According to Sonia, Marie wouldn't need to head out until the machine was finished. She estimated the timing would likely fall right around her Fire-type Gym challenge assuming no unexpected delays cropped up.
Taking the phone back from Yuri and slipping it into her pocket, Marie thought for a moment but decided not to bring it up just yet. It could wait until after their Gym challenge in Hulbury was over.
"Where do you want to go next?"
"Hehe! Sonia told me just now that if we're lucky, we might run into a band near the lighthouse a band made up entirely of Pokémon!"
"You mean the band that played during the Champion Cup... the 'Maxi-Maxi' group?"
"Eh? I don't know. Sonia didn't say what band. She just said we might spot one."
Yuri blinked innocently, clearly unfamiliar with the details. Marie shrugged in response. She didn't know much either. That little tidbit had just come up in passing during one of her chats with Sonia.
Seriously, where did Sonia even find the time to keep up with all these random things?
"Well, let's check it out. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky. Plus, the route takes us past the stadium. We can register for our Gym challenge while we're at it."
"Yeah yeah! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Stretching her arms above her head as she stood, Marie took a deep breath of the coastal air. The sea breeze at this time of year felt just right. If only there were a sandy beach nearby, it'd be perfect.
"Oh, and the inn we booked is somewhere along the way too."
"Meh, we'll just hop on the city loop bus and hop off where we need to!"
Yuri grabbed Marie's hand and chirped as cheerfully as ever.
Following behind her, Marie glanced at the ever-dutiful Farfetch'd and suddenly asked,
"Hey Farfetch'd, would you like a Poké Ball? Walking alongside us like this all the time must be exhausting."
"Gah? (A Poké Ball? For me?)"
"Yeah. You're always tagging along, carrying that shield and leek sword. Don't you get tired?"
Marie wasn't suggesting anything strange. At Farfetch'd's level, unless it was a Master Ball, most Poké Balls wouldn't even be able to restrain him for long. He could break free easily if he wanted to.
"Gah! (Thanks, but it's alright. The journey itself is a form of training.)"
His response was unexpectedly serious. So Marie dropped the idea of insisting he rest inside a ball. Having him keep an eye on Yuri wasn't a bad thing anyway.
The bus ride was bumpy, but uneventful. First, they stopped at the inn to check in, and then continued on to the entrance of Hulbury Stadium.
"Whoa! The blue stadium looks so cool!"
Yuri stood beside her, staring up at the massive structure. Marie, meanwhile, found herself wondering why her brother had never ended up with a stadium of his own. Even without a Power Spot, she doubted Chairman Rose would've refused to build one.
More likely, Nezu had turned it down himself.
Her brother had never told Marie why he decided to become a Gym Leader in the first place, so she had no clue what had really gone on.
But in Marie's opinion, even without Dynamax energy, a stadium could've doubled as a live concert venue. With Nezu's popularity, it would've benefited Spikemuth's development too.
Unfortunately, he'd always treated her like a kid and never explained these things. Now that she was older, Marie felt awkward about bringing it up herself.
"Let's head inside. No point wasting time out here."
She gave Yuri a little nudge, pulling her out of her daze.
"Oh! I hope we get to see Nessa!"
Tucking away her phone, Yuri beamed and walked in. The interior looked similar to Turffield's stadium, filled with Trainers in uniform getting ready for their matches.
It looked like today's schedule was packed.
There were small stands selling merchandise and staff members standing by to maintain order.
Neither Marie nor Yuri attracted much attention. It was actually Farfetch'd who drew some curious stares from a few Trainers.
Hulbury Stadium had the same bustling energy as Turffield. Marie gently guided Yuri through the crowd until they reached the registration desk.
The sign-up process was straightforward: confirm Trainer IDs, register the Pokémon they planned to use, and wait for the official notification email.
"There's actually a match starting soon. Want to stay and watch?"
Marie glanced at the challenge schedule displayed in the lobby. The next battle wasn't far off.
"Hmm... I think I'll skip this one. We can watch it on the stream later. Besides, I bet Farfetch'd wants to see stronger battles anyway."
"Gah! (Of course!)"
He puffed out his chest with pride. Since he was already at the stadium, it only made sense to watch a serious battle. What was the point of watching weak opponents?
Today's challenger wasn't very strong. It was easy enough to find basic info online, especially with these battles being broadcast region-wide. Most contestants gained at least a little attention after Turffield.
Incidentally, Marie herself had been drawing a fair bit of attention lately. Her strength at the Turffield match had been obvious, and with her being Nezu's younger sister and the antics of Team Yell hyping her up... her online fanbase had even formed a support group.
She'd felt so embarrassed after checking once that she never looked herself up again.
The reason she'd asked Yuri about watching this match was because the Trainer today was stronger than Yuri, but not overwhelmingly so. Watching mid-tier matches like these could actually be helpful.
But since Yuri wasn't interested, Marie didn't press it. There'd be more matches later on anyway.
Once outside, they followed the only road east of the stadium. The towering lighthouse could be seen ahead in the distance.
Yuri bounced along the road with a spring in her step. They were now entering the outskirts of town. The buildings thinned out, and there were fewer pedestrians compared to the town center.
Overhearing a conversation between passersby, Yuri turned and began walking backward with her hands behind her back, pouting.
"Aw man, someone said the band's not performing today..."
"Even so, the ocean view is worth the walk."
"Hehe~ I knew you'd say that, Mari waaah!"
"Watch out!"
"Gah! (Careful!)"
Walking backward, Yuri suddenly tripped over her own feet and fell straight back. Marie and Farfetch'd moved at the same time.
Marie lunged forward, grabbing the back of Yuri's shirt, while Farfetch'd raised his leek blade like a shield behind her to brace the fall.
"Ehehe... Thanks~"
Yuri froze for a second, then realized what had happened. Embarrassed, she scratched her head sheepishly. Her cap had already rolled to the side.
"Be more careful next time..."
Before she could even reply, Marie yanked her upright, but Yuri lost her balance again and this time fell forward into Marie's arms.
"Mmhmm~ I know~ I'll reflect on it~"
She rubbed her cheek against the soft warmth of Marie's embrace, saying the words of apology with a voice that didn't sound sorry in the slightest.
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