Pokémon from Galar

Out of the corner of my eye, I subconsciously glanced to the side and then easily spotted the little nebula lying next to me.

"Huh? Why is there really a little nebula? So last night wasn't just a dream?"

"Ah—it came to me yesterday before you came back. I didn't know where to return it, so I decided to keep it with me for now."

"...Huh? Why are there small nebulae appearing in Galar?"

"Who knows..."

Curious, Yuri reached out and pinched Little Nebula's body. Perhaps afraid of waking it, she gently felt it for a moment before getting off the bed.

After washing up, she felt much more refreshed. After getting dressed, Yuri rubbed her stomach and asked:

Where should we go for dinner later?

"Ask the landlady, she should provide lunch."

"Didn't Mary eat here this morning?"

"I ate at a nearby research institute with my brother. He wasn't there, so I probably won't be able to get in at noon."

"I see... I'll go down and ask then."

"Let's go together. After lunch, we can go home."

"Hmm~ But I don't know where Hop is staying with Master Mei Rong. Oh well, I'll just send him a message and tell him to go back by himself."

While Yuri was saying some very heartless things, she took out her phone and sent a message to Hep. Last night when they came back, Yuri had come here to stay alone because of what they had agreed beforehand. She really didn't know where Hep was.

When they got to the first floor, the proprietress was there just like yesterday. After asking, they found out that she did offer lunch service, although it was charged separately. However, the price wasn't expensive, so Mary didn't really care.

The landlady's grandson was doing his homework on the sofa next to her. Yuri glanced at him curiously and then looked away. It was Pokémon school material.

"Should we buy some local specialties to take back later? I remember there's a kind of special radish here that's quite famous."

"Um...that's fine, I can buy a few to eat in the next couple of days."

Mary hadn't even thought about local specialties; if Yuri hadn't mentioned it, Mary would have completely forgotten about it.

"Do you two ladies want to buy iced radishes? They're not cheap; the soil here isn't easy to grow crops."

The proprietress, who was pushing her cart out, overheard their conversation and joined in with a smile.

Is the production very low?

"Hmm... I heard that the yield used to be quite high, but it has gradually decreased now. If you want to buy some, try asking around near the farmland in front of the village."

After distributing the food to Yuri and her Pokémon, the proprietress kindly told them where to buy the carrot.

"Thank you!"

"It's alright, please enjoy your meal."

After delivering the food, the proprietress left the restaurant and went to supervise her child's studies.

Yuri, on the other hand, had already put the radish issue out of her mind and started to deal with the steaming soup and noodles in front of her.

Mary was thinking about the King of Abundance. According to her memory, there should be two kinds of carrots, but the other kind seems to be related to ghosts, so it's normal that the villagers don't grow them.

Although I'm quite curious about the specifics of the King of Abundance, we have to wait for it to awaken on its own. Buying some radish seeds in advance seems like a good idea, as they'll likely come in handy.

Just as the two were quietly eating lunch, Sonia suddenly called. Mary answered and was met with a very curious expression.

"Marilyn Mary, is that you they're talking about online?"

"...Which one are you referring to?"

"Oh, who else could it be but that crimson meteor!"

"It's me, but don't tell anyone."

"Aww—!! I knew it! Ever since you went to Alola, you've always managed to get into some weird and wonderful things. Let me see when you come back~ Is it Chirp or Pazu?"

"Little Chirp, are you coming to Spiketown?"

"Of course, it's been a while since we last saw each other. When I get there, treat me to a meal, Mary."

"...Why am I the one paying?"

"You're the host, right? By the way, where's Yuri?"

In the video, Sonia looked around and saw the figure of the Thousand-Faced Escaper, but not Yuri.

So Mary turned her phone around and pointed the camera at Yuri, who was focused on eating.

"They're on the other side."

"Oh! Yuri, it's been a long time!"

"Sister Sonia, it's been so long! Are you coming to visit us soon?"

“Yeah, I’ve been researching in Quan Guan City lately and I’m almost going crazy. It’s good to take a break.”

"Hehehe~ That's great."

"Tell me about the three legendary birds. Kibana wouldn't let me go see Zapdos, he's so stingy!"

"Then you'll have to ask Mary-chan. I only saw Moltres in Spiketown; I missed Articuno when it came."

"That's really great, the Three Divine Birds. Once I've finished what I'm doing, I'd like to go see the snowfield too."

Sonia quickly steered the conversation back to the topic of research, though she said she wanted to rest, she didn't seem to really mean it.

"By the way, Sonia, do you know what a research institute here in the snowfield studies? It's so big it's almost frightening."

"Um... I really don't know about that. I only know it's related to Dynamax. My grandma should know. Should I ask her later?"

