Chapter 117
A sudden, deafening explosion shook Qiao Ran's head, making him feel dizzy and disoriented.
But... in that instant, he felt something explode in front of him.
Qiao Ran gasped for breath and struggled to open his eyes.
What he saw, however, was—something he couldn't understand.
An unexpected scene.
Section 225, page 222 [Sword: Blade]
For Qiao Ran, this was definitely not the first time he had come so close to death, but... this was definitely the most memorable one for him.
The swift Tackle of the Celesteela was so powerful that he had to exert all his strength just to dodge it. He didn't even dare to release his Pokémon to defend himself—because Qiao Ran knew that this steel Monster, which was over ten meters tall and propelled by countless jets, was absolutely impossible to block with his body.
However, just as he dodged the fatal attack and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Rose unleashed an even more lethal move.
--A silver-gray Energy Beam erupted from the body of the Celesteela, heading straight for Qiao Ran-- To achieve his goal, Rose had gone to any lengths. Even if Qiao Ran could dodge the previous Tackle, at this extremely close distance, he would have no chance of dodging this powerful cannon shot fired by Pokémon.
"...!"
Therefore, the moment Qiao Ran saw that light, his face turned ashen, and his heart almost stopped beating, because he knew that he had no way to resist!
So much had happened that day; he'd barely rested since morning. Qiao Ran had played all the cards he could, and he had no more strength left to rely on.
Even... he had thrown away the sword that had protected him at the gates of Hammerlocke...
This is really coming to an end.
Despair began to spread, but as Qiao Ran closed his eyes and began to await the pain, a violent sound came from in front of him.
"Boom!!!!"
That was the sound of something being hit—or rather, something being blocked.
In a burst of intense light, Qiao Ran opened her eyes.
"This...!"
What appeared before him was a scene that he could not believe at all.
A gentle breeze swept by.
A proud and majestic wolf-shaped Pokémon suddenly appeared in front of him.
Like a war goddess descended from the heavens, she used the Long Sword she held tightly in her mouth to slash down with all her might, cleaving through the blazing Energy Beam.
Light exploded around her, making her figure shine even brighter. Unlike when Qiao Ran first met her, she was covered in wounds. Now, she seemed to have entered another form, exuding a fierce fighting spirit.
Or rather, she represents the righteous sword; she is the battle itself.
A long, red mane swayed beside her, and behind her were two enormous Golden wings. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the Long Sword in her mouth—the very one Qiao Ran had been holding earlier. However, like this wolf-shaped Pokémon, the sword was now completely free of rust and scratches, and everything had become Refresh, sharp as ever.
"What happened?!"
Looking at the imposing wolf-shaped Pokémon, Rose, who had already thought victory was assured, once again showed a surprised expression.
Why... why are his attacks always neutralized like this?
Why why why???
Is it really that difficult for him to realize his dream of saving his world?
And that Pokémon... could it be...?
"Sang... Xiang...!"
Qiao Ran called out her name.
She... she actually appeared in reality?!
Previously, Qiao Ran could only see this Pokémon in illusions, but to Qiao Ran's surprise, it actually appeared here at the very end like a legendary hero and blocked the fatal blow for Qiao Ran.
"Aww--"
Despite having Long Sword between her teeth, Zacian and clear Howl still resonated in Qiao Ran's heart. This time, her voice was even clearer than ever before.
"We've finally met, Master."
Zacian glanced back at Qiao Ran, but quickly looked away.
Her eyes needed to be fixed on the battlefield, observing the changes, but her conversation with Qiao Ran did not end there.
"This time, let me bring you victory."
Zacian's words were as concise as ever. Even though it was their first meeting in the Real World, she didn't exchange many pleasantries. Moreover, she cared more about the battle in front of her than those things—that was also the significance of her presence here.
"..."
Qiao Ran closed his eyes. At this moment, he also felt the connection with Zacian. Everything Zacian saw was transmitted to his mind. This connection was so close and special, even stronger than with other Pokémon...
Qiao Ran didn't know what words to use to describe this feeling, but he did indeed have a deeper connection with Zacian, and this connection was established through that legendary "sword".
Zacian's Sword had almost become a part of her body, and the relationship Qiao Ran had previously established with the sword was now reflected in Zacian's own body.
"So, hurry up and start the counterattack, Master! If we don't attack now, we'll miss our chance, Rotom."
"...!"
Suddenly, just as Qiao Ran closed his eyes...
As he was experiencing this sensation, a familiar voice suddenly came from beside him, startling him so much that he immediately opened his eyes.
"This...! You...!"
It wasn't that Qiao Ran was startled, but rather the owner of the voice—
"Rotom?!"
Qiao Ran saw a familiar phone—this "phone" Levitate in front of him in a very strange state, and the screen displayed the same mocking expression as always.
"Of course it's me, Rotom! Otherwise, how could Little Zacian be here?"
Rotom chuckled; there seemed to be no trace of the time she had been unconscious.
"But the person I should thank the most is Little Vulpix; she's the one who woke me up."
Rotom glanced at the backpack behind Qiao Ran, and a small, snow-white animal poked its head out from inside.
Because she couldn't participate in the battle, she stayed here, observing Rotom's condition and continuing her work.
"Woke up...? Wait, what is this...?"
Qiao Ran was a little taken aback, but before he could finish speaking, Rotom provided an explanation.
"Actually, I have some good news to tell my master, it's really good news Rotom."
"Ta-da!"
