Pokémon from Galar

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the body of the Flounder Dragon was finally exposed to the tense audience and the two trainers.

"..."

"Looks like I lost. I didn't expect I couldn't even use Dynamax. Marie, you're really strong as a trainer!"

Yalo looked at the unconscious Fenrir lying on the ground, sighed softly, and then smiled again at the rookie trainer who had debuted last year.

Upon hearing Yalo's voice, the host said:

"Wow! Incredible! Marnie and her Dragapult won the gym challenge before Gym Leader Alo could even Dynamax! Congratulations to the victorious challenger, Marnie!!"

Listening to the host's explanation, Mary looked up at the large screen displaying her photo with a subtle expression. Are all the hosts in the dojo so truthful? Aren't they afraid of being retaliated against by the dojo owners?

"Roar~ (I won~)"

Seeing Baloo fly to her side and let out a happy cry, Mari raised her hand, but realized she couldn't reach his head, so she patted Baloo's belly instead and said with a smile:

"Congratulations, and thank you for helping me secure the victory. By the way, how are those two little guys doing?"

As Balu lowered his head, Mari's gaze instinctively fell on Xiao Zuo and Xiao You, who had already fainted and were curled up in the hole in Balu's head.

"Roar~ (I was just knocked unconscious by the meteor shower, it's nothing serious. Letting them experience more is beneficial.)"

"……Um."

Mary thought for a moment but decided against complaining. She had initially wanted to say, "Are all the Doryū people this rough with their children...?" But then she remembered that Pazu was already an anomaly who didn't like using his Dragon Arrow special move in battle, so what about the other Doryū raising their children...?

Forget it, let's not delve too deeply into these racial customs.

"Congratulations again, Mari, and Dorombalto too, it was a great match!"

Yalo, who had already retrieved the Fengmi Dragon, had already approached.

"Thank you for the concession. Baru, you should go back to the ball and rest."

"Hoo~ (It's okay~ I had a lot of fun in this match!)"

Before scoring, Balu called out to Yaro before disappearing into his Poké Ball.

"Baru said he was also very happy with this match."

"Really? That's good. But I didn't expect the rumors to be true."

Yalo touched his head but couldn't find his hat. He awkwardly lowered his hand, then took a badge from his pocket and handed it over.

"Here, this is your Grass-type badge."

"Mr. Yalo, thank you."

After thanking her again, Mary politely accepted the irregularly shaped Grass-type badge with both hands, marking the end of the gym challenge.

Chapter 53: Relax a little after the challenge ends

Mary, holding the Grass-type badge, walked out of the passage.

Suddenly, a staff member dressed in a Grass-type Gym uniform walked over and stopped Mary.

"Mary, congratulations on passing the Grass-type Gym challenge. As a reward, here are these two items for you."

As he said this, the staff member handed over a skill device and a set of clothes.

"What is this...?"

"The Magic Leaf's skill machine can be reused, and this is Alo's arena uniform, please accept it as well... even though it's a replica."

"Oh... thank you."

Mary held the two items in both hands and bowed slightly to express her gratitude. These skill machines, given as a gift through the dojo challenge, are quite helpful for many beginners.

Moreover, some unused TMs can be resold for a considerable amount of money, since they are TMs that come from dojos, so their quality is quite reliable.

Of course, it's not very useful for Marie; at most, it can be taught to Silk after evolution to enrich the skill pool.

After saying goodbye to the staff, just as they reached the lobby, Yuri suddenly appeared out of nowhere, took a running start, and leaped towards Mari.

Wow—congratulations! Mary-chan is amazing!

Be careful.

Staggering back a few steps, Mary instinctively raised her arm to support Yuri's waist, preventing them from falling together.

"Hmm, aren't you happy, Mary-chan? This is your first badge!"

Yuri, who was lying on top of Mary, pouted slightly in dissatisfaction. Mary's expression changes were too subtle, making Yuri feel a little awkward.

"I'm happy, why would I be unhappy?"

Mary looked down and stared directly into Yuri's eyes, asking a question without flinching.

"I can't tell at all!"

"This isn't something you do for show."

Mary released her grip, patted Yuri's back, and continued:

"I'm going to the locker room to change."

