Pokémon from Galar

"They're probably all still sleeping, just like your friends. After all, they just finished a mission, and I bet a lot of them are relaxing."

The cafeteria itself was very tall, and there were groups of researchers or police officers nearby eating with their Pokémon. However, after seeing the number tags on the Pokémon next to the researchers, Marie realized that this research institute must be raising quite a few Pokémon.

"Most of them searched all night yesterday; they would collapse if they didn't rest."

A cool, clear voice came from behind the two of them, interrupting the conversation.

"You say that, but you're still staying up all night, Master Meirong."

Nie Zi turned around and smiled in response, while Mary followed suit, turning around to greet him.

Good morning, Mei Rong, the dojo master.

"Good morning, it's nice to see you again, Mary. I was just about to go to rest, but since it's breakfast time, I decided to have breakfast first."

"How is the situation?"

"We caught most of them, but it seems like we missed a couple of kittens. The snowfield is too big. I should have called everyone from the dojo together."

"Where are the two leaders?"

"Then I don't know. I was leading the search last night. You can ask Dan Di when he gets back about the interrogation."

"Thank you for coming to help this time."

“I can’t compare to your sister. The news has spread all over the internet, ‘A crimson meteor streaking across Galar.’ Now everyone is guessing what it is. Marie has really made a splash this time.”

"Forehead……"

When the topic inexplicably turned to her, Mary, who had just ordered her food, was stunned for a moment before turning to look at the two restaurant owners with an embarrassed smile.

"Wasn't I too hasty yesterday...?"

Seeing Mary's expression, Mei Rong laughed instead. She personally thought highly of Mary, but it was a pity that she couldn't train her herself.

Mary, who cannot read minds, only found Mei Rong's smile unexpectedly gentle.

P.S.: I almost missed the update again today lol. I said I'd go to the convenience store this afternoon, but I ended up going back to my hometown instead.

Chapter 315 Mascot

After taking the food, Mei Rong, the head of the dojo, separated from Mary, seemingly having no intention of dining with them.

Marie, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. After preparing food for everyone, Marie sat down at the table next to her with her own plate. She couldn't use the dining table designed for Pokémon at all.

When Xiao Qiu unleashes its full power, its wings emit an uncontrollable dark red light. However, when the light dims, it is not very noticeable unless you look closely. Some differences in appearance can be explained by individual differences.

There's no need to worry about being easily recognized, which saves Mary a lot of trouble.

"A crimson meteor... Let me see it."

Although she really didn't want to see something like her embarrassing past, Mary couldn't rest easy without seeing it for herself. So, during her meal, she took out her phone and opened the social media app she usually used.

"What, you couldn't resist searching yourself so quickly?"

Nie Zi was sitting next to Mary and naturally saw her actions. Listening to his sister's rambling, he almost burst out laughing.

"What?! I just wanted to see how big the commotion was. The three divine birds were born yesterday, so no one should care, right?"

Mary naturally noticed the suppressed laughter in her brother's voice. She looked up and glared at Nie Zi. Unlike her brother, Mary didn't like to show her face in public. If it wasn't necessary, she would rather no one know her.

Instead of becoming a popular character.

Just as Mary was about to take a closer look at what they had been discussing, her gaze returned to her chest, and the little nebula she had almost forgotten about suddenly woke up.

"Yeah~"

Two tiny hands peeked out from under Mary's coat collar, their gazes landing squarely on the plate in front of her—or rather, on the dessert, a crème brûlée.

"Want some?"

Mary reached out and picked up the pudding, waving it in front of Nebula's eyes. Looking down at Nebula's gaze following along, Mary's previously somewhat awkward mood immediately improved.

"Yay!"

Perhaps unable to resist the sweet aroma wafting around her, Little Nebula struggled to break free from Mary's collar, rolled twice on the table without caring, and then hugged the pudding in Mary's hands, refusing to let go.

Seeing that Nebula looked impatient, Mary had no choice but to put down her chopsticks, pick up the spoon next to her, and start feeding Nebula bite by bite.

"...Where did you conjure up this Pokémon from?"

Nie Zi swallowed the food in her mouth, tilted her head and looked at the strange appearance of Little Nebula. There was no such little guy by Mary's side yesterday. How come her sister brought this strange thing again after she woke up?

"It came here by itself in the middle of the night yesterday, so let's just call it Little Nebula."

"Such a thing is true?"

"Little Nebula is quite something; it probably sensed my presence and came closer."