"There's no need for that. If I don't know, I don't care. I have no intention of investigating further anyway, since I'll be leaving here soon."

"No, now that you've brought it up, I'm actually a little interested. I'll go ask Grandma. See you in Spiketown later, bye-bye!"

"……Forehead"

Looking at the disconnected phone, Mary tilted her head to meet Yuri's gaze, and they both laughed.

Chapter 317 Sonia's Deduction

Marie, who had left the snowfield, returned to Spiketown with a little nebula, a few ice carrots, and a small bag of seeds. After returning home, Marie didn't forget to call Officer Jenny and got a scolding.

The matter between Snowfield and Team Rocket has now come to a temporary end.

Yuri and Hop also temporarily lacked the energy for gym challenges, choosing to wait for Marie's notification of the gym before attempting them.

Nie Zi, who had finally managed to escape from work, completely holed up at home, burying herself in her creative work. If it weren't for the fact that she still had her Pokémon to look after, she might have evolved into a complete shut-in.

Sonia arrived as scheduled, and as soon as she arrived in Spike Town, she invited the idle Mary and Yuri out.

"Long time no see, Sonia."

"Long time no see, you two."

The three met up smoothly at the Pokémon Center. Sonia had already ordered her drinks and sat down in an empty seat.

After Mary sat down and took a sip, she skillfully offered her milk tea to Mo and Nebula. With another gluttonous child by her side, Mary's sugar intake became even more scarce.

"Oh...your little Nebula likes desserts?"

"Yeah, thank goodness we didn't fight with Xiao Mo."

Perhaps because Mo's evolution method relies entirely on light, these two, despite both being greedy, surprisingly have a high level of mutual affection and have not had any quarrels.

"By the way, Yuri, after the gym challenge is over, how about we take another trip to the Slumbering Forest with Hop sometime?"

"Is it okay? Didn't they say we weren't allowed to come in?"

"You were all too weak before. Besides, according to the documents, the sword and shield don't appear out of nowhere. Who knows what might happen this year? You should be prepared."

Mary looked at Sonia's serious expression and was quite curious. She was sure that something would happen this year because she remembered some things, but why was Sonia so sure?

Upon meeting Mary's questioning gaze, Sonia pursed her lips and explained:

"That's right. I pieced together a very, very vague statement from some documents. It is said that the appearance of the sword and shield is due to a prophecy. When disaster strikes, a chosen savior is chosen, and the appearance of the sword and shield is related to this."

"Uh...it feels a little scary."

Yuri opened her mouth, and two of the three key points appeared: the savior and the sword and shield. Only the unknown disaster remained, and it was uncertain when it would strike.

"Hmm... that's what's bothering me. It's too vague. I can only make the worst-case scenario plan. Maybe the sword and shield have just been sleeping for too long and came out for some fresh air."

Sonia took a big gulp of milk tea to calm herself down.

"Let's not talk about that. I asked my grandma what the research institute in the snowfield did, and guess what I got?"

"what?"

"It is said that there is a very, very large cavity under the snowfield, filled with a large amount of Dynamax energy, which even distorts space to a certain extent. Ordinary people and Pokémon cannot even withstand the energy pressure there."

Marie raised an eyebrow. The space distortion was alright; ordinary Dynamax dens already had a certain degree of space distortion, and the holes in the dens were abnormally large.

"Let me finish. The space inside the Galar's Dynamax Dens may have originated from that underground cavity. All the dens, once entered, actually end up in the same location, which is underground in the snowfield."

"Huh...are you serious?"

"It hasn't been definitively confirmed yet, but it's said to be highly likely. Isn't that interesting!"

"Well..."

If this is true, then the transportation methods in Galar could be revolutionized, since currently only Pokémon can use long-distance transmission devices.

"Maybe your little nebula just accidentally fell into Galar through that place."

Sonia poked Little Nebula's bottom with her finger, making a rather plausible joke.

"By the way, who knows, maybe we'll have the chance to go on an adventure there someday."

"...It sounds so dangerous, but is it even allowed to go in and play?"

Yuri reached out and cupped Xiao Mo's body, rubbing it gently as she asked curiously,

"Of course it's not for fun. Wild Pokémon appear in that awful place from time to time. It's not a good thing to leave them there for too long. So, we'll probably send someone in to take those Pokémon out and release them."

Yuri handed her milk tea straw to Xiao Mo and said with a pout:

"Isn't it still dangerous in the end? A rampaging Dynamax Pokémon is hard to deal with no matter how you look at it."

"Just be prepared and go as a team. The protective measures are very comprehensive, otherwise that research institute would have been shut down long ago."

"Eh... I see."