Chapter 140

"Those things... seem to be ignoring us?"

"Never mind those, let's just attack them directly!"

Qiao Ran didn't have time to think about the reasons in detail; he could only keep communicating with his Pokémon and then plunge into the surging swarm of bugs.

"Behemoth Blade!!"

The Zacian's Sword light flashed brightly, and this powerful strike was breathtaking no matter the time. However, in the endless sea of insects, it didn't even cause a ripple. Qiao Ran didn't even understand which Genesect he had hit.

Unlike the giant Pokémon I faced in Galar, this battle was even more challenging.

"I'll break their formation!"

Having spoken with Qiao Ran, Yi Ruoyun understood that directly confronting a swarm of insects was unwise. She released all her Flying type Pokémon, Sheer Force charging in from the air, and then—used her skills to separate the insect horde.

"Hurricane!!! Brave Bird!!!"

Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun were both doing their best, while Jiang Yuanhao, as the Gym Leader, was protecting his Gym's Trainer as they retreated outside the Gymnasium to avoid being trapped inside the gradually collapsing Gymnasium.

Not only that, he also sent a request for help to the Pokémon League, but... it's obviously not going to be a short time before official reinforcements arrive.

Yi Ruoyun is an absolute exception. She is a highly skilled Flying Heavenly King with the advantage of aerial maneuverability. Moreover, she just happens to be nearby. If it were any other Trainer, they really couldn't do this.

Moreover... Jiang Yuanhao glanced at the sky. In the current situation, the air was filled with these strange flying objects. These things were incredibly fast, and their bodies were harder than steel. Even with the support of Trainer, those Trainer probably wouldn't be able to choose aerial transportation, right?

This was a devastating blow to the urgent support efforts.

"... Why did this happen? This is terrible!"

Jiang Yuanhao gritted his teeth; the situation was indeed getting worse.

As the Gym Leader, he at least needs to protect the Trainer in his Gym.

Section 271, Chapter 267 [Crazy]

Meanwhile, in the Pokémon Pioneer Land.

"..."

The blonde girl sat on the grass, lost in thought, with several white Nihilego floating around her.

She had known this Pokémon —or rather, this Ultra Beast —for quite some time now. Although their relationship had changed from initial mortal enemies to relatively good friends, the girl still harbored a lingering sense of fear and apprehension.

The deep-seated fear that comes with being parasitized, as if sinking into the deep sea, is something that can never be overcome.

However, now, only these Nihilego can keep the girl company.

"What's the situation outside...?"

Lillie gazed at the end of the Small River, murmuring to herself.

Although Lillie witnessed a series of shocking events upon entering the Wild Area, including seeing Pokémon transform into human form before her eyes and learning that Qiao Ran had been managing this world all along, she didn't have time to dwell on her astonishment for long.

The fierce battle had already begun.

She didn't even have time to complain.

She watched as the Pokémon left one by one, then returned wounded, rested briefly, and went out to battle again...

Lillie couldn't see what was happening outside, but she was still extremely anxious. Qiao Ran and the others... were they really alright?

It's absolutely impossible not to worry.

In the Real World, in Hangcheng.

The swarming Genesect have caused immense destruction to everything around them. Fortunately, these insects do not seem to actively attack humans, so thanks to intelligence from the Pokémon League and proper management, the damage has not reached the level expected.

However, this cannot continue.

Every second, the danger was escalating. What if, even if Qiao Ran and his team managed to Defeat the Genesect, they were eventually rescued, recovered, and launched another counterattack?

Qiao Ran simply couldn't stop himself from thinking this way; after all, everything he saw confirmed his idea.

Those insects can't be completely eradicated.

"This is just never going to end!"

Unlike the battles in the previous two regions, this time Qiao Ran felt unprecedented pressure. This was his world, his country, and his homeland, and he had nowhere left to retreat.

If Qiao Ran previously saw himself as a passerby, fighting hard because of his love for the Pokémon World, then now he has a completely different feeling.

He finally understood why Mei always had that expression whenever she mentioned her world and hometown.

"We can't let the casualties continue to rise..."

Qiao Ran had already sensed the gravity of the situation. No matter how dangerous his previous plan was, he probably had to give it a try.

In order to prevent the worst-case scenario from occurring, and also to fundamentally solve all of this.

Therefore, he secretly asked Rotom to send some messages to Mei, who had not yet arrived. After all, if the situation turned out the same as he had anticipated, it would be very difficult for them to contact each other again.

Moreover, Mei is quite strong in combat; if she were to join the battle here, she would undoubtedly be a powerful asset.

"Qiao Ran!"

Yi Ruoyun called out Qiao Ran's name. Their teamwork had yielded some results, managing to separate a portion of the Genesect and then defeat them one by one. Most importantly—

The time has come!

"Dianxi!"

"Zacian!"

"Yveltal!"

"Suicune!"

"Nihilego!!!"

All the Pokémon were ready and launched a fierce attack on their chosen opponents, unleashing their most powerful moves.

A storm of diamonds, swordsmanship that cuts down behemoths, energy that strips away life...

Not only did Qiao Ran's Pokémon attack instantly, but Yi Ruoyun's Pokémon also unleashed their skills simultaneously, indicating that both sides were well-coordinated.

In that instant, several Genesect were Smack Down from the sky, and just as Qiao Ran had predicted, they fell to the same spot.

Other Trainer might not be able to do this, but Qiao Ran, who is connected to all Pokémon, can achieve this goal.

"Okay! Proceed to the next batch!"

Yi Ruoyun hadn't realized what this meant yet; she was still urging Qiao Ran to continue cooperating with her. However, Qiao Ran had already seized the opportunity and was running wildly toward the place where the Genesect had fallen, disregarding everything else.

