Chapter 135

If necessary, they will not hesitate to attack humans.

I'll come find you in a bit.

Qiao Ran smiled slightly at Lillie and picked up the sword in his hand.

He couldn't just sit idly by in the current situation. Whether it was the appearance of Genesect or what Yi Ruoyun had said about "Hangcheng being attacked," these situations had far exceeded Qiao Ran's expectations.

Having witnessed the devastation inflicted on the Aether Foundation and the ravaged Galar region, he could no longer bear to see his world suffer any more.

"... Where should I send it to Rotom?"

Qiao Ran turned to leave, but Rotom asked a question for some reason.

"..."

Qiao Ran paused, and after a second of silence, he finally gave his answer.

"... Let 'Wild Area."

After saying those words, he disappeared into the woods, heading towards the battlefield not far away.

"Expand... land?" Lillie was a little confused, but she had a premonition that something important was about to happen.

"Then it's decided, Rotom."

Rotom spun in the air, and a Portal suddenly opened in front of her.

A vision of another world unfolded before Lillie.

"Why are you back again?!"

On the battlefield, seeing Qiao Ran turn back once again, Yi Ruoyun's face showed a rare hint of Rage.

Normally, the number of Trainer would indeed be helpful, but this level of combat is beyond the reach of novice Trainer. In fact, Yi Ruoyun might have to divert her attention to protect other Trainer —after all, these strange creatures are incredibly ruthless and capable of directly attacking Trainer.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to get myself killed."

Having experienced several worlds and faced numerous life-or-death crises, Qiao Ran is clearly no longer the naive newcomer he once was, although his appearance hasn't changed much.

Big changes, but both her eyes and her demeanor have been completely transformed.

"This guy..."

As Flying Heavenly King, Yi Ruoyun's eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and she captured every change in Qiao Ran's body.

What... exactly did this guy go through?

"... I'm not going to say anything more. If you don't leave, I'll have to kick you out!"

Although Qiao Ran's demeanor and aura made Yi Ruoyun somewhat inclined to believe him, she had witnessed Qiao Ran's previous strength and didn't believe that someone could undergo such a complete transformation in such a short period of time...

However, just as Yi Ruoyun was thinking this, Qiao Ran had already begun to act, releasing all the Pokémon he had just put back into their Poké Ball at once.

This time, he mainly sent out Pokémon with considerable strength and aerial combat capabilities.

"Zacian!"

"Yveltal!"

"Nihilego!"

With a "bang" as the Poké Ball was opened, two figures flashed past quickly, heading straight for Genesect in the sky, followed closely by Nihilego, which emitted strange fluctuations.

"Behemoth Blade!"

Oblivion Wing!

The blue giant wolf Splash high into the air, drawing a dazzling slash across the sky. The Black and Red giant bird spread its wings, encompassing the enemy within its attack range. Then, black and purple death energy poured down like divine punishment, even the trees below that were affected lost their vibrant life force.

The immense power caught the Genesect completely off guard, and before they could react, they had no chance to dodge.

The two most severely injured Genesect were already swaying in the air, looking like they were about to give up.

"...!"

However, the most surprised person was probably not these Genesect, but Yi Ruoyun sitting on the Skarmory.

She stared wide-eyed, bewildered at the incomprehensible scene before her.

As Elite Four, she knew just how troublesome these strange things were, and how powerful they were.

But...

What exactly happened?

Yi Ruoyun glanced at Qiao Ran on the ground again. Unbeknownst to him, a Mimikyu had climbed onto his shoulder and was watching the battlefield in the sky with him.

"..."

When did this guy become so strong?

Shouldn't he be a novice Trainer just starting out on an adventure?

... And what kind of Pokémon are those in the sky?

How come I, a perfectly good Flying Heavenly King, don't recognize a single one of them???

As for the progress of this book, it will probably be updated once a day for now. After all, there was a long gap before, and there are some things that I still need to get used to. Once I get back into the swing of things, I should be able to resume updating twice a day.

Section 262, Chapter 258 [Joint War]

Yi Ruoyun felt that things had been absolutely terrible lately.

As a high-ranking civil servant in the Pokémon League, she finally had a few days off, but after only a short time of looking at the map, a phone call extinguished all her hopes.

"... What? Hangcheng is under attack by strange things? A group of flying machines?"

"Because I move fast, I'm rushing over there? Um... I'm still on vacation."

Despite her deep reluctance, Yi Ruoyun had no choice but to agree under the pressure of her superior's earnest persuasion and the seemingly dire situation.

Upon arriving at the scene, she was indeed attacked by these things. However, what puzzled her was that this place was clearly some distance from Hangcheng, so why were these things here?

Then, it was after she met Qiao Ran.

--What did this "new Trainer" do to suddenly become so strong???

Yi Ruoyun had no idea what Qiao Ran had gone through. She simply compared it to her own progress in challenging Gym and training Pokémon back then, and then she realized that things were getting increasingly strange.

