Chapter 122

The Long Sword emitted an excited sword cry, representing Zacian's own state of mind, and she also let out a long howl.

No Pokémon would make such a vow to Qiao Ran at the very beginning. Even if they had such thoughts, none of them had Zacian's decisive execution. At least, at this moment, Qiao Ran was indeed moved by the other party.

"My sword is Unyielding Sword, and also a sword of protection."

"My sword will help its master slay all enemies."

This vow was not only for Zacian, but also for Qiao Ran himself.

What they exchanged was trust in each other.

Qiao Ran stretched out his free right hand, hooked it around the other person's neck, and stroked the Limber, warm mane on the other person's body.

"Please give me your guidance, Zacian."

One night passed.

Spikemuth had another day filled with both fear and peace.

However, when Qiao Ran woke up from his sleep and was told by Vulpix and the others what had happened after he fell unconscious, he couldn't help but show an awkward but polite smile.

To be honest, he only wanted to make a grand entrance for Marnie, but he ended up making a mess of things and ending up in bed with her... That's terrible.

"By the way, Master, it's actually been a few days since we left this world... about four days now."

"Four days? Is this because of time travel?"

Listening to Vulpix's report, Qiao Ran was slightly surprised. He hadn't felt the passage of time during his transmigration, but now it seemed that his senses were malfunctioning.

"Four days it is... there's nothing we can do about it. How is Marnie?"

Qiao Ran changed his clothes and used the straps in his backpack to sling the Zacian Long Sword over his back.

--That's right. Ever since last night's dream, Zacian's sword has appeared in Qiao Ran's hands. This is the medium through which Zacian and Qiao Ran formed a connection, and it's also the foundation of "protection." If it were the current Qiao Ran, he could awaken the power of Zacian within the sword, giving him a certain degree of self-protection even when he's alone.

Of course, this is also the Key to unleashing the true power of the Zacian. As Qiao Ran's fusion with the "sword" deepens, the connection between him and the Zacian will become even closer. It is a mutually reinforcing process.

Having prepared everything, Qiao Ran planned to go out and check on the "acquaintance." However, when he opened the door and came outside, the first thing he saw was Gloria sitting on the living room sofa, Yawn.

"Huh? You're awake?"

Gloria had thick dark circles around her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well.

"... Now that you're awake, I'm going to sleep too. Marnie couldn't stay awake any longer and is resting now. You can wander around by yourself."

Gloria walked up to Qiao Ran, patted Qiao Ran on the shoulder as they passed each other, and then went into another room.

Last night, Marnie insisted on taking care of Qiao Ran, and Gloria, unable to persuade her otherwise, had to take over Marnie's guard duty. As a result, You Li is in a bad mood now—not only because of the fatigue of guard duty, but also because she is constantly worried that something might happen to Marnie.

As for Marnie, she stayed up for too long and fell asleep on the sofa. It was Gloria, who was returning from her post, who found her and put her back on the bed.

"..."

Watching Gloria walk away with heavy steps, giving him a single glance before leaving, Qiao Ran remained silent without uttering a single word.

Wait... why are you all so weak?!

"By the way, don't bother Marnie, you know? And don't bother me either. We'll talk about this when we wake up."

Before closing the door, Gloria added that she was indeed a little tired after standing guard all night and didn't want to be disturbed by Qiao Ran.

"..."

To this, Qiao Ran could only roll her eyes.

Why would I bother you?

"What's going on? We finally found Marnie and the others, but they all want to rest..."

Standing on the Small Mountain hill outside Spikemuth, gazing at this small, dilapidated town that held so many memories for him, Qiao Ran finally called out Rotom.

"Since there's no way to explain what happened to them right now, let's come back later."

"Rotom, let's go back to the Real World first."

"Okay, Rotom ~~~"

Upon receiving Qiao Ran's command, Rotom floated in the air, and a portal to another dimension opened before Qiao Ran.

He... is finally going back!

Section 236, Chapter 232 [The Real World]

In the Real World, on the Zhenze Lake, a bright and sunny morning.