"What!?"

Qiao Ran's sudden action surprised Yi Ruoyun, but what happened next left her breathless—

As the Genesect fell to the ground, a Ring appeared beneath them. Just as the Ring appeared and the Genesect began to disappear, Qiao Ran, timing it perfectly, used all his strength to jump into it.

Both of his Pokémon were trying to make Qiao Ran run faster, even unleashing their skills backward.

The other Pokémon he had released earlier seemed to have some kind of unspoken agreement; they were automatically retrieved into their Poké Balls as he ran, as if they had already foreseen this event.

Then--

Genesect disappeared, and so did Qiao Ran.

Everything was swallowed up by the Ring at that moment, and then the Ring gradually Minimize until it disappeared completely.

"You're kidding... right..."

Yi Ruoyun stared at the scene in disbelief, her head still buzzing. Only now did she finally understand why Qiao Ran had devised such a battle plan with her. What he wanted was to place multiple Genesect at the same time and place to enlarge the Ring and increase his chances of jumping in!

How could a normal person have such a thought!

If it were a normal person, they would run away immediately in such a crisis, and they would flee from anything dangerous. However, this guy actually thought of jumping into a suspicious place.

"..."

Yi Ruoyun didn't even have the strength to curse anymore. She should have realized this when she saw Qiao Ran enter the battlefield.

This guy is still staying in the center of the battlefield; he's definitely planning something.

They actually jumped into the enemy's Portal...

Where did this lunatic come from?!

Section 272, page 268 [None]

This wasn't the first time Qiao Ran had come to a strange, Otherworld.

Although it happened not long ago, it was by no means a pleasant experience— the Fake Chairman Rose deceived him and lured him into a trap. If it weren't for Zaxiang 'Zacian power, he would probably be in grave danger.

"... Phew... Where... am I...?"

After jumping into the Ring and entering the Haze, Qiao Ran briefly lost consciousness for a few seconds, and everything before his eyes was almost pitch black. When he regained consciousness, he found that the surrounding environment had completely changed.

A thick, almost tangible gray mist swirled around him, the gray sky devoid of any light, and even the ground beneath his feet was covered in gray gravel and rubble. The entire world seemed to be veiled by a gray filter, obscuring Qiao Ran's vision.

"Where is this...?"

Qiao Ran looked around in confusion, trying to find a sense of familiarity in the surrounding scenery. However, before he could think any further, something suddenly pulled his ankle, dragging him behind a pile of rubble.

Black, ribbon-like tentacles covered his mouth, preventing Qiao Ran from making a sound.

"Mi..."

--It's Mimikyu.

Although Qiao Ran was a little flustered at first, he quickly calmed down after realizing that it was actually his partner who had done it.

Not only that, Vulpix also took this opportunity to jump back onto Qiao Ran 'Qiao Ran shoulder, rubbing her Limber little nose against his face to show that she was alright. Her cool body temperature also transferred to Qiao Ran, calming Qiao Ran down a bit.

Along with Qiao Ran, only Mimikyu and Vulpix, which were still on Qiao Ran's shoulder at the time, physically entered the Pokémon Ring. As for the other Pokémon, they all entered the Poké Ball ahead of time and returned to the Wild Area under Qiao Ran's command.

"..."

The gray world was eerily quiet, but Qiao Ran wouldn't let his guard down. The bizarre and terrifying sight alone was enough to keep him on his toes.

Through the gaps in the broken walls and ruins, Qiao Ran squinted and glanced at where he was standing.

Sure enough, something appeared there.

If you had been standing there daydreaming, you probably would have been spotted immediately.

'... Is it the previous Genesect?'

What Qiao Ran saw was Genesect, shrouded in Haze, Fly in mid-air, holding a fellow being that had lost consciousness but was no longer covered in Haze.

'Master, that Genesect should be...'

To maintain silence, Qiao Ran and Vulpix didn't engage in direct conversation. Instead, they communicated using their unique connection, which proved to be extremely convenient for Qiao Ran at this time.

'That's right, probably the ones we knocked down in the Stadium before... But I remember that after those Genesect were knocked down, the Haze on their bodies would disappear, but some kind of black aura would still emanate from their bodies... But it seems that's not the case now.'

Qiao Ran keenly Frisk the abnormality. Not only that, the gray stuff in the air also made Qiao Ran feel nauseous. This feeling was different from seeing Ultra Beast; it was simply a feeling of disgust.

'Master... be careful.'

Vulpix and Mimikyu expressed their concerns. This space was strange and unpredictable, and no one knew what might happen. If they acted rashly... they didn't want to see Qiao Ran encounter any danger.

Especially Vulpix, she had just spent a sweet time with Qiao Ran last night... she was really scared.

"It's okay, don't worry, everything will be fine."

Qiao Ran offered them a few words of comfort, but he knew in his heart that what he said was probably just a consolation.

The more certain a statement is, the more likely it is to be false.

What happened in this world wasn't a friendly Competition between trainers, nor False Swipe Gym Battle; it was something truly real...

If you're not careful, you really could die.

Qiao Ran swallowed hard, but his gaze remained fixed on the Genesect flying by. He was observing where the creature was headed.

"Vulpix Fox, Mimikyu, let's be careful and follow it quietly. There must be some clues where it went."

Aimless searching in this world is not a good choice. To truly understand everything, one must go to the very root of it all.

If he could, Qiao Ran certainly wouldn't want to do that, but when the opportunity presented itself, he wouldn't hesitate.

Even if he can't be absolutely certain, even if he doesn't have a foolproof strategy, he will still do it this way, after all, that's always been his approach.

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If we do nothing, what can we change?