Taking advantage of the moment when Qiao Ran's Pokémon were fighting the Haze and the pressure was greatly relieved, Yi Ruoyun also landed on the ground and caught her breath.

"How many Badge have you collected?"

"Hmm... two or three...? Or four?"

Qiao Ran scratched his head in surprise, seemingly not expecting Yi Ruoyun to suddenly ask him these questions.

I can't remember.

Yi Ruoyun: "..."

Can't remember clearly, okay...?

She couldn't help but mutter a complaint to herself, but she immediately noticed a big problem.

"Wait, you said you only have two or three Badge now??"

She pointed to the sky, where dazzling light effects filled the heavens, and Yi Ruoyun and Qiao Ran's Pokémon surrounded a group of Genesect.

The positions of hunter and predator have been completely reversed.

"This is something that two or three Badge can do?"

"... Ah... hahaha."

Hearing Yi Ruoyun's question, Qiao Ran gave a polite but awkward smile and could only begin to explain somewhat stiffly.

"That's just because they're stronger; I didn't do anything."

He couldn't possibly say that he traveled through different worlds and, while Gym, also experienced several life-or-death adventures, could he?

Moreover, Qiao Ran felt that there wasn't much of a problem with his statement; the strength of Zacian and Yveltal was innate.

While this might be somewhat unfair to other Pokémon, it is precisely the existence of these Legendary Pokémon that has created the balance of this world; they wield the power of authority.

Ordinary Pokémon, on the other hand, build the whole from the individual, and then the whole enriches the world, making the world function.

Everyone has their own reason for being. Even if there are differences in strength, no one can diminish the significance of every life.

Qiao Ran felt this even more clearly after witnessing the Wild Area becoming more and more "real" and vibrant.

Each Legendary Pokémon he summoned added a framework called Rules to the world upon its appearance, while each ordinary Pokémon brought into the Wild Area added flesh and blood called life to the world.

"Fine, I'm not going to concern myself with your affairs anymore. Since you're so strong..."

After staring at Qiao Ran's face for a while, she roughly sensed that this boy didn't intend to tell her the truth. But even so, she had other thoughts.

She has to make the most of everything...

"Come with me to Hangcheng later; your fighting ability will still be useful."

"Don't even think about running away. You're Trainer in the Pokémon League too, you must receive Pokémon League benefits and subsidies, right? Then you'll have to come with me."

"Uh." Qiao Ran's eyelids twitched.

"I didn't intend to run away..."

Besides, he was planning to go to Hangcheng anyway. If he runs away, where will he go next?

"Well, you're quite self-aware," Yi Ruoyun blurted out. Qiao Ran couldn't tell if she was praising him or insulting him.

Just as the two were talking, the battle in the sky was nearing its end. Yi Ruoyun's Pokémon were already very powerful, each of them possessing Elite Four-level combat strength. Moreover, the sky could be considered her home turf, and her advantages were being fully utilized.

With Qiao Ran's assistance, the battle situation has gradually stabilized.

"If possible, we should capture a few of those shadowy figures later."

Yi Ruoyun gazed thoughtfully at Genesect in the sky.

"I wonder if this thing counts as Pokémon, and whether it can be put into a ball."

"... You can give it a try."

Qiao Ran didn't give her a definite answer. After all, he couldn't reveal too much about himself. If he seemed too knowledgeable, it would be even harder to explain later.

"Roar!!"

Another Oblivion Wing Smack Down a "shadow" that fell from the sky like a shooting star.

"Great opportunity... Quick!"

Yi Ruoyun jumped onto the Skarmory beside her and then urged Qiao Ran.

"Come here too!"

"Um."

Having experienced adventures in various worlds and been influenced by Zacian's "sword," Qiao Ran's physique was now vastly different from before. He jumped onto the Skarmory's back and sat behind Yi Ruoyun.

"I didn't realize he was so skilled."

Yi Ruoyun seemed a little surprised.

"In that case, it wouldn't hurt to speed up a bit more, would it?"

The Skarmory suddenly accelerated in the air, approaching the grove where the "shadow" had landed at a terrifying speed. Qiao Ran could even hear the sound of a hurricane in his ears.

To prevent Mimikyu from falling off him, Qiao Ran could only hold Yi Ruoyun's waist tightly with one hand and press down on Mimikyu's skirt with the other—also to prevent her from accidentally exposing herself and giving him a strange debuff.

"Arrive."

Perhaps because of the urgency of the situation, Yi Ruoyun did not pay attention to Qiao Ran's actions. After arriving at the destination, she patted the Skarmory's neck and made it land.

The strange "shadow" also fell to the ground, seemingly unresponsive. However, unlike before, the Haze on its body had dissipated, revealing its original purple shell. In terms of appearance, it looked like a giant steel worm.

"What's this?"

Yi Ruoyun stared in disbelief at the strange object before her. Once again... she saw something she didn't recognize.

"... Regardless, let's control the other side first."

Qiao Ran was also somewhat surprised. Before, he had only guessed, but this time it could indeed be confirmed—this was indeed Genesect.