Chapter 178

Lillie, standing to the side, was completely bewildered. Why couldn't she understand anything these two were saying?

Is this an encrypted call from somewhere?

Mei described her as follows. "Sabrina is that... that movie about the magical kingdom, have you seen it?"

"Hmm...? Hmm." Lillie nodded.

"She is the magic queen inside."

"What?! She's the magic queen inside?!"

Lillie was also surprised. She had thought that Mei and Qiao Ran were just discussing an old acquaintance she didn't know, but now it seemed that the person was much more important than she had imagined.

Only Qiao Ran, standing to the side, silently rolled her eyes.

Do you only know the roles the actors Role Play, but not who the actors were?

However, Lillie's reaction was much more genuine than Mei's, who didn't recognize anyone at all. According to Mei, she had actually met Sabrina several times in the Pokémon World.

"... I first met Sabrina when I had just become Trainer, but she was already an experienced Gym Leader and Pokémon World actress. I happened to be passing through Pokéstar Studios at the time, and was thinking of trying my hand at making a movie."

"At that time, several dramas needed extra roles, and I was a little hesitant and couldn't make up my mind. It was Miss Sabrina who helped me make the choice."

Mei recounted some past events in detail. Although she is now stronger than most Gym Leader, she still laughed like a novice Trainer when talking about her past.

"Sometimes I even think... if one day I get tired of being Champion, maybe I'll try making movies?"

"But... I guess there's no chance of going back now?"

"Mei." Lillie grabbed her hand, signaling her not to say anything more. Sometimes, the more you recall these memories, the more likely they are to cause harm.

"It's okay, our lives are pretty good now."

Mei shook her head. So much time had passed, and she had long since accepted the current situation. Besides, there were clearly other things to deal with than dwelling on the sadness of the past.

"Did Sabrina... say anything else? Like why she's here or something?"

"This..."

Faced with Mei's question, Qiao Ran scratched his cheek awkwardly. He had wanted to ask the same question, but Sabrina immediately shut him down with "Don't ask, I'm in a hurry to participate in the Competition."

She added, "I don't trust you. If you have anything to say, let Mei tell me."

It's obvious that after what just happened, this guy definitely holds a grudge against me.

She said she'd tell us later, and we'd go find her after her performance.

Qiao Ran sighed. Everyone says that first impressions are very important, but for him, it's not a first impression anymore; it's more like meeting an enemy.

Although it was Sabrina who deliberately tricked him this time, how did things turn out that he was the bad guy?

"By the way, Mei, I wanted to ask you a question. Sabrina... shouldn't she have any connection with Team Rocket, right?"

Qiao Ran suddenly looked at Mei and asked about something that had been bothering her.

"Huh? The Team Rocket?"

Mei glanced thoughtfully at Qiao Ran, then gently shook her head.

"... That must be a criminal organization from the Kanto Region, right? I heard they were wiped out several years ago. As for Sabrina, she's never had any connection with Team Rocket."

"Never? Never joined?"

"No, at least that's what I understand."

"Um..."

After hearing Mei's answer, Qiao Ran nodded in satisfaction and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, it seems this Sabrina is somewhat different from the one in the manga...

Sabrina's performance didn't last long, and the intensity of the performance wasn't enough for her to use her full strength, but this unrestrained performance was enough to open the eyes of the surrounding audience.

Sabrina's Pokémon look completely different from those professional Performing Family. Audiences may not be able to put the difference into words, but that innate aura and Pressure are the result of countless battles.

Watching her performance is a truly special experience in itself.

"Perfect score."

"... Only a perfect score is possible."

"Since it's Miss Sabrina, then giving her full marks shouldn't be a problem for anyone else, right? Hahaha."

The judges gave Sabrina a perfect score without hesitation, reaching their conclusion without even comparing her to other contestants.

The audience erupted in thunderous applause, clearly having reached the same conclusion as the judges.

"The top three from each preliminary round can go directly to the finals, and the remaining contestants will be eliminated to select three more. Given Miss Sabrina's level, she should be a shoo-in, right?"

"Isn't this a sure thing? With Miss Sabrina's level, she would have been invited to the finals long ago. Why would she need to participate in any other Competition?"

"... Shh, you don't know this, do you? Miss Sabrina has very little experience in Competition. Maybe she's just here to gain experience. Besides, I heard that the Performance Competition she participated in last week was her first time participating... And because she was a newcomer and won, she offended quite a few people."

"I get it, I get it, it must be because Miss Sabrina is being jealous."

The audience below the stage were buzzing with discussion, but they all undoubtedly sided with Sabrina. Although Sabrina's participation in Competition of this level was indeed quite unusual, it seemed reasonable compared to the opponent's immature resume and experience.

Most importantly, the more of these Competition they watch, the more they actually profit.

It's worth it.

Frisk that Sabrina's performance was over, Mei also looked at Qiao Ran.

Should we go find her now? Or...?

"Need not."

Qiao Ran stopped her from getting up and pressed her back into the chair in the dressing room.

Ever since learning about Sabrina's identity, Mei has become anxious and restless, as if she were an ant on a hot pan.

