Chapter 168

"Where... where are we now? We shouldn't be... lost yet, right?"

Lillie glanced at Qiao Ran cautiously and then asked about another topic that she was more interested in.

Does their current condition qualify them as having perished?

It shouldn't be that bad, right?

"The cell phone signal isn't very good, we can try again later. As for our luggage... luckily, all our things are in the Wild Area, so they won't be lost even if we're teleported out."

As Qiao Ran spoke, he reached out and kneaded the Nebby in his hand like dough. To his great surprise, even after being kneaded like that, the thing was still laughing.

Qiao Ran was shocked.

Good grief, he's a masochist.

"Then... if we want to get to that 'Magic City'... won't it take us months?"

Lillie suddenly remembered what Qiao Ran had said before getting into the car, and her face turned pale with anxiety.

Although she had researched a lot about Magic City Gym, she didn't have much of a concept of the location of Magic City and Hangcheng. Moreover, after listening to Qiao Ran's explanation, she began to feel scared.

If I were to spend several months in the wild...

Although Lillie has decided to become a Trainer, she was previously a pampered young lady, and such a sudden change might be difficult for her to handle.

"Forehead."

Qiao Ran's face stiffened. In fact, his previous statement that he would stay in the wild for several months was just empty talk to deceive them.

Given the distance between Hangcheng and Magic City, it would only take them a week to walk there. Besides, they had already spent some time traveling by car, so walking there probably wouldn't take them much longer.

However—looking at Lillie's current state, Qiao Ran was at a loss for how to explain it.

If I just tell the truth... I probably won't get killed, right?

"So, what you said about those few months... was actually a lie?"

After some explanation, Lillie stared blankly.

After all the ups and downs, she actually found Qiao Ran's explanation quite acceptable.

No need to spend months in the wild... that's awesome!

Lillie breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Mei, who had already woken up, had a completely different attitude.

She couldn't accept that explanation.

"Snort!"

Mei turned her head away angrily. How could she have trusted Qiao Ran so much and believed his nonsense without even thinking?

This guy just wants to Slack Off on the bus!

"... Well, let's talk about that later. Right now, what we need to do is get out of the Forest and find a town or something."

"Judging from the situation, we'll have to camp outside today."

Qiao Ran reached out and squeezed the Nebby in his hand again. He had to admit, it felt pretty good. Besides its round body, it also had two little clouds that looked like twin ponytails, perfect for holding and playing with.

As for this guy's education, it probably needs to be put on the agenda. Although it was true that it didn't understand these things this time, which is why it acted this way, even Qiao Ran can't withstand such torment if people are constantly being teleported around.

"However, I didn't expect Nebby to be so attached to Qiao Ran..."

"Yes, she suddenly started crying after someone took a few pictures of her in the car earlier."

Walking among the trees, the two girls watched the Nebby being tossed around by Qiao Ran, their eyes filled with curiosity.

How can someone be so happy when they're being tossed around like a ball?

Perhaps Qiao Ran possesses some kind of quality that attracts Pokémon?

"I don't understand either." Qiao Ran himself wasn't quite sure either; maybe this guy just saw it as some kind of prank.

However, Qiao Ran guessed that it was probably also related to the Tokiwa Power within him—although he always felt that this power had deviated somewhat from the Tokiwa Power he was familiar with, it was still quite useful.

"Map... map... we have it."

After scrolling through his phone for a while, Qiao Ran finally located their current position, which was roughly next to a deserted highway.

There are woods everywhere.

From their current location, it would take them quite some time to walk to the next town, probably until tomorrow. They would likely have to spend the night in the wilderness.

However, thanks to this, Qiao Ran was also able to focus on catching certain Pokémon and placing them in the Wild Area.

It probably won't take much more time; we'll be able to complete the 100 this time.

"By the way, let's stay at the Wild Area tonight."

Qiao Ran suddenly made a suggestion.

Because of Lillie and Mei, Qiao Ran hasn't had a proper get-together with his Pokémon in a long time, especially Dianxi and Vulpix... Today might be a good opportunity.

"OK."

Lillie and Mei agreed to Qiao Ran's suggestion without hesitation. For them, living in the Wild Area was a better option. It not only had a pleasant environment but was also safe from danger, making it a perfect place to relax and rest.

"Mo..."

Nebby nodded. Although it didn't understand much at the moment, it could still observe from the faces of the people around it, which was definitely a very interesting thing.

By following the routes marked on the map, and with the help of various Pokémon, trainers can overcome almost any geographical environment. This cooperation also further enhances the synergy between trainers and Pokémon.

