Chapter 112

While Motostoke's situation is certainly not as good as Hammerlocke's, which has a Gigantamax Energy Collector, its location near the Wild Area likely means it's not much better off either.

"Yes, it's a report from the Pokémon League. This level of information means it's been acknowledged by at least one official Gym Leader."

Seeing Qiao Ran's serious expression, Bea also answered seriously. Becoming official Gym Leader in the Galar Pokémon League is actually more difficult than in other regions. In other regions, passing the examination may grant a Gym Leader's license, but in Galar, there is a very strict review and assessment mechanism.

After all, the Battle Court available for use as a "Gigantamax Stadium" is limited and is a non-renewable resource.

Even a man like Chairman Rose, who single-handedly changed Galar, couldn't make Gigantamax Energy spring up out of thin air on a piece of land. Therefore, in order to make good use of these Venue, Galar's Gym Leader are the elite of the elite, handpicked from thousands of candidates. In this region, there isn't even a position like Elite Four —some Gym Leader are strong enough to reach the level of Elite Four or even Champion in other regions.

"I see."

Qiao Ran nodded, becoming increasingly vigilant. He couldn't pinpoint which link in the chain had gone wrong, but these subtle, unusual occurrences were nonetheless troubling him.

Bea has no way of knowing the truth, but does Sonia know? And does Chairman Rose know?

Marnie's Older Brother, the Gym Leader, couldn't possibly have just vanished into thin air after being transported to Otherworld, could he???

"Let's go check out the 'tower'. I've arranged to meet Sonia in an hour; she should be here soon."

Qiao Ran felt he should meet with Sonia as soon as possible. The longer he stayed here, the more he felt like he was getting caught in Spider Web. He could face ferocious Gigantamax Pokémon, but he still felt a chill and fear in the face of possible malice created by humans.

Tonight, he has to go to the underground energy plant.

"Is Doctor Sonia coming too? But it's already too late..."

Bea was unaware of Qiao Ran's next plan; she thought that after getting the Charge, Qiao Ran intended to go back and rest.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Ran's purpose in coming out this time was actually to meet with Sonia... and she was the one who joined halfway through without knowing anything?

What is their relationship?

"..."

Qiao Ran glanced at Bea. He didn't know what Bea was thinking, but he did indeed ponder it for a second.

He was considering whether or not to tell Bea about his next move.

Revealing one's next move, in this potentially dangerous situation, would undoubtedly be extremely foolish, but--

"Vulpix... should I trust her?"

"Master, you must trust your feelings."

"That's true... Even if I have doubts, I shouldn't doubt the people around me."

After a brief conversation with the Vulpix on his shoulder, Qiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief and finally told Bea his purpose.

He's going to the energy plant.

As for his purpose, he gave the reason that he "wanted to see the most cutting-edge technology in Galar."

"An energy plant?"

Bea wasn't actually that interested in these places, but for some reason, she always had a feeling that she couldn't let go of Qiao Ran's safety—and it wasn't because Sonia was suddenly coming over.

"I'll come along too. As the Gym Leader of the Pokémon League, I should also have the authority to enter."

"Well... okay. If Sonia thinks it's fine too."

Qiao Ran shrugged helplessly. This girl... it seems she's planning to stick with him to the end tonight.

Section 215, page 212 [Energy: Plants]

Before the agreed time arrived, Qiao Ran and Bea had some free time. During this time, Qiao Ran briefly adjusted Rotom's condition.

He first took out the Charge device that Raihan had given him, and after connecting it to the pre-prepared Charge cable, inserted it into Rotom's body.

The moment of insertion, a stimulating current began to flow into her parched body. Rotom desperately needed this energy and began to absorb it rapidly. Qiao Ran could even see the power of the charging device rapidly decreasing, even faster than the last time.

"Just how long have we been starving?"

Gazing at this extraordinary sight, even the well-informed owner of the Bea Gym Leader couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. In the Galar region, many people used Rotom- like devices, but she had never seen Rotom that could absorb so much!

That speed is terrifying.

"Maybe this guy is a bit special?"

Qiao Ran wasn't really sure about Rotom's current condition. Anyway, the guy had been in a coma the whole time, except for one time when he woke up to Charge and report the mission objective to Qiao Ran. Otherwise, he was just lying down.

To be honest, Qiao Ran still hoped that she could wake up soon and return to normal, not only because Rotom's existence was very special, but also because of her lively personality—if she were still normal, the atmosphere would be much more lively now, instead of being so dull.

After using one Charge device, Qiao Ran switched to another. These were specially made reusable Charge banks, made specifically for Electric-type Pokémon like Rotom. Moreover, this was a special version supplied by the Gym Leader, so the quality was excellent.

