Chapter 111

"I'm sorry... Qiao Ran, if you stayed there any longer, you would definitely be attacked. This was the only way I could bring you out."

Bea put Qiao Ran down, apologetic on her face.

Looking back on that moment, she actually had other viable options and didn't need to resort to such an "extreme" action as Princess Carry. But—for some reason, she did it without even thinking.

Was she being too impatient?

"Okay, anyway, thank you for helping me get out... even though the method was a bit strange."

Qiao Ran helplessly patted the dust off his clothes. It was impossible for him to blame Bea, and besides, she had indeed solved the problem he was facing. He had arranged to meet Doctor Sonia Qiao Ran an hour. If he had been trapped in that kind of place, he might not have been able to get out for several hours.

As for the other side, Vulpix had no objection to what Bea had done. Rather than let her master be taken advantage of by those shady people, she would rather let this female gorilla take her master away with her.

"I heard from Sonia that you're going to find Raihan next? I'll come with you; I can help if anything happens... I'll protect you."

After chatting briefly, Bea once again suggested going out together. She was worried about leaving Qiao Ran wandering around outside alone; she had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

Qiao Ran glanced at Bea but did not raise any objections.

"... All right."

Regardless, Bea is a native of this world, and the Gym Leader of Galar at that. Even just casual conversation with her would give Qiao Ran something to gain.

I obtained a lot of information.

Besides, Bea's stamina can indeed be a great help to him—like in that situation just now. Before, outside of Hammerlocke, it was Bea who had been taking care of him.

Qiao Ran really had no way of refusing this girl.

After passing through the first floor of the "Tower", Qiao Ran and Bea arrived at their destination - the largest Battlefield in Hammerlocke.

The Battlefield is located behind the Energy Tower, and from the outside, it looks like a giant "egg".

Every Battlefield in the Galar region is built to the standard of "Gigantamax". The central Battle Court is spacious enough, and the surrounding area can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators. This is an important reason why Gym Battle in the Galar region can be commercialized.

"In my hometown of Stow-on-Side, there is also a similar Battlefield, but it doesn't usually have as many spectators as Hammerlocke."

Walking through the deserted Battlefield, Bea's expression was somewhat nostalgic.

The moonlight shone on her short silver hair, and this girl, who was usually bold and even quite tomboyish, looked exceptionally beautiful.

If she could dress herself up a little and put on some nice clothes, maybe...

"What's wrong?"

Bea noticed Qiao Ran's gaze, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she smiled and continued talking about her previous topic.

"Furthermore, due to the Gigantamax disaster, the Battlefield is closed, and no one is in the mood to watch the Competition. We've already discussed whether to convert the Battlefield into a temporary warehouse to store some necessary supplies."

"There's nothing we can do about it." Qiao Ran nodded understandingly. When he was in Spikemuth, he had heard Marnie and Gloria complain about these things to him. They had headaches about it every day.

As they chatted, they walked toward the other end of the Battlefield —there were blurry figures there, and it seemed that Raihan was somewhere in between.

However, as they got closer, both Qiao Ran and Bea couldn't help but look at the middle-aged man who was talking to Raihan.

Moreover, behind the middle-aged man stood a woman who looked to be around thirty years old, but she didn't seem to attract as much attention as the middle-aged man.

"President...?"

Looking at the middle-aged man in a suit, Bea couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

How did you end up here...?

Hello everyone.

The middle-aged man in a suit greeted Bea and Qiao Ran with a kind, elder-like smile.

He had a coffee-colored complexion, deep-set, droopy eyes, and a short beard, making him look like a charming middle-aged CEO. However, the slightly protruding belly under his suit disrupted this perfect harmony.

"Welcome to Hammerlocke, Bea! And this Gym Leader over here..."

The middle-aged man glanced at Qiao Ran, his eyes filled with a depth that was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

"This must be the legendary 'Sword Hero'?"

"I've heard quite a bit about you from Raihan!"

