Pokémon from Galar

Mary reached out and hugged I-chan, who had skillfully jumped onto the table, squinted her eyes and rubbed against her, concealing her expression.

"I understand. I might need to trouble you two for the next couple of days, until I find that person."

"Ee~ (It's okay~)"

I-chan turned her head and licked Mari's cheek in response.

Mary didn't know how long she would have to search, but it shouldn't be too long, unless that person was so careful that they prepared enough food and camped out in the wild, completely away from towns. In that case, Mary would have to ask Onio for help.

As for investigating the foot traffic in Spiketown over the past two days, we can get the information by contacting Officer Jenny through the gym, and there's no need to worry about any information being leaked.

Conversely, if this alerts the enemy, it means the Rockets' infiltration has reached a very dangerous level, and then it's not something Mary can easily interfere with.

After quickly devising a plan, Mary buried her entire face in I-chan's fur and rubbed it against it for a good time before standing up and giving her place to Si-chan. She then picked up her clothes and tiptoed towards the bathroom.

……

After taking a shower and changing her clothes, Yuri felt a bit lazy and didn't want to go out. She lay barefoot on Mary's bed and curiously turned on Mary's handheld game console, which had been gathering dust at home for a long time.

"Don't want to go out?"

Mary smiled and sat down next to Yuri, reaching out to pinch a few stray strands of hair as she asked.

Yuri put down the handheld console, rolled over, and pressed her face against Mary's thigh, smiling somewhat shyly.

"Because I'm so tired..."

"Then you should rest at home. You can take a nap if you want."

"how about you?"

"I still plan to go and check out the dojo. I haven't been back for a long time, so I should go and say hello."

"Oh, I see. When are you coming back?"

Upon hearing this question, Mary tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and then said:

"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be back before dinner. Let's eat at home tonight."

"Forehead……"

Yuri stiffened for a moment, then shifted her body somewhat uncomprehending, making a strange sound. Seeing this, Mari, of course, guessed what was wrong.

"What, are you shy?"

"Well..."

"Haha~ It's okay, my parents are very easy to talk to."

"..."

Yuri stared at Mary's thigh and nodded without saying a word, as if she were escaping reality by playing dead.

Mary pinched Yuri's cheek, glanced at the time, and realized it was almost time to leave, including the time to buy groceries. If she left any later, she might not have time to cook dinner when she got back.

"It's almost time, I should head out now, you should rest for a while."

"Okay, then I'll take a nap..."

Mary stood up, watched as Yuri pulled the blanket over herself and wrapped herself in it, smiled, put her Rotom phone in her pocket, and left the room with only the Poké Ball hanging from her arm.

The Pokémon that could move easily also popped out and followed Marie, just like in the previous city, except this time, because it was Marie's hometown, their curiosity was even greater.

Even Hime-chan summoned a stream of water to gather around her, supporting herself as she looked around.

Nie Zi's dojo is located in the southeast corner of the city, far from the city center, but not too far from Mary's house, so walking there is acceptable.

Compared to dojos in other cities, this one looks rather unremarkable because it lacks an arena. In addition, Nie Zi himself often misses some of the dojo leaders' events, which makes it less popular than others.

Upon arriving at the dojo, they unexpectedly encountered Hop.

"Hep? What are you doing here?"

Hep, who was sitting next to the gym, looked up when he heard the sound, and his expression clearly became excited when he saw Marie.

"It's Mary! I originally wanted to come and book a challenge, but as expected, the gym leader isn't here, so I can't confirm the specific time for the challenge."

"Well... so what are your plans for the next few days?"

Mary pushed open the gym door, turned her head to look at Hop beside her, and casually asked a question.

"Hmm... I don't know whether I should do the same as before, or go home first."

"Ah, Mary, welcome back~"

As soon as she entered the room, before she could even reply to Hop's words, several familiar voices reached Mary's ears.

The woman who greeted Mary was a long-haired woman with a very outstanding figure, wearing a Scream Team uniform. She was a trainer at the gym and a member of Mary's support group.

"I'm back, Rowling. How have you been?"

Rowling was a head taller than Mary. She quickly walked up to Mary, raised her hand, and pinched Mary's cheek.

"Things are going well at the Energy Cubes, but things are still the same at the Gym."

"Well……"

Mary raised her hand to pry the small hands off her face, and gave Lorraine a slightly shy glare.

Are there any empty spots at the training ground?

"It's still the same as before; apart from Nie Zi's Pokémon, not many people use them anyway. Should Marie use them during this period?"

Because Nie Zi is also a part-time singer, many of the trainers gathered in the gym are music as their main profession and being a trainer as their secondary profession. Although there are quite a few talented trainers, their ability range is definitely the largest among the eight gyms.

"Um, can I bring two friends?"

