Chapter 181

"Um...?"

Looking at his two Illuminate hands, staring and staring, Qiao Ran suddenly had a strange idea. He slowly put his two hands...

With their hands clasped together, the strength of their hands gradually merged, and to Qiao Ran's astonishment, the two colors actually began to blend into one, becoming an even more bizarre cyan.

"Absolutely amazing."

Qiao Ran really hadn't expected this to happen. Qiao Ran couldn't understand what it meant, but this illogical phenomenon still made his heart pound—he had never seen anything like it in the Pokémon comics, movies, and games he knew.

Two powers that are extremely rare even in the Pokémon World have actually come together!

Most importantly, the originally loose and unconsolidated Aura Power, after fusing with Qiao Ran's masterful use of the Tokiwa Power, actually became much more solid. Perhaps, under this state...

"Feasible!"

Qiao Ran stretched his back leg backward, rotated his waist, and opened his palms, assuming a pill-making posture.

All the strength in the body is gathered together--

With a Roar, he actually launched this strange energy.

"It's a success!"

Qiao Ran shouted excitedly. His target was a rock not far away. After launching the shot, he stared intently at the rock's location, wanting to see the potential effects.

However—at this very moment.

The space in front of Qiao Ran flickered, and two figures suddenly appeared in front of Qiao Ran.

"Qiao Ran, you..."

These two were Mei and Lillie, who had come to find Qiao Ran. However, they had clearly arrived at the wrong time, and their location was far too "appropriate."

"Danger!"

Mei was the first to react. She shoved Lillie aside, but Mei herself was struck by the energy and let out a scream as if she were being choked before falling straight to the ground.

"Mei...!"

Lillie and Qiao Ran were both startled by the sudden situation, and they quickly ran to Mei's side to check on her.

"..."

However--

When they saw Mei's appearance clearly, their hearts, which had been clenched, instantly settled down. Lillie even covered her face, her cheeks flushed red.

Although Mei's body was curled up in a ball, there was no expression of pain on her face, but rather a feeling of refreshment and pleasure that they couldn't understand. Her indoor slippers had long been thrown off, and her long, slender, white legs were straightened, her jade-like toes curling involuntarily.

Qiao Ran muttered to himself with a strange expression.

While he breathed a sigh of relief, he also began to doubt his own life.

"This thing... could it really be completely powerless?"

Things rarely go as planned.

Nothing in this world can ever be completely as one wishes.

Qiao Ran sighed. Originally, he had the fantasy that "the combination of the two powers could produce even greater power." The Tokiwa Power and the Aura Power combined would at least create a Special Rasengan with tremendous destructive power. But now it seems that it is just an enhanced special effects massage.

Not only did it cause no harm, but it also...

He couldn't just throw it out and let the enemy die comfortably on the spot, could he?

Etc...

"It seems like... that might be a solution?"

Qiao Ran's expression grew increasingly strange. He could only pat his head and quickly dismiss the thought, which was already quite dangerous.

"..."

After glancing at Mei, who was still slumped on the ground convulsing, Qiao Ran could only take a few steps to the side, trying not to look at her for the time being. If this continued, he himself would go insane.

Lillie, who was standing nearby, asked in a low voice.

"Is it really okay to leave... leaving her there?"

"What should we do then?"

Qiao Ran turned around and glared at her, and that one glare was enough to startle Lillie so much that she cried out "Ouch!" and took a step back.

Qiao Ran: "...??"

Were you serious about taking a step back?

What are you so afraid of?

"... Anyway, let's wait and see." Lillie lowered her head, her mind a little confused.

She knew that Qiao Ran possessed a power she admired, but she never imagined that this power was so outrageous!

Judging from Mei's appearance, she's already...

That was definitely not something she was familiar with.

Lillie stole another glance at Mei, feeling a little itchy inside, but her reason told her that she absolutely did not want to become like that.

"Why."

Qiao Ran sat on a large rock nearby, gazing at the sky with a melancholy expression.

This Aura... we're better off without it.

The farce about the Aura Power was over. That night, after returning from the Wild Area, Mei didn't say a word all night. If she made eye contact with Qiao Ran or Lillie for more than half a second, she would automatically blush and look away.

This was the first time Qiao Ran had ever seen this incredibly Oblivious guy act so girlish.

She didn't even pet Nebby; after returning, she simply took a shower and went to Rest.

The next day arrived.

None of them slept well that night. Lillie and the others were preoccupied with their own thoughts, while Qiao Ran's mind was inexplicably racing. Perhaps it was some kind of aftereffect of obtaining the Aura Power, but he always felt that his thoughts were like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins. Whenever he closed his eyes, he would involuntarily begin to mobilize his power and sense everything around him.

His vision Infiltrator walls Infiltrator the ground; he could clearly perceive all the strange things happening next door or the door after that.

Under such influence, he was completely unable to fall asleep.

How did the Aura Emissary of the past actually Rest?

Qiao Ran was really at her wit's end.

However, after just one night, Mei discovered that something seemed to have changed in her body.

