After helping Yūri tidy up the mess of scattered clothes, Marie handed her a glass of cool water and sat down on the nearby folding chair with a smile.
"Did you come in here all by yourself, Yūri?"
"Huh? Mm-hmm! I had a friend with me at first, but the moment we got in, she took off like the wind and disappeared."
Yūri puffed out her cheeks and waved her little fists in the air, clearly frustrated. Sobble, meanwhile, had wrapped its tail around her arm and was hanging upside down, stretching its head down to sip from the cup.
"You only brought one Pokémon with you?"
Marie gestured toward the young Sobble, her expression filled with disbelief. The little thing was clearly timid, and from the looks of it, hadn't been born long. It was hardly ready for serious battles.
"Yep! This little one is my starter Pokémon! I even got it from the Champion himself!" Yūri grinned proudly, hugging both her cup and her partner close.
"The Champion? Leon?"
"Yup!"
"I see... that explains how you got this little guy."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Nothing important. Just wondering... do you even know where you are? Charging into the Wild Area with just a fresh starter are you serious?"
"Ehehehe~"
"I wasn't complimenting you. If I hadn't run into you today, would the two of you have gone hungry out here?"
"Ugh… I'm really sorry! I got a little carried away!"
Yūri wasn't completely clueless she was just young and overconfident. Becoming a new Trainer and being personally recognized by Leon had left her feeling invincible. In the heat of the moment, she'd rushed straight into the Wild Area.
After all, it only took trying to pick a few berries and getting chased half a mile by wild Pokémon to knock some sense back into her.
"As long as you realize that now. So, what's your plan? Do you want me to take you back to Meetup Spot?"
"Huh? But I just came from there..."
Yūri shook her head so fast she looked like a bobblehead toy.
"The railway to Motostoke is blocked by a bunch of Wooloo, so I didn't have a choice! I figured cutting through the Wild Area was faster... Everyone else was going in too, so I thought…"
"Sigh…"
Marie rubbed her temple, a trace of a headache creeping in. Had this girl done any research before coming out here? She could've at least browsed a forum or two.
Still, looking at the pitifully remorseful Yūri who now wore a matching expression to her teary-eyed Sobble Marie couldn't bring herself to scold her too harshly. She let out a deep sigh and started explaining.
"You just took the wrong route. The Wild Area may be Pokémon territory, but there are some footpaths unofficial ones that people can use safely. It's a kind of unspoken agreement between Trainers and Pokémon."
"As long as you pack enough rations and follow that path, you should be fine. Even the berry trees along the trail can be picked without causing trouble. No wild Pokémon will attack over a few snacks."
"But you wandered all the way to Lake Axewell. That's like stomping into someone's front yard you were bound to get into danger."
"Wha-so that's what happened? Marie-chan, you're amazing! You know so much!"
"...You could've looked all this up. Didn't you check anything before coming?"
"Ehehe~"
"..."
As Marie was recalibrating her expectations of this slightly scatterbrained girl, a small group of Combee buzzed over, catching her attention.
"Let's eat first. We can talk after."
"Ooh, thank you!"
At the mention of food, Yūri's energy returned in an instant. She didn't even notice the Combee now hovering above her head.
Marie stood up, smiling at the buzzing group. She gently poked the lead Combee with a finger and accepted a hard plastic bottle filled with golden honey.
"Thanks again, little ones."
"Bzzt-bzzt~ (No need to thank us! We should be thanking you, Lady Marie, for the Pokéblocks! The new Combee are growing strong and healthy!)"
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it. Want to join us for lunch?"
Marie looked around. There were about twenty Combee in the group, and she had four bottles just like the one she received. After a quick scan, she smiled and extended the invitation.
"Bzz-bzzt~ (Yes, please! I worked hard to get assigned to this transport mission I deserve a reward!)"
Their cheerful buzzing filled the air, and Marie chuckled, waving at the dazed Yūri beside her.
"Come on, Yūri! Lunch is ready!"
"O-okay!"
She was dying to ask about what Marie just did, but right now, food came first.
Marie always cooked extra, knowing the Combee would stop by. They may have been small, but two dozen hungry Combee could eat a surprising amount.
She added some of the honey into the curry and gave it a good stir before announcing that lunch was ready.
Yūri got the first serving, followed by portions for the Pokémon. For the Combee, Marie mixed in powdered Bug-type Pokéblock crumbs. For Ee-chan, she added Pokéblocks that enhanced Steel-type energy and physical strength.
Then, glancing at the Sobble perched on Yūri's shoulder, sharing bites of curry, she hesitated briefly. Eventually, she pulled out a long-stored Water-type Pokéblock and ground it into a small portion of curry.
"Huh? Is this for Sobble?"
Yūri looked up with a puzzled expression.
"Yeah. I mixed in a Pokéblock that boosts Water-type abilities. This little one's at the stage where nutrition and training are especially important. You should consider getting more appropriate Pokéblocks and planning a schedule."
Marie couldn't resist giving a bit of advice, seeing how clueless the girl was.
"Oh! Thank you, I'll do that!"
"Yah yah... (Th-thank you… you're really nice.)"
After tasting a spoonful and feeling the energy from the curry, Sobble shyly lifted its head and murmured a soft thanks.
"No need to thank me. Take your time eating."
Once everyone human and Pokémon alike had their meals, Marie finally picked up her own bowl and sat beside Yūri to eat.
After lunch, she said goodbye to the Combee while cleaning up the dishes. Then she turned to Ee-chan with a warm smile.
"I'm counting on you, Ee-chan. Use Psychic."
"Yee~ (Got it.)"
Ee-chan knew this was part of her training to control psychic energy more precisely. Marie had gone out of her way to get a TM for Psychic just for her.
At first, Ee-chan had thought her Trainer was just being lazy. But over time, as her ability to seamlessly blend psychic power into daily tasks improved, so did her mastery of the move. Her progress skyrocketed.
Now that she'd experienced real growth for herself, Ee-chan had happily taken over many of Marie's chores.
As for whether Marie truly had lazy intentions all along... that remained a mystery.