"That's the original intention behind letting trainers and Pokémon travel together."

"People who want to take the bus and Slack Off will definitely not understand this, right?"

Mei glanced at Lillie and then at Qiao Ran beside her; what she wanted to say was already obvious.

"I see..." Lillie nodded thoughtfully.

With Nihilego's help, Lillie just drove away a group of mischievous Mankey and even helped her cross a Small River.

During this process, she did indeed feel a sense of familiarity with Nihilego.

Even if it's right, don't use me as a negative example.

Qiao Ran's face was full of helplessness. He just wanted to get to Magic City as soon as possible to get the next Badge and make it in time for next month's subsidy payment. Why was it so difficult for him?

Do we really have to force him to go out and earn money?

"Um..."

Suddenly, Qiao Ran stared at the two girls in front of him, thoughtfully stroking his chin.

"I said, would you two be interested in doing some live streams or videos with me? Pokémon- related videos are always quite popular online."

Why are you suddenly asking about this?

Mei's face was full of confusion. This question was too far-fetched. Looking around, they were still in the middle of nowhere!

Why did you suddenly start filming a video?

"Yeah, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Lillie was acting a little strange too.

"No, I was just asking..."

Qiao Ran shook his head; this was indeed what he had just said.

It was a sudden idea that actually originated a few days ago when, after talking to his family on the phone, he idly looked up information about his cousin.

After a little investigation, it was discovered that many Trainer at Magic City Gym enjoy uploading videos of their Gym online, and that Magic City Gym frequently host Performance Competition that garner a high number of views online.

--Most importantly, it seems to be quite profitable.

"And, after you saw Nurse Joy last time, have you thought about something?"

Qiao Ran brushed aside the leaves in front of him.

"In this world, there are probably many people like Nurse Joy. They may have lost their memories, or they may have remembered something. In short... for various reasons, they have hidden their identities. Even though we commissioned Phoebe to investigate, we have found nothing so far."

"In the end, unexpectedly, we met one at the Hangcheng Gym during our trip."

"You mean..." Mei slowly realized.

"Yes, in situations like this, if we proactively release a video and include subtle hints that only they can understand, we might actually be able to make contact with these people."

Qiao Ran's lips curled up slightly.

He wasn't doing it because he wanted to make money.

Although it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea, it was indeed a good choice.

If they can become well-known Uploader or opinion leaders on Video-Sharing Website, they can not only receive certain rewards, but also mobilize more resources to search for Otherworlder stranded in this world.

"Indeed... Qiao Ran is right."

Not only Lillie, but Mei also nodded in agreement with Qiao Ran's statement.

In fact, Mei had thought about this before, which was how to find other people in this world. It would be best to entrust the power of the Pokémon League. However, out of caution, she did not contact the Pokémon League before meeting Qiao Ran. Instead, she officially began her investigation after meeting Phoebe at Zhenze Lake.

However, this reliance on official power ultimately yielded little result. Many people, like she was before, probably harbored some wariness and suspicion towards the Pokémon League in this world and would not disclose their information.

Therefore, under these circumstances, it was actually necessary for her and Lillie to take the initiative to step forward.

It would be better to let those people find them than to search for them themselves.

"Speaking of which... if my Older Brother was transported by Ultra Beast, is it possible that he could appear in this world?"

"And what about Marnie's Older Brother? Marnie hasn't been able to find him yet. Could he have encountered something similar?"

"If my face appeared in a widely circulated video... he would definitely come looking for me if he saw it."

Qiao Ran's words sparked a thought within Lillie, and she saw a glimmer of hope, even if it was just a guess... but what if it were true?

"I want to."

Is there anything I can do to help?

"Me too!"

Seeing the two girls beside him suddenly stop and look at him with serious expressions, Qiao Ran's lips twitched involuntarily.

"Um... I was really just saying."

He claims he wants to become a video Uploader, but ultimately, he doesn't even understand what he needs to do or how to do it, so how could he possibly know so much?

"I'm serious."

"I'm serious!"

"Uh." Qiao Ran covered her forehead with her hand; her head was a little sore.

What's going on? Why do they suddenly seem more concerned than him?

Do you also want to debut as idols???

"Mo... Gu!"

The Nebby floated to the side, clapping its hands excitedly. Although it didn't know what was happening, it seemed quite interesting.

So much fun!

"If you want to make a video, the first thing you need to do is choose a theme."

"Whether it's food, a battle, or a talent show, it needs a theme."

"Or maybe there's some trending topic..."

"Hmm..."

After talking with the two girls for a long time and discussing many potential difficulties, their enthusiasm gradually subsided, and they fell into deep thought.