"... I feel so relaxed all over, so incredibly relaxed!"

In the early morning, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and shook her arms. The muscles that were sore from training for the Performance Competition were completely painless. In fact, she felt much better and could run several kilometers in one go without any problem.

The strangest thing was that when she brought her face close to the mirror, and it couldn't be her imagination, she felt that her skin had improved.

"This is unbelievable! Is this real? Or am I dreaming??"

"Mei?"

Hearing the strange noise, Lillie couldn't help but come over and ask Mei what had happened.

However, after Mei whispered something in her ear, she opened her mouth in surprise.

"Is it... really that amazing?"

They didn't do anything strange yesterday, nor did they encounter any strange people, so there's only one reason for all these changes.

--The "thing" that Qiao Ran posted yesterday.

Even now, Lillie still remembers the scene. In fact, it was the first time she had ever seen Mei in such a strange state.

"Seriously, I feel so relaxed all over, like I've been freed from some kind of shackles! My whole body feels alive again!"

Mei also a little excited. As a Trainer, it's sometimes hard to completely relax. Although what happened last night made her blush and her heart race, the outstanding effect still made her have to say that it was really great.

"No wonder... After that power struck my body last night, it felt like a full-body massage, completely different from the usual Tokiwa Power. Not just the areas it touched, my whole body is relaxed now."

Normally, the Tokiwa Power spreads gradually from the point where Qiao Ran touches it, and the effect of direct contact is stronger than that of using it from a distance. But this time it's different. There is no point of contact, and no transmission process. Instead, it directly envelops the whole body, which is a completely different experience.

"I even feel that my inner self has been healed!"

Mei was absolutely certain. Although she was usually an optimistic and positive person, today she not only had inexhaustible physical energy, but her heart was also filled with strength and passion.

"Really?" Lillie didn't know what expression to make. Listening to Mei's words, she couldn't help but blush and her heart race. Was it really that good?

Is it really that great?

"Real!"

Mei patted her chest and assured him.

If it weren't truly that good, would she have praised it so lavishly?

"Look at my hands, here, and here, they're not stiff at all anymore... wait."

Suddenly, as if she had just thought of something, Mei immediately stopped talking and took out Poké Ball from her waist.

"Mei?" Lillie was a little confused about what she was trying to do.

Is this... about releasing Pokémon from the bathroom?

Mei simply stared at the ball in her hand, muttering to herself.

"Lillie, what do you think... if I took Poké Ball to Qiao Ran and asked him to make one for my Pokémon too... would he agree?"

Lillie was taken aback, her face full of question marks, "...???"

Are you... serious?

At this moment, Lillie finally understood that sometimes it might not be that she had a problem, but rather that the people around her were not very normal.

"No, this thing is really amazing. If it works on me, it will definitely work even better on Pokémon."

Mei's thinking is exactly like Pokémon Trainer's; when faced with this kind of situation, her first thought is about the effect on the Pokémon.

"Imagine, if you give your Pokémon a full-body relaxation massage the day before challenging Gym, it will be in top condition the Gym day. In that state, you can easily Defeat even opponents you couldn't beat before!"

Defeat a powerful enemy is the best reward for Trainer, but sometimes victory or defeat depends on the Pokémon's condition, and Qiao Ran's ability can solve this huge problem.

"That's wonderful... Why don't I have this ability?"

Mei expressed that she was really envious.

"But... wouldn't this effect be a bit too much...?"

Lillie was still somewhat hesitant.

Thinking about what happened last night, wasn't it a bit too extreme?

"It's nothing, look at me, I'm perfectly fine now, and I even feel more relaxed."

Mei rotated her arms, stretched, and showed off her flexibility.

However, upon hearing Mei's answer, Lillie could only nod, both amused and exasperated.

"Mmm... mmm."

That's not the issue I wanted to address at all!

The preliminary rounds of the Performance Competition were divided into two rounds. The first round eliminated some contestants, and the remaining contestants advanced to the second round. However, there was a difference: the top three in the first round qualified directly for the city-wide finals, without having to participate in the fierce competition of the second round.

Qiao Ran and the others performed brilliantly in the first round, and that evening, all three received notifications that they would advance directly to the next round.

However, the qualification for advancement was somewhat strange. After all, Sabrina had also participated in that Competition, and Qiao Ran could clearly feel that her performance level was not as good as hers, as were the other two girls.

Mei and Lillie had no experience in Performance Competition. Their advancement was largely due to their synergy with their Pokémon. Mei, as Trainer, was already quite skilled, while Lillie relied on her own temperament and the telepathic connection she shared with Nihilego.

"Really? You withdrew from the competition?"

"Yeah, otherwise do you think you could have advanced directly?"

After Qiao Ran called Sabrina, he learned that Sabrina had chosen to withdraw from Competition after it ended, which was consistent with Qiao Ran's previous thoughts. She didn't need something like "direct qualification".

Even if she were to barge into the Competition venue, the organizers would probably immediately give her a chair.