Chapter 102

Everything outside is green!

Is Rayquaza?

Then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

"Ah! So this is where you were hiding!"

A girl appeared at the entrance of the crevice. She didn't have any obvious distinctive decorations, but the moment Qiao Ran saw her face, he knew who this person who had suddenly appeared was.

"Gloria?"

Qiao Ran's words carried a hint of doubt. This guy clearly hadn't been wearing his own green hat before, so why was the whole outside suddenly green?

--Until Qiao Ran heard a faint voice coming from behind Gloria.

"Knock!"

He then realized that the green color no longer belonged to Gloria herself, but to the gorilla Pokémon that followed her, the evolved form of one of the Galar Starter Pokémon.

"Gloria?" Bea, who was squeezed next to Qiao Ran, also poked her head out. The two girls looked at each other, both of them seemingly surprised, as if they didn't understand why the other was there.

"Bea?" Gloria called out Bea's name, her gaze sweeping over Qiao Ran and Bea's faces before she gradually breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew... thankfully you're all alright. Come with me, I have a safe haven nearby, things will be better there. And what are you doing? This guy's an idiot, fine, but Bea, why aren't you doing anything about it? Fighting Gigantamax Pokémon here, are you tired of living or crazy? Seriously... I was halfway through collecting supplies and then this happens..."

As Gloria continued to curse, she reached out her hands to Qiao Ran and Bea, seemingly trying to pull them out.

Qiao Ran blankly at her hand.

Was this guy... also drawn here because of the previous battle?

Despite the fact that this girl had been constantly going against her in Spikemuth, she was surprisingly reliable in a situation like this.

Qiao Ran's impression of Gloria improved significantly once again.

Following behind Gloria, Qiao Ran and Bea soon arrived at the "Safe House" that Gloria had mentioned.

Despite being called Safe House, it was actually just an empty Basement. The entrance to the Basement was covered by a pile of clutter. If Gloria hadn't had the Rillaboom dig up the clutter, Qiao Ran might never have discovered this hidden place in his entire life.

"Well, this guy is my best partner too. We've been traveling together since the very beginning, and we still are. Also, it was this guy who discovered this place. After all, the Basement is hollow, and you can tell by listening to the sounds."

Gloria proudly showed off her Rillaboom Qiao Ran; it has to be said, this Pokémon is indeed very suitable for the current situation.

Not only does it possess a powerful body and arm strength, enabling it to move supplies, but its keen hearing, honed from a young age by its love of banging on things, allows it to easily spot people and Pokémon buried under rubble. In fact, as Gloria mentioned, it can even detect them through hearing alone.

Discovering a buried Basement is also possible.

Following Gloria into the Basement, Qiao Ran found that the space inside was not very large, with only two small beds and some canned goods and other living supplies piled in the corner.

Although everything was very rudimentary, these things were invaluable in this situation. Moreover, being underground would eliminate most of the dangers, since Gigantamax Pokémon don't seem to be very bright and wouldn't think of Dig.

What will you do next?

With Bea's help, Qiao Ran sat down on the bed. He looked at Gloria and asked the question he wanted to ask.

"What should we do? You've made such a mess of things, and now you're asking me what to do?"

Gloria recalled the green gorilla and glared at Qiao Ran.

"Because of your previous battle, there are now a bunch of Gigantamax Pokémon running around up there. I can't collect any more supplies, so I guess I'll have to stay here with you guys for now. Also, if my Off-road vehicle gets trampled by any passing Pokémon, I'll be furious with you!"

"Uh... sorry."

Qiao Ran really didn't expect that he had such a big influence on Gloria. Faced with Gloria's accusations, he could only apologize and admit his mistake.

However, to Qiao Ran's surprise, when he heard Gloria's accusation, Bea, who was standing next to him, spoke up for him.

"Gloria, don't say that. Qiao Ran did a great job. He really Defeat a Gigantamax Pokémon."

Bea's expression was very serious, and she didn't seem to be joking at all. However, her words surprised not only Qiao Ran, but also Gloria.

"Bea, what's wrong with you? Why are you taking his side?"

Gloria was also confused. She met this Fighting-type Gym Leader during her Gym challenge. In her mind, Bea had always been a cool girl who never feigned politeness to anyone. But why was she speaking up for this man now?

... Marnie was like that, and now Bea is like that too. Why are you all so strange??

Furthermore, Qiao Ran mentioned before that this was his first time in Galar, so he and Bea should have just met, right?