"All right……"

Yuri, looking completely unsatisfied, let go of Mary's hand, straightened up by supporting herself on Mary's shoulder, and then followed Mary towards the dressing room.

"...Why are you following me?"

"Watching you change clothes."

"..."

This child must be so excited she's gone mad; why is she talking nonsense? A little worried, I reached out and brushed Yuri's bangs aside to feel her forehead.

Are you running a fever?

Yuri slapped Mary's hand away and said irritably:

"What?! I'm not sick!"

"...Never mind, whatever makes you happy."

In the end, Mary didn't say anything; it was just an insignificant matter anyway.

After changing her clothes and leaving the arena, Mari tugged at her bra strap and asked as she walked with Yuri towards the Pokémon Center:

"What are your plans for Yuri next?"

"What do you mean by 'how to arrange things'? Of course, we're going to Waterloo Town to continue challenging the gyms!"

It seems that Yuri's successful passage through the first gym has ignited her competitive spirit. Mari naturally had no intention of discouraging her; after all, one has to experience these things firsthand.

"Alright then, let's stay in Caolu Town for the last day, and set off tomorrow."

The two walked together down the street. Caolu Town was still bustling, and it would probably be a while before it became quiet again.

"Miss Mary!"

Suddenly called by name, Mary stopped and turned around, only to find several people dressed in a punk style similar to her brother jogging towards her.

"It's you guys, here to watch my gym challenge?"

The members of the cheering squad stopped next to Mary, leaned on their knees to catch their breath, and then said with a smile:

"That's right! I never expected Miss Mary to be able to catch such a powerful Pokémon in such a short time! It's amazing!"

Mary shook her head, wanting to explain but finding it a bit troublesome, so she let it go.

"Thank you. By the way, where are you planning to go next?"

"We will continue to stay in Grass Road Town. The sales of Energy Cubes have been quite good recently, and we don't want to waste this opportunity."

"Oh, I see... Let me introduce you, this is my friend, Yuri."

Mary nodded, then stepped aside and pulled Yuri over.

"Oh, ah... nice to meet you."

"Hello, we are the Shout Team! We are Miss Mary's cheering squad!"

"Huh? Really? That's amazing—can I join?!"

"...??"

Mary's lips twitched as she looked at Yuri, who had inexplicably become interested, and reached out to grab her collar.

"Stop messing around. Yuri and I are leaving now. You guys go ahead and do your own thing. Take care of yourselves and get some rest."

"Okay! See you next time, Miss Mary!"

The cheerleaders waved to Mary, then turned and went back to their work. Yuri, who had been dragged away by Mary by the collar, was now struggling to sit up, clinging tightly to Mary's arm.

"Why?! It's Marie's support group! Isn't it amazing that she already has her own support group when the gym challenge has only just begun!"

"..."

To be honest, Mari thinks that cheering squads are fun, but also embarrassing. Besides, what necessary connection do you, Yuri, have with the cheering squad?

"But what does that have to do with you wanting to join?"

"Because I'm also a fan of Mary-chan! Today's match was so cool, I'm completely obsessed!"

Raising her hand, unable to bear the increasingly close face, Mary tilted her head back and said helplessly:

"It was a really tough game, we almost lost."

After a turbulent journey, Marie arrived at the Pokémon Center and, exhausted, sent Yuri away. Yuri's Pokémon had already received treatment at the gym.

The gym originally offered such treatment services to challengers, but since Baloo and Sue were both in good condition, Marie didn't stay long and instead came to the Pokémon Center for treatment.

After handing all four Pokémon over to Nurse Joy, Marie found Yuri drinking milk tea in the rest area, sat down beside her, took the still-warm milk tea, glanced at the phone in Yuri's hand, and asked:

What are you planning to do this afternoon?

"Hehe—I was just asking Sonia if she's free this afternoon. It would be great if we could play together."

Mary inserted the straw, took a big gulp, swallowed, then let out a long sigh, leaned back in her chair, and said:

"Sonia has been busy with her investigation these past few days, so she probably won't have much time to go shopping with us."

"Ah! She replied. She said the investigation has just come to an end and she's free this afternoon~"

"...Unexpectedly, you actually have time."