A magnificent Western-style Mansion stands amidst this idyllic landscape, yet few are aware of its Western-style Mansion.

Many travelers who take a morning stroll in the area may at most feel a chill run down their spine, followed by a sudden shiver, before quickly leaving, not forgetting to add, "It's eerie."

However, on this unpopular "feng shui treasure land," several scantily clad girls had already gathered early on. They stood in front of the Western-style Mansion, gazing at the lake not far away. Upon closer inspection, Ghost Pokémon, swaying up, down, left, and right.

"There's no use in you being anxious. When will you ever learn to be a little more mature like me?"

An elderly woman with white hair and a youthful face floated in the air, speaking earnestly. Standing before her were two younger women who had recently moved into the Western-style Mansion. Due to certain special reasons, they had been settling here, waiting for the appearance of a certain "person".

Or rather, they had no way of finding the missing person, so they could only wait here silently and pray for his safe return.

"He'll be back soon... He'll be alright."

The blonde girl in the white Dress spoke with great certainty, yet her words seemed incomprehensible to others.

"Hmph, you said the same thing a few days ago." The old senior floating in the air flapped his extraordinary wings, clearly not believing these words.

If it happens once, that's fine, but after two or three times, or even four times, the credibility becomes extremely low, and it can even be considered as Sleep Talk.

"Lillie... is this true? He..."

On the other side, the girl with the unusual twin-tail hairstyle couldn't help but show a doubtful expression. Just as the old senior in the air had said, she had heard these words for many days. At first, she still held a glimmer of hope, but later, even she couldn't help but become pessimistic.

That man meant much more to her than just being a "male"; he was an indispensable force in her desire to return to her world and save it.

If something were to happen to him, she, adrift in this "Otherworld," would truly lose her reason for being and be homeless forever.

"Yes... it's true, I really..."

The girl with long Golden hair clenched her fists, trying to convince others to believe her. However, she stopped midway through her sentence, not saying what she was going to say next—after all, there were some things that only she could know, or rather, some things that only she could feel.

She couldn't talk about these things, nor could she communicate them with anyone else.

Indeed, there is a connection between her and "that person," and this connection is achieved in a way that is utterly unbelievable.

She could sense the other person's presence and vitality, and she could also easily communicate with them through this ability. Although this ability was very convenient, most of the time, she would have an absurd feeling of being one with the other person, as if they were completely connected.

Thanks to this ability, she was able to vaguely Frisk the other person's situation. Even if she couldn't know the specifics, she could still feel that the other person had broken through some kind of "limitation," and this "limitation" was the reason why the other person could not return.

"The problem is... why haven't they come back yet...?"

A question lingered in the blonde girl's mind: logically, after breaking through this restriction, she should have returned immediately, but why...?

He'll be back soon.

In the end, all the words in the girl's heart boiled down to one sentence: she believed in the connection in her heart, and since the "restriction" was gone, given his personality, he would definitely come back.

"Oh well, you two can stay and watch if you want. I'm going back to rest now... Ha..."

The elderly woman with white hair Yawn. Actually, she was most active at night. Although it was early morning, the sight of the bright Sun made her sleepy again.

A dark shadow flashed by, and the old woman vanished from her spot, along with a large group of Ghost Pokémon that had surrounded her. These Pokémon appeared and disappeared without a trace, and seemed quite different from ordinary Pokémon.

"Lillie..."

"Believe me."

The blonde girl looked at her only remaining companion. She couldn't discuss deeper matters with others, but she could still convey her thoughts to them.

"... Um."

Seeing the blonde girl's determined gaze, the girl with pigtails ultimately chose to believe her, and the two sat down in the Western-style Mansion.

Under the nearby parasols, you can clearly see the surface of Zhenze Lake. Most importantly, this large body of water is right above the "Ruins".

To pass the time, they all took out some books and started reading.

The girl with twin tails was looking at records related to "Pokémon Ruins," especially since there were many "top-secret files" in this Western-style Mansion. After all, that senior was an absolute authority in this field, and as compensation for the last operation, she was actually allowed to browse these top-secret documents. She couldn't miss this opportunity.

