Pokémon from Galar

After taking Xiaotai home to rest for about a week, Mary set off again alone to the snowfield.

Xiao Tai wasn't interested in what Mary wanted to do; she just said she'd go and say hello to King Rachel after she found him, and then she stayed in Spiketown alone.

The start of the school year is just around the corner, and Mary's parents are even more concerned about Xiao Tai's enrollment than Mary had imagined. As a result, Xiao Tai, who originally planned to go back to the lab earlier, has no choice but to stay in Spike Town to prepare school supplies that are not essential.

Sitting alone on the train bound for the snowfield, Mary was in a spacious business class seat, resting with Ichigo and Nebula in her arms. Since she wasn't in a hurry, Mary gave up on traveling by sky for the first time in a long time and chose to take the train instead.

Just as the train passed by Hualang Town, Yi-chan suddenly lifted her head from Mari's arms and looked out the window.

"Ee~ (That energy, is it Yuri and the others challenging it?)"

The Pokémon, with their heightened sensitivity to energy, had already sensed the turbulent energy fluctuations beneath the cliff outside the window, while Marnie, who had already stepped into the realm of the inhuman, could also vaguely perceive the aura belonging to Zacian.

"It should be."

Mary gazed in that direction, where a sudden appearance of large, dark clouds indicated that a battle was taking place.

"Ee~ (Why don't you go watch Yuri's challenge? I think Yuri is probably hoping you'll go.)"

Turning around, Ichigo's forelimbs softly landed on Mari's abdomen, and she looked up into Mari's eyes, trying to find an answer.

“That was Yuri’s trial. She seems to be relying on me too much lately, especially after I became the ‘Champion.’ This is not a good sign.”

Mary shook her head slightly, giving her answer.

“Ee~ (Isn’t it good? We rely on you a lot, Mary.)”

“It’s not that it’s bad. Although you’re dependent, you can handle most things independently even when I’m not around. You have choices, and I hope Yuri can have choices too.”

"You know I've already led you into another realm. In the future, Yuri will inevitably have to make a choice: whether to stay with me and abandon this world, or to let the future come to an abrupt end within a hundred years. Yuri must make this choice based on her own will, so..."

Mary paused for a moment, but Ichigo still understood what Mary meant. However, Mary didn't mention her own choice at all, which made Ichigo a little unhappy.

The atmosphere became slightly heavy, so Mary raised her hand and ruffled Ichigo's hair, smiling.

"I wonder how things are going with Yuri. I hope Zaxiang and the others won't be too harsh on her."

I-chan pouted and nudged Mary's chest with her head, then lay back down, ignoring Mary's words. Mary saw this and found it both amusing and touching. She lowered her head and kissed I-chan's forehead, whispering:

"Why are you still angry? Of course I will always stay with you. For me, there is no choice at all. Why would I need to consult you?"

"Ee~ (Hmph~)"

Yi-chan tossed her head, leaving only the back of her head and a pair of slightly twitching ears in Mary's eyes. However, Mary knew that the little knot in Yi-chan's heart had been smoothed out; she was just too proud to change her mind immediately.

"Alright, let me hold you and let you sleep for a while. We still have things to do when we get to the snowfield."

Mary tightened her grip on Ichigo's arm, shrunk into the soft chair, and closed her eyes.

……

As the train arrived at the station, Mary rubbed her eyes and woke up to the sound of the announcement. She glanced out the window and then at the down jacket that Ichi-chan had taken out and was hanging next to her.

"Thank you."

Mary released Ichigo, stood up, put on her thick coat, tucked Nebula into her arms, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the carriage with Ichigo. The Snowfield station was the final stop on this train, and hardly anyone got off there.

Mary tugged at her shoulder strap and led I-chan out of the ticket gate, officially stepping into the snow.

"Hiss—it's still as cold as ever."

