The Pokémon journey begins in Galar

The area surrounding the lake was peaceful and picturesque. Though not as bustling as the Wild Area, the scattered Pokémon, along with the lush forests and grassy fields, made it a perfect spot for camping.

Yuri's Pokémon had all wandered off to play on their own, leaving her free-handed as she sauntered over to Marie and plopped down beside her. She said nothing, simply watching as Little Chirp contentedly enjoyed Marie's massage.

Marie glanced sideways at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just thought I'd come sit with you for a bit."

Yuri shook her head reflexively, even though her answer sounded vague and a little aimless, even to herself.

"I thought you were going to look for Farfetch'd?"

"I'll go in a bit. We've walked a long way already. Say, Marie, can you give me a massage too? Please?"

She raised one arm to rub her neck dramatically, putting on an exaggerated show of muscle fatigue.

There had been one time back in the Wild Area when Yuri had overexerted herself from too much walking. Marie, with no other choice, had reluctantly given her a massage that evening. But that had been a one-time emergency; Marie had learned massage techniques for Pokémon, not people, and she hadn't repeated it since.

"I don't see any part of you that looks sore," Marie replied flatly without even turning her head, a seamless rejection delivered with practiced ease.

It wasn't that Marie was stingy she just didn't feel confident using massage techniques on a human. Pokémon anatomy and human anatomy were completely different, and even human-shaped Pokémon had little in common with real people structurally. The last time she tried, she hadn't known her own strength, and after that experience, she wasn't eager to repeat it.

"Ugh... I'm so jealous. I wanna lie on Marie's lap and get pampered like that too…"

Yuri muttered dreamily to no one in particular. Little Chirp, upon hearing this, opened one eye and cocked his head back to look at her upside down with the smuggest expression possible.

"Chirp~ (Hmph~)"

"Tch-!"

Even without translation, that mocking tone was crystal clear. Marie chuckled quietly and adjusted her hand, pressing into a new spot.

"Chirp-!! (Ow ow ow! That hurts! Easy! Take it easy!)"

"You brought this on yourself. Why are you always provoking Yuri?"

"Chirp chirp-!! (My bad my bad! Easy! You're gonna kill me!)"

As Little Chirp's squawking quickly turned into silent compliance, Yuri burst out laughing and reached out to pinch his chubby little cheeks, stretching them mischievously.

"Hehe~ Thanks, Marie. Hmph, serves you right, smug little fluffball!"

"…"

Resigned and defeated, Little Chirp put on the face of a noble martyr. Let her mess with him if she wanted no taunt could compare to the bliss of Marie's massages!

"Alright, that's enough, Yuri. You're going to rub all his feathers off."

"Hehe… fine."

Yuri let go, still giggling. As annoying as Little Chirp could be, she had to admit he had a nice squishy feel to him perfect size and shape for hugging and squishing.

"Hey Marie, are you coming with me later?"

"You mean to find the Farfetch'd? You can go on your own. This forest isn't that big."

Marie wasn't especially interested. As far as Farfetch'd went, yes, they were impressive, and it was true that evolving them was no easy feat. But even now, there still wasn't a clear consensus on the exact conditions needed for their evolution.

Most researchers believed it had to do with the Pokémon's mastery of its leek blade and the strength of its conviction. But beyond that, no one had pinned down a definitive answer.

"Oh come on, Marie! Sii-chan and Little Chirp aren't training this afternoon anyway, right? Just come with me for a bit."

Yuri poked at Marie's shoulder, unable to hug her while she was still massaging Little Chirp, so she resorted to light nudges to show her intent.

Marie was just thinking of how to turn her down gently when something caught her eye movement from the direction of the lake where Ee-chan and Baru were training.

They'd been sparring earlier, taking turns attacking and defending, but now it looked like Baru was standing off to the side watching. Marie tilted her head. From this distance, and with Baru's large frame in the way, she couldn't quite see what Ee-chan was doing.

"Wait, don't move... let me see what Ee-chan is up to."

Marie leaned forward, craning her neck toward the lake. The open space gave her a decent view, and just then, Baru shifted and floated lazily to the side, revealing Ee-chan and the figure standing across from her.

"Yuri... looks like you won't need to go searching after all."

"Huh? Wait, that one over there don't tell me that's a Farfetch'd?!"

Drawn in by Marie's words, Yuri stretched her neck to see too. And sure enough, there it was a duck standing tall, a massive leek tucked under one wing, its whole body poised for battle as it faced off against Ee-chan.

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