When it came time to choose a Poké Ball, Marie thought Sil might pick the Love Ball from earlier, especially since she seemed to like it quite a bit. But in the end, she chose the Heal Ball instead.
It wasn't a rare type just something you could easily buy in Motostoke but since Sil liked the color, Marie didn't say a word.
After releasing her from the ball again, Marie reached out a hand. Sil gently held onto her fingers.
"Looking forward to working together," Marie said with a smile.
"Ralts~ (Me too~)"
Relieved, Marie turned back toward the window. Out on the training field, Hop and Yuri had switched to Wooloo and Applin.
Why'd she send out Applin...?
Marie watched the chaos unfold outside. Wooloo was chasing the poor apple Pokémon around the field, creating a mess of feathers and dust. It was a disaster.
Applin hadn't even finished eating the apple it lived in. Until it evolved, it really wasn't much of a fighter its only real use was being adorable.
Shaking her head in amusement, Marie released Umbreon to watch over Sil and lowered her gaze to start messaging Sonia.
The research lab held a trove of information, but most of what Marie had access to so far was general data on Psychic- and Fairy-types. She wanted something more specific something focused on the Ralts evolutionary line.
The same went for the Dragapult line. Barro's training had reached a solid, grounded stage now, but the two little Dreepy still needed more attention. Since they were always by her side, she couldn't neglect them.
Sonia hadn't responded yet, but Hop and Yuri returned before long. Waving briefly to Marie, they went straight to Nurse Joy.
They had just finished battling, after all, and their Pokémon needed treatment.
Once they sat back down, Marie asked casually, "So, how'd it go?"
Yuri slumped over the table, sighing.
"I lost…"
"Ha ha, well, you don't have a third Pokémon yet," Hop offered, trying to cheer her up.
Marie understood the situation right away. Applin wasn't much use in battle before evolving. Its speed was low, and it mostly just took hits. Its defensive stats were decent, but its timid personality made it hard to even get an attack off.
"I thought I'd use the battle to get Applin used to things… but that backfired."
Yuri mumbled miserably, head still buried in her arms. She didn't even know when Applin would evolve. At this point, it was probably time to catch a third partner.
Maybe that Sweetie she saw earlier…
"Marie-chan…"
Marie raised an eyebrow at Yuri's sudden tone.
"What is it?"
"Bounsweet…"
"You remembered that, huh?"
Marie looked surprised. She hadn't expected Yuri to still be thinking about it.
"Of course! You promised me, remember? I never forget!"
"…Right."
"But there aren't any Bounsweet on Route 3. Are you two heading into the Wild Area?"
Hop had apparently looked into the local habitats. The Wild Area was by far the most diverse place in Galar when it came to wild Pokémon.
Probably because of all the Dynamax dens. Unlike other areas where such energy points were fewer usually developed into cities or mined out and monitored by Gyms the Wild Area had been left largely untouched.
No one wanted to build a city where giant Pokémon might pop out of the ground, and even train routes were built to avoid it. Over time, it had become what it was now.
As for why Dynamax dens clustered so heavily in the Wild Area, the researchers still hadn't reached a conclusion. But Marie wasn't an academic, so she didn't dwell on it.
"So, what do you want to do, Yuri? Head into the Wild Area first, or go to Turffield?"
"Hmm…"
Yuri scratched her head in hesitation. There was no set time limit for the Gym Challenge, but since this was her first journey, she didn't feel comfortable wandering off from the group just yet.
"Actually, going to Turffield first is fine. You'll pass through Route 3 and the Galar Mine on the way. There are Vulpix and Growlithe in that area great for a Fire-type slot. Zigzagoon and Rolycoly evolve into real powerhouses too."
"Marie, you've really done your homework, huh?"
Hop looked impressed. Marie just nodded.
"Yeah… I've always been interested in Galar's Pokémon. I've done a lot of research."
"Mr. Hop, Miss Yuri, your Pokémon are fully recovered~!"
"Thank you!"
Hop cheerfully thanked Nurse Joy, then turned to the others with a grin.
"Alright, I'm off! Good luck, Yuri!"
With that, he ran over to pick up his Pokémon and left the Pokémon Center in a hurry.
Yuri also retrieved her team and returned to Marie's side. She looked over at Umbreon and Sil, who were sitting quietly nearby, then took a deep breath and smiled.
"Let's go to Turffield."
"Alright. We'll take Route 3. Vulpix is really cute too, you know. And Milo's a Grass-type Gym Leader. If you talk to him, I bet he'll have some good advice."
With their destination decided, the two girls didn't waste time. They grabbed a quick lunch, then left Motostoke and stepped onto Route 3.
It was called a "road," but that was a stretch. It was more like a trail carved through the wilds just enough for people to walk through.
There were plenty of small woods and grassy patches along the way, and the wild Pokémon weren't shy at all. They darted around freely.
Once they were far enough out, Marie let Dragapult out to stretch. The two little Dreepy, Sasa and Yuu, flitted around excitedly, exploring every nook and cranny. Sometimes they flew too far, or got stuck in weird places, and Dragapult would have to retrieve them with a sigh.
"Kon~ kon~ (I'm adorable! Please feed me~)"
"Pfft…"
A little Vulpix suddenly bounced into view, plopping itself down in front of them and begging for food with sparkling eyes. Marie couldn't help laughing.
"Eh? Marie-chan, what did it say?"
Yuri tugged on Marie's sleeve, curious after seeing her reaction.
"It's asking for food."
"Ohh! Got it!"
Clearly inexperienced with this sort of thing, Yuri immediately pulled a piece of bread from her bag and crouched down to offer it.
"Here you go~ But you have to let me pet you first, okay?"
Unfortunately, the little Vulpix wasn't having any of it. It snatched the bread and bolted into the grass before Yuri could even get close.
"Ehh…"
Disappointed, Yuri rubbed her hands together sadly. She really wanted to pet that soft, fluffy tail.
____________________
NEXT CHAPTER : Journeys Are Always Full of Surprises
(On Route 3, Marie and Yuri run into Sonia, who shares some curious thoughts about Chairman Rose and the history of Dynamax energy. After parting ways, the girls continue their journey, chatting about dreams and future goals until Yuri literally trips over a fluffy surprise: a shy little Cottonee. After some laughter, snacks, and apologies, the wild Pokémon makes an unexpected request it wants to join their team!
Next up: Will Yuri accept a new friend? And what else lies waiting in the Galar Mine?)
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