A shiver ran through her, and Mary raised her hand to put her hat on as well. Then she hugged Yi-chan tightly and stuffed her and Nebula into her large down jacket, leaving only their heads sticking out.

With her hands in her pockets, Mari hugged Ichigo's warm body and exhaled a puff of white breath.

“In the past, when it was cold in the wilderness, I liked to tuck you into my arms like this to keep warm.”

"Eek~ (Didn't you say you'd let me evolve into Flareon? You forgot about it the next day.)"

"Haha~ That's true."

Thinking about what had happened before, Mary put on her thick boots and walked towards the village, which was a little far away.

When Mary's assistant heard that she was coming to the snowfield, he originally planned to contact the research institute and have Mary stay there with all her food and lodging. However, considering that it would be more convenient to conduct research in the village, he declined the offer.

He took out his phone and dialed his assistant's number.

"Hello? Miss Mary, have you arrived yet?"

"Yes, we're heading towards the village. Have you found out anything about the stone I asked you to inquire about?"

"We've found it. After all, the village isn't big. But is that stone really useful? And that statue is just an ordinary stone carving. It's so worn that you can't see anything clearly anymore."

"Give it a try. Putting everything else aside, at least let the villagers remember what the God of Abundance once looked like."

"Okay, then I'll go prepare lunch for you first. Miss Mary, you can go directly to the research institute. I've also left some documents that you need to review there. If I arrive late, you can take a look first."

"Ha... is there still something to see? Thanks for your help, see you later."

After hanging up the phone, the assistant sitting in the room smiled and shook her head. She hadn't expected that her first task alongside the new champion would be running across the snowfield.

Although Mary had initially planned to give her assistant a break and come alone, the assistant didn't want to leave a bad impression on the champion so soon after taking office. Besides, she was also worried about an eleven-year-old girl going to such a snowy place alone. Fortunately, the subsidies for this operation were quite generous, and the villages here didn't seem as dilapidated as she had imagined, so it was still acceptable.

After glancing at the stones on the ground, the assistant had naturally heard about the Lacecrown from Mary, so she approved of Mary's plan.

She put away her phone; she had to meet up with Marie. Although the guesthouse also provided food, the Pokémon food at the research institute would definitely be more balanced and varied. The assistant couldn't possibly let Marie eat in the village instead of going to the research institute.

As a twenty-year-old adult woman, while I am often amazed by Marie's skills as a trainer, in daily life I still unconsciously treat Marie as a younger sister and consider her needs.

Chapter 432 Climbing the Snow Mountain

What Mary was trying to do attracted the attention of some villagers who were passing by, as well as the village chief.

"...Did the King of Abundance really exist?"

What Mary, the current champion, said made the village chief, who had initially thought it was just some fabricated legend, begin to doubt his own understanding.

"It's highly likely to be true, but the other party has been asleep for a very long time, so it's inevitable that they will forget him."

Mary struggled to carry the large rock. It wasn't very big, but it was quite heavy. According to estimates, its density was probably much higher than that of ordinary rocks.

Without asking her assistant for help—the weight was too heavy for an ordinary girl to assist with—Marie channeled some of the light within her body to lighten the burden on her hands.

Carefully walking to the statue in the center of the village, Mary lifted the stone and, based on the vague image in her memory, placed the broken part of the stone on the bald head.

Click—

A slight scraping sound was heard. Mary, who was worried that the stone she was holding in her hands might not be stable, suddenly felt the stone twist a few times and stand there steadily.

"Huh? Is there something special about it?"

Mary was puzzled and carefully shook her hands, but the stone her palms touched remained unmoved, as if it had been welded there.

"What's wrong, Miss Mary?"

Seeing Mary holding the stone so still, the assistant assumed she was afraid it would fall, so she quickly called over a villager with tools to take over.

"No need, the statue restored itself."

Mary turned back and smiled gratefully at the villagers, then generously let go of their hands, took two steps back, and displayed the sculpture to everyone present.

