Chapter 197
"If you could compile these findings into a paper, who knows, you might even become Pokémon Professor!"
Old Man Nian Hai smiled and shook his head. Although he said that, he wasn't a Pokémon researcher himself. Just looking at these things, he couldn't sense any real power. Rather than observing like that, it would be better to engage in some kind of communication that Trainer could easily have.
"So, how about we have a Gym Battle?"
Old Man Nian Hai squinted at Qiao Ran. Faced with such a challenge, Qiao Ran naturally couldn't refuse.
"Certainly."
"The match is this afternoon, and Rules. Also, since today is the Gym's open day, there will be a public Competition, and a large number of spectators will be attending. Is that alright?"
Open Tournament?
Qiao Ran was somewhat surprised.
To be honest, he didn't actually have any experience in Gym Challenge in front of a large audience, but that wasn't a reason for him to back down.
With encouragement from the Pokémon and Sabrina, he decided to be even more reckless.
"Of course, no problem."
A smile also appeared on Qiao Ran's face.
"Let's have a full-on Pokémon battle!"
">
">
">
After a brief conversation, Qiao Ran and the others left the old man's room.
As the Gym Leader, Old Man Nian Hai still had to prepare for the Gym Battle. As for Qiao Ran, since the Competition was in the afternoon, Qiao Ran had more free time in the morning. There was no point in using this time to train, so it was better to let his Pokémon rest before the battle.
As for Sabrina, she didn't stay in the Gym Leader's room for long after the conversation. She still needed to intensify her training for the upcoming Performance Competition and Gym Leader Election.
"If you want to relax, go ahead. I'm going to train."
"See you this afternoon."
Qiao Ran planned to stroll around the neighborhood in preparation for the afternoon.
While preparing for the Competition, you can also relax a bit.
--Since Sabrina isn't here, calling out the other Pokémon won't be a problem. They've been cooped up in the Wild Area for a while now and are getting a bit bored.
"By the way, could I have your autograph?"
Before leaving, Qiao Ran called out to Sabrina, who was about to depart.
"You want it now?" Sabrina didn't know what Qiao Ran wanted it for, but she wasn't interested in caring too much about it. He didn't seem like a fan of hers.
It's just an autograph; once it's given, that's that.
"Um."
Qiao Ran nodded, while Sabrina suddenly produced paper and pen from who-knows-where.
After a flurry of flourishes, a signature was completed. She had written these things countless times; they were already etched into her DNA.
"Could you write another message of blessing or something? My name is Xia Fei."
"Who is that?" This was the first time Sabrina had heard the name, and she finally couldn't help but ask.
"My cousin."
"Ha." Hearing Qiao Ran's answer, Sabrina looked at him strangely. It was the first time she had heard that Qiao Ran a cousin. However, she did not stop what she was doing and wrote a sentence on the paper.
Wishing you happiness every day, Xia Fei.
Here, take it and use it.
Sabrina reached out and used her Psychic to hand the autographed paper to Qiao Ran. Qiao Ran's lips twitched, but he still took the paper.
However, what she said... sounded so strange.
Use?
What should I use?
In the morning, Qiao Ran, Lillie, and the Pokémon had a great time shopping in the nearby commercial area. They not only helped Yveltal with her clothes, but also bought some things that the other Pokémon wanted.
For example, Dianxi wanted to add some ornaments and simple decorations to the cave, and these were things that were gradually implemented.
"This one, and this one, are both nice. Basically, anything that isn't a skirt is fine."
Meanwhile, Yveltal finally found the clothes she wanted.
Yveltal was currently wearing a Black and Red hoodie, shorts that exposed her legs, and platform sneakers. Combined with her black twin ponytails and cold eyes, she surprisingly exuded a strange sense of intimidation.
Qiao Ran even felt that if she wore this outfit and rushed into a crowd shouting, "Death is here to collect people!", it wouldn't feel out of place at all.
Among all the girls, Yveltal immediately became the most eye-catching, not because her looks were far superior, but because her style of dress was so different from the others.