Mienshao

Wooloo

Section 213, page 210 [Night Meeting: In-Depth]

Has the Gym Leader the Raihan Pavilion ever mentioned me?

Qiao Ran was taken aback at first, but then gradually calmed down. He actually knew the man in front of him; he didn't even need Bea to introduce him. He could tell that this guy was "that person," the most powerful and influential person in Galar.

Rose, President of the Macro Cosmos and Chairman of the Pokémon Association.

This is a legendary figure whose businesses span every aspect of Galar. His skill as Trainer is beyond question; many, many years ago, he was already the runner-up in the Galar Pokémon League.

Moreover, what surprised Qiao Ran was not the person himself, but why he was here. He hadn't heard anyone mention that this guy would be here before.

Even Bea, a veteran Gym Leader in the Pokémon League, might not have heard the news—this was evident from the slight surprise on her Bea.

"Yes, of course I should introduce our heroes to the guild leader."

The tall man standing next to Rose picked up the conversation. He was none other than Raihan, who had fought alongside Qiao Ran and the others at the city gate, and was the person Qiao Ran had come here to find.

When the two groups met, they introduced themselves to each other, and Chairman Rose also introduced the woman standing behind him.

"You should already know who I am, right? I am the Pokémon League President, Rose. Oh, and this is my Secretary, her name is Oleana."

"Yes. My name is Oleana, and I'm the president's Secretary. If you need to see the president, you can contact me first."

The woman standing behind Rose nodded. She had long, brown hair, but her expression was quite cold, and she didn't even smile when introducing herself.

If Qiao Ran were to describe it,

That is, he has a face that is obviously that of a villain, it's almost as if "I am the villain" is written on his face.

"So, what brings you two here?"

After the introductions were completed, Rose turned his attention to Qiao Ran and asked about their purpose in coming here. After all, it was already evening, and it was unusual for two people, especially a man and a woman, to come here so late at night.

That's right.

Qiao Ran carefully crafted his explanation and stated his purpose: he had come here simply to inquire whether Raihan had a device to charge Rotom, and that running into the Pokémon League Chairman was a coincidence and an accident.

However, Qiao Ran remained cautious when facing this "guild leader," as the guy always gave him a sense of "cunning and shrewdness," and the guild leader was also inextricably linked to the crisis in the Galar region within the game.

In short, being cautious is definitely the right thing to do.

"Oh, so you want to Charge Rotom? Why didn't you say so earlier? I have plenty of Charge here."

After hearing Qiao Ran's words, Raihan reached out and pulled out several Charge pads from his body.

"As you all know, I also trained a Rotom Phone, right? Although I usually just use it to take pictures, haha."

As a heavy power consumer, Raihan always carries Charge bank with him, and after handing the Charge bank to Qiao Ran, he added a comment.

"If that's not enough, go ask at the shop over there in the tower. Just mention my name, and you can get the highest quality energy... the kind Rotom loves the most."

"Okay... okay."

Qiao Ran nodded and took a large pile of things from Raihan's hands. Although he was still a little unaccustomed to the Gym Leader's enthusiasm, Qiao Ran didn't dislike him.

Moreover, as a Ghost Pokémon, Rotom's food is quite different from that of ordinary Pokémon. Although he often heard Rotom use terms like "hydroelectricity, thermal power, and wind power," Qiao Ran couldn't understand the difference at all.

After chatting for a while, Qiao Ran and Bea left. Like Qiao Ran, Bea also looked somewhat puzzled.

"Did the president arrive here...?"

"What's wrong?" Qiao Ran couldn't help but ask when he heard her muttering to herself.

"Huh?" Bea was taken aback, but continued talking anyway.

"No... I just find it strange. According to previous information, the chairman has always been at the headquarters of the Macro Cosmos with the Champion... Why is he here? How did he get here?"

Bea expressed her doubts. What she saw tonight was completely different from the information she had received. Logically speaking, it was impossible for them, as members of the Pokémon League, not to know about such an important event as the chairman's arrival in Hammerlocke.

