Chapter 163

Lillie's figure was already considered petite, but compared to Eve was still superior.

Lillie could only admit defeat.

Dinner didn't last long; the hot pot lost its flavor after a while, and besides, Iron Maiden and Eve had to catch their ride back. Once tonight was over, Iron Maiden would have to go back to fulfilling her responsibilities as the Gym Leader.

As for Eve, she plans to stay in Jinling a little longer to learn about Pokémon battles from Iron Maiden. Her sister is also in Jinling and seems to be considering sending her to some prestigious private Pokémon School, but Eve doesn't seem to like it. Judging from her expression, she'll probably have to run away from the school eventually.

The group waved goodbye, and the two groups embarked on different paths.

But we should meet again someday.

"I'm full."

On the way back to the Pokémon Center, Mei pouted, indicating that she was already full.

"What if I gain weight from eating so much?"

"How about we get some exercise? When we train our Pokémon, we can run around nearby. The Wild Area looks like a good place for that," Lillie suggested.

"Good idea." Mei was quite interested; after all, what you eat really needs to be exercised to be produced.

Only Qiao Ran blinked helplessly.

Goodness!

These two guys really don't consider themselves outsiders; they've already set their sights on the Wild Area?

The group chatted as they walked, and soon they arrived near the Pokémon Center.

"Qiao Ran, are you planning to leave here tomorrow and go to the next town?" Lillie suddenly asked.

Qiao Ran paused for a moment. "If nothing unexpected happens, it will be tomorrow... or the day after tomorrow. Before I leave, I wanted to see someone."

"That girl you mentioned before, the one who looks a lot like Nurse Joy?" Mei curiously.

"Yes, it's her. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to see her tomorrow."

Qiao Ran nodded. He had talked about this with Mei and the others before, but he didn't know much about it himself. He could only give them a brief description, since he had only met Qiao Yi once.

"Indeed... if it really is Nurse Joy, it's definitely necessary to make contact."

Mei also expressed her agreement.

"Where we live, Nurse Joy is the most well-informed person in the whole town. They have the most powerful intelligence network in the entire Pokémon League, and they're always the first to know if anything unusual happens."

"The Way is not just about Pokémon nurses."

"So Nurse Joy is that amazing...?" Lillie was slightly surprised. Having never been a trainer before, she hadn't had many opportunities to interact with Nurse Joy. The few times she had met her were when Nurse Joy visited her at her own base.

--This rich young lady, who could afford to build an entire Artificial Island, doesn't really understand these things.

"No, that's not what I really wanted to talk about. What I really wanted to say was, before we leave this city, could we go and take a look at the Aether Foundation?"

Lillie shifted the topic back to herself, her expression becoming slightly serious. She felt that what she was about to say was quite important.

"It's not just the problem with Mei; there's also the newly evolved Type: Null... no, Silvally. I want to confirm more details about this Pokémon with my mother, and it would be best to have a more comprehensive check-up."

The Silvally that Qiao Ran used was not a naturally occurring Pokémon, but rather a product of the Aether Foundation's research. Lillie had also seen the research files on this Pokémon, so she had always had some concerns about Pokémon stability. Under these circumstances, it would be better to take it back for some necessary checks.

If it goes berserk again and attacks the Trainer, that would be troublesome.

"Furthermore, the Foundation also has some items that Silvally can use, like those CDs..."

"Memory Disc?" Qiao Ran's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hmm... I think that's what it was called. It was a tool used to simulate the Arceus Plate. It could interact with the RKS System on Silvally's head, thereby changing the Pokémon's type."

"And the storage medium for this prop was eventually made into a shape similar to a CD."

Lillie recounted all the information she knew.

"If the Type: Null is just a normal 'normal' type, then Silvally, which can freely change its type using the RKS System, is truly the first Pokémon with all types besides the Gods!"

In the Pokémon World, there are perhaps only two truly man-made Pokémon: Mewtwo and Silvally.

As for Magearna, Golurk, and the like, these types of Pokémon are closer to being spirit entities, Pokémon by the power of the soul within their bodies.

Mewtwo and Silvally, however, have real flesh and blood bodies and exist in the world as living beings.

"It would be good to visit the Aether Foundation."

To be honest, after hearing what Lillie said, Qiao Ran was also a little worried. After all, there are very few cases of artificial Pokémon. Only Team Rocket in Kanto and the Aether Foundation in Alola have achieved this technology. This also shows just how rich Lillie's family is.

Technology isn't something that comes out of thin air; it requires a lot of experimentation and a lot of money to develop.

"Um."

Hearing Qiao Ran's answer, Lillie breathed a sigh of relief, but the thought of her mother still made her feel somewhat annoyed.

Although Lillie and Lusamine's relationship has gradually improved after things returned to normal, Lillie still can't forget what her mother did. Her mother not only strictly controlled her life, but also restricted her daily hairstyle and clothes, Sheer Force changing them if anything didn't go her way. She even froze her beloved Pokémon and had a morbid desire to control everything around her.

In front of Lusamine, Lillie didn't feel like a person, but rather like an object, a doll that she could manipulate at will.

Although things are much better now, those memories are impossible to forget.

"... By the way, what kind of people are Mei's parents?"

One night before, Lillie and Qiao Ran talked about his parents, so Lillie now wants to know what Mei's family is like.

"Huh? Me?"

Mei was taken aback. Why was she suddenly asking about this?

Although she found it strange, Mei still answered the other person's question.