"What a cool girl!"
Suddenly, a mother holding a child's hand passed by Yveltal and couldn't help but sigh.
What was originally just a compliment instantly ignited Yveltal's passion.
"You're just a little girl, your whole family... mmm mmm mmm!"
Qiao Ran was startled and quickly sprinted to cover her mouth, which was still spewing auspicious words.
"...??" The mother, holding her child's hand, walked away in a daze, not knowing what had happened and not daring to ask.
Watching the other person walk away, Qiao Ran released Yveltal. Yveltal glared at Qiao Ran, looking like she wanted to bite him.
"You're dead!"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."
Qiao Ran waved his hand helplessly.
This guy is such a handful!
As for lunch, Qiao Ran invited Xia Fei, who happened to be taking extra lessons at the Gym, to join him.
She happened to finish class at this time and retrieved her Ralts, which she had been keeping at the nearby Pokémon Day Care, from there. It seems this is her Pokémon.
Generally speaking, most families with students cannot fully dedicate their children to Pokémon training because they have other things to do. Therefore, these Pokémon Day Care can, to some extent, make up for this deficiency and solve the pain points of students' families.
"Ralts... it's really a great Pokémon."
Personally, Qiao Ran also quite likes Ralts. After all, who wouldn't like Pokémon that's cute as a kitten, looks great as an adult, and can Mega Evolution to become incredibly powerful?
"Of course, it's my Pokémon."
Hearing Qiao Ran's words, Xia Fei proudly raised her head.
However, she soon moved closer to Qiao Ran in a mysterious manner.
"Hey... I saw a video of someone fighting against Miss Sabrina last night, do you know what it was about?"
"Me? Of course I know, isn't it me who's Competition against Sabrina?"
Qiao Ran shook her head, somewhat amused. What kind of question is that? Don't I know myself?
However, Xia Fei responded to Qiao Ran with an eye roll.
"... You're lying to me again. Although the shadow looks similar, it can't be it, right?"
She didn't believe Qiao Ran's boasting.
Because the video was shot with a mobile phone, the resolution is not very high.
Moreover, most of the focus was on the Competition field. Even when there were shots of the Trainer, a lot of the time was spent on Sabrina, while the male Trainer on the other side was just a blurry, pixelated outline.
"I heard from Xiaoxiao that you were there too, right? Tell me what happened."
Xia Fei shook Qiao Ran's arm, wanting to hear Qiao Ran recount what happened back then.
"Okay, okay." Qiao Ran could only agree, but he couldn't help thinking to himself, since Nian Xiaoxiao had already told Xia Fei that he was there, why didn't he just tell her that he was the one playing the Competition?
... This guy... couldn't be...
Qiao Ran's heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, the guy who always has a smile on his face turns out to be a black dog inside.
">
">
">
The time for Gym Leader Nian Hai's last open Open Tournament before stepping down has been announced!
"... What? The time is this afternoon?"
"Is it even possible to get a ticket? No way, first class seats are already sold out? Are these people checking the official website every day to try and get tickets??"
During the meal, Qiao Ran heard similar discussions from many people around her, and even Xia Fei, who was constantly checking her phone, learned about the news.
"Grandpa Nian Hai is also stepping down... His last Open Tournament must be a very tough Competition. Who will his opponent be?"
In the hearts of the locals, Nian Hai's status is beyond question. He is not only upright and honest, but also invests a lot in education. Sometimes he even goes on TV to educate children about Pokémon. In the eyes of the children, he is a smiling grandfather.
However, everyone understands that although Nian Hai appears very amiable, his strength is indeed among the top of the Gym Leader. Whether he is Elite Four level expert or not has been a topic of discussion for many years.
"Um, Nian Hai and Nian Xiaoxiao's names are quite similar... Don't you find that strange?" Qiao Ran suddenly asked. With such a high degree of similarity, anyone could sense that something was amiss, right?
However, Xia Fei shook her head and looked at Qiao Ran with a puzzled expression.