Although that man was her hope for saving her homeland, she still wanted to help in her own way. As a native of the Pokémon World, through reviewing these documents, she had indeed discovered some subtle things over the past few days...

However—now that the man has disappeared, she can't talk about these things with anyone else. The blonde girl beside her is one option, but...

"..."

The girl with pigtails glanced at the blonde girl sitting on the other side, who was also intently looking at the documents in her hands.

That knowledge was even more obscure and difficult to understand than what she held in her hands. Even she felt a terrible headache after listening to the other person recite some basic knowledge. However, if the other person could really master these things... perhaps they could find a completely different path. Even if that man couldn't come back, they could still go and find him.

So, what's going on with that guy right now?!

If you can come back, please come back quickly! You've made them so worried!

Section 237, page 233 [You you you!]

Inside the Western-style Mansion.

--A room on the top floor.

Getting here is no easy feat; the Western-style Mansion's layout is extremely complex, a veritable labyrinth of ingenious design. However, this "difficulty" is only for the average person.

A petite girl with white hair Levitate in the air and actually passed directly through the floor-to-ceiling window of the room, entering the room from outside.

--Her name is "Phoebe," and she is the owner of this room, or rather, this Western-style Mansion. Her age far exceeds the history of this Western-style Mansion, but no one can find any trace of time on her appearance, as if the passage of time has stood still on her.

"Ugh... so tired."

As soon as Phoebe entered the room, she collapsed onto the bed, looking exhausted. Recent events had indeed left her somewhat unsettled, to the point that her sleep schedule had become reversed.

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Phoebe chased away some of the Ghost type Pokémon lingering nearby; now she just wanted to be alone.

Generally speaking, she is unlikely to wake up on a clear morning like this, and she is usually active after Sun. Her habits are more suited to the night than the day.

However, her peaceful life was disrupted by an exploration of the Ruins about two weeks prior.

"What exactly is... that thing?"

After venting her frustration on her pillow, Phoebe got out of bed and went to a huge closet.

She's been to countless Pokémon Ruins, and thanks to her powerful abilities, she's rarely made any mistakes. For safety's sake, she usually brings along some assistants (or rather, helpers) who can provide assistance and carry things. However, something like what happened that day has never happened before.

A living, breathing human being simply vanished right before her eyes.

"That power..."

The power that caused that guy to disappear did not exist in Phoebe's perception. Water-type, Fire-type, Fairy Type, Psychic-type... none of them had such a tendency in that pure power.

That is a more "original" and "primitive" existence.

"Damn it, why did it have to be that guy..."

Unable to understand, Phoebe fell into a state of frustration once again. Although she hadn't shown much anxiety in front of the two younger people, and even looked down on their stubborn behavior, she was more resentful than anyone else inside.

With her abilities, she should have prevented this from happening. Moreover, that man was a "key figure." She didn't even know why, but she had an unprecedented level of attention towards him—something she only gradually discovered after he disappeared.

She even felt regret and self-blame.

She had never felt this way before. The meaning of her existence, from the time she could remember, was to search for the whereabouts of a certain Pokémon for a purpose she herself did not know.

As for "excavating Ruins," that's just a side effect of this activity.

"The domestic Pokémon League has never reported any intelligence about that guy, nor has the international alliance... So, this isn't a transfer within the same world, but perhaps from another world?"

Phoebe placed her hand on the cupboard and unlocked the combination lock on the door, revealing the contents inside.

--It was a huge stone platform, and in the center of the platform were strange marks, as if it had been Infiltrator by something.

"..."

This thing is nothing else

It was the pedestal where the sword was stuck in the Lakebed Ruins that Phoebe had gone to great lengths to have her Assistant retrieve it.

She thought she might be able to find some useful clues on this thing, but after so many days of effort, she increasingly felt that it was just an ordinary stone platform with nothing special about it.

"Ugh..."

After observing for a long time, Phoebe finally yawned and Yawn back down on the bed.