If Qiao Ran runs out of energy, he can go to a designated place to replenish it.

Time flew by, and soon the appointed time arrived. Bea and Qiao Ran went to the entrance of the "Tower" to wait for Sonia. However, after waiting for some time, the doctor with the orange ponytail still hadn't appeared.

"Sonia's a bit slow..."

Qiao Ran couldn't help but complain to Bea beside her.

In this shattered world, there probably wouldn't even be the leisure to go out and dress up, right?... Probably?

After waiting for a while longer, Sonia finally arrived, carrying a stack of documents and a tablet. She was slightly out of breath, indicating that she had run all the way there.

"Sorry, it took me a little while to find the information."

She apologized to Qiao Ran, feeling a little embarrassed.

However, what's most eye-catching is her current attire. This time, she not only donned a white lab coat like a researcher but also wore glasses. Unlike her previous fashionable and trendy outfits, she now exudes a more intellectual and mature aura.

That seems much more plausible now.

"Hmm..." Looking at Sonia in front of him, Qiao Ran couldn't help but think of Lillie —she sometimes dressed up in similar Outfit, but compared to the amazingly developed Sonia, Lillie was still too immature.

This is true both as a woman and as a researcher.

"Ah... Bea, you're here too?" Sonia also noticed Bea next to Qiao Ran. Did Qiao Ran ask her to come along?

"Yeah, I'm also planning to go to the energy plant with Qiao Ran. I should have permission to go in, right?"

Bea nodded, explaining her purpose. As a Gym Leader, she wielded considerable influence in Galar and was confident she could obtain permission. However, to ensure procedural correctness, she still needed to consult with relevant individuals.

"Well... although I'm not in charge here, I don't think there's a problem."

Sonia smiled, not rejecting the idea of "internal distribution of books/group: 9'8"0'2,0"5?8,5:6"Absolutely Bea". In her view, although the energy plant's facilities were important, the Gym Leader and the Hero were trustworthy people, and in this cruel apocalypse, surely no one would have any ulterior motives?

Now they face an even more powerful and terrifying enemy—only by driving out those horrible creatures can their homeland regain peace.

It is precisely because of such a terrible crisis that humanity has been able to unite as never before.

Follow me, I'll lead you inside.

"

Sonia believes in human beliefs, and in her research, "Gigantamax Energy" itself is related to Hero in some way. She needs Qiao Ran's help to verify some of her conjectures, and she feels that Qiao Ran's purpose in going there this time is not just to "take a look".

In the historical records of Galar, the last time Hero appeared was also when Galar was facing a similar crisis.

During that dark and hopeless period, a vast darkness enveloped the land, and many Pokémon inexplicably Gigantamax and became ferocious, a scene almost identical to what we see now.

However, at the end of that hellish place, two Hero suddenly appeared, cutting through the dark clouds that shrouded the sky and liberating Galar —this is why Sonia so eagerly anticipated and valued the "Hero." She believed that the Hero would be the cure for all of this; there is nothing new under the sun, and everything in the present can be learned from history to solve problems.

Following Sonia's footsteps, Qiao Ran and Bea entered the tower. After swiping their cards to pass through several doors and undergoing personnel checks, they arrived at an elevator.

The group encountered virtually no obstacles along the way. Everyone in the Pokémon League knew Bea's identity, not to mention Qiao Ran. Within ten minutes of entering the city, his name had spread throughout Hammerlocke. Looking at the way the guards were looking at him, Qiao Ran was afraid that these guys would pounce on him and eat him alive.

As the elevator descended, gazing at the passing scenery, Qiao Ran couldn't help but sigh.

Hidden beneath this surface is an incredibly vast space, crisscrossed with countless devices. At the end of the blood vessel-like pipes are several enormous tank-like objects.

"Wow, that's amazing... Did your grandma research all of this?"

"Yes, these are indeed her works from back then. Sometimes she still talks to me about those times."

Sonia readily accepted Qiao Ran's praise. It was indeed a groundbreaking project. In other regions, the use of mysterious energy was limited to combat. Only in Galar had it been industrialized, benefiting countless people.

"However, praising my grandmother is too much of an exaggeration. Secretary Oleana actually put a lot of thought into these things."

"Secretary Oleana?" The sudden appearance of this name made Qiao Ran blink in confusion.

"Well, you might not know this, but before becoming the president's Secretary, she was actually a very capable researcher."

Sonia raised her right hand, showing Qiao Ran and Bea the bracelet on her wrist.

"Although everyone in Galar thinks my grandmother is the best Gigantamax researcher, I think Secretary Oleana is also very impressive."

