Chapter 180

Mei nodded and slowly began her story.

In this segment, Lillie added her own experiences, while Qiao Ran, since he is not Pokémon World, could be skipped.

"... Really? So the world has become like this."

Sabrina listened intently, seemingly unaware that her hands, resting on the table, had begun to tremble slightly.

"Although I was prepared, I didn't expect..."

The lifeless Unova Region, shrouded in black and white; the Alola Region, overrun by Ultra Beast; the Galar region, shrouded in the shadow of Gigantamax, like an apocalypse.

Although the specifics of Kanto are unknown, some clues can be gleaned from the descriptions given by Mei, Lillie, and others.

I'm afraid the situation in Kanto won't be much better.

This actually aligns with her earlier suspicions; the future... seems to have really run into problems.

"You said before that you also lost your memories of what happened before you came here, so how did you know...?"

Her Psychic told Sabrina that Mei and the others weren't lying, but she found it very strange that the two of them knew so much.

Did they meet people from other regions as well?

That's why so much intelligence was collected.

That's true, they do seem to have been in this world before her.

Actually, it's that...

As Mei spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Qiao Ran. Seeing Mei's pitiful eyes, Qiao Ran nodded.

This girl truly trusts her friends.

However, Qiao Ran also felt that the other party was trustworthy.

Regardless of their original identity in the Pokémon World, anyone who appears in this world can become their ally.

"Actually, I do have a way to travel back to the Pokémon World. However, it has many limitations."

"Oh?"

The sudden bombshell news made Sabrina gasp. She looked Qiao Ran up and down as if she were seeing him for the first time.

No wonder...

No wonder Mei and the others always stayed with this man.

I see.

Sabrina seemed to have understood everything.

How many restrictions are there?

Sabrina narrowed her eyes.

"How big...?"

Qiao Ran glanced at Mei and Lillie beside her, and the two of them responded at the same time.

"Possible."

"It's for a lifetime, isn't it?"

Nighttime, in an Inn room.

Qiao Ran, Mei, and the others lay silently on the bed, none of them uttering a word.

"Qiao Ran, what do you think?"

Mei couldn't help but speak up, asking a rather strange question.

"What do you mean, how about it?"

Qiao Ran replied inexplicably, he really couldn't guess what Mei was trying to ask.

"That's what Sabrina told us during the day. It's about her speculations about predicting the future."

Mei rolled over and used her hands to prop herself up.

"Oh..." Qiao Ran looked away from her. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Mei's figure seemed to be developing more and more frighteningly.

Dianxi and Vulpix were no match for Mei; they could only be crushed.

"I think it's probably impossible to draw any concrete conclusions right now; what she said were just a few possibilities."

Qiao Ran didn't want to express too many opinions on this matter, but whenever time was mentioned, he couldn't help but think of a certain person.

--Phoebe.

After meeting him, the Elite Four asked him about clues regarding Celebi, and she stated directly that her goal was to find Pokémon related to time.

Time is indeed a very special force.

"Let's not overthink it. As long as we take it one step at a time, things will definitely get better... just like Spikemuth."

Qiao Ran hoped she wouldn't be discouraged. Although the situation in the Pokémon World was becoming increasingly complex, everything was moving in a positive direction.

Life in Spikemuth is getting better and better, and it's believed that before long, the Galar who have gathered here will be able to build an even more beautiful town than before.

Spikemuth is the best example.

They still have hope.

"Um."

Mei sighed, then lay back down on the bed and started petting Nebby with Lillie next to her.

"Now, let's just focus on the Performance Competition and do things the way we planned."

Qiao Ran is quite confident about the future. Originally, the only participants in this plan were themselves, but now, there is also Sabrina.

--This Gym Leader from the Pokémon World also wants to increase her fame through Performance Competition. She even participated in the competition to become the Gym Leader of the Modu City Gym, hoping to become the new Gym Leader of the Modu City Gym.

This is completely a two-pronged approach.

When Qiao Ran asked her about her real purpose in doing so, she just laughed.

"I'm just getting back what was originally mine."

In the Pokémon World, that's just who she is; right now, all she wants is to go back to where she was before.

"Furthermore, if you want to find people like you, don't you need to increase your own influence? My goal is the same as yours."

"Most importantly, the Pokémon League in this world are unreliable; I can only rely on my own strength."

Qiao Ran could sense Sabrina's ambition, but she didn't lie.

Her goal was exactly the same as theirs.

"So sleepy."

Qiao Ran rubbed her eyes, planning to take a shower first, and then have a nice long sleep.

