Yuri's phone finally rang again, not long after lunch. Everyone had just finished eating and was taking a short break when her Rotom phone floated up on its own, hovering in front of her.
The caller ID displayed: Yuri.
Reaching out to answer, Marie greeted with a yawn still lingering in her voice.
"Hello? Yuri? Morning, you're finally up?"
"M-Morning… haah… Marie, where did you go?"
Yuri's voice still carried traces of a yawn. It sounded like she'd only just crawled out of bed.
"I'm just outside Motostoke. Why?"
"Eh?! Why did you go all the way there?"
"To train, of course. It's not even that far from the city."
"Ah… mm." Yuri's voice softened at once. She seemed like she wanted to say more but held back. Marie could easily read what she was thinking.
"I'll go shopping with you later this afternoon. Sound good?"
"Yes! That's perfect!" Yuri's tone instantly brightened.
Marie didn't comment on the sudden shift in mood. Leaning against Baru's tail, she stared lazily at the lake before her.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet. I just finished washing up."
"Then go eat first. I'm hanging up."
"Okay okay, bye~ see you tonight."
"See you."
After ending the call, Marie set her phone down and stretched. The weather was lovely, and the Milotic Lake sparkled under the sunlight. Occasionally, Pokémon could be seen gliding across the surface.
They said Milotic lived here, though Marie had never spotted one herself. Wild Milotic weren't like those raised by Trainers evolving them early wasn't easy, so when they did appear, they were usually incredibly strong...
"Haa-"
The sunlight was warm, and Marie couldn't help yawning again. Drowsiness crept in.
"Ee-chan, I'm going to nap a bit. If you want to train, go ahead without me."
"Eee~ (Got it.)"
Ee-chan answered lazily, then rolled over and closed her eyes again to sunbathe.
Being this close to Motostoke, most wild Pokémon in the area were docile, so Marie wasn't too worried about sudden attacks. With that, she let her eyes close and drifted into sleep.
...
She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she started to stir again, but she still didn't feel like opening her eyes. The fluffy warmth of Ee-chan beside her was gone she must've gone off to train.
Just as Marie rolled onto her side to sleep a bit longer, a voice suddenly interrupted.
"...Hey, young lady, it's not very safe to fall asleep here."
"Ugh..."
A voice both unfamiliar and vaguely familiar. Then-
Plop. Plop.
"Pfft-"
Something landed on her chest with a thud, nearly knocking the wind out of her.
Startled, Marie sat up and opened her eyes to see a Stufful rolling off her lap and tumbling to the side.
"Ya ya! (That was fun!)"
"..."
She reached out and patted the little bear's head, then turned to see someone standing beside her, quietly observing.
He wore a flamboyant red cape covered in sponsor logos, and beside him stood a fierce-looking Charizard whose strength was obvious at a glance.
"Char. (Hello.)"
"Ah, hello..."
Marie nodded instinctively at the Charizard, which seemed to make the man misunderstand something. He laughed heartily, folding his arms across his chest.
"Hahaha! Hello there!"
His sudden laugh startled Stufful, who scurried off on its stubby legs into the tall grass.
"Raaawrr! (Marie-chan!)"
The man hadn't finished speaking before Baru suddenly appeared at Marie's side, letting out a low, cautious growl.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Leon. And Charizard too."
Marie reached over and patted Baru's tail, signaling him to relax. Then she directly addressed the man's identity.
After all, Marie had watched every year's Gym Challenge elimination rounds. The battles were top-tier, and for a Trainer like her, always worth studying.
"Oh? This is your Pokémon? Then I guess I was meddling for nothing! Hahahaha!"
Leon apologized with a grin, though it was hard to take seriously as he kept laughing.
Marie blinked. She figured out what had probably happened.
He'd likely seen the Stufful approach and thought she was a rookie Trainer carelessly napping without her Pokémon. So he came over to warn her. But then he saw Baru and realized she wasn't some clueless newbie wandering the Wild Area alone.
"It's fine. Actually, I should be the one apologizing. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Leon."
Marie stood up and gave a small bow. After all, he had approached out of genuine worry for her.
"Ee? (Something happened?)"
"Ralu~ (Marie~ and Ee-chan~)"
Ee-chan and Silky arrived almost at the same time, calm but clearly alert. They seemed to trust Baru's judgment, following him without panic.
"Ah, welcome back~"
Marie patted Ee-chan on the head and gave Silky's cheek a gentle poke. These guys rushed over the moment they sensed something was off.
"These are all your Pokémon? Hmm, they all look impressive."
After seeing both Baru and Ee-chan, Leon even changed how he addressed Marie from "young lady" to "miss." Strong Trainers deserved respect.
Leon's sharp eye had clearly spotted the strength in her Umbreon and Dragapult. Both were solid contenders even in the Gym Challenge.
"Thanks. But your Charizard is really something else... Just looking at it, you can feel the power. No wonder it's your undefeated ace."
"Hahaha! Then I look forward to seeing you in the arena, Miss."
With another laugh, Leon waved in farewell. With the opening ceremony tomorrow, he had to head to the Motostoke stadium to coordinate with the event staff.
"Right. I hope we'll meet again on the battlefield."
Marie raised her hand and gave what might've sounded like a cocky statement. But with her Pokémon standing by her side, it didn't feel so arrogant.
"Then I'll be waiting with anticipation, Miss!"
Leon rarely turned down challenges, though if it was just some clueless newbie picking a fight, he might politely refuse. But this girl… he'd remember.
Watching Leon and his Charizard disappear into the distance, Marie turned to her team with a smile.
"Thanks for coming back so quickly."
"Raaawr! (That Charizard was strong! Marie! Is he going to be our opponent one day?!)"
"Eh, well… if we can make it to the finals, then yes. You'll get the chance to challenge him."
"Raaawr! (Now I'm excited!)"
"Eee~ (Me too. He seems way stronger than my brother's Pokémon.)"
Baru's battle instinct had clearly been sparked by that Charizard. Whatever it was, something about it had lit a fire in him, and even calm Ee-chan seemed intrigued.
As their Trainer, Marie couldn't help but want to rise to her Pokémon's expectations.
"Then let's train hard, and look forward to that day. I promise I'll stand with you on that stage."
She looked toward the city gates of Motostoke and made a silent promise for the future.
"...Wait, huh?"
Suddenly, Marie hesitated. She glanced in the direction Leon had gone, then turned to look at the city gates again.
"...Did Mr. Leon… go the wrong way? Wasn't he supposed to head to the stadium?"