"Oh ho... your luck is as good as ever."

Nie Zi made a nonchalant remark. He wasn't envious of his sister; he was simply used to Mary's occasional antics.

"Yeah~"

Little Nebula finished Mary's pudding in a few bites, then turned around and stared at the portion in front of Nie Zi, following the smell.

"..."

"ah……"

"Here you go, don't stare at me like I'm bullying you."

Nie Zi remained silent for a while, then finally picked up a spoon, scooped out the pudding, and stuffed it into Little Nebula's mouth.

"Do you know how to raise this child... Little Nebula?"

"Little Nebula is a bit special. We just need to feed it what it likes. Its food is light, so we don't need to prepare anything special for it."

"Light?"

Mary's words made Nie Zi's eyebrows twitch. Because of the mission, he was unable to personally participate in the Alola matter, but he did read a report. The description of 'light' in that report did not simply refer to the light in daily life.

"Yeah, it's basically a mascot, though it's extremely rare."

"……mascot."

Although I don't know Nebula personally, I imagine that if it's connected to the light of Alola, it can't just be a mascot.

"Haha~"

Mary put down her spoon, not intending to bother with Little Nebula. There were other people around, so she wouldn't get lost.

Having finished her dessert, Nebula showed little interest in the other dishes. She just looked at I-chan with curiosity, hesitated for a moment, and then hopped over to her.

"By the way, I've already submitted my application for the acting gym leader position, along with this action report. I think I should get a notification soon. You can take over the gym challenges for your two friends yourself."

"Uh--"

Mary froze, looking at her older brother with a helpless expression. Was he moving that fast?

"What? The most important thing for a trainer is not to procrastinate, otherwise by the time you finish hesitating, the suspect will have already disappeared."

"I'm not a suspect!"

"But you know how to run away."

"...Is this how you treat your own sister?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

"..."

Mary was speechless for a moment, then decided to change the subject.

"What about my gym challenge? Should I challenge it later?"

"It's up to you. If you want, you can play with me during my break, or we can play together again when I'm done with my work."

"You should rest for a few days, lest you die suddenly."

Mary pursed her lips and decided against letting Nie Zi work for the next few days. It was a rare holiday, so it was better to let him rest peacefully.

……

He didn't stay at the research institute for too long. After all, Nie Zi wasn't familiar with the person in charge and didn't get any perks like a tour. In fact, the researchers probably looked down on Nie Zi and his rough, fighting-minded fellows.

So Mary only looked around at some unimportant places on the outside before leaving the cave with Nie Zi.

However, Nie Zi still needed to go to Leon to complete some handover work, so in the end, Marie took the Pokémon for a leisurely stroll in the snow by herself.

How did it feel to battle Articuno yesterday?

Mary looked at Baloo and Xiao Qiu with some curiosity. She had only grasped the general situation of the battlefields during yesterday's chaotic battle, and had not been able to see the specific details clearly.

"Hoo~ (A very strong opponent; I'm still far from being good enough.)"

"Gah—(The pressure is immense. If I hadn't suddenly become stronger yesterday, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to fight.)"

Despite this, Mary didn't detect any sign of dejection, which relieved her. Not getting stuck on things is a great quality.

However, if we had to pinpoint a reason, it was actually the qualities that Marie embodied that made Baloo and the others not worry about falling behind the three divine birds in the future. Momo and Chirp had already proven the possibility to them, and now every member of the team was full of confidence and anticipation.

Chapter 316 Lunch and Casual Conversation

Since there was no need to stay in the snowfield any longer, Mary returned to the guesthouse and planned to go back to Spike Town after Yuri woke up.

However, Yuri woke up earlier than Mary had expected. She had thought she would sleep until the afternoon, but before lunchtime, she sat up in bed listlessly.

"Ah... Marie-chan, good morning..."

"Good morning."

Snapping out of her phone, Mary looked at Yuri, who was sitting on the bed still half asleep. She stood up and went over to tidy Yuri's hair.

Are you awake?

"...I saw a small nebula appear in front of me, I was probably still dreaming."

"Pfft-"

Yuri's mutterings made Mary burst out laughing. She reached out, cupped Yuri's face, turned her to face her, then lifted her bangs and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Get up and wash up first. You can rest when you get home."

"……Oh."

She raised her hand and touched the spot where she had been kissed. The very real touch gradually brought her back to her senses, and her cheeks turned slightly red.