Chapter 196
-
-
. jpg">
">
">
Phoebe's communication didn't last long, although she said she called because the Pokémon League contacted her.
But in reality, it was still her own opinion that mattered.
I'm quite interested in this special power; otherwise, no matter how much the Pokémon League tries to contact her, it won't make any difference. Just like when Hangcheng was Beat Up last time, no matter what happens, she probably won't move an inch.
However, as the discussion progressed, Phoebe gradually lost interest, especially after Qiao Ran and Sabrina denied the connection between this power and the "Pokémon that controls time." Her interest quickly waned.
Her ambitions were never in the so-called "strength," so it's understandable that she wasn't interested in things that involved improving her strength. After all, if we're talking about strength alone, there aren't many people in this world who can rival her.
All she wanted was "that".
"... You should pay more attention to this too. More people in the Pokémon League are watching you now. If there are any problems, contact me, understand?"
Before hanging up the phone, she gave Qiao Ran a special, earnest reminder. After all, from any perspective, she didn't want any problems to arise on Qiao Ran's side, and with her authority, she could handle most troubles.
Few people would be foolish enough to target someone who has already been marked by her.
"Yes, I know."
Qiao Ran nodded and kept these thoughts in mind. However, looking at Phoebe's adorable little face, an idea inexplicably popped into his head.
Although this is likely an old Monster, but...
"... Could you do me a small favor later?"
"What?" Phoebe looked at Qiao Ran in confusion, wondering what he was up to.
"Let me make this clear first, I'm very busy, so it's absolutely impossible for me to go out."
Phoebe's personality is like the house Ghost Pokémon she keeps. It's not that the haunted house chose the Ghost type, but rather that the Ghost type chose the haunted house. Once they move in, they can never move again.
Unless the nest explodes.
"Don't worry, it only takes you a little time, and you can do it in your room."
Phoebe: "...?"
The white-haired loli blinked, increasingly unable to understand Qiao Ran's words.
However... if it can be done in the room... it shouldn't be too troublesome, right?
In the end, she nodded.
"... Just don't waste too much of my time. If you want to do anything, I'll have the Pokémon League's little devils help you."
She wasn't sure what Qiao Ran wanted to say, but in terms of convenience, it should be a simple favor.
It's fine to agree.
"Don't worry, it won't waste much time."
Qiao Ran added that he didn't want to let this big fish get away.
That night, Qiao Ran called her mother and told her about the recent situation, especially what had happened at her cousin's house.
However, what his mother said next almost made him Spit Up his water again.
"... I heard from your Aunt that those two foreign girls are both very nice... You should cheer me on too!"
"Mom, I've already told you, you don't need to worry about this."
Qiao Ran glanced cautiously at Lillie and the others, and only after finding that they didn't react did he continue talking to his mother.
As for Lillie and Mei, they seemed to be addicted to scrolling through their phones, constantly looking at the comments and bullet screens of that video on the Video-Sharing Website. Qiao Ran seriously doubted how much of those hundreds of thousands of views were actually contributed by them.
After a while, Sabrina had finished Calm Mind in the room, found Qiao Ran.
"I'm going to the Gym tomorrow morning, what about you?"
Because of a call from the Pokémon League, Sabrina had to return to the Gym early. Ace Trainer always have very flexible schedules. Unlike regular Gym Trainer have to participate in the management and teaching of the Gym, Ace Trainer are usually only summoned when needed, such as when facing powerful challengers, when conducting higher-level Gym teaching activities, when performing public Gym shows, or now.
"I'll go with you tomorrow too, it'll be a good opportunity to challenge the Magic City Gym. Lillie and the others will probably be there too."
Qiao Ran also planned to take this opportunity to challenge the Gym. After all, Nian Hongyu had specially invited him during the day, and if he continued to delay... who knew what strange things might happen in the meantime.
"Let's go together... that's fine too."
Sabrina did not object, but instead placed a Key in Qiao Ran's hand.
"This is your room for tonight. Don't do anything weird again, or next time you'll have to sleep in the toilet."
After leaving behind a harsh remark, Sabrina disappeared from Qiao Ran's sight.
Sleeping in the toilet... um.
Qiao Ran shuddered. He wasn't so horny as to be able to fall asleep in a place like that, but it seemed... Sabrina and Lillie were probably sleeping together again tonight, right?
So, should we take this opportunity to go and sleep in the Wild Area?
"..."
Dianxi performed very well in battle today, so I'll go find her.
Qiao Ran smiled gently; the thought of Dianxi clearly improved his mood considerably.
The next day, the group was fully prepared to head to the Gym.
Although Qiao Ran initially wanted to contact Nian Hongyu, he stopped this extremely suicidal act when faced with Sabrina's seemingly murderous gaze.
Finally, the group got into a car that Sabrina had specially called. After "friendly" asking the Master to get out, Sabrina got into the driver's seat herself.
