Chapter 172

Following the navigation on their phones, the group quickly arrived at their destination.

However, when they went to the front desk to inquire, the nurse looked very apologetic.

"I'm sorry... all our rooms are fully booked, and the nearby Pokémon Center are also overbooked."

"If possible, I can help you contact nearby Inn; the Pokémon League can get you a discounted rate."

"Oh, this..."

Qiao Ran looked somewhat speechless. Having traveled for so long, this was the first time he'd encountered such a problem. Had the Pokémon Center near Magic City already been this sought after?

"I'm sorry," the nurse apologized again, a faint smile still on her face.

"Although our Pokémon Center is usually quite crowded, recently it's probably because of the ongoing construction nearby..."

Perhaps because of the preliminary rounds of the Performance Competition, the preliminary rounds in Magic City will be held in some surrounding areas, and then the final competition will take place at the main venue in the city.

"Many trainers arrived here early and booked quite a few rooms. The number of trainers is several times higher than usual. So even if the Pokémon Center operates at full capacity, it can't accommodate so many trainers, and we'll have to trouble those who arrive later to stay outside."

"..."

Qiao Ran glanced at Lillie and Mei beside him. They seemed quite interested in Pokémon battles, but completely unconcerned about Performance Competition matches.

This incident caught them completely off guard.

"All right."

Qiao Ran shrugged.

"... If we can't find a place to stay outside, then we'll have to sleep on the streets."

Despite being prepared to sleep on the streets, Qiao Ran and his companions managed to find an Inn with accommodations thanks to the help of a nurse at the Pokémon Center.

While checking in, Qiao Ran called her mother to update her on her recent situation.

"Trapped in the Forest... No wonder, I specifically messaged your cousin earlier, and she said you stood her up."

"Forehead."

Qiao Ran said that this was really not his fault, and to Lash Out, he would just grab Nebby tonight and use it as a body pillow.

"Alright, it's good that you arrived safely. If you have time, you should contact her. She's currently attending a cram school at the Magic City Gym, and she mentioned she's going to participate in some Competition..."

"I will."

Qiao Ran readily agreed, but as for when he would contact him, that would depend on his schedule.

Besides, he was also wondering if he should bring Present if he wanted to see his cousin.

Are there any local specialties from the Pokémon World that can be used?

Never mind... if I have time, I'll go to Spikemuth and ask Marnie.

After exchanging a few brief words with his mother, Qiao Ran hung up the phone and went to the Inn room with Lillie and the others.

"I didn't expect... we'd have to share a room again."

Normally, Qiao Ran and Lillie should need at least two rooms, but there aren't enough rooms available right now. Finding even one would be a success, Qiao Ran they don't dare to ask for anything more.

Besides... they've been getting through this period of time like this, and they've adapted quite well.

Perhaps, if one day we suddenly stop living together, we'll feel quite unaccustomed to it, as if something is missing.

"After we rest for today, how about we go challenge the Gym in the city tomorrow?"

Qiao Ran took a sip of the Scald in her cup and made the suggestion.

He's already planning to challenge the Gym; making money is secondary, the key is to improve his Pokémon's strength.

His Pokémon need to go through battles to become stronger. Although they will battle each other in the Wild Area, the experience gained from those battles is not as great as that from formal Gym Battle.

Moreover, according to Qiao Ran's understanding, the Magic City Gym is known as one of the strongest Gym in the South, and they are currently holding an election for a new Gym Leader. If he arrives late and the Old Gym Leader retires, wouldn't he miss an excellent training opportunity?

--Although saying this might sound a bit offensive, that's truly what Qiao Ran was thinking.

He can only become stronger by fighting stronger people.

This is also the reason why Gym exist.

"No, I don't think we should go so early."

Mei also picked up her water glass and took a small sip.

She offered a different opinion from Qiao Ran's. Upon hearing this, Lillie couldn't help but press her hand to her chest and let out a slight sigh of relief.

That's... that's great, Mei!

--Lillie didn't want to challenge the Gym so early.

She had said before, when she was at the Hangcheng Gym, that she would participate in the next Gym challenge, but... she never expected that day would come so soon.

Who knew the distance between Hangcheng and Magic City would be so short!

If a trainer is efficient, they can probably challenge two Gym in a single day!

Furthermore, after reading about the formidable reputations of the Magic City Gym online, Lillie grew increasingly apprehensive. Was her first Gym challenge really going to be this difficult?

Hearing Mei offer a counterargument, Lillie breathed a huge sigh of relief. She clenched her hands and looked at Mei with an expectant expression. Although she didn't know Mei's reasoning, she was determined to support Mei.

Keep it up!

Mei did not disappoint her. Under Qiao Ran's confused gaze, she reached out and pulled out a poster from somewhere.

The poster reads, "National Exhibition Match Champion Arrives in Magic City; Magic City Performance Competition Warm-up Begins."

Besides the text, the poster also features a middle-aged woman who appears to be in her forties. Although her face shows signs of aging, she is still very beautiful and exudes mature charm.

"I got this from the nurse at the Pokémon Center; it's a promotional poster for this Performance Competition."

