Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

Qiao Ran knew Dianxi's situation. Her fear of water was something that would likely be difficult to change anytime soon. Although "ordinary water" wasn't "skill-based water" and wouldn't harm her, the concept that water was dangerous was deeply ingrained in her mind.

"If we have the chance, we can slowly get used to it in the bathroom first."

"Mhm... that seems like a better idea." Dianxi nodded earnestly.

Soon, it was evening.

Qiao Ran finished washing up and even helped Dianxi overcome her fear to take a bath. Everything was ready. Just as he was about to go to bed, he heard a commotion at the door.

—Yes, it seemed like strange noises were coming from the otherwise quiet cabin.

"You little rat, where did you even...!"

"Clang, clang!"

Qiao Ran didn't know what was happening outside, but before long, his door was knocked on by someone.

"Open the door, open the door, save me, I know you're in there!"

A strange girl's voice came from the door. Qiao Ran exchanged glances with Vulpix and Dianxi beside him; they also seemed to have no idea who this voice belonged to.

"Who are you?"

Qiao Ran asked cautiously.

"If you let me in, you'll know who I am! Aren't you the champion of the competition? You must know me!"

The girl's voice grew more anxious, and she started banging on the door with her hands.

"Hurry, hurry, or do you want me to be caught!"

"..."

Qiao Ran seemed to sense her urgency. After a moment's thought, he still opened the door. The other person knew he was the competition champion... perhaps she really did know him.

Strictly speaking, not many people knew that Qiao Ran had become the champion. Although many videos of yesterday's competition were leaked and gained a lot of clicks online, most of them were very blurry. Even the clearer ones focused entirely on Dianxi, while he, as the trainer, was just a mosaic. Even people who knew Qiao Ran might not have recognized him from that mosaic.

After Qiao Ran opened the door, the girl at the door, like an agile cat, instantly flashed into the room and, with a swift move, completely closed the door.

"Phew—I'm so tired, I'm finally safe."

After doing all this, she leaned against the wall, her chest heaving as she panted slightly. Qiao Ran looked closely and found that the girl in front of him did look a bit familiar.

Black long hair, appearing to be in her early twenties, with an ordinary appearance...

"You are..."

"I'm that, um... I'll show you this, and you should understand."

The girl looked at Qiao Ran, and Qiao Ran was surprised to find that her pupils were a pure sky blue.

As the girl spoke, she reached into her pocket and took out a Poké Ball. In the light, a Jynx appeared in the room.

"Jynx, Jynx—"

Jynx tilted its head, looking at its owner as if unsure of what was happening. Looking at this Jynx, Qiao Ran suddenly remembered something.

"Ah... you're from that competition..."

Qiao Ran remembered that he had observed this Jynx for quite some time. This Jynx had even made it to the finals.

"Yes, yes, yes, I was also a contestant in the competition, but I've run into a bit of trouble now. I might need your help."

The girl nodded like a pecking chicken. After speaking, she reached for her hair in front of Qiao Ran's astonished gaze—and pulled off her black long hair.

"..." Qiao Ran's mouth fell open. This... hair could be detached and reattached???

Soon, Qiao Ran realized that her hair hadn't actually been pulled off, but rather a wig had been removed. After the black wig disappeared, a head of long, golden hair began to spread out from the top of the girl's head, emitting a faint sheen. It was clear that it was very well-maintained.

Not only that, but she also took out a bottle of something from her backpack and smeared it on her face. In a short while, her ordinary face, which had looked to be in her early twenties, transformed into one of a similar age to Qiao Ran. Moreover, her appearance became many times more refined than before. Her fair complexion even had a hint of foreign features.

She looked quite cute and pretty.

"Phew—that's much better. Those guys definitely won't find me now! Hmph hmph hmph."

The girl took out a mirror to look at herself, a smug smile of a successful plan on her face. However, she soon noticed that Qiao Ran beside her was staring at her with his mouth agape and an incredibly surprised expression.

"You... you did this..."

Qiao Ran swore it was the first time someone had performed a head-swapping magic trick in front of him. It was like a completely different person!

Where did that ordinary black-haired girl go? Where did that big, ordinary black-haired girl go??

"Hm...? Is something strange?"

The blonde girl extended a finger and gently waved it in front of Qiao Ran.

"Makeup is a girl's exclusive magic, you know."

"Knock, knock, knock—"

Just then, Qiao Ran's door rang again...

The two people behind the door were startled.

Section 35 035 [Who is in the Photo?]

"Emergency room check! A dangerous individual who wasn't inspected just snuck onto the ship. Did you happen to see them?"

When Qiao Ran opened the door, he was met by several crew members holding flashlights, their faces slick with sweat.

"She had long black hair and looked to be in her early twenties…"

"Sorry, I didn't see anyone. I've been in the room with my two sisters, and we were just getting ready to rest…"

Qiao Ran shrugged, indicating he knew nothing. Since he was prepared to cover for someone, he would see it through.

The crew member peered inside and only saw Dianxi and Vulpix, wrapped in blankets on the bed. Muttering to himself about how this guy had such beautiful sisters, he retreated.

"Sorry to disturb your rest. If there are any unexpected situations, feel free to call us. It would be troublesome if that dangerous person tried to cause any damage."

"I understand."

Qiao Ran nodded, then closed the door, ready to see the crew member out.