"Take this Gigantamax Band for example; she was actually the main developer of it."

"...!"

Qiao Ran and Bea exchanged a glance, both startled by the fact that Sonia had suddenly revealed.

That seemingly unassuming woman following the chairman is actually such a formidable figure?

"Click."

As the group chatted, the elevator reached the bottom of the Underground Factory.

The elevator doors opened, letting in light. However, as the doors swung open—what appeared before them wasn't the entire factory, but two familiar figures...

Section 216, page 213 [President: Secretary]

Standing behind the elevator doors was none other than Pokémon League President Rose, and the person Qiao Ran and the others had just been discussing—the president's Secretary, Miss Oleana.

"It's been a long time, everyone."

Rose had a faint smile on his face. As the chairman of the Pokémon League, he was very approachable in every way. Before the disaster, he was also very enthusiastic about various public welfare undertakings and would visit the poor children in orphanages and hospitals whenever he had free time.

He was quite popular among the people of Galar, and although Sonia and Bea were a little surprised, they still greeted him.

"President Loz...? How could you...?"

"Oleana and I are just here to check on the device. We're just taking a look, so please treat us like we're invisible; it's fine if we don't even exist."

Rose waved his hand with a smile and joked with Qiao Ran and the others. It has to be said that Rose's personal charm is still very strong - in a few short exchanges, Sonia and Bea had completely trusted each other's words, only Qiao Ran was a little wary.

He wasn't Galar, so he wouldn't be subtly influenced by the other party. Besides, why was this guy here at a time like this?

Qiao Ran gripped her Long Sword tightly. With this guy present—should she still continue with her original plan?

"Vulpix."

Qiao Ran quietly communicated with the Vulpix on his shoulder. Under his guidance, after a moment of silence, the Vulpix jumped directly into Qiao Ran's backpack—although what Qiao Ran wanted to do was risky, that's how they've always done it, hasn't it?

As Qiao Ran's first Pokémon in the true sense, she would wholeheartedly support Qiao Ran choice, especially in times like these.

Sonia officially entered the Underground Factory for the first time.

First, I took Qiao Ran and Bea on a tour, explaining the function and basic principles of each device.

"The Underground Factory is actually a place to store the collected Dynamax Energy. We store the collected Dynamax Energy in specially designed containers, and then use various devices to convert it into energy that we can use daily."

Sonia was extremely familiar with these devices, and she explained them very clearly, since these were her research areas and the knowledge that her grandmother had instilled in her.

After all, Professor Magnolia is quite old and is wholeheartedly devoted to the development of Galar; such an elderly person would not hold back any of their knowledge.

"... The difficulty probably lies in collecting, storing, and converting the data."

Sonia said a lot, but to be honest, Qiao Ran didn't understand a word of it. To him, this professional knowledge was basically no different from the zombie's slang. But if Lillie were here, maybe she could understand something.

Just like the Galar, whose land is filled with Gigantamax Energy, the islands of Alola are also filled with a power called "Z". If this power could be collected, it should also yield good results.

Qiao Ran's attention was actually focused more on the two people who were following behind him. Although Rose had emphasized that there was no need to worry about their presence and that they could just ignore them, Qiao Ran still felt uneasy about them hanging behind him.

"..."

Bea, standing next to Qiao Ran, seemed to notice something. Considering what Qiao Ran had said earlier, she didn't directly ask him. Instead, she quietly stood a little behind Qiao Ran. These subtle tacit understandings seemed to have been formed during their time together these past few days.

Just as she had said before, she would protect Qiao Ran's safety, no matter what.

"Alright, that's about enough for our tour. I need to go check on the various devices soon..."

After the basic introductions were complete, Sonia stood in front of Qiao Ran and asked the question she had always wanted to ask.

"By the way, Qiao Ran, you must have some plans for coming here, right? If you want to do something, it's not too late to tell me now."

Unlike Bea, who was already somewhat wary, she was almost completely unguarded around Chairman Rose and Secretary Oleana. After all, to her, Rose was like a father figure, and Oleana was a familiar older sister figure, someone she needed to catch up with in her research field. How could she possibly suspect such two people?

"This..."

Qiao Ran pursed her lips, but finally voiced her thoughts.

He couldn't change his mind just because of the arrival of two uninvited guests. He needed these things to complete his mission, and besides... what if these two weren't bad people, and it was all just his imagination?

"I want to test what happens when I inject Dynamax Energy into this sword, and whether it can awaken the hidden power within it."

Qiao Ran was going all out; he would face whatever came his way. As long as he succeeded, nothing else would be a problem.