You can drive?
Qiao Ran was somewhat surprised. Did she also study in Hawaii?
"... Isn't this something anyone can do?" Sabrina slightly, revealing her eyes behind her sunglasses, and gave Qiao Ran a light glare.
"Well, actually, it was a role Role Play in a movie that required this, so I learned a little bit about it."
Although she personally believes she is indeed very talented, diligence is also an essential condition in some aspects. Just like to become an excellent actor, one must have a broad range of skills.
"Isn't it much better to ride in my car than to contact that little girl?"
">
">
">
The Magic City Gym isn't too far from the Trainer Community; it's about a 30-minute walk away. However, having a car saves a lot of effort, even though getting stuck at a few traffic lights makes the journey almost as long as walking.
From a distance, the Magic City Gym looks like any other Stadium in other cities, without any exaggerated or difficult-to-understand architectural style. There are also many bustling shops nearby, such as training institutions and Pokémon Pokémon Day Care. These places can accept students who cannot afford the Gym tuition or Gym are already full and cannot enroll. These institutions often have the names of several former Gym Trainer and play videos of the founders' battles at the entrance every day.
Of course, besides these, there are also many normal commercial streets and shopping centers. After all, in addition to training students, Competition Gym also holds Competition every now and then, which can bring in a considerable amount of income.
Sabrina skillfully drove the car into the Basement and handed it over to the other Gym members. She then led Qiao Ran and his group into the Gym. As one of the few Ace Trainer, no one bothered her along the way. Besides, Sabrina's looks and figure were indeed the kind that you couldn't forget after just one glance.
"It's still a bit of a walk, just follow me. There's not much to say about it inside, it's just a regular Gym."
Sabrina led the way, and the Gym's interior was indeed quite winding. It took them a little while before they finally stopped in front of a large gate.
There were no other outsiders in this area, only occasional staff members passing by. Sabrina knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, she led Qiao Ran and the others inside.
"..."
Inside the main gate was a room decorated in a very retro style. It didn't look like an office, but more like a teahouse. An old man was sitting on a stool, drinking freshly brewed tea.
"Sabrina, and these others, you've all arrived quite early."
The old man had a long beard, but unlike most people, his beard floated gently in the air, curving slightly in a tiny arc, as if controlled by some unseen force.
"Didn't Hongyu come with you? I clearly told her to go..."
"Maybe she overslept and forgot?" Sabrina answered without hesitation, not forgetting to take a jab at Nian Hongyu.
"Sigh." The old man chuckled and sighed. Looking at Sabrina like this, how could he not know what the child was thinking?
Nian Hongyu and Sabrina have been at odds for a long time, but now that the succession to the Gym Leader is at a crucial juncture, it's normal for them to have this competitive spirit.
However, continuing like this isn't good either; if possible, he still hopes the two can become good friends.
"And then these people over here..."
"They are the challengers who challenged the Gym, and this one over here is the Trainer who fought me that day."
Sabrina briefly introduced the names of Qiao Ran and the others.
The old man's kind gaze swept over Qiao Ran and the others, finally settling on Qiao Ran's face.
"You must be the young man who fought Sabrina back then."
"I saw that battle too. It was indeed a spectacular fight. The destructive power and the sheer force of the battle are something even an old man like me would find difficult to achieve."
The old man stood up from the bench with a smile, his back hunched, and stood in front of Qiao Ran.
"You young people are really a bit too strong."
The old man said half-jokingly that at his age, seeing outstanding younger generations is something to be happy about. Whether it's Sabrina or his granddaughter, or the boy in front of him, he has high hopes for their future.
The China Pokémon League has remained so strong thanks to these outstanding successors.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Nianhai, the Gym Leader of the Nian Hai Magic City Gym."
"Although I may be retiring soon, at least for now, I am still the Gym Leader of this Gym."
"If you have time, could you tell me what kind of power you used back then?"
Old Man Nian Hai invited Qiao Ran the others to sit down in the room. He smiled and used his Confusion to fill their cups with tea.
Not a single drop of tea was spilled or splashed out of the teacup. Qiao Ran was quite surprised by this level of self-control, which was probably the result of training day and night.
Sitting in the room, Qiao Ran and Sabrina repeated what they had told Phoebe the day before to the old man. However, they did not mention anything about the other world, but instead treated it all as their own personal discovery.
"You mean... using this kind of stone, and the kind of stone that Pokémon wear, you can make Pokémon evolve during battle?"
Listening to Sabrina and Qiao Ran's story, the Old Man Nian Hai was amazed. In all his years, this was the first time he had heard such a thing. However, in this world, new discoveries about Pokémon are made every year, every month, and every day. Since the year he was born, countless new Pokémon have been added. The emergence of new evolution methods is not something that is hard to accept.