"Huh? Why isn't it falling? The cross-section isn't in the exact center and it's not deep enough, so how can it stand up?!"

The assistant clearly didn't understand the operation. The shallow groove wasn't in the center of gravity, and without other support points, it was impossible for it to stand on a stone out of thin air.

"Perhaps there are some other secrets hidden within this sculpture. But let's not talk about that, Mr. Village Chief. Look at this image, isn't it almost identical to the image on the T-shirt you made?"

"Oh my god! So it really does have a big head!"

The village chief was indeed somewhat surprised, and even stepped forward to carefully shake it a couple of times, only to find that he couldn't budge it an inch. However, he didn't dare to actually test the overall hardness of the sculpture, and after feeling it for a moment, he withdrew his hand.

"Alright, I'm going out for a bit now. And Mr. Village Chief, could you please help me look around the village for any records about the King of Abundance?"

"Now that we've come this far, I can't refuse anymore. I still have quite a few ancient books at home; I'll go back and help you look through them."

"Could my assistant come with you? It should be easier with more help."

"Wait, Miss Mary, aren't you planning to take me with you when you go out?"

Before the village chief could answer, the assistant asked the question first.

"I plan to go up the mountain over there to check it out. The road there is difficult to travel, the weather is terrible, and there are many wild Pokémon. The journey is not safe."

Mary raised her finger and pointed to the white mountain peaks that could be seen at a glance. The implication was quite clear: the assistant was not a trainer and had just graduated from university. Not only was she not used to traveling in the wild, but she also did not have a powerful enough Pokémon to protect her.

In addition, Mary also had to consider the possibility of a black and white horse appearing, and she was not sure if she could protect her assistant.

The assistant, however, was clearly not going to give up. She subconsciously pushed up her round-framed glasses, and her high ponytail swayed as she did so.

"I may not be a very skilled trainer, but my Pokémon are amazing! It's just a mountain road; I've participated in events like cross-country rallies before. I can do it!"

As she spoke, the assistant seemed worried that Mary wouldn't believe her, so she took out her only Poké Ball, turned it on, and a Pokémon appeared beside the two of them.

It was a Lucario, and its breeding condition was surprisingly good; it wasn't the kind that lives in a typical household with humans and is neglected in terms of exercise.

While he may not be a seasoned veteran, his muscles and gaze clearly demonstrate the results of rigorous training.

The village chief watched with a smile as the new little champion and her assistant interacted. He looked at the two girls like they were his granddaughters, thinking how young and full of energy they were.

"Hmm... he's not bad. Let's take him back first. You can come, but don't wander off. Stay close to me."

Given Lucario's skill level, it should be able to protect people in the wild if it doesn't cause trouble. It seems that the league considered the trainer's skill level when making the selection, rather than just selecting a purely clerical worker.

Trainers like Olive or Sonia, who are not only highly skilled but also exceptionally good at their craft, are extremely rare.

Having decided on the assistant's issue, Mary then turned to look at the village chief.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Village Chief."

"It's alright, it's alright. If the legend of the King of Abundance is true, then perhaps the village's land can be brought back to life, which would be a blessing for us."

The village chief seemed to genuinely hope for this. The land in the village was deteriorating year by year, and it was truly no longer able to support the next generation. If Bingning Village were to disappear completely in his hands, the village chief would truly feel ashamed before his ancestors.

Mary nodded, but didn't reply. Instead, she smiled and said:

"Then we'll take our leave now, thank you for your help."

With his assistant by his side, he stepped out of the village and onto the winding mountain road.

Mary called out Kyon and Ichigo, and followed them slowly forward. After a moment of silence, Mary suddenly asked:

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've asked you why you wanted to be the champion's assistant. It's not a good choice to come with me to these terrible places."

"Um……"

The assistant glanced at Mary's profile, thought for a moment, and then said truthfully:

"The most direct thing is the resume. Learning from the champion and even having the opportunity to build a friendship with the champion are enough to attract people."