Chapter 159: Hulbury Stadium Without Nessa

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Hulbury Stadium Without Nessa

"Waiting for someone?"

Emma hadn’t known about that.

But she didn’t remain confused for long.

Because a golden figure was already speeding toward them from the distance.

"Master~~~~!"

Korrina was dressed exactly as usual.

Her roller skates crossed rapidly beneath her feet, and the moment she reached Sora, she launched herself forward in a flying tackle.

"Hey, hey, that’s dangerous."

Sora caught her effortlessly.

Fortunately, the girl still had some restraint and didn’t cause a disaster.

"Hehehe!"

"I just missed Master too much!"

Korrina clung to him while acting spoiled.

Then she noticed Emma standing behind Sora.

"Huh?"

"Who’s this? Is she traveling with you too, Master?"

Recently, Korrina had been busy handling affairs related to the Gym.

The moment she finished, she’d flown straight to Galar and hadn’t had time to contact Sora.

So this was the first time the two girls had met.

"Hi!"

"I’m Korrina!"

"Emma."

Compared to Korrina’s boundless energy, Emma seemed noticeably reserved.

"Emma?"

"Can I call you Emma-chan?"

"Emma... chan?"

Emma’s eyes widened.

It was as though she’d never encountered someone this friendly before.

"N-no, wait..."

"Emma-chan, Emma-chan!"

"Is this your Pokémon?"

"So cute!"

"Can I hold her?"

"No!!"

The moment Korrina set her sights on the Espurr in Emma’s arms, the girl immediately retreated in alarm.

"Ehhh~~~"

Korrina looked deeply wounded.

She simply thought Espurr was adorable.

She wanted to get closer to the Pokémon and use it as a way to start a conversation with Emma.

Yet judging by the girl’s reaction—

Had she somehow become hated already?

"Don’t be nervous."

Sora reassured Emma.

At the same time, he introduced Korrina properly and explained some of Emma’s recent experiences.

"Ah!"

"Something like that happened?!"

"Those bad guys are awful!"

After hearing the story, Korrina felt genuinely sympathetic.

She pitied Emma.

For some reason, her older-sister instincts suddenly awakened, filling her with an overwhelming desire to protect the younger girl.

"Don’t worry!"

Korrina patted her chest confidently.

"From now on, Big Sister Korrina will protect you!"

"No one will bully you again!"

Normally, with Emma’s personality, she wouldn’t have ignored such an opportunity.

But Korrina was simply too dazzling.

The girl was like a blazing flame.

Compared to her, Emma couldn’t help feeling insignificant.

Someone as gloomy as herself didn’t want to get too close.

She was afraid of being burned by that warmth.

"Still no good?"

Seeing that Emma remained far closer to Sora than to her, Korrina looked disappointed.

She couldn’t understand it.

Did she really seem that difficult to approach?

"You’re just too enthusiastic."

"Look how badly you’ve scared her."

After saying that, Sora subtly encouraged Emma.

Korrina wasn’t a bad person.

She was someone worth trying to befriend.

"Ah!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

"I shouldn’t have rushed over like that."

Korrina hurriedly apologized.

She knew she’d been a little too socially aggressive.

"Um..."

"Can we get along, Emma?"

"Mm."

Emma nodded.

The Espurr in her arms nodded at exactly the same time.

The synchronized motion was so adorable that Korrina nearly melted on the spot.

Thus, Korrina officially joined the group.

The three traveled together to a hotel in Hulbury.

They rested there for the night and used the opportunity to purchase large quantities of food and supplies for wilderness travel.

This time, Sora had plenty of funds.

Anything they needed was purchased.

And always the highest quality available.

"Tonight’s spending is on Miss Korrina!"

That’s right.

Korrina enthusiastically insisted on paying for the entire trip.

The travel expenses?

She’d cover them all!

It wasn’t that Sora was trying to save money.

The problem was that Korrina was simply too enthusiastic.

As her master, he had no choice but to give his disciple a chance to show off.

"Master!"

"Are you going to challenge Hulbury Stadium?"

"Not yet."

"We can come back and challenge it later."

That evening, while walking through the city, the three passed by Hulbury’s iconic stadium.

However, Sora had no intention of challenging it right away.

His Pokémon didn’t currently need the extra battle experience.

Besides, whenever Hulbury was mentioned, one particular dark-skinned beauty immediately came to mind.

That’s right.

Nessa.

Unfortunately, after checking the stadium’s information, Sora discovered that the Gym Leader wasn’t Nessa yet.

Thinking about the timeline, Ash wouldn’t arrive in Galar for another five years.

So it wasn’t surprising that Nessa was still working her way through the League Challenge at this point.

Unlike Korrina, her Gym wasn’t inherited through family connections.

In fact, Galar’s Gym Leaders were selected through evaluations conducted jointly by Chairman Rose and the League.

The capable advanced.

The weak were replaced.

The level of competition among trainers in Galar was arguably the highest in the world.

Otherwise, someone like Leon—the future World Champion—could never have emerged.

"Get some rest tonight."

Sora said,

"We leave for the Crown Tundra first thing tomorrow morning."

"Oooooh!"

Korrina was brimming with excitement.

The real Crown Tundra wasn’t some tiny map like in the games.

It was an immense frozen wilderness.

Even experienced trainers faced serious risks there.

A single blizzard could leave someone hopelessly lost.

Sora only dared bring two girls along because he possessed absolute confidence in his abilities.

Most people would never dare be so bold.

"I-I’ll do my best too."

Not wanting to lose, Emma declared her determination.

She wanted to perform well in front of Sora.

"Relax."

"Don’t pressure yourself."

Sora lightly patted her head.

"You’re not Korrina."

"That girl isn’t afraid of anything."

"Ehehehe~~"

Korrina grinned foolishly.

She genuinely thought Sora was complimenting her.

And so, amid one girl’s excitement and another’s nervous anticipation, Sora woke up early the next morning.

After breakfast, checking out of the hotel, and feeding all the Pokémon, the three finally set out toward the southern snowfields.

"Big Brother Sora?"

"What are you doing?"

Standing beside the road, Emma watched Sora strike a textbook hitchhiking pose and looked utterly confused.

"Obviously waiting for a taxi."

Sora smiled.

Then he explained:

"The most famous means of transportation in Galar is Corviknight."

Corviknight was Galar’s well-known regional bird Pokémon.

It evolved from Rookidee and possessed excellent flying abilities along with remarkable intelligence.

Through a company known as Galar Taxi, Corviknight utilized these talents to transport passengers between towns and cities, serving as Galar’s famous Flying Taxi service.

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