Pokémon from Galar

"Ahem... let Mary tell you, I'll be going now~ Bye-bye~"

Sonia sensed the awkward atmosphere, so she gave Mary a encouraging look, coughed, and turned to leave without hesitation.

"..."

Unexpectedly, she was left alone here. Mary stared at Sonia's back, wishing she could use her mental powers to drag her back.

"...Mari-chan?"

Finally, it was Yuri's somewhat cautious voice that brought Mary back to her senses.

Turning her head, Mary met Yuri's gaze, who seemed somewhat uneasy. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, so…

"Um, let's find a place to sit down first."

"Um……"

The giant green onion duck beside him glanced at Mary, then at Yuri's expression, and then silently looked away. He didn't understand these subtle nuances.

Mary took Yuri's hand in return and walked down the coastal road, trying to leave this bustling commercial area and find a quieter spot.

Leading the way, Mary felt inexplicably irritated. After all, it was just a short time away, shouldn't it be a normal thing? Didn't she often go off into the wilderness for ten days or half a month without going home?

But now he's inexplicably worried about Yuri. In reality, Yuri is also his peer, and the Pokémon he has is no longer the weak and timid Sobble. He even has a Sirfetch'd by his side now.

Does this mean I can't travel alone without Mary?

Even Mary herself didn't believe that.

"Ugh……"

Mary let out a barely perceptible sigh. She couldn't quite understand her own feelings. Perhaps it was because she had gotten used to traveling together with the other two and was feeling a little reluctant to part ways.

Behind Mary,

Yuri, who was being led forward silently by Mary's hand, had lost her usual liveliness, and even the badge she had won in the second challenge that morning seemed dull to her.

Although the conversation between Mari and Sonia just now was incoherent, we can guess that Mari is planning to leave for a while. As for Dr. Kukui, Yuri has never heard of this name before, and it doesn't seem to be the naming convention of the Galar region.

So it's other regions...?

Staring intently at Mary's retreating figure, Yuri didn't know what to say. The silence only made her feel more uncomfortable.

Yuri opened her mouth several times, but then silently closed it again. She really didn't know how to start.

From the moment I officially began my journey, I traveled with Mary, from the wilderness all the way to the town of Waterboat.

Although she was a little unwilling, Yuri knew that she seemed to have taken Mari's existence for granted, as if this trip was supposed to be spent with Mari in Galar.

Together, they will overcome gym challenges, advance to the final challenge, and finally have a formal 6v6 battle on the field.

Not long ago, Yuri had taken this for granted.

But reality is not as smooth as imagined. It seems that Mari is leaving Galar for some reason. Where is she going? How long will she be gone? A few days, a few months, or even a few years?

And why hasn't she told me about this yet...? Yuri was clearly puzzled. Was she planning to disappear suddenly one day?

Yuri subconsciously clenched Mary's hand, and suddenly felt a little sad as she was about to get stuck in a rut.

The temperature, so close yet so unattainable, felt so distant to Yuri for the first time.

The sudden force in her palm made Mary pause, and she instinctively turned around, only to be surprised to meet Yuri's expression, which seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"...Mari-chan?"

"W-What's wrong, Yuri?!"

The trembling voice startled Mary. Forgetting that they were still on the street, she turned around hurriedly, frantically trying to do something, but not knowing what to do.

After glancing around, Mary gritted her teeth, suddenly grabbed Yuri's hand, and shoved into a side alley. They had originally planned to sit down and talk slowly by the less crowded beach, but now they didn't care anymore.

After turning a corner and losing sight of the main road, Mary stopped and looked again at Yuri, who had her head down and refused to look up.

"..."

Mary took a deep breath and released her hand. Just as Yuri was terrified and tried to regain the warmth of her palm, Mary opened her arms and suddenly hugged Yuri.

"I'm sorry, I was planning to tell you about this after the challenge was over..."

"Marie-chan...are you really leaving?"

"……Um."

"Where to go?"

"Alora region".

Upon hearing this word, Yuri's heart sank, and she reluctantly clutched Mary's clothes tightly with both hands.

"Then... how long will it take?"

"It's still uncertain, probably one to two months..."

"..."

Yuri buried her face in Mary's chest, and after hearing Mary's words, she suddenly fell silent. The warmth she felt on her cheek made her want to cry.

Chapter 100 I really like you, Yuri

After all that commotion, Mary and Yuri lost their desire to continue strolling around. On the way back to the hotel, Yuri held Mary's hand tightly in hers, refusing to let go.

Mari, feeling guilty, did not resist and instead explained to Yuri in detail what had led her to leave the Galar region.

