn't even react when Mary called her name.

However, that strange desire to evolve quickly, to evolve into Gardevoir so that Irelia could show that appearance she had just shown, quietly began to stir within her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Reasons for Traveling Are Always Varied

After resting for a night on the way, we arrived at the entrance of the Galer Mine around noon the next day.

Actually, the official entrance for miners is in another direction. This entrance was used before, but it has undergone various renovations and planning. Now it has been designated as the entrance for challengers.

There was a young woman standing guard at the entrance, having set up a small platform. I initially thought she was there to block challengers from fighting, but upon closer inspection, I realized she was a physician practicing her medical skills.

Occasionally, there are people like this. After passing the certification exam, in order to hone their skills, they will treat Pokémon for passersby in various places, while only charging the minimum amount of money.

While the healing medicine is effective, it doesn't allow for further examination of the Pokémon's physical condition, and the Rotom Phone, limited by its performance, also cannot do this.

So after Mary and Yuri confirmed each other's certificates, they asked the young lady to check them to see if the training over the past two days had caused any problems.

The young lady performed all her operations in front of two people, and the equipment she used was all standard equipment that she had seen at the Pokémon Center, albeit miniaturized.

Joey uses this equipment occasionally when she goes out on fieldwork.

"How long have you been here, miss?"

Yuri, bored standing to the side, started chatting with the girl.

"Hmm... I think it only started recently, and I'm not always here. I usually go to Machine City or Grass Road Town to rest every few days, and I can also watch the games."

"It must be really tough. Why don't you work part-time at a hospital or a Pokémon Center? With a certificate, you should be able to get in either."

A doctor's license is much harder to obtain than a trainer's license. A trainer only needs basic knowledge, a Pokémon, and a Poké Ball to get a trainer's certificate.

However, becoming a doctor is much harder, especially becoming a Pokémon doctor. Many people who graduate from specialized schools still have to do a long internship in a hospital before they can get their certificate.

If it were Marie, she would definitely go to the Pokémon Center to learn from Nurse Joy for several years, and then she could open her own clinic.

After hearing Mary's words, the young woman chuckled wryly through her mask, put down the testing equipment in her hand, and said:

"Actually, my dad kicked us out, saying that he wanted my sister and me to experience more things, to travel around, so that we wouldn't be stuck in the hospital for the rest of our lives."

"I see... That must be really hard work."

"Well, at first it was quite tough, but now I think it's not bad to be able to come out. Occasionally I look after the Pokémon for trainers who pass by, listen to their adventures and journeys, and sometimes I check the health of the wild Pokémon in the area. It's surprisingly quite enjoyable."

"Oh! This feels amazing~ It's so romantic!"

Yuri sat on the small stool next to her and made a sound that sounded impressive but was not quite clear.

"Haha~ Thanks, the check is almost done."

The young woman chuckled, handed the last fruit-eating worm back to Yuri, then took off her mask and said while tidying up her tools:

"Your Pokémon are all healthy, but this little Cotton seems to be developing rather slowly. Give it more supplements recently, and also some Fruitworms. If the test results are correct, it should be evolving soon."

"Huh? Really?!"

Yuri was startled. She glanced down at the bewildered fruit-eating worm, then turned her gaze to the young lady.

"Yes, the inside of the apple is almost hollow, and the outer shell has also changed to a similar state. It's likely that it has already eaten the core. Once it digests the apple core, it will undergo a transformation. It should happen in the next few days."

The evolution of fruit-eating insects is a fascinating phenomenon. The fruit-eating insect and the apple it chooses are constantly influencing and permeating each other as they are being eaten.

The fruit pulp it eats affects the fruit-eating worm itself, while its own power continuously alters the apple's properties. It will evolve once the core is completely eaten.

The apple chosen by the Fruiteater is a special variety. Not only is it large, but it is also a very special item for the Fruiteater. However, to humans and other Pokémon, it is just a large apple and has no other significance.

Depending on the taste of the apple, it will evolve into two different forms. However, it's unclear what form Yuri's fruit-eating worm will evolve into, since it hasn't tasted the apple and therefore cannot be judged.

After the young lady finished speaking, she took out a few Power Cubes from the side and gave each Pokémon two to eat. When Marie saw the box containing the Power Cubes, she was stunned.

Noticing Mary's reaction, the young lady placed the box on the table with both hands and introduced it with a smile:

"Little sister, do you care about this? It's just a regular energy cube that restores stamina. Most Pokémon can use it. I bought it from two strangely dressed people before, and it worked pretty well. I'd like to buy more next time I see it."

"Oh...I see. You think it's very useful too, sister?"

Mary lowered her head slightly, scratching her cheek a little shyly, but secretly pleased. The young woman, however, didn't seem to notice Mary's change in expression and continued talking.

"Hmm! Although the person selling it was dressed a bit strangely, the energy cubes were surprisingly useful. I heard they came from other regions. I'll definitely buy more next time I see them."

"Oh, I see. I'm glad you like it... Those people are probably selling it during the Gym Challenge. You should be able to find it in Grass Road Town the closest town."

"Little sister, you know about these blocks too?"

"That……"

Mary tugged at Yuri's sleeve, who was about to speak, and then said to herself:

"Yes, I've been in contact with them before. Although their attire is a bit strange, it's guaranteed by the gym leader, so the quality is very good. You can buy it with confidence."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"It's ok."

While chatting, the two of them returned the Pokémon to their Poké Balls. The entrance to the mine wasn't very wide; at least, Palmo couldn't squeeze in, leaving only Eevee and Cottony outside.

"Will my sister stay here all this time?"

Before leaving, Mary suddenly asked a question out of curiosity, and the young lady shook her head and smiled, saying:

"I'll be staying near the mines soon, but my sister and I love watching gym battles live, so we might follow some of our favorite trainers and watch the whole thing."

"You can do that...?"

Yuri was clearly hearing about this kind of tourism for the first time. She had only ever watched live streams from home before, and this was the first time she had ever seen someone actually traveling all over the Galar region with the contestants...

"Haha~ Good luck with the dojo challenge for the two little girls!"

"Mmm, thank you, big sister~"

Yuri waved goodbye to the girl she had just met, and then walked into the dimly lit mine with Mary.

P.S.: While watching Sword and Shield story videos, I came across the mine scene and suddenly this thought popped into my head. Mainly, I'd almost forgotten about the Shouting Team, so I thought I'd add a little background information. It doesn't have a huge impact; it's just filling in a small gap I'd forgotten.

Anyway, she's definitely not trying to cause trouble, after all, Mary is so strong now (laughs).

It's like cheering on Mary while simultaneously promoting a new product from our hometown.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Challenge from the Miners

There were headlamps in the mine, and they were quite bright, making it surprisingly easy to walk around inside.

Occasionally, you can see three gophers suddenly popping out of the ground, or little charcoal rolling around nearby.

"Hey, Mary-chan, wasn't that energy cube box exactly the same as the one you used? Did you make it?"