Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

Even though riding Suicune was comfortable, it wasn't a sustainable solution. Plus, after falling into the water, Qiao Ran figured he should change into new clothes to avoid catching a cold.

"Awoo."

Suicune lowered its body slightly, allowing Qiao Ran to dismount. Despite her slender and elegant build, she wasn't small; she was quite a large Pokémon.

"Right, for future travels, can we not take cars and instead ride... no... no, let's forget it."

Qiao Ran suddenly had a rather inexplicable thought, but he eventually dismissed it. Putting aside the strange looks he'd attract riding Suicune, the fact that Suicune might one day take human form meant he should avoid such an unseemly act as riding her...

"Awo?"

Suicune blinked in confusion. She didn't understand why her trainer had abandoned the idea. Truthfully, she wouldn't mind being ridden...

*Humanoid form image currently unavailable =,= *

Section 20: 020 [Suicune's Functions]

With Suicune joining them, Qiao Ran's journey would continue.

However, the next Pokémon designated by the system for Pioneer Points gave Qiao Ran a bit of a headache.

"Water and Flying types? Catching Water and Flying types? Flying types are manageable; I can just go to the forest. For Water types... I'll probably need to find a water source."

That's right. After completing the first stage of 100 Pokémon, the system had posted the second stage of 100 Pokémon on the Rotom Dex, with the designated types being Water and Flying. To be honest, compared to Bug and Grass types, these two would be considerably more difficult.

"Master, I recommend adjusting our route first. We should head deeper into the sparsely populated forest. The populations of Pokémon with these two types decrease the closer we are to human settlements."

"Mhm..."

Qiao Ran nodded in agreement. Although he could find Pokémon of these two types in inhabited areas, collecting 100 would take an unknown amount of time.

"We can follow a small river in this forest and then take a boat from the pier in the next town to Jinling."

The Rotom Phone proposed what she believed to be the optimal solution. Qiao Ran picked her up and looked at her for a moment before nodding in agreement with her proposal.

"Alright, let's do that. We'll pass through the forest to complete the mission, then travel by water."

Although this method of travel was significantly slower than taking a car, if they continued to rely on cars, they'd never catch enough Flying and Water types in their lifetime.

"First, let's go buy some camping supplies. Anything we can't carry, we'll take to the Pioneer Land. We'll likely be living outdoors for the next while."

"Tee-tee."

"Awoo."

Dianxi, Suicune, and the other Pokémon responded. However, they didn't really care about such things. Unlike Qiao Ran, who had lived in the city, they were probably more accustomed to living in the wild.

The forest exploration lasted for three to four days. Qiao Ran and the Pokémon leveled up as they progressed. To help Suicune catch up to the others, Qiao Ran had been intensely training her, and soon, her level had surpassed the 20 mark.

After this period of interaction, Qiao Ran had a basic understanding of Suicune's personality. She was meticulous in everything she did, standing by Qiao Ran's side as still as a guard, not the lively or boisterous type.

However, Qiao Ran also noticed that Suicune really enjoyed taking care of others. If anyone was in trouble, she would be the first to offer help. Over these past few days, both Qiao Ran, Dianxi, and Rotom Vulpix had received Suicune's care.

Even more astonishingly, after observing Qiao Ran's cooking skills a few times, Suicune began to proactively volunteer for the daily cooking duties. Her cooking method was quite unique, using the appendages on either side of her, which Qiao Ran couldn't tell if they were ribbons or tentacles. Based on Qiao Ran's observation, these appendages could become very agile under Suicune's control, feeling smooth and slightly warm to the touch... In short, they were very special.

"If Suicune could take human form, doing things like this would surely be easier," Qiao Ran mused, looking at Suicune holding a spatula and a pot. The scene before him was bizarre enough that any other trainer witnessing it would likely fall to their knees and cry out in disbelief.

Pokémon could actually help with housework!

"Awooo~"

Hearing Qiao Ran's exclamation, Suicune responded. After communicating with Dianxi, she was also looking forward to taking human form. However, unlike Dianxi, who had always yearned for it, Suicune felt that her current state was also quite good; she could accomplish what she wanted in this form.

