The Pokémon journey begins in Galar

Marie and Yuri squeezed into Turf Stadium together. Marie wasn't sure how many matches were scheduled for today, but Hop seemed to be going up first, so they arrived early to grab good seats.

Because the place was packed, Marie recalled all her Pokémon back into their Poké Balls. Yuri did the same her Eldegoss and Sobble wouldn't have enjoyed such a noisy, crowded space. Only the newly evolved Flapple remained out, still adjusting to its new body and fluttering about affectionately beside Yuri.

Marie leaned back in her seat, eyes fixed on the still-empty battlefield. Their seats, designated for Gym Challenge spectators, were quite close to the arena.

"Hey, Marie, how much longer until your egg hatches?"

"No idea. Probably another month or two. Why?"

"No reason. I was just curious. You don't really seem in a rush to fill out your Gym Challenge team..."

Yuri had been wondering about this for a while. They had come across a Ninetales, a Gastly, and even played with a stray Growlithe by the roadside. Marie had gotten along with all of them just fine, yet never once attempted to catch any.

"Well, let me ask you something. Yuri, do you have a dream?"

"Huh? Why the sudden question?"

"Just curious. Why are you doing the Gym Challenge?"

"Me? Umm... I don't really know..."

Yuri blinked, caught off guard by the question. For the first time, she found herself truly thinking about it. Marie didn't press her but continued calmly.

"Hop wants to follow in his brother's footsteps and become Champion. Sonia's out to study the history of Dynamax and the Darkest Day. As for me... I'm the same as you, Yuri. I haven't figured out my purpose yet either."

"You haven't?"

Marie nodded, then shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't have any purpose, just that she hadn't sorted it out yet.

Did she really want to challenge the Gym Leaders and the Champion? Or was she just chasing a glimpse of Eternatus? Maybe, deep down, she even harbored the ambition of catching Eternatus for herself.

The sword and shield legendaries had chosen Hop and Yuri. Whether or not they'd end up catching them like in the games didn't really matter Marie had already accepted that she probably wouldn't get that chance.

"Maybe I'm just hoping that by doing the Gym Challenge, I'll find something to aim for."

"Ha..."

Yuri let out a long sigh, tilting her head to lean against Marie's shoulder.

"Now that you mention it, I only joined because I got swept up in Hop's energy. I haven't really figured out what I'm chasing either. When you think about it that way, Hop's pretty amazing, huh?"

"We'll figure it out together. The Gym Leaders are all strong in their own ways. I'm sure we'll learn something from each of them."

"Mmm... Marie, you're so gentle. Like a big sister."

"..."

Marie didn't respond. Around them, the audience was steadily growing larger, signaling that the match was about to begin.

"Hey, sit up. The match is starting."

The announcer kept things brief, just listing the challenger's name and stepping off to the side.

Then Hop walked onto the field in full competition gear.

"Oh he actually looks pretty good in that outfit!"

Yuri craned her neck to get a better look, giggling as she spoke. Whether she really meant it or was just teasing her childhood friend again was anyone's guess.

"There's quite the crowd for this match."

Marie looked around, surprised. Usually, rookie challengers like Hop didn't draw this many spectators. Stronger contenders typically had more pull.

Like that annoying silver-haired kid they'd seen earlier Marie later learned his name was Bede. As much as she disliked him, he was undeniably popular, and his matches always brought in high viewer numbers.

As for Hop... it was probably because he was Leon's brother and one of the Champion's personal recommendations.

Once you had ties to the Champion, public curiosity was only natural. But Marie couldn't help worrying whether Hop and Yuri could handle that kind of pressure.

She thought back to Bede, who couldn't stop name-dropping Chairman Rose and Leon. It was clear from his attitude that he had his priorities all wrong. A trainer's strength was never defined by who recommended them.

Lost in her thoughts, Marie didn't notice the battle had already begun until the giant screen flashed with photos of Hop and Milo.

"Of course it's Wooloo again. That guy..."

"Hm?"

Yuri followed Marie's gaze. On the field, Hop had sent out Wooloo, while Milo led with an Eldegoss.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask... Your family runs a ranch, right? So how come it's Hop who has a Wooloo?"

As they watched the battle unfold, Marie casually threw out the question.

On the field, Eldegoss spun rapidly while Wooloo chased after it. It looked like the match would be a slow one neither Pokémon had evolved yet, so both offense and defense were still relatively weak.

That said, Gym Leader Milo's combination of Rapid Spin and Magical Leaf was actually pretty clever. He'd basically converted Magical Leaf into a mobile version of Leaf Storm, letting it hit while on the move.

Seeing Eldegoss control waves of Magical Leaf while spinning forward at high speed made Marie sweat a little on Hop's behalf.

Wooloo, unable to keep up with the increasing pace, was eventually forced to trade hits charging headfirst into Eldegoss with Tackle and Headbutt in a desperate counter.

"Ah... you were asking about Wooloo?"

Yuri finally remembered Marie's question after the tense exchange and answered with a sheepish grin.

"Hehe... I just spent too much time around Wooloo growing up. I helped my mom shear them all the time. So when I finally got to travel, I wanted to meet some Pokémon I hadn't seen before."

"Fair enough. I didn't want to raise the same Pokémon as my brother either. I wanted to see more of the world."

As they chatted, Hop started to fall behind.

Wooloo had unexpectedly pulled off a Thunder Wave earlier, slowing Eldegoss's assault, but it still wasn't enough to completely turn things around.

"Ugh... Why does that idiot always insist on using Wooloo first? Is that his wife or something? No matter who he's up against, it's always Wooloo in the lead!"

Yuri scratched her head, clearly frustrated. Judging from her tone, this wasn't the first time she'd had complaints.

Marie didn't know what to say either. She remembered Hop had a Scorbunny and a Rookidee both of which had type advantage against Grass-types.

And yet he'd opened with Wooloo...

Luckily, Milo's Eldegoss didn't seem to be fully trained. Its stamina probably wasn't high enough to keep using Magical Leaf much longer. If it had been, Wooloo would've been knocked out by now instead of still rolling around trying to find an opening.

____________________

NEXT CHAPTER : Si-chan's Progress

(After watching Hop barely scrape by in his Gym Battle, Marie reflects on how forgiving Gym Leaders are to rookies. Meanwhile, Yuri gears up for a rematch with a wild Eevee using her newly evolved Flapple. But it's Si-chan, Marie's Ralts, who quietly steals the spotlight her Teleport mastery has grown fast and flawless, hinting at her imminent evolution. As Marie contemplates training tools and even leaving Galar for greater strength, one thing becomes clear: their journey is just beginning, and Si-chan may soon become the team's next powerhouse.

Next up: Will Si-chan finally evolve—and what new powers will she awaken?)

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