Pokémon from Galar

The three of them entered Waterport Town. Although it was a coastal town, they had just finished a battle and none of them were in the mood to look at the sea. Instead, they went straight to the Pokémon Center not far away.

After Mary put the Pokémon back into their Poké Balls and handed them to Nurse Joy, she was about to pick up Farfetch'd as well. When she reached out and lifted it up, Farfetch'd's body was crumpled into a ball, but its legs didn't budge...

"..."

"..."

After staring at each other for a while, Mary looked up somewhat awkwardly and gave Joey a slightly apologetic smile. Farfetch'd's sword and shield were indeed quite heavy.

Mary couldn't lift it by herself.

"Miss... doesn't your Farfetch'd like to go back to the planet?"

"Um, he's actually not my Pokémon... Never mind, Sirfetch'd, you can go in by yourself and let Nurse Joy give you a physical exam."

"Gah—(Okay, I understand.)"

Cong Youbing nodded, then followed someone inside.

"The Farfetch'd is really powerful, Miss Mary, don't you plan to recruit him?"

After handing the inspection over to Joey behind the scenes, Joey, who was also looking after Mary at the front desk, suddenly struck up a conversation with her.

"Huh? No, that Sirfetch'd isn't interested in trainers. Bringing it along is just a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Marie-chan? Would you like something to drink?"

Yuri, who was not far away, called out to those still standing there. Mary turned her head and nodded, then looked at Miss Joey again and bowed slightly.

"Pokémon, thank you for your trouble, Miss Nurse Joy."

"It's okay, go ahead~"

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Gluttonous Little Guys

Waterport is a coastal port city. The smooth waterways and the railway passing through Galar have brought unexpected prosperity to the town. Hotels and restaurants line the streets, and there are both modern large supermarkets and still some lively markets that retain their original charm.

Inexpensive and fresh seafood is also one of the main features of Shuizhou Town.

"Mmm~ Marie-chan, Marie-chan! Let's go get something to eat! I'm hungry!"

Yuri was holding Mary's hand as they strolled around Waterboat Town. Because of its proximity to the wilderness, Waterboat Town was bustling, but its size was limited.

It also needs to maintain a sufficient distance from the open fields, which is why it has never been able to shake off the name of 'town'. Otherwise, with the advantages of a port city, Shuizhou Town should have been upgraded to Shuizhou City long ago.

In order to expand the town's area, they even spent a lot of time and effort expanding it outwards into the sea, the most representative example being the water boat arena.

The entire arena was built on an energy point near the sea, so much so that a foundation was specially filled in along the coast before the arena was constructed.

"Don't rush, let me make a reservation at that breakwater seafood restaurant first. I don't know when the reservation will be."

"oh oh!"

Upon hearing this, Yuri immediately leaned over, resting her chin on Mary's shoulder, and looked at her phone screen.

"Whoa...isn't it completely full?!"

"Well, let's just put in a queue and make an appointment first."

Mary didn't have high hopes either. This store was really popular, and she didn't know if the reservation would come in handy before she left.

Putting her phone away, Mary raised her hand and pushed Yuri's face off her shoulder, then said:

"Should we go check out the market that Hep told us about? Maybe they'll have some snacks there."

"Okay, okay! Go ahead, go ahead!"

Mary nodded, then turned to look at Sirfetch'd who was following her. There were quite a few pedestrians in the city, and it was a bit congested, so Mary and Yuri recalled their Pokémon and didn't let them wander around outside.

Only Cong Youbing remained beside the two, looking around at the scenery of the city.

"Cong Youbing, what about you? Do you want to rest first, or go get something to eat?"

"Gah—(Let's go eat something first.)"

Onion Soldier glanced at Yuri and stated the option she wanted.

"Thank you, then let's go check out the market first."

For Pokémon like Sirfetch'd who had just come from the Pokémon Center, it didn't really matter where they went. Nurse Joy's treatment and care were exceptionally thorough, especially since it was close to mealtime.

These Pokémon are not only full of energy now, but they have also eaten a lot of specially formulated nutritional meals for Pokémon, and their condition is much better than that of the two trainers who haven't eaten yet.

Hop ran off as soon as he left the Pokémon Center. Yuri was probably used to this behavior and didn't try to stop him. She figured he'd come back and battle her eventually anyway.

"Speaking of which, Yuri, do you like seafood?"

Mary belatedly realized this when she arrived at the market, and suddenly remembered this question.

Spike Town is a coastal city, so seafood is a frequent dish on the table. But Yuri is different; Hualang Town is a completely inland town.

Yuri probably has never had much contact with seafood.

"Hmm... I don't know. I think I ate it once when I was little, but I can't remember the taste."

Yuri tilted her head, looking somewhat conflicted, as she recalled her old recipes. Mari, on the other hand, wore an "I knew it" expression, sighed softly, and said:

"Then when we go shopping later, we'll just buy one serving. If you try it and don't like the taste, you can give it to me."

Really? Thank you!