"Mas...ter...pig..."

Suddenly, a cute girl with flowing long hair walked past Qiao Ran. However, the words that came out of her mouth almost made Qiao Ran spit out blood.

"How many times have I told you, I'm not 'Master Pig,' I'm 'Master'! ...Actually, you don't even have to call me Master; you can just call me Qiao Ran."

Qiao Ran wanted to correct Vulpix's bad habit, but Vulpix acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued to call him that.

"Mas...ter, Rotom said Pokémon can... lay eggs."

"Pfft!"

This time, Qiao Ran genuinely spat out the water he had just taken into his mouth.

What on earth had Rotom been telling the child?

"Is... is it very strange? Master...pig...?"

Seemingly startled by Qiao Ran's reaction, Vulpix began to stammer again.

"It's very strange, of course it's strange." Qiao Ran wanted to explain things to Vulpix, but after thinking about it, he realized he didn't actually know much about it and wasn't sure where to even begin with such topics.

"It is indeed possible to lay eggs, because once they take human form, they will definitely be added to the 'Humanoid' group, Rotom. Do you know about the Humanoid group? It's the group that can lay eggs with humanoid creatures, so as long as they have the Humanoid group..."

Rotom, flying in from the sky, cut off Qiao Ran's words. However, what she was saying became stranger and stranger, and Qiao Ran had a creeping feeling that a truck was about to run him over.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!"

Qiao Ran urgently halted the dangerous topic. Didn't she see Dianxi and Suicune over there looking at them with strange expressions!

"But Master..."

Rotom's face still seemed to hold a hint of lingering interest; she wanted to continue the topic of breeding. However, just then, a massive sound seemed to echo from the distant high mountains.

"BOOM!!!"

The sound was incredibly violent, as if something had suddenly exploded.

Qiao Ran and all the Pokémon were startled, shivering involuntarily as they looked in that direction.

A long trail of black smoke billowed from the mountain. No one knew what had happened there, but Qiao Ran's expression gradually turned serious. He had a nagging feeling that something bad had occurred...

Chapter 21: 021 [Uninvited Guests]

Qiao Ran's premonitions weren't always accurate, but most of the time, he trusted his gut feelings.

"Master, what should we do?"

Rotom floated in front of Qiao Ran and asked.

"What do you mean, 'what should we do'? Of course, we're going to check it out."

Qiao Ran was a person who disliked trouble, but he wasn't someone who shied away from responsibility. Moreover, that bad feeling in his heart was urging him to head towards the site of the explosion.

This area was usually deserted, and even the path forward was difficult to find. When navigating some dangerous sections, Qiao Ran even needed Suicune's help to pass. Because of this, Qiao Ran truly couldn't understand why anyone would be causing an explosion on this empty mountain.

So, what exactly had happened?

After tidying things up, Qiao Ran followed the gradually diminishing black smoke and approached the vicinity of the explosion. The mountain was covered in bushes of varying heights, making it quite easy to conceal himself.

Qiao Ran cautiously crouched down, gently parting the grass in front of him, intending to observe the situation.

Traveling alone, it was best to be careful. Especially for a cute and handsome boy who needed to protect himself diligently.

However, upon parting the bushes, the scene that unfolded before Qiao Ran's eyes still managed to surprise him.

"What is that...?"

Instead of a patch of overgrown wasteland, what appeared before Qiao Ran was a cave seemingly embedded in the mountainside.

The cave was encased by a thick gate adorned with peculiar carved patterns, exuding a mysterious and incomprehensible artificial aura. It was clearly not something that had formed naturally.

Furthermore, the gate was now in a state of disrepair, with black smoke still emanating from its surroundings and the ground littered with debris.

A group of men and women dressed in strange uniforms were moving back and forth at the cave entrance. Not far away, a helicopter hovered in mid-air, on standby.

"Captain... the ruins have been completely breached... &!...!..."

"Understood... retrieve the ruins... fossils..."

A man who appeared to be the leader (censored) stood at the cave entrance, directing the actions of the other personnel. Beside him lay a large, black canine Pokémon – the Mightyena that Qiao Ran had battled before.

"I can't make out what they're saying at all? Ruins, fossils?"

