Chapter 187

Qiao Ran didn't say much about it.

Although Xia Fei was indeed a bit willful at times during the day, compared to her quiet friend, she was probably the least confident one.

In this respect, she is somewhat similar to Lillie from before.

"... That's about it, we should go too."

Standing at the door, Qiao Ran smiled and said goodbye to her Aunt's family. Due to the Competition and the challenge of the Gym, Qiao Ran and the others would definitely have to stay here for a while. If they wanted to come back, there would be plenty of opportunities.

"Goodbye."

Aunt's family also waved goodbye to Qiao Ran and the others.

However, just as Qiao Ran and the others had taken a few steps, her Aunt suddenly leaned close to Qiao Ran and whispered something.

"Besides..."

"... I just took a look, and they all seem like really nice girls. No matter what you choose in the end... I'll talk to your mom about it for you. Good luck!"

"... cough... uh cough cough cough."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Ran immediately coughed violently. His Aunt wasn't speaking loudly, and most people wouldn't be able to hear these things, but... hearing these things wasn't a big problem for Lillie and Mei.

After all, the human body in the Pokémon World is inherently somewhat special, and with the changes brought about by Nihilego, their bodies are actually much stronger than those of ordinary people.

"..."

Lillie and Mei's faces turned bright red, and they could only grab Qiao Ran's hands and quickly run away from there.

Why do these elders like to talk about these things so much?

On the way back, none of them said much; clearly, they had all been quite shaken.

"Anyway, let's get some rest tonight. If we can, we'll go to the Gym tomorrow. If we're not feeling well, we'll go the day after tomorrow."

Qiao Ran explained his plans for the future. The Performance Competition still had several days to go, so it wouldn't be too late to challenge the Gym during that time. Moreover, even after the Performance Competition started, the actual Competition would still take several days to begin, so they still had plenty of time.

"Um."

"Um..."

None of the girls objected to Qiao Ran's arrangements; their thoughts were actually quite similar to Qiao Ran's. Plus, what happened tonight... although nothing substantial changed, why did they feel so conflicted?

If... we really have to come to that point in the future.

Will they really have that day too...?

When they were little, they had all read similar fairy tales, where princesses lived happily ever after with the princes they loved. If they were still ordinary girls, they might have longed for that kind of life too.

However, they are destined to be different.

They also bear an even heavier "responsibility".

That's the weight of a world.

Before everything is over, they can't possibly hope for a stable life, and this is probably true for Qiao Ran as well.

"Whoever marries you will be incredibly lucky, won't they?"

Therefore, when faced with some teasing from their "Aunt," they really don't know how to respond.

They could see the tiny wrinkles on "Aunt's " face, the marks left by time. Even after so much time had passed, "Aunt" still had a big smile on her face when she talked about her love and marriage.

That's great.

What's wrong with you?

Qiao Ran was somewhat puzzled.

The girls suddenly stopped in their tracks, standing silently by the Pond in the Community, watching the Schooling in the water.

If it's about the future... is that really possible?

It was quite some time later when they arrived at the door of the house that Sabrina had provided.

Qiao Ran Yawn wearily and took out his Key card to open the door. He didn't know why, but Lillie and Mei suddenly suggested going for a walk halfway through the walk. So, the two of them took Qiao Ran for a stroll around the Community, spending quite a while just staring at the fish by the Pond.

Qiao Ran didn't understand what they were doing, but since Lillie and the others seemed to be having a good time, he simply ignored it.

"Etc...

!"

However, just as Qiao Ran reached out to open the door, his body suddenly jolted. Under the detection of his Aura Power, he Frisk something very incongruous.

What's this?

What happened here while they were gone?

The Aura gradually spread, observing everything around it.

Qiao Ran frowned.

Is this location... a bathroom?

The all-pervasive Aura spread out again, but this time, after sensing the situation inside, Qiao Ran's whole body shuddered violently.

His Aura... was completely destroyed within a second of spreading.

However, what he feared was not the destruction of the Aura, but rather—what he "saw".

Qiao Ran's expression darkened completely, and his hand holding the Key card trembled slightly as it was raised in mid-air.

A very familiar voice, yet as cold as a winter wind, suddenly rang in his mind.

"Just you wait... you're dead!"

I will die, I really will die.

Qiao Ran, die!

Some time ago.

There was no one else in the house except for Sabrina.

At least, after Sabrina arrived and waited for a while, she didn't see anyone else.

From beginning to end, she was the only one here.

However, judging from some of the items left in the room, those people had been here, but perhaps for some reason, they chose to leave temporarily.