"I'm just stating the facts. I genuinely believe he did the right thing. If we can Defeat the Gigantamax Pokémon one by one, this crisis can definitely be gradually resolved. And... Gloria, you've noticed too, haven't you? Qiao Ran might be the legendary Sword Hero."

Bea's expression became even more serious.

"I didn't really believe it before, but... now I believe it completely. In short, no matter what happens now, I will choose to stand by his side, even if it means Hilbert Gigantamax Pokémon."

"You..."

Bea's statement surprised Gloria, and also caught Qiao Ran somewhat off guard.

This guy... actually trusts me that much?

Qiao Ran looked into Bea's eyes. She stood upright, her gaze filled with unwavering conviction and resolute justice, looking just like a true knight.

"Qiao Ran, I hope you can come with me to meet someone later. That person might know something about you."

"Who?"

Qiao Ran was unaware of the other party's plans. Although Bea had mentioned this before, he still asked again just to be on the safe side.

Bea paused for a moment.

"... It's Doctor Sonia. She came with me this time to try and find a way to supply the city with provisions—so she came with us."

Section 193, page 190 [Basement: Night]

"Sonia..."

Upon hearing the name, Qiao Ran was slightly taken aback at first, but then he immediately realized that, based on his understanding of the Galar region, this person, whom Bea called "Doctor Sonia," was a very important character in the game and a key figure connecting the legend and reality.

She is a researcher specializing in local legends and myths in the Galar region, and her grandmother is Professor Magnolia, Galar's most famous Pokémon Professor. Professor Magnolia not only has profound insights into Pokémon but is also the most senior expert in the emerging field of Dynamax Energy. She not only developed the Dynamax Band that allows Pokémon to Gigantamax but also assisted Chairman Rose of the Pokémon League in building the Energy Collection Device in Hammerlocke, making her the undisputed number one academic in Galar.

Under her grandmother's tutelage, Sonia has also conducted in-depth research on Dynamax Energy. She received an excellent education from a young age and possesses an innate spirit of exploration, earning her the reputation as a rising star in the Galar academic world.

Moreover, behind all this glamorous background, she is actually the childhood friend and formidable rival of the current Champion, Galar. However, the Champion Galar simply too strong. Not only has she been the Champion since she was ten years old, but she has also never lost a single match, making her an insurmountable Nightmare.

So, after several friendly exchange matches, Sonia, like a childhood friend from Pallet Town, finally gave up on becoming Trainer and instead aspired to become a skilled researcher, donning the researcher's white coat.

Recalling these memories of Sonia, Qiao Ran couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "This is yet another poor kid who was beaten into despair by the Champion."

"Doctor Sonia is now the authority on the Galar mythology."

It was also she who discovered the truth about the 'Hero'.

Unlike Qiao Ran's inner thoughts, Bea highly admired Sonia. After all, for Galar at present, the so-called "Hero" is the only hope and sustenance, and Sonia proposed this concept, naturally rose in status and became a symbol Bind to the "Hero".

"Qiao Ran, I hope you can come with me to meet Doctor Sonia later, and ideally... join us for our later... I didn't actually come here alone; there's a Pokémon League rear force stationed outside the outer city of Hammerlocke."

Bea looked at Qiao Ran and Gloria in front of her. Gloria and Qiao Ran were already sitting on the bed. After experiencing so much today, they were exhausted.

However, after hearing what Bea said, Qiao Ran and Gloria immediately perked up.

"The Pokémon League forces? You...?"

"That's right, we plan to find a way to transport supplies into Hammerlocke. After all, maintaining a siege indefinitely won't be sustainable inside Hammerlocke. If they can't hold on... a large Gigantamax Pokémon into the Energy Collection Device would truly be Nightmare for the entire Galar."

Bea's words sent a chill down Gloria's spine. Gigantamax Energy was a terrifying thing; if these Pokémon continued to be subjected to its power, who knew what the consequences would be?

"No! This absolutely won't do!"

Gloria almost screamed. Although she was only the Special Attack Captain of Spikemuth now, she was also a member of the Galar, and such a future was absolutely devastating.

"Yes, that's absolutely unacceptable... So this time we've gathered a group of Ace Trainer to supply Hammerlocke with supplies, and at the same time, we're trying to clear out some Gigantamax Pokémon... The reason I'm here now is to use Fighting-type abilities to clear the way and create an opportunity for the troops behind us, but even I can't clear the obstacles in the sky."

Bea glanced at Qiao Ran, her gaze softening considerably.

"Fortunately, I met Qiao Ran. He did things I couldn't do... He's really amazing."

