Chapter 141

"..."

Qiao Ran carefully followed behind the Genesect, moving cautiously. Perhaps because he was carrying an injured companion, the Genesect's flight speed wasn't too fast, which was good news for Qiao Ran.

As for Vulpix and Mimikyu, they continued to cling to Qiao Ran's shoulders, acting as his eyes and observing the surroundings. They were ready to alert him immediately if anything happened.

In his trinity state, Qiao Ran's infiltration was not greatly hindered. Even when other Genesect appeared, the numerous ruins on the ground provided him with hiding places. However, as time went on, the doubts in Qiao Ran's mind became clearer.

Where exactly is this world...?

Is this the Pokémon World?

Which region is it?

Is it the Otherworld where that imposter, Chairman Rose, lived?

Qiao Ran had no way of drawing conclusions. All he could do was keep moving forward, searching for more clues and uncovering the truth behind everything.

He wanted to see what kind of depraved creature had done all this, destroying these beautiful things right before his eyes.

It wasn't until he crossed a high wall and saw the huge, towering Castle in the distance, and then looked down at the slightly sloping ground beneath his feet, that he suddenly realized something.

Here it is...

He already had a vague answer in his mind.

At that very moment, Rotom's voice rang in Qiao Ran's mind.

"Singularity... Enter..."

Singularity Name:???

"Danger level...???..."

"Target... None...!"

Section 273, Route 269

None...?

Hearing the voice in his mind, Qiao Ran was once again confused. The sudden voice did not dispel his doubts, but instead made him frown.

The last time he encountered such a problem was when he entered the Galar region. At that time, he did not enter through the usual means, but touched the Sacred Sword in some "Ruins," which is why he was teleported to that world.

At that time, Rotom was malfunctioning due to some kind of error, and the information it displayed was intermittent. It took quite a while for Rotom to slowly recover.

So, is this situation similar to that one?

"..."

Qiao Ran resisted the urge to call Rotom out and ask him directly, because he knew that Rotom himself probably didn't know these things either.

She's just a "messenger"; even if you call her out to ask, she'll just keep babbling.

However, through this intelligence, Qiao Ran gradually understood a fact and further confirmed his conjecture.

Since the system has defined this place as Singularity, it proves that this must be the Pokémon World.

Just like when he arrived at the Aether Foundation and the Galar region, Qiao Ran heard similar announcements upon arrival, but none of these things happened when he arrived at the world where the fake Rose was.

In other words, the world where the fake Rose lived was not defined as a "Singularity".

If we judge "Singularity" based on the "strangeness" of a world, then the world where Rose is located is more terrifying and more hopeless than any other region, and there is no reason why it should not be called a "Singularity." Therefore, there must be another criterion for judging "Singularity."

--The target region must be within the Pokémon World.

If this standard is used, then it's understandable that the world of the fake Rose would be excluded.

Qiao Ran blinked. He felt that he had touched upon some of the facts, even though no one had ever told him these things. However, the so-called "reasons" and "Rules" must also exist.

That's right... even in this seemingly illogical system.

'Master... that Genesect flew into the sky!'

Suddenly, the Vulpix, observing its surroundings, made a sound, alerting Qiao Ran that the situation had changed.

'I know, that thing definitely needs to go...'

Standing atop the ruins, Qiao Ran gazed at the towering Castle in the distance. Without needing to observe further, he could see countless Genesect moving in and out of the Castle windows, carrying their companions.

'... Even if hundreds have appeared in Hangcheng, are there still this many here?'

Qiao Ran felt a chill run down his spine. What on earth could control such a large number of Genesect?

What exactly is the purpose of these guys doing all this?

Damn it.

Qiao Ran felt she couldn't watch any longer.

'Let's go inside and take a look.'

Now that they were here, it was obvious what to do next. Qiao Ran jumped off the ruins and headed towards the distant Castle once again.

On his way, he saw a huge, broken stone statue, and next to it, a dilapidated and crumbling notice board that had collapsed on the ground.

Qiao Ran squatted down and used

He smoothed away the dust and began to decipher the characters.

"This Pokémon League has four powerful members."

Southwest is a powerful individual who is well-versed in the true nature of Ghost-type.

Southeast is a powerful fighter with Fighting type skill.

The Northwest is a powerhouse that has reached the pinnacle of Dark type.

The Northeast is a powerful figure who knows everything about Psychic Pokémon.

When you defeat all the strong with courage and wisdom,

Then you can reach the summit where the strongest trainer, the Champion, resides.

"..."

After reading it word by word, Qiao Ran couldn't help but close her eyes.

Yes, he recognized this place.

Although he had never been here in reality, in the memories of the "game," he had overcome difficulties step by step, traversed the towering and winding path to the summit, and then stood before this stone statue, reading the words within.

--Unova Region, Pokémon League.