Qiao Ran could understand her feelings. After all, it was not easy to meet someone she had met in her hometown. However, they obviously still had things to deal with.

You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to do one thing at a time.

"We still have performances to do... Although it's just the preliminary round, we're still beginners, so gaining more experience is definitely a good thing."

"I've already sent Latias over to Sabrina's side. We'll go find them after we're done here."

Latias was already waiting outside, so having her contact Sabrina was indeed a suitable option. Besides, Qiao Ran also hoped that Latias could help explain things and ease the tension between him and Sabrina.

"Anyway, don't think too much about it for now, just focus on preparing for the Competition."

Qiao Ran wasn't too worried about this preliminary round. After all, he had participated in a Competition before, and he had already decided on his choice this time: not Dianxi or Suicune, but the Vulpix that had always been by his side.

Thanks to Lusamine's guidance during this period, and the experience he gained from Eve in previous battles, Qiao Ran was not afraid at all.

Vulpix —that was his very first Pokémon.

"So, you call that guy 'Master'?"

In the coffee shop, a woman wearing a wig and sunglasses, her face obscured, propped her cheek with her hand and looked at the person opposite her.

"... This is the first time I've ever seen someone wear such outrageous clothes outside."

Opposite her sat a Red-Haired Woman dressed in a black and white Maid outfit. Faced with the woman's slightly mocking words, the Maid simply smiled.

"Although it's just a name, it's something we've always stuck to. As for this outfit, perhaps it's just a personal hobby of mine."

"... snort."

The woman, whose face was hidden, gave a soft snort, seemingly dissatisfied with the other party's answer.

She had initially thought that someone with such powerful Psychic would at least have a social status and achievements commensurate with hers, but now it seemed that she was nothing more than a vassal and a puppet.

Thinking about it this way, the man's image became even more hateful.

But...

Remembering what that man had told her before, she felt compelled to interact with these people, especially with Mei present. The more people from the Pokémon World encountered, the better it would be for her.

Is your hometown a place called Saffron City?

When she first heard those words, she was indeed surprised. Since coming to this world, it was the first time she had heard this place name from someone else, and judging from the other person's appearance, he seemed to really know her.

So... why didn't you recognize me when we first met?

Could it be that her appearance has changed quite a bit?

"I don't have time now, we'll talk about it later if there's a chance."

Previously, Sabrina made an excuse and left directly from there.

As she said, the performance was about to begin, so even though some of the misunderstandings had been cleared up, the two didn't discuss much more.

Moreover, because of the threats she had received earlier, Sabrina didn't really want to stay in that place any longer.

Although I don't want to admit it, that's the truth.

--That man and the girl sitting in front of her are very troublesome.

Putting aside the existence of Dianxi, the abilities of these two individuals alone were enough to make her wary. One was Psychic seemed capable of going toe-to-toe with her, or even suppressing her, while the other man... even now, Sabrina didn't understand what methods he had used to cut through and block her Psychic.

Even among Pokémon, Sabrina had never witnessed anything like this.

"..."

Is it some kind of skill unique to this world?

In Sabrina's heart

Full of questions.

Finally, after a long wait, the figure that Sabrina was waiting for appeared at the entrance of the coffee shop.

Now it's time to discuss serious matters.

"Na..."

Shh, don't call out names here.

Upon hearing Mei's voice, Sabrina quickly spoke up, telling her not to call her name, otherwise their conversation would be over.

As someone with a certain degree of fame both in the Pokémon World and in this world, Sabrina is actually quite careful in her daily words and actions. If Mei were to shout her name, half the people in the coffee shop would probably gather around.

"Ah... I'm sorry."

"But... it really is true after all!"

Mei immediately apologized, but even though she was suddenly interrupted, Mei's emotions remained the same. She looked at the woman in front of her, who was covered by sunglasses and a wig, with an excited expression.

That voice... that feeling... it really is Sabrina!

"Let me introduce you. This is Lillie, Trainer from the Alola Region..."

Mei took the initiative and enthusiastically introduced the people around Sabrina to her. Lillie also took the opportunity to greet them, but Sabrina only responded with a cool "hmm".

"This is Joe..."

"That won't be necessary."

Mei's words were interrupted once again. Sabrina waved her hand, directly cutting off Mei's attempt to introduce Qiao Ran.

"So... you two have known each other before? Hahaha."

Seemingly surprised by Sabrina's reaction, Mei scratched her head, looking somewhat flustered. Her gaze lingered on Qiao Ran and Sabrina's faces... what had happened between them?

This doesn't look like they just had a brief conversation at all.

How was the performance?

Sabrina looked at Mei and started chatting with Mei, completely ignoring Qiao Ran who was standing to the side.

Good grief, strategic disregard.

Qiao Ran suppressed the urge to criticize the other person; what they needed now was to understand each other better.

"It's a bit different from a regular battle, a little special, but I think I performed alright. My synergy with Serperior is really impressive."

Mei's average score in the preliminaries was 8 points, which is considered a high score. If nothing unexpected happens, she should be able to advance to the next round and qualify for the finals.