"Never mind, maybe I'm overthinking it... The guild leader is the one who made Galar prosperous, we should all trust him."

Bea shook her head, banishing the excess emotions from her heart. Everything Chairman Rose did was for Galar, and she had no reason to doubt such a highly respected elder.

"Should I believe him...?" Qiao Ran stroked his chin, his doubts deepening.

And... the Champion is actually at the headquarters of the Macro Cosmos?

"Master, that man's gaze was so strange..."

The Vulpix standing on Qiao Ran's shoulder also experienced the same emotions. Whether it was Qiao Ran's thoughts that influenced her, or her feelings that influenced Qiao Ran, remains unknown.

"You think so too?" Qiao Ran silently replied to himself.

On his way here, Qiao Ran had been pondering the cause of this crisis. Unlike the situation in Alola where everyone disappeared into Otherworld, Gigantamax was actually a predictable change, if his guess was correct...

"Wait, I think I forgot something."

Suddenly, Qiao Ran's eyes widened. He looked at Bea beside him with some excitement and grabbed her shoulder.

He remembered something—something he had always overlooked, yet which was extremely important.

"Marnie's Older Brother... yes, Marnie's Older Brother... Gym Leader Piers from Spikemuth, isn't he here too?!"

"Eh? Gym Leader Piers?"

Suddenly, Qiao Ran down on her shoulder, and Bea was slightly flustered. Her normally strong body didn't even react.

However, she quickly realized what was happening.

"Didn't Gym Leader Piers go to the southern Motostoke to provide support?"

"... Machine... Engine City?"

Qiao Ran's hands trembled, and a thunderbolt suddenly exploded in his mind.

No... impossible...

What these guys are saying... is completely different from what Marnie told him!

That's impossible!

Section 214, page 211 [Intelligence: Confusion]

He already knew Marnie when Qiao Ran first came into this world.

She was the first person Qiao Ran met in this world, and she left an incredibly deep impression on Qiao Ran.

"My Older Brother? He went to Hammerlocke to provide support, and there's still no news. The situation there must be quite urgent..."

Close

This is how Marnie described her Older Brother. Qiao Ran really didn't believe that Marnie's Older Brother — the Gym Leader of Spikemuth —would do something to deceive his own sister, as a family member.

Moreover, when they were in Spikemuth, Qiao Ran stayed in the room left by this Gym Leader. From the condition of the room, you could tell that he was a person who looked "wild" but kept everything in perfect order.

But if the problem wasn't with Marnie, then—who lied?

Or is it simply because information transmission is currently difficult, causing deviations in the transmission process?

"Qiao... Ran? Are you... okay? You look terrible..."

Bea, standing in front of Qiao Ran, wore a worried expression, but within that worry, there seemed to be... a hint of shyness?

Was she blushing?

"Ah... no, that's not right."

Qiao Ran was startled. He finally realized that his right hand was still gripping Bea's shoulder tightly, pulling her body in front of him.

With Bea's stamina, breaking free from Qiao Ran's restraints would be a piece of cake. After all, Qiao Ran is a human who can go toe-to-toe with Machamp. If she wanted to, she could easily tear someone apart on the spot.

However, she now has no intention of resisting at all.

"W-what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Seeing Qiao Ran's reaction, Bea was also startled, thinking that something was wrong with Qiao Ran — Qiao Ran had previously severed the moves of two Pokémon, so Bea was actually a little worried about Qiao Ran's health.

After all, no one had ever done something like this before, and it was possible that there were things she didn't know about.

"No... no, no, I'm fine, I was just a little surprised."

Qiao Ran released his grip on Bea's shoulder. Although Bea's reaction bothered him, Qiao Ran was now focused on another issue.

"By the way, you mentioned before that Gym Leader Piers went to Motostoke. Is that confirmed?"

Qiao Ran voiced his doubts. Motostoke —the largest city in South Galar and the most prosperous industrial city in Galar —is, like Hammerlocke in the north, a gateway to the Wild Area, which is the region with the richest distribution of Gigantamax Energy.