"Cough... cough, um."

Faced with Bea's enthusiastic praise, Qiao Ran felt his face flush slightly. This guy was not only on his side in every way, but also praised him from time to time, without even trying to hide it.

As expected of a girl from the Fighting-type, she's always so direct. When she's aloof, she ignores everyone, and now she's gone all out and been completely blatant about it.

However, Qiao Ran never really understood why this guy would praise him to such an extent.

Is it possible that my charm has increased even though I can't use one hand?

Hmm... that's strange.

In the quiet Basement, because it never sees sunlight, one basically loses track of time. However, Gloria and Bea both brought mechanical watches to keep track of the time; in this apocalyptic world, it's essential to be prepared.

"Isn't it time to Rest?"

"Hmm... it seems so."

So, where are you planning to sleep?

The three men exchanged glances, each with a different thought in their eyes. There were only two beds in the Basement, and with three of them, sleeping in them was clearly out of the question.

Qiao Ran did have a bold idea, but he didn't know whether he should say it or not, or if he would get glared at to death by Gloria if he did.

"Okay, let's put the beds together and make do like this for the night. We can get out around dawn tomorrow."

As a straightforward girl who Fighting-type, Bea doesn't have any hidden agendas, and she doesn't mind being close to Qiao Ran. To be honest, she's gotten used to it by the end of the day.

Although they hadn't known each other for long, she had already gotten used to Qiao Ran's body, and Qiao Ran had become familiar with her touch. It has to be said that this was indeed a level that others could hardly reach.

"Qiao Ran, why don't you sleep next to me? I can help you relax your muscles."

As Bea spoke, she glanced at Qiao Ran, but her words elicited a reaction from Gloria.

"Then you guys sleep over there, I don't want to sleep with this stinky man!"

Gloria herself didn't actually dislike Qiao Ran, but seeing Bea like this made her a little angry. This made her think of Marnie, who was still in Spikemuth. Part of the reason she came out to find Qiao Ran was related to Marnie; she didn't want to see Marnie's sad expression.

However, Bea went a step further than Marnie. Marnie was still quite reserved, but this Gym Leader completely overturned her expectations, practically throwing herself at him.

"Seriously... what's wrong with them all? Just because they're Hero doesn't mean they're so great!"

Lying on the bed with her back to Bea, Gloria, wrapped in the blanket, trembled with anger and cold. When would these girls finally see this man's true colors? When would this world return to normal?

Being among such a group of people, Gloria really felt that it was very difficult for her.

It's so hard for her.

Section 194, page 191 [Option: Gift]

The night in the Basement was indeed cold and uncomfortable, especially since the bed was small.

Because of his small stature, Qiao Ran could only lie flat on his back with his left hand dangling in the air, using his Long Sword to support himself on the ground. Rest like this wasn't comfortable, and Qiao Ran always felt that there was a possibility of falling off the bed at any moment.

Don't worry, I have a plan.

Bea thoughtfully took a rope out of her bag, wrapped it around her waist a few times, and then around Qiao Ran's body a few times, quickly tying the two of them together.

"That way there won't be any accidents. If you fall, I'll notice immediately, don't worry."

Bea was quite confident in her strength; pulling Qiao Ran was a piece of cake for her.

"Thanks."

Although she felt the other person was being a bit too enthusiastic, Qiao Ran's sleep quality was indeed much better tonight thanks to her efforts.

If he had to give one piece of feedback, it would be that this guy was tied to him... way too close.

Qiao Ran didn't see this as a good sign. If such a young girl was standing so close to him, he wouldn't even know how to deal with it.

Qiao Ran felt that being a Hero was really too difficult.

Nothing more was said that night.

Bea isn't a talkative person; she's more of a doer. As for Gloria, she's already too angry to say anything.

Time passed quickly, and the next day arrived soon. Due to the lack of light, the time when the group woke up was slightly different from their usual wake-up time. In the end, it was Bea, who woke up earlier, who called Qiao Ran and Gloria to get up.

He dealt with personal hygiene in a simple way... well, actually it wasn't that simple. Since there weren't any separate cubicles in the Basement, everything was done in the same space. However, having experienced this several times before, Qiao Ran was already used to it.

"What? Why are you looking at me? You've been secretly listening, haven't you?"

Gloria glared at Qiao Ran; this guy looked shifty and was definitely up to no good.

"No, I don't know anything." Qiao Ran chose to deny it directly. If he said he heard it very clearly here, or even asked if the other person had drunk too much water yesterday, he would probably be knocked out in this Basement.