Upon hearing Mary's assurance, Yuri happily tiptoed and hugged Mary tightly, rubbing her face against hers twice before being pushed away by a somewhat shy Mary.

"...Stop making a fuss and go inside."

Mary sometimes doesn't know what to do about places like Yuri's. After living and eating together for a while, she's gotten used to it, but getting used to it doesn't mean she won't be tempted.

This behavior of frequently hugging and rubbing against me at the slightest provocation is fine during the day, but it's worse at night when I'm sleeping or when I'm washing myself...

Mary has now been tempered to the point that even when strange delusions are spreading in her mind, she can still maintain a calm and composed demeanor on the surface.

Holding hands, I followed Yuri into the market. This place was said to have existed for quite some time, and even after the establishment of modern convenience stores, it hadn't declined.

The large influx of people from other places always shows great enthusiasm for this commercial area full of local characteristics, which is why this market has never declined.

As for Waterboat Town, the second stop of the Gym Challenge, it has recently become even more lively than before.

Two petite girls plunged into the bustling city and soon blended completely into the crowd. It was Cong Youbing, who accompanied them, who attracted a lot of attention.

"Mmm—Marie, look! They're selling incense over there!"

Yuri sobbed as she swallowed the food in her mouth, then held up the bamboo skewers she hadn't had time to throw away and pointed to a shop across the street that was emitting a mixed aroma.

Incense, when properly blended, can be used to enhance a Pokémon's abilities, so Marnie was no stranger to it; she had even tried to research it before.

Unfortunately, it was too complicated, and Mary, who didn't have that much time, had to put the incense-burning project on hold for the time being.

Mary reached out and gave the food that Cong Youbing was interested in to him. She looked up, a look of interest on her face, and then asked:

"Shall we go take a look?"

"Mmm-mmm-mmm!"

Yuri, still eating, couldn't even speak, only nodding in agreement with her cheeks puffed out. The condiments and oil stains on her lips made her look somewhat comical.

Just then, the Poké Ball belonging to Baloo on Marie's waist suddenly popped open, and two Dragapults flew out separately, each taking a bite...

He bit off a piece of grilled fish from Yuri's hand.

"Hey! You two! How dare you suddenly come out to steal food!"

Yuri swallowed the food in her mouth, raised the bamboo skewer and slammed it down on the heads of the two Dorgonmesia, but unfortunately, given Dorgonmesia's stubbornness, the force of the bamboo skewer was simply negligible.

"nya!! (Marilyn is so mean! We want to eat something delicious too!)"

"nyanya!! (Yeah, yeah!)"

Xiao Zuo and Xiao You each rested on the shoulders of the two men, and then indignantly denounced their behavior of eating alone!

Mary took out a tissue and handed it to Yuri to wipe her mouth, then tapped Xiao Zuo's head on her shoulder and scolded her:

"Didn't you eat your fill at the Pokémon Center? Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache from eating so much?"

"nya~ (I can't help it! The smell of food makes me hungry instantly~)"

"Then you two stay on my and Yuri's shoulders and don't run around. Tell us if you want anything to eat. Don't fly off by yourself, understand?"

"nya!"

"nya~ (hehe~)"

I need to take leave.

It's been a few days since it was released... well, how should I put it? The number of favorites keeps dropping, new chapter updates are almost nonexistent, the comment section is stagnant... even the daily recommendation votes have noticeably decreased.

Well, I'm just suddenly feeling a bit bored, so I'm taking a break.

Maybe I'm just too bad at it, I can't handle the Pokémon theme lol.

Chapter Seventy-Three: A Phone Call from Sonia

After leaving the market, Yuri and Mary had already filled their stomachs, and the two little ones, who were so full, were now hanging on the two of them, too lazy to move.

"Speaking of which, I wonder if Sonia is still in Waterboat Town."

"They're probably gone. After all, we've been traveling for several days, and there aren't any ruins or anything like that around Shuizhou Town."

Mary raised her hand and scratched Xiao Zuo's chin on her shoulder. Water Boat Town isn't known for its history and civilization. I guess Sonia just took a look around and left.

"Hmm...that's true."

Yuri, holding Mary's hand, wandered aimlessly towards the hotel. This time, to avoid not being able to find a place to stay, they had booked a hotel room online in advance.

And under Yuri's coquettish charm, Mary really couldn't bear to book two rooms... She comforted herself by saying that she booked a double room to save money.

"Ah! I see the sea! I see the sea!"

Yuri suddenly pointed to a port in the distance with a decent view, where some not-so-large ships were moored, which was not quite what Mari had imagined.

"Shall we go take a look?"

After saying that, Mary realized she had said something pointless, because Yuri had already grabbed her hand and started running towards the port.

Walking down the stairs, the port wasn't very big, but it was quite novel for someone who had never seen it before.

Looking towards the Waterboat Arena, you can see the main port and the towering lighthouse. The only downside is that there are no beaches along the coast in Waterboat Town, otherwise there would definitely be more tourists.

There are beaches near Spike, but they're freezing cold, so nobody wants to go there except for people who enjoy winter swimming.