In an instant, several lines of text appeared on Rotom's screen.
"Number: 040"
Singularity Name: Gigantamax Final Land - Galar
Danger Level: Level Six!
Objective: Survive and collect the Gigantamax Energy!
Objective: Completed!
Task submitted: Complete!
"..."
"The rewards for this mission have been distributed!"
Chapter 226, Page 223 [Hero: Demon King]
"The rewards for this mission have been distributed!"
The Rotom screen displayed a lot of text, but almost instantly, Qiao Ran, whose nerves were already stretched to the limit, had read all of it.
"The mission... is complete? And the reward has been issued?"
These words are not difficult to understand, but they contain a great deal of information—"mission completed" means that his mission in the Singularity has been completed, and the reason for this is probably the experiment he conducted in the Underground Factory.
In that experiment, Sonia transferred pure Gigantamax Energy into the "sword" through Qiao Ran's wrist. The purity and efficiency of this transfer were incomparable to when Defeat Gigantamax Pokémon before.
And another point—"reward distribution"—that's probably...
Qiao Ran shifted his gaze to the giant wolf standing in front of him. Although he had previously considered that there might be many reasons for her appearance, it now seemed that it was probably not that simple.
Furthermore, Zacian had previously addressed him as "master," suggesting that they may have had some kind of connection before.
"Etc..."
Suddenly, an idea popped into Qiao Ran's head.
"Rotom, now that the mission is complete, can we leave now?"
Before completing the mission in the Singularity, Qiao Ran will not be able to leave the Singularity world through Rotom. However, this restriction will be removed after the mission is completed.
In other words, Qiao Ran no longer needs to entangle with these dangerous Ultra Beast; he can simply retreat and leave!
"It is indeed possible Rotom transfer worlds, but I don't recommend that you do it, Master. Because only one time coordinate is recorded for each world, and it is recorded when you leave."
Rotom spun in the air and gave his reply.
"Due to this 'special time travel,' the spacetime coordinates originally located at 'Singularity 040: Galar' have been transferred to this world. In other words, if you leave now, Master... the next time you want to go to Galar, you will only end up in this world."
"... Is this even possible???"
Qiao Ran stared in astonishment. Under these Rules, he could only ensure that he left in the right place each time; otherwise, things would inevitably descend into chaos sooner or later.
"Yes, so Master, you'd better think this through, Rotom. If you don't find a way back to Galar now and leave Galar, you'll have to find a way back later... otherwise you really won't be able to go back, Rotom."
Rotom explained the seriousness of the matter to Qiao Ran very seriously. Of course, the final choice was up to Qiao Ran herself.
"I..."
Qiao Ran remained silent for a second.
Before his eyes, Zacian was already gripping her Long Sword, joining Yveltal and the others in Beat Up the Naganadel Celesteela. Although it had plunged into the ground earlier, Celesteela quickly regained its footing thanks to the thrusters on its sides. Meanwhile, Dianxi and the Type: Null were also fighting the Jaggidena. Although the Type: Null was rapidly depleting its stamina after the previous onslaught, it was not in too much trouble for the time being with Dianxi's help.
Not only them, Pokémon Qiao Ran's remaining Pokémon also appeared beside him: Qiao Ran, Altaria, and Mimikyu...
The Vulpix might not be strong enough to participate in a battle of this magnitude, but the previous dangers had made them realize that this was no longer a question of whether they were strong enough—even if they weren't strong enough, they still had to protect Qiao Ran's safety.
"..."
In a single second, Qiao Ran used the combined gazes of everyone present to take in the entire battlefield.
Leaving now is certainly a good choice. Everyone is already at their limit, with less than one-tenth of their strength remaining. Going back to rest now and then searching for a way to Galar next time we come to this world will probably be in better condition.
But... do we really have to give up such a great opportunity?
Zacian's participation in the war has brought new fighting power to Qiao Ran's side. If they can Defeat the enemy now and capture the chairman and Secretary, then obtaining a way to return to Galar should not be too difficult.
Finally, Qiao Ran clenched his fists; he had made up his mind.
"No, we shouldn't leave now. The battle isn't over yet!"
He doesn't need to gamble on an uncertain future; what he wants is to have all the possibilities in his hands right now!
He not only wanted to go back to see Mei, Lillie Mei, but also Sonia, Bea, Gloria, and Marnie.
He didn't want to give up on either Alola or Galar.
"Okay, then good luck, Rotom!"
Rotom sensed Qiao Ran's feelings, and although she couldn't participate in the battle like other Pokémon, she still sent her blessings to Qiao Ran.
Having chosen to fight, they will not lose, nor can they possibly lose.
"Zacian! Holy Sword!"
At this moment, Qiao Ran connected her feelings with Zacian. As the "Sword Hero" and "King of Sword," her combat power was incredibly terrifying. In the Pokémon games, when she entered the "King of Sword" state, her base stats reached a terrifying 720 points. Only a handful of Pokémon could surpass this number.
"...!"
As Qiao Ran spoke, Zacian also began to gather her power. The Long Sword in her mouth shone brightly, converging all its power together.
Sacred Sword – This isn't actually Zacian's signature move, but using this Fighting-type move against a Steel/ Flying type like Celesteela might be the most suitable option at this moment.
"You haven't given up yet? You haven't given up yet?"
Seeing Qiao Ran regroup once again, Rose on the other side first showed a Rage expression, but then he seemed to have thought of something and suddenly laughed, with a hint of self-mockery in his smile.