"This Competition is exactly our opportunity."

Mei's gaze was incomparable

Sharp.

"Wha... what opportunity?" Feeling a little guilty under Mei's intense, almost predatory gaze, Qiao Ran quickly looked away.

"... Of course, it's the chance to become famous online and then a well-known Uploader."

Mei had never forgotten what they had discussed before. In order to find other Trainer who might be scattered throughout this world, she naturally took this matter very seriously. Rather than using the Pokémon League to search, Mei believed that Qiao Ran's idea was more feasible.

Mei always harbored reservations about the Pokémon League, this force. She couldn't completely trust an organization, and she couldn't even predict what actions the Pokémon League would take if it learned the truth about the Pokémon World.

If... this Pokémon League, in pursuit of even greater profits, makes the Pokémon World even worse, then the consequences would be far more detrimental than the gains.

Therefore, you still have to rely on yourself.

Along the way, she thought about many ways to become famous and gain attention, but... when she saw this poster, she finally had an idea.

"As you can see, the national Champion will also be participating in this Competition. This means that even though it's a regional Competition, we can still Harvest the level of attention that national Competition receive."

"Moreover... as long as we can compete on the same stage as the Champion, or even Defeat them... no, Defeat might be a bit difficult, but as long as we can compete on the same stage... we can achieve the effect we want!"

Mei seemed to already see their success, her eyes shining brightly.

"So, you want to participate in the Competition?"

Qiao Ran was completely stunned. He had originally thought Mei was just a Trainer, but now it seemed he had underestimated her. Could it be that she had also done extensive research in Performance Competition?

He's going head-to-head with the national Champion right from the start.

Although Qiao Ran had participated in a Performance Competition and achieved a certain ranking, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could go toe-to-toe with the national Champion. Since Mei could say something like that, then her strength...

However, what Mei said next completely shattered Qiao Ran's expectations.

"No, it's not that I want to participate."

Mei looked at Qiao Ran and said, word by word.

"This is something only you can do."

"I?"

Qiao Ran pointed to himself, his expression somewhat surprised.

After all this going around in circles, how did it end up back with him again?

He wasn't some kind of Performance Competition Competition; his previous victories were thanks to Dianxi, whose natural beauty captivated all the audience.

As a Trainer, his lack of preparation actually lowered the tone of Dianxi's performance. If Dianxi's performance hadn't been so excellent, she might have even received a negative score.

Qiao Ran never attributed the victory to himself.

Yes, only you can.

Mei, on the other hand, had complete confidence in Qiao Ran.

"This world doesn't know about those legendary Pokémon. Just using them in Competition and showing their true forms is enough to get a ranking. Whether it's Dianxi, Suicune, or Reshiram, they all..."

Legendary Pokémon is innate, and their unique forms are the starting point for the legends written by those who witness them.

However, upon hearing Mei's words, Qiao Ran decisively shook his head.

"No."

He dropped his previously somewhat casual expression and became serious.

Inside the room, both Mei and Lillie felt as if the air had frozen for a second.

"... What if they attract unwanted attention if we send them to the Competition?"

Qiao Ran didn't want his Pokémon go on adventures, and this had always been his principle.

Every Pokémon is like family to him, and if his selfish desires or some other reason put Pokémon in danger... Qiao Ran could never forgive or allow such behavior.

The more you cherish something, the more you fear losing it.

Qiao Ran couldn't imagine what life would be like without them.

This is one of the reasons why Qiao Ran has never sold or traded Dianxi's diamonds from the beginning until now. It's not only because Dianxi's Eternal Diamond has extremely special significance for him, but also because such an act would bring huge risks.

"... They've got our eyes on us, but there's probably nothing we can do about it. If we come into the public eye, it's just an inevitable outcome."

Seeing Qiao Ran's serious gaze, Mei lowered her eyelids slightly.

She could sense Qiao Ran's feelings for his Pokémon, but all along, Qiao Ran seemed to have misunderstood one thing.

She raised her eyes again.

"But that shouldn't be a reason for us to be afraid."

"Are we really that weak together?"

"Does simply not doing such things mean we won't encounter any other dangers?"

"Even if we keep challenging Gym, someone will eventually notice us, right?"

"...!"

Qiao Ran's expression froze.

Because he was so focused on his Pokémon, Qiao Ran had only ever thought about protecting them, but... he seemed to have really forgotten something.

"And do you remember our previous battle?"

Mei took Qiao Ran's hand, and in this state, they could both feel each other's true feelings.

"We defeated the Gym Leader of a city, and completely."

Qiao Ran fell silent.

In his memory, although he experienced many, many things, he also saw many, many more powerful beings.

Moreover, since the actual travel time was not long, he seemed to have made certain misjudgments about some things.

He... really didn't have the real sense that he had become very strong.

But without realizing it, his Pokémon were also able to solve many, many problems.

"When I first started traveling, I would wonder if my Pokémon wouldn't get hurt if I didn't battle. Every time I saw Snivy lying on Hospital Bed at the Pokémon Center, looking like it was in pain, I would think that."

Mei continued speaking.