Pokémon from Galar

However, Marnie decided to prepare an Everstone afterward, so that if Chucky really didn't want to evolve anymore, she could give him the Everstone.

Releasing the listless Chinchilla from her grasp, Mary took out the Luxurious Ball.

"Alright, we should go watch Yuri's match now. You can come back first."

"Gah—(Can I just follow you outside?)"

"Um--"

Mary stroked her chin and looked Little Chick up and down. Little Chick's wingspan was now over a meter wide, so it wasn't small. It wouldn't matter if it were outdoors, but now that it had to move through indoors, it probably wouldn't be very convenient.

"I bet your wings can't even open properly. You'll have to go through the passageway later. I'll let you out when we get to the audience seats."

"Uh... (Alright then...)"

Little Chirp wasn't one to act impulsively. After nuzzling against Marie's chest, it willingly crawled into its Poké Ball.

Mary tugged at her disheveled clothes, thought for a moment, and then abandoned her plan to call Xiao Qiu out and discipline her. She picked up Xiao Mo and greeted Cong Youbing, who was quietly acting as her bodyguard.

"Let's go, Onion Soldier. If you're bored, you can go rest at Sister Joey's place."

Pointing to Nurse Joy over there, she explained that the work at the gym wasn't easy either, since many of the trainers there also had their own training sessions in addition to their regular duties.

Besides dealing with the Pokémon of Gym Leaders and Challengers, Nurse Joy also has to take care of the Pokémon of the Trainers.

"Gah—(No need, I'll just follow you.)"

Onion Soldier shook his head. Although he felt that Yuri wasn't very strong, after spending time together, he still wanted to see what Yuri's combat skills were like.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: President Loz's Banquet

When Yuri's challenge was successfully completed, and she changed her clothes and walked out of the arena again,

But then they saw the beautiful secretary who had been with President Rose earlier, already outside the arena. When she saw Mary and Yuri appear, she pointed to a low-key black minivan next to her.

"The president has been waiting for you for a long time, so I came here to pick you up. Hurry up and go to the Breakwater Seafood Restaurant. Here is the president's alliance card, which I'm giving to you."

"Oh... thank you."

Yuri shrank back, her subconscious intimidation at Olive's capable demeanor.

"Thank you."

The two men accepted the alliance card. The photos on the card showed them dressed in very formal suits, looking quite elegant.

“Once Chairman Loz makes a decision, he can’t wait to implement it immediately, so get on the bus.”

After handing the Alliance Card to Mary and Yuri, he turned around, opened the driver's side door, and skillfully got in, urging Mary and Yuri, who were still standing there in a daze, to hurry up.

"Thank you for your help."

Mary was the first to react. She thanked Oliver and then pulled Yuri into the back seat. Oliver nodded noncommittally, and after the two were settled, she started the car.

The van moved smoothly yet quickly through the city. Miss Olive looked very indifferent, as if she had no interest in anything except for Chairman Loz's affairs.

He drove quietly the whole way without making any conversation with the two people in the back seat.

……

After Oliver parked the van, Mary and Yuri got out of the car and were greeted by the seafood restaurant that Mary had booked earlier.

"Whoa—speaking of which, Mary-chan, what about our reservations?"

"Hmm... let's have another meal, since we're not paying for it."

Olive, who had just parked her car and gotten out, heard the two little girls talking but didn't react. She simply walked past them and led the way in pushing open the gate of the breakwater.

Welcome!

The breakwater pavilion is simply and straightforwardly decorated, with light blue as the main color, making it feel like being underwater. The hall is very spacious, but only the table where Chairman Rose sits is visible.

The entire venue has been booked out...

Mary originally thought it would be at most a private room or something, but she didn't expect it to be a private room. As expected of President Rose, he is very generous.

Following Olive, they walked to the innermost window seat, where the boundless sea stretched out before them. However, what attracted their attention most was someone other than Chairman Rose.

"Congratulations on passing the challenge, you two!"

When President Loz saw the three people approaching, he took the initiative to steer the conversation.

"Thank you, thanks to the chairman."

"Hehe~ Thanks."

After thanking her, Mary turned her attention to Sonia. She had said she wasn't in Waterboat Town just a few days ago, so why was she back so soon?

"Oh, you guys got invited too? Congratulations on passing the challenge!"

"Hehehe~ Why didn't you tell us that Sister Sonia came to Waterboat Town?"

Yuri clearly wanted to talk to Sonia, whom she was more familiar with, so Mari naturally let her be.

President Loz clapped his hands, gestured for them to proceed, and then said with a smile:

"Alright, alright, ladies, let's sit down and talk about what we're talking about first. It's almost lunchtime."

Following Chairman Loz's invitation, the group took their seats one by one. Sonia sat at the very back, Yuri in the middle, and Mari at the very back.

On the other side, only President Rose was seated, while Olive stood quietly and straight behind him, showing no intention of sitting down with him.

President Loz seemed to have long been accustomed to Olive's serious attitude and did not insist that his secretary sit down next to him for lunch.