Back in their hotel room, they casually let their Pokémon out to rest, and Marie took Yuri's hand and settled her on the edge of the bed.

Crouching down to look up at Yuri, who was keeping her head down and refusing to meet Mary's gaze, I saw a pair of eyes with red rims.

"Sorry……"

Mary raised her hand to wipe away Yuri's tears, but Yuri instinctively turned her head away, avoiding Mary's hand.

"...I can do it myself."

Muttering to herself in a low voice, Yuri raised her sleeve and roughly wiped her eyes. She had thought things through as she walked.

I've become too dependent on Mary's care.

Whether it's daily training or camping, from the trivialities of life to all matters concerning Pokémon, he relies too much on the girl squatting in front of him.

Although she was very sad, Yuri couldn't bring herself to say anything willful.

"It's okay, it's alright, I'll be fine soon."

Yuri covered her eyes, trying to calm herself down, but as soon as she opened her mouth, all her previous efforts were wasted.

Outside the window, the weather was still sunny and bright, but the girl inside the room was anything but happy.

The Pokémon naturally noticed the trainers' emotional changes, but they obediently did not come up to disturb them. Instead, they quietly stayed by the trainers' sides, silently sitting down and trying to support the two small trainers' bodies.

Marnie gave the Pokémon a grateful smile, reassuring them, and then silently stood guard, waiting for the moment when Yuri would look at her again.

……

After what seemed like an eternity of adjustment, Yuri felt her emotions had calmed down somewhat, and only then did she carefully remove her arm from her eyes.

Then, the first thing she saw was Mary in front of her. Before she could react, Mary grabbed her hands, which she had just lowered.

"..."

Almost unable to hold back again, Yuri awkwardly opened her mouth but didn't say anything, staring intently into Mari's eyes. Yuri took two deep breaths before finally being able to speak normally.

"When does Mary-chan plan to leave?"

"It will probably be around the time of the third gym challenge, but the exact time has not yet been determined."

"I see..."

Yuri squeezed Mary's hand in return, her reply somewhat absentminded.

"Didn't Sonia say we could go earlier? If you're going on the island trek, Mary, it would be better if you had more time, right?"

On the way back, Marie also explained to Yuri about the Alola Islands Tour and Z-Moves. Although she didn't have a specific impression yet, it was probably similar to the Galar Gym Challenge.

Prove your efforts and strength by challenging stronger opponents.

So Yuri was a little unhappy after hearing Mary's answer, thinking that Mary was rejecting Sonia's suggestion again because she was worried about her.

Seeing Yuri's change in expression, Mari pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then tried to say:

"Don't overthink it. My original plan was to go to Alola after passing the Fire-type Gym Challenge. Don't take everything on yourself."

"But--"

Just as Yuri was about to retort, Mary suddenly raised her hand and used her index finger to cover Yuri's mouth.

"On the other hand, it's true that I don't want to leave you and want to spend a few more days with Yuri. What are you going to do about that?"

"...That's a very cunning way of putting it..."

Yuri blushed and shrank back. She couldn't bring herself to say anything capricious, but that didn't mean she could wave goodbye to her friends and family with a smile.

Mary also noticed this. Yuri was actually acting like an ostrich, not wanting to express any attitude, just standing there passively enduring the events that might befall her.

Mary, who didn't have many friends or social interactions, wasn't sure how to react to this. To be honest, she was also taken aback, realizing that she cared about Yuri more than she had imagined.

Maybe she really likes this child.

Mary was still self-aware enough to know that she was attracted to women. After all, she had spent so much time with Yuri, and every night Yuri's tender body and appearance lay beside her. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't moved.

However, given Yuri's strong reaction, Mari was actually a little tempted. Could it be that Yuri also liked her?

Although the idea was a bit narcissistic, Mary couldn't help but have such thoughts pop into her head.

"...it's not just an excuse,"

As Mary said this, she suddenly lowered her head and gently rested it on Yuri's knee, turning her face to look at Yuri's hand that she held in her palm.

The little palms are soft and comfortable to hold.

“I’m also very happy to travel with Yuri. I used to think that traveling alone was fine, as long as I had Pokémon by my side. But that’s not actually the case.”

"Yuri, I had a lot of fun traveling with you, so it's true that I don't want to leave you, and it's also true that I want to spend a few more days with you. The so-called original plan is also true. I really like you, Yuri."

"Fool."

Yuri blushed and wanted to raise her hand to teach this person who was suddenly talking nonsense a lesson, but she found that both of her hands were being held by the other person. She wanted to glare at him fiercely, but the guy was resting his head on her knees and wouldn't look at her at all.

"snort--!"