"I'd say I come from a pretty ordinary family, but my mom used to be a really amazing person. She used to work at the Pokémon Center and was a good friend of Professor Juniper."

"I was able to get my Starter Pokémon from Professor Juniper Yew, all thanks to my mom."

Mei stuck out her tongue and chuckled softly.

"But this wasn't some kind of backdoor deal; I just asked Professor Juniper to give me a little... a little guidance."

"Mmm... mmm."

Seeing Mei's expression, Lillie couldn't help but laugh.

"Back then, the Pokémon must have been Serperior, right?" Qiao Ran stroked his chin, gradually understanding everything.

While Mei is indeed an excellent trainer, Serperior is also a very good Pokémon, with top-notch potential. However, as Pokémon obtained from Pokémon Professor, Serperior's Ability isn't the superior "Contrary," but rather the Starter Pokémon -exclusive "Overgrow," which can only be activated in critical situations.

"Yes, she's the Pokémon's always been with me."

Mei took out Poké Ball, and gazing at its red and white shell, she seemed to already see the Pokémon inside.

"That's great... I wish she could take on Humanoid Transformation too. I also want to know what she's thinking."

Mei muttered to herself.

Back at the Pokémon Center, after resting for a while in the activity area, Qiao Ran made a video call home.

"Mom."

The usual small talk was nothing special. Qiao Ran simply showed off the Badge he had received that day, further spreading the word about Jiang Yuanhao's Shutout victory.

It's estimated that tomorrow, the Gym Leader Hangcheng's Jiang Yuanhao's invincibility will be circulating in Longjiang Square.

Incidentally, Qiao Ran also introduced Lillie and Mei, though they were just ordinary friends.

"Hmm... not bad. They're all very capable young ladies."

Seeing the smile on her mother's face, Qiao Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Lillie and Mei, who had just introduced themselves, also felt at ease.

Well... thankfully, he seems to be a very kind person.

They were all worried that Qiao Ran's mother might be difficult to talk to, but now that they've come up here, she's not as scary as they imagined.

The mother continued to ask, "Are they all foreigners?"

Qiao Ran was taken aback. "Uh... sort of? But they have Trainer certificates from the Huaxia Alliance."

It's no wonder her mother thought that way. Lillie and Mei's names don't sound like they belong to China people. Besides, if you have to say, they shouldn't be considered foreigners; they should be considered Otherworlder.

After chatting for a while, Qiao Ran asked about her cousin.

"My next trip will probably be to Magic City, and I should be able to visit there while I'm there."

"... If you want to go, then go ahead. It's been quite a few years since we last saw each other." The mother smiled.

"Your cousin should have enrolled in a training course at the Magic City Gym. She also enjoys participating in Pokémon Performance Competition and such. You could check her out if you have time."

"Performance Competition..."

Qiao Ran recalled some strange memories. He had actually participated in a Performance Competition before. Although the judges in that Competition were a bit odd, the Competition itself was still quite interesting.

... Most importantly, he made a lot of money in this Competition... no, it should be said that his relationship with Dianxi took a step further.

"Okay, give me your contact information, I'll get in touch with you when I arrive."

After discussing more detailed information for a while, Qiao Ran said goodnight and prepared to hang up and go home to rest, but was interrupted by her mother.

"Wait a minute, I need to chat with the two girls for a bit."

Qiao Ran: "...???"

A string of question marks popped into Qiao Ran's head. He looked at the two people next to him who were equally bewildered, and finally had no choice but to hand over his phone.

Will they do something weird?

'Come on.'

Qiao Ran mentally cheered them on.

However, Qiao Ran soon realized that these things were actually unnecessary.

As a young lady from a wealthy family, Lillie has an exceptional way of speaking, while Mei is also a rather outgoing type.

Looking at the group of people in front of her, each holding their phone and gradually getting into a conversation, Qiao Ran felt a strange sense of unease.

Stay calm, you absolutely must stay calm!

"It seems... we might not be able to set off tomorrow."

By the time Lillie, Mei, and the others finished their phone call, it was already quite late. It was unlikely they could go to the Aether Foundation in the remaining time, and besides, they had to meet a girl named Qiao Yi the next day... In short, plans always seem to go awry.

Qiao Ran had witnessed this situation more than once or twice.

"Then let's leave a day later."

"Hmm... that works too."

Mei and Lillie didn't have any major objections. In the current situation, they could only take it one step at a time, relaxing during their trip while gradually improving their strength.

After all, given their current strength, even if they wanted Qiao Ran to take them to the Unova, it would be extremely dangerous.

The Unova, trapped in that black-and-white state, are even more terrifying than Galar; unknown dangers can appear from anywhere.

Moreover, what Qiao Ran was most worried about was that if he went there and was restricted by the so-called "Singularity mission" and unable to teleport back directly, that would be troublesome.

Therefore, after discussing it, Qiao Ran and Mei all agreed that it would be better to wait until they improved their strength before exploring that area.

"Then let's get some rest today."

Qiao Ran Yawn.

I must say, it was quite tiring after a long day.

"By the way, what did you talk about with my mom earlier?" Qiao Ran asked curiously.

Faced with Qiao Ran's question, Mei and Lillie simply exchanged a glance, both revealing knowing smiles.

"Auntie said..."

"Qiao Ran is a good kid."

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!" Qiao Ran blushed and covered his eyes.

Upon hearing this, he immediately understood the content of the conversation that had just taken place.

This doesn't seem right!