"Haven't they come back yet?"

Sabrina was getting a little annoyed waiting, but calling to ask why the other person wasn't there felt a bit embarrassing. She didn't think of herself as such a weak person, and she certainly wouldn't show such a side to others.

Moreover, her previous training at the Gym had also depleted some of her physical strength and energy. Training for Psychic is extremely tiring, and mental fatigue is much harder to recover from than physical exhaustion.

So instead of waiting here idly, she might as well take this time to relax.

--For example, taking a nice Scald bath.

This should have been an incredibly comfortable and joyful time. Sabrina's tense spirit could only be relieved at times like this. Besides taking a bath, she also really enjoyed experiencing the feeling of hot springs. She had been to many famous hot springs in the Pokémon World. The warm liquid moisturizing her entire body and the feeling of being enveloped and fulfilled as if she were back in her mother's arms were something she would never forget.

However, to her utter surprise, a strange energy suddenly burst in halfway through her process.

"..."

If it were Psychic, Sabrina wouldn't have been unresponsive. Or rather, her own surveillance range already exceeded the size of the bathroom; these things were under her constant monitoring. As for living beings, that was even more impossible.

However, what suddenly intruded this time was a very rare type of energy—and precisely because it was a relatively rare energy, it took her almost a second for her to react and take measures to completely shatter it.

"..."

Sabrina's chest rose and fell slightly.

At the same time, she understood what kind of energy this was. It spread from the ground and then crawled over her body little by little. Most people wouldn't have much of a reaction, but as a Psychic extremely strong senses since childhood, Sabrina was much more sensitive to this than anyone else.

She could even clearly feel the tactile sensation of that thing.

--Aura.

That's definitely Aura.

Sabrina's face turned completely dark, and her whole body trembled slightly.

Although it lasted less than a second, the feeling was like being licked from toes to the top of the head by something that didn't miss any corner.

I cannot... forgive.

She immediately Lock-On the source of the energy and identified the source, but—to her shock once again—it was... who appeared there.

"Just you wait... you're dead!!!"

After a brief moment of shock, an overwhelming Rage surged forth.

Her Rage was clearly visible; rising steam spread around her, and her unstable Psychic caused her long hair to sway gently.

Fortunately, she was no longer the person she used to be; otherwise, the bathroom might have blown up.

Outside the door at this moment.

"... Um, should you guys go back first? I'll go out for a walk a bit more?"

Large beads of sweat rolled down Qiao Ran's forehead. Aura Power is a very special ability. Although he did not actually "see" the corresponding scene, he did indeed sense the details of the other party's situation. Moreover, considering the voice that had just rang in his mind, even a fool would know what had happened.

No, this place is no longer safe to live in.

If he goes through this door, will he be thrown out on the spot?

For the sake of his happiness in the second half of his life, he cannot afford to fall here.

"Qiao Ran?"

"Why... do we suddenly have to go out again?"

Qiao Ran's sudden expression

The sudden change left the two girls beside him looking confused. They stared nervously at Qiao Ran's face, wondering if something terrible had happened.

"Um... you guys keep the access cards, I'll just..."

Qiao Ran didn't explain much to them, but silently reassured them in her heart, telling them not to worry. Then she quickly stuffed the key card into Lillie's hand, taking advantage of the fact that "that person" might not have come out of the bathroom yet, Qiao Ran still had a chance.

The only time he can use is now!

Afterwards, he can wait until the other person has calmed down before returning from outside.

Qiao Ran finally saw a path to hope.

However--

Just as he took a step to leave, a powerful Confusion enveloped his body, fixing him firmly in place.

A figure tightly wrapped in a strange coat suddenly appeared behind her, pressing his palm against her back.

Where... do you want to go?

Cold sweat dripped down Qiao Ran's face. "..."

Wh... what...?

How did she get out here? Doesn't she need to change her clothes??

"No... it's impossible, this can't be! You were clearly not..."

No, that's not right...

Suddenly, Qiao Ran caught a glimpse of the figure behind him out of the corner of his eye, and he realized why the other person was able to move so fast.

Although she was wearing a huge Trench Coat that completely covered her body, her hair was still slightly damp, and her long legs were completely bare from the hem of the Trench Coat, with no trace of shoes on her feet. Water droplets would occasionally drip from her feet onto the quiet corridor.

"If you look at me again, I'll gouge your eyes out."

The chilling voice rang out again, startling Qiao Ran so much that she quickly stood up straight.

I'm going to die, I'm going to die.

The two girls standing nearby were also startled by this sudden change.

"Na... Zi?"

What... happened?