"Is it him and Yuri? It doesn't matter. As long as you agree, Mary, Nie Zi said that you can take over the management when he's not around."

Rowling seemed to recognize them, but Mary overheard something rather ominous in her casual remarks.

"……I see."

Mary nodded, restraining herself from ignoring the last bit of information that was worth noting.

"Can I go to the training ground or something?"

Hep wasn't surprised that Yuri could go, since she and Mary were indeed very close, but she herself didn't have much contact with her. She didn't expect that she could go too.

"Anyway, you'll need to find a place to train, and there's still extra space here, so it won't get in the way."

Mary waved her hand casually. She certainly wouldn't have done this if there were a shortage of training space in the dojo, but since it was just sitting idle anyway, one more person wouldn't make a difference.

"Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome."

Rowling, who was standing next to her, looked at Mary's back with some surprise. Her boss used to be quite bad at making friends and always kept to herself. She never expected that after being away for half a year, she would have made good friends with two trainers with such high potential.

Of course, Mary had no idea what impolite things her older sister, whom she had known since childhood, was thinking. She took the lead and walked into the training field, where she easily spotted her older brother's Pokémon.

"Gah—!"

The leader of the crows flying around in the sky was the first to spot Marnie, flapping its wings and landing down. The other Pokémon also gathered around Marnie after hearing the sound.

The most imposing of them all was Tyranitar, howling as he charged towards them from afar. Hop, who had never seen anything like it before, was so startled she nearly turned and ran away.

Chapter 303 The Phone Call with Miss Officer Jenny

Mary was scooped up by Bangila's two little paws as it ran over, and Bangila rubbed its hard head against Mary's chest.

Despite being a fierce Pokémon, this one is unusually憨厚 (honest and simple), even a little憨厚 (simple and honest).

"Hooray~ (Marie, you're back~)"

"Okay, put me down first."

He raised his hand and patted Tyranitar's head. It felt a bit rough to the touch, but it was very sturdy.

"My brother's away lately, so I'll make sure you guys train, with my Pokémon."

As they were talking, Tyranitar crouched down and put Marie back, while Marie's Pokémon were already looking around at the training facility.

Marie then introduced Hop and his Pokémon to avoid them being mistaken for intruders by some little guy.

"Then I'll head back to the front. Contact me if you need anything."

After checking on her Pokémon's training progress, Rowling waved and left. Although few people would come to the main hall, it was still work, and she had to do it properly; at least she couldn't leave.

After arranging a training plan for her Pokémon, Mary said goodbye to Hop and left the training ground, not forgetting her purpose.

With Sis and Yisuke by her side, Mary pushed open the door to the room where Nie Zi usually handled things. She pulled out a chair next to the desk, sat down, and dialed Officer Jenny's number at the Spiketown Police Station.

"Hello? This is Officer Jenny. Is something wrong at the gym?"

A clear voice came from the receiver; it was clear that although the question was being asked, the person didn't seem too worried.

“Miss Officer Jenny, it’s been a long time. I’m Mary.”

"Hey? Little Mary, you're back—is something the matter?"

Officer Jenny naturally recognized Mary, the dojo master's sister. After hearing her voice, she paused for a moment and then laughed.

"Yes, there's something I'd like to ask you. Does Miss Officer Junsha know why my brother has been on a mission lately?"

"Huh? I know a little bit, but the details are beyond my knowledge."

Mary nodded slightly. Having some understanding was enough; it made it much easier for her to explain.

"Here's the thing, when I came back from Route 9, I found myself being tracked by a very advanced surveillance system that followed me all the way into Spikes."

"Huh?! Does Little Mary suspect that this is related to the things Nie Zi is in charge of?"

“It’s uncertain, but it’s possible. I’ve already been attacked once before, and I’d like to ask Miss Officer Jenny to help me investigate the surveillance footage of people entering and leaving Spike Town these past few days.”

"Hmm... It's a bit against the rules, but I can trust you this once, but you have to take me with you if you're going to do anything."

"...That's fine, but I hope Miss Officer Jenny can pretend a little. I don't want to alert them beforehand, and I haven't been able to contact my brother these past few days either."

Mary hesitated for a moment but still nodded in agreement. After all, she needed the other party's help, and if she refused, Officer Jenny's sense of justice might prevent Mary from getting involved.

It would be much more convenient if we could contact Nie Zi in time, but during the mission, all kinds of communication were basically cut off, and we could only contact her by waiting for her to contact us.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Not many people have come to Spiketown lately, so it should be easy to find them. Don't leave the gym yet; I'll contact you as soon as I find them."

"Well, then I'll leave it to Miss Officer Jenny."

"It's alright. Since it might be related to something so serious, it's necessary to be vigilant. We'll contact you later."