Just then, Qiao Ran felt a slight pain in his right hand, and a voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"Rewards distributed...100%"

"Distributing... distributing..."

Rotom's figure also appeared in front of him in a flash.

Reward: Aura Power (Right Hand)

"... Distribution successful!"

"This is..."

The sudden change startled Qiao Ran, especially when he heard the sounds around him; it took him a while to come to his senses.

"There's such a thing?"

Because the time interval was so long, Qiao Ran had almost forgotten about this. This was supposed to be a reward that would be given after arriving in the Unova Region, but for some unknown reason, the progress bar was moving extremely slowly.

Qiao Ran waited and waited, until he had completely forgotten about the incident, never expecting to see it again here.

His youth has finally returned.

"Aura Power, and in the right hand no less. Could it be related to the previous Tokiwa Power in some way?"

Qiao Ran pondered for a while. He had completely lost the desire to take a shower; all he wanted to do now was Wild Area and try out new powers.

After glancing at Mei and Lillie, who were still lying on the bed playing Pokémon, Qiao Ran decided not to disturb them. He briefly told them what was going on, then left the room alone and headed to the Pokémon Pioneer Land.

Just like outside, it was nighttime in the Wild Area. Qiao Ran's appearance did not attract the attention of the Pokémon, as everyone had already gone to rest.

"Perfect, I can test this out..."

On the empty grass, Qiao Ran silently closed his eyes.

Although he had just gained this power, the moment he closed his eyes, he seemed to have already gained some insights.

Aura are a kind of energy that originates from within, and Aura are present in all things.

Even with their eyes closed, Aura Emissary with Aura Power can outline the contours of things using Aura power. Sometimes, it is even clearer and more distinct than what the eyes can see.

At this moment, Qiao Ran also "saw" this scene.

He noticed every tremor of a blade of grass in the night breeze.

If using the eyes is observing objects, then in a world constructed by Aura, it is "scanning" objects.

The eye can only see one aspect of things, but within the coverage area of Aura, even a small stone can be observed from every angle by Qiao Ran.

Most remarkably, this power possesses exceptional Infiltrator power, allowing him to observe anything that is obstructed, even those hidden behind rocks or out of sight.

"So... I'll be able to see things and walk through walls from now on?"

Qiao Ran's expression was somewhat strange. Although this ability was indeed quite useful, allowing him to pass through walls with ease, this kind of "seeing" also had its weaknesses, and was ultimately different from directly seeing.

With the Aura Power, all he could do was sense the shape of things and simulate it. If there was a Mei behind the wall whose shape and Aura were exactly like Mei's, then no matter how fake the dummy was, as long as Qiao Ran was only using the Aura to detect it through the wall and didn't look at it with his eyes, he would still mistake the dummy for the real Mei.

This could probably be considered one of the drawbacks.

In addition to these, Qiao Ran also wanted to try something else.

In fact, this was one of the reasons he came here tonight; with his skillful use of the Tokiwa Power, he felt he should be able to do something similar.

Qiao Ran held his breath and took a deep breath.

"Ha--"

As he exhaled, that peculiar power began to shift towards his right hand, as if only his right hand could serve as an "outlet."

"Whoosh..."

Qiao Ran heard a completely different sound.

It wasn't the sound of the wind, nor was it the Growl of Pokémon. He opened his eyes and saw a bluish-green light emanating from his right hand.

The light seemed to be trying hard to condense into a sphere, but it could not take shape no matter what it did. It could only swirl and disperse in strands, disappearing into the darkness.

"Hmm... is there really no other way after all?"

Qiao Ran somewhat discouraged, but this was within his expectations. This was his first attempt to condense Aura in his hand, so failure was understandable.

But if successful, this should be what's known as a "Aura Sphere," right?

"Does this thing really have offensive capabilities?"

Qiao Ran was a little skeptical, but he couldn't even form a proper shape yet, let alone throw it out as an attack. To make it lethal, he would probably need much more training.

"Never mind, let's just give it a try first."

Qiao Ran plopped down on the grass, like a child who had just received a new toy, and started fiddling with her right hand.

Through his experimentation over this period, he discovered that he could manipulate the Aura Power at will within his body. This power was similar to the Tokiwa Power, also a power originating from the mind and spirit. However, because this ability was called "Aura Power (Right Hand)," the only place he could release the Aura Power was his right hand.

This is similar to the Tokiwa Power.

"Now look what's happened, both hands have strange things on them."

Qiao Ran looked at his hands; his left hand was glowing green, and his right hand was emitting blue light. In the pitch-black night, he was the brightest one.