Qiao Ran, hidden in the grass, couldn't hear the voices clearly, only catching fragmented keywords. However, based on their actions and the snippets of conversation, these people didn't seem like good people.

Firstly, the gate was clearly blown open. If this were a legitimate excavation of ruins, such methods would likely not be used. Secondly, judging by the way the helicopter was hovering in the air, they probably didn't plan to stay long, and the entire operation would be conducted with rapid helicopter mobility.

Why the rush? Were they afraid of something?

"Master, what should we do?"

Rotom displayed text on its screen, engaging in silent communication with Qiao Ran. She also sensed that the situation was a bit precarious and asked for Qiao Ran's opinion.

"Take pictures and notify the League, include the satellite coordinates."

Qiao Ran typed on Rotom's screen, sending the message. This was the best course of action he could think of at the moment. Rushing out impulsively wouldn't be a good idea. As a responsible trainer, he couldn't put his Pokémon in danger.

If these people were truly bad guys, they certainly wouldn't be as friendly as the Pokémon he'd battled before.

"Understood."

Receiving Qiao Ran's instructions, Rotom began to act. It floated in mid-air, secretly taking a few photos before connecting to the League's internal network.

As an insider who had obtained Adventurer qualifications, Qiao Ran could access the League's internal network. Of course, with only one badge, he couldn't gain any special privileges. At most, he could request assistance from the League if he encountered trouble during his travels, and it was useful in special situations like this.

"Master, it's been sent. The signal here is quite good, it didn't take too long."

"Good job."

Qiao Ran typed another line and patted Rotom's screen as a sign of praise.

Having relayed the message to the League, Qiao Ran felt he had largely fulfilled his responsibility. He prepared to leave the area and observe the situation from a distance. However, just as he stood up, he accidentally stepped on a nearby branch, producing a crisp snapping sound.

"Snap."

"...!"

Qiao Ran's expression changed. He swore he had been careful, but some things were just coincidental. Who could have imagined there would be such a thing right by his feet? Why were there traps everywhere in the wilderness!

Qiao Ran still held a sliver of hope that perhaps those people hadn't heard the sound. However, to his surprise, after stepping on the branch and taking another step, he consecutively snapped several more stiff objects. Qiao Ran looked down; the ground was covered in branches! Who was so inconsiderate!

The Mightyena over there acted like an alarm, howling frantically: "Woof woof woof woof woof!!!"

"Who's there?!"

The leader, seeing his Mightyena barking wildly in one direction, instantly detected the anomaly. He shouted and issued a command.

"Mightyena! Use Growl!"

"Roar!"

The Mightyena let out a fierce roar, and a black sound wave emanated from its mouth, spreading rapidly.

Intimidate, one of the signature moves of the Dark-type, while not particularly high in damage, its added effect was guaranteed to lower the opponent's Special Attack by one stage, making it incredibly annoying in actual combat. And for this leader to use this move now, he was probably just looking at its wide-area attack effect.

The black sound wave was like a whirlwind, shredding the bushes to pieces; its power was truly astonishing.

"Who is it!"

The leader looked towards the messy bushes and was shocked to find a pale blue, wolf-like Pokémon he had never seen before standing there. The Pokémon had an incredibly magnificent and proud posture, and around her, all the wind seemed to have frozen.

"Awooo!"

And, beside that Pokémon, there was also a boy who didn't look very old.

"You guys..."

Seeing these uninvited guests who had suddenly appeared, the leader's face sank, and he threw out a few more Poké Balls from his hand.

Three more Mightyena emerged from the balls, staring menacingly in the boy's direction.

"Since you've been discovered, you'll just have to disappear... Sorry about this, kid!"

Chapter 22: 022 [Living on the Edge]

"This is bad."

Bad, bad, bad.

In an instant, the situation began to take a sharp turn for the worse, and Qiao Ran's expression grew solemn. The opponent's reaction was so swift, and they immediately went for the kill.

He took out his Rotom Phone and checked the opponent's levels, only to be surprised to find that these Mightyena had all reached an astonishing level 37.

Level 37!

His Suicune was only level 20, and even Dianxi