This is the end of the Victory Road, the dream destination of every trainer, the hall of challenge against the Elite Four, and the highest level of the Cloud Peak Temple.

'It's a pity... I didn't bring Mei with me...'

'If she hadn't gone back to that archaeological institute back then...'

'But... it's probably better that we didn't see it.'

Qiao Ran couldn't help but think of Mei, wondering how she would feel seeing the Pokémon League she admired turn into this. At the same time, Qiao Ran's motivation to move forward became even stronger; he absolutely... absolutely could not see his world become like this.

Qiao Ran stood up and continued to look at the Castle in the distance. Although he had confirmed the location of the place, the "Pokémon League" in the distance was not the real name of the Castle.

The Battle Court for the Unova League is a real "temple" located on a mountaintop, and behind the temple is a "Castle" built by the region's villainous organization, Team Plasma, to realize their Ideals.

Normally, this Castle is hidden underground and remains Frisk by the world. Only on special occasions will the Castle be revealed to the public, showing its true appearance.

So, is there a villainous organization involved in this?

While inwardly marveling at Team Plasma abilities—even building Castle right in front of the Pokémon League, and a retractable one at that— Qiao Ran was more concerned with the role this "villainous organization" Role Play in the current events.

'However... I haven't seen a single human being along the way...'

Qiao Ran thought to himself.

He didn't see any humans along the way; all he saw were ruins and Genesect. The whole world looked as if it had been filtered through a gray lens, making it extremely ugly.

'Never mind, let's go in and take a look first.'

Qiao Ran composed herself and prepared to continue her journey.

He walked from the location of the Victory Road towards the Pokémon League, but what awaited him at the finish line was probably not some friendly Elite Four or Champion.

However... no matter what it is, Qiao Ran is not afraid.

What he wants to do now is to pin the other side to the ground and rub it hard, so that it can truly experience the beauty of this land.

Section 274, page 270: [The Castle]

Call...

With his decent physique, Qiao Ran had successfully reached the edge of the Castle. Looking up from here, he could feel the Castle's immense size even more. If he didn't already know the storyline from the game, Qiao Ran wouldn't have believed that this thing was built without the Pokémon League's knowledge, right under their noses.

Could it be that the entire Unova League is Team Plasma?

'Master, if we go in directly, we'll definitely be discovered.'

'Hmm, if we go further in, there will definitely be a lot of those bugs...'

The Mimikyu and Vulpix on Qiao Ran's shoulders both showed worried expressions. The reason they were able to sneak through before was not only due to good luck, but also due to the complex terrain. But once they entered the Castle, there probably wouldn't be many places left to hide.

Once discovered, they will truly have nowhere to retreat.

"..."

Qiao Ran took a deep breath. Could he back down here? Of course not.

'If anything unexpected happens, we'll rush out with all our might. Dianxi and the others are also on standby in the Wild Area, so there shouldn't be any problems.'

'Vulpix, go to the Wild Area and tell them about the next steps.'

'Um.'

Vulpix Fox nodded and returned to the ball.

Leaning against the side wall of the Castle, Qiao Ran and his Pokémon took a short rest. Soon after, Vulpix reappeared and, just like before, perched on Qiao Ran's shoulder.

'I've already notified them... Master, I saw that human again in the Wild Area. She said she was also worried about you.'

'Didn't she say anything else?'

'No.'

Upon hearing this, Qiao Ran paused for a moment, then replied, "Is that so?"

He originally thought that Lillie would be even angrier after seeing the truth about the Wild Area, but no one expected that so many things would happen in just one day.

Vulpix sensed Qiao Ran's emotions and couldn't help but ask a question.

'Master, do you still need me to go in?'

No.'

Qiao Ran took a sip of water from her backpack, then stuffed it back inside.

'I've rested enough, if this drags on any longer... I don't know what will happen outside.'

Qiao Ran didn't want his world to suffer such a calamity, so he cherished every single moment.

To command so many Genesect, he must have used some extraordinary methods. If that's the case... there must be many ways he could have manipulated things.

And this Castle, as the central hub, must surely conceal the deepest secrets.

'It's time to go!'

Seizing an opportunity when there were no Genesect around, Qiao Ran suddenly sprinted and ran through the ruins.

The Castle gates gradually enlarged before him, and then—with a light leap, he was inside.

"Clatter."

Qiao Ran's footsteps made a soft sound. He cautiously looked around, and after finding nothing suspicious, he finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Very good.

At least the first step went without any problems.

The interior of the Castle was nothing special; the bricks in the walls were cracked. The only difference from the outside was that it was more gloomy, with a gray atmosphere filling the air.

'Owner...!'

'Um!'

The two Pokémon acting as Qiao Ran's eyes constantly send Qiao Ran messages, and Qiao Ran adjusts his movements based on their information.