Looking at the three girls opposite him, President Rose smiled and introduced them to Mari and Yuri, who were clearly there for the first time:

"Shuizhou Town is famous for its seafood. The seafood caught locally is the freshest and most delicious! Every dish here is incredibly tasty, you must try it."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Chairman."

President Rose smiled at the flustered Yuri, seemingly unconcerned. After accepting Mari's thanks, he looked at Sonia at the far end of the room.

"By the way, how is Dr. Mulan doing lately? I should thank Dr. Mulan. Thanks to her research, we were able to use the energy contained in the Wishing Star to create the Giant Bracelet."

"Hmm... but she said there are still many unknowns about Dynamax, which makes her uneasy. When I came out on this adventure, she even asked me to bring an Energy Point Detector..."

"Energy Point Detector! Thanks to it, we were able to pinpoint the energy point. However, I don't want Dr. Mulan to feel uneasy, Sonia, I suggest you go check out the treasure vault in Quan Guan City."

"I have always believed that the key to unlocking the mystery of Dynamax lies in history."

Yuri didn't seem to care at all about the conversation between the two, probably because she didn't think such things would concern her.

Olive, who had been standing at the back, suddenly nodded and said:

"I understand. I will arrange for Miss Sonia to have a good tour... However, President, it's about time we went."

"Really? I haven't even had a chance to chat properly with these two ladies yet... Sorry, Mary and Yuri, I have some things I need to take care of. Everyone, the bill is in my name. Please enjoy your lunch, see you next time."

Watching President Rose get up and leave with Olive, Yuri breathed a huge sigh of relief. She had been so nervous sitting across from President Rose.

"Sigh... Is this some kind of favor they're doing me? But the treasure vault is definitely a good place to investigate the legends..."

Sonia rested her chin on her hand, her expression somewhat subtle. She must have been feeling quite complicated, having suddenly been given a favor by President Rose.

"Why did Sonia come to Waterboat Town again?"

Mary tilted her head to look at Sonia; she didn't believe that President Loz had specifically asked her to come.

"Yes, Lulina is my good friend. I came here to see her and ask her about something. I didn't expect to run into President Rose."

"Eh? Sonia, are you and Master Lulina very close?"

Before the food even arrived, Yuri had to shift her attention elsewhere.

"Yeah, don't let Lulina's appearance fool you, she's actually super into winning and losing. Now that Mary has passed the challenge, she's probably fretting about it all by herself."

"...Why me?"

Mary blinked and looked into Sonia's eyes. To be honest, several challengers have passed the test every day these past few days, including some skilled trainers. Why was I singled out?

"Because you're a newbie. You didn't think Lulina was just playing around when she fought you, did you?"

"No, it's more accurate to say that Guild Master Lulina is extremely serious..."

"Ha—there's really no way around it. I've come at just the right time. I probably won't be able to leave Shuizhou Town with you guys for the next few days."

Although Sonia sighed, she couldn't hide the smile on her lips, seemingly indicating that she had a very good relationship with Gym Leader Lulina.

P.S.: Sorry, I've been a bit wavering these past couple of days. Plus, I wrote several days' worth of battles in one go, so I'm not sure how to start writing anymore.

Chapter 99 Is Marie leaving the Galar region?

"Ah—! I'm so satisfied, this place is so delicious!"

Yuri stretched as she left the seafood restaurant. Since Chairman Rose had left early, Yuri had thoroughly enjoyed a delicious meal. Surprisingly, Chairman Rose seemed to have even arranged lunch for the Pokémon as well.

Thankfully, the entire venue was booked for the private event; otherwise, the hall would definitely have been too crowded for Balu and the others.

To be fair, she really enjoyed the meal, and the thought of having dinner at the Breakwater Restaurant, which Mary had booked herself, the next afternoon made Yuri even happier.

"By the way, Yuri and I also have a dinner reservation at the breakwater for tomorrow night. Is Sonia coming?"

"Tomorrow night... I'll probably be with Lulina, so I won't bother you two."

Sonia shook her head and smiled as she declined Mary's invitation. She was planning to stay at Lurina's house for the next couple of days and probably wouldn't have time to hang out with Mary and the others.

"OK then."

"By the way, Dr. Kukui sent a message saying that the modification of the Pokédex is going smoothly, and he also told me that if Marie wants to go there earlier, she can."

"Forehead……"

Mary's face stiffened, and before she could react, Yuri's voice came from beside her.

"What? What? Going ahead of schedule? Where are we going?"

"..."

Sonia blinked, observing the reactions of Mary and Yuri, before turning to Mary and asking:

"Didn't you tell Yuri?"

"Cough... I was planning to tell you after the Water Boat Town challenge."

Mary glared at Sonia, having forgotten all about this matter since lunch was so delicious...

What are you talking about...?

Listening to the conversation between the two, even Yuri, who didn't like to think too much, had a bad feeling and subconsciously grabbed Mary's sleeve, waiting for her answer.