After doing so, he walked over to the nearby wardrobe and opened its door.

"Phew… Ahh— I almost suffocated."

The blonde girl pinched her nose, her expression uncomfortable as she curled up inside the closet.

"So, who exactly are you? The crew said you snuck aboard. Why did you do that?"

Qiao Ran stared at the girl in front of him, his eyes holding a hint of scrutiny. Dianxi and Vulpix had also been paying attention. If the girl made even a slightly suspicious move, they would definitely make her regret it.

As long as they were there, they would never let anyone harm Qiao Ran.

"You can call me Eve… As for why I snuck on? It's all because of you!"

The girl calling herself Eve stared at Qiao Ran with a pair of resentful eyes, crawling out of the closet.

"If you hadn't suddenly appeared, I would have won that competition, and I would have had the money to ride the ship. I wouldn't be in this situation, having to sneak into the cargo hold to stow away… Those vegetable crates were so disgusting."

Qiao Ran: "……"

This girl… she was even more ruthless than him, planning to earn money for the ticket with this competition?

"If you don't have money, why are you here? This ship isn't cheap…"

"Because you're here, and I heard there will be competitions on the ship later… It would be even better if I could participate." Eve giggled.

However, Qiao Ran was still a little confused.

"You really don't have any money? You look about my age. If you get Adventurer qualifications, the League provides subsidies, and there are discounts for train, ship, and plane tickets."

"I just finished junior high. How could I possibly have something like that?"

Eve rolled her eyes at Qiao Ran, then took out a crumpled piece of bread from her backpack and began to nibble on it like a hamster.

"Junior high… Why did you run away from home?? Don't move, I'm calling the police."

The corners of Qiao Ran's mouth twitched slightly.

"No! I don't want to go back to that kind of school. If I stay there… I… I don't want to live like that… I want to travel and become a great performer! … You, who can put on such performances, must be a kind person, and you'll take me in until this ship docks, right?"

Eve suddenly stood up. It was clear she was quite agitated.

"No, even if you say that, I still have to call the police. Seriously… running around in a place like this in the middle of the night, what if you get caught by a bad person?"

Qiao Ran took out his Rotom Phone. Facing such a matter of principle, he felt it was necessary to inform the police. Otherwise, if the crew found out, he might even be charged with a crime of abducting a minor while being a minor.

"Don't… Don't call!"

Eve's eyes darted around as she proposed a very tempting offer.

"How about… this, if you take me to Jinling, I'll give you a large sum of money as a reward, how about that?"

"You're definitely lying, right? You don't have money now, so how can you have money to give me?"

"I'm not lying. My sister is in Jinling. As soon as I get there, I'll definitely be able to pay you a good reward… Believe me, look at this."

Facing Qiao Ran's doubt, Eve took out her phone and started flipping through her photo album.

"See? This is my sister. She has her own company in Jinling. As long as I go find her, I'm sure there will be a way."

Eve said with great conviction, flipping through photos on her phone one by one.

Qiao Ran leaned closer and indeed, there was Eve… and a stunning blonde beauty with blue eyes. The blonde beauty looked to be in her early twenties. Both of them were smiling happily, and they did look somewhat alike.

There were many photos of them on the phone, and Eve flipped through them for a long time without finishing.

"You must believe me now, right? I really have relatives in Jinling. Taking me there will definitely be fine."

Eve desperately tried to gain Qiao Ran's trust, because she knew that if she wanted to stay here, she would definitely need this man's help. If he refused to help, no matter how hard she tried, it would be useless.

"Even if you showed me photos…"

Qiao Ran frowned. He was still a bit hesitant. This matter was really hard to judge. Should he believe this girl?

As Qiao Ran was still thinking and considering, a photo flashed before his eyes. Although he only saw a glimpse, the somewhat familiar figure still sent a shiver down his spine.

"Wait! That photo just now, can you go back and show me that photo again?!"

"Photo? … Ah… Okay."

Eve didn't understand why Qiao Ran was suddenly so excited, but she still flipped back to the photo.

It was a photo of three people: Eve, her older sister, and a girl with long brown hair. They seemed to have taken the picture together on a playground.

"Are you talking about her? She's an employee recently hired by my sister's company. She even came to the school to see me with my sister half a month ago... I heard she's a very powerful trainer."

Eve introduced her, but as Qiao Ran looked at the people in the photo, his breathing grew more rapid.

"This person... is..."

Qiao Ran's voice trembled.

He truly hadn't expected to see this person in a photo he stumbled upon by chance.

"Okay... I'll take this mission... This time, I'll take you to Jinling... Yes, I'll send you there..."

"Huh? You're planning to take me there??? Yay! That's great!"

Although she didn't know why Qiao Ran had suddenly changed his mind, Eve happily made a peace sign.

Meanwhile, Qiao Ran stared intently at the brown-haired girl in the photo, his gaze unwavering.

—The meatball-like hairstyle on both sides of her head, her voluptuous chest, and her signature ultra-short skirt paired with black stockings...

This person...

Isn't this Mei (also known as Mei), one of the heroines from the Pokémon world!!

How could this person possibly be here?!!!

Section 36 | 036 [Do You Want to Participate?]

Mei, or rather, Mei.

She was a girl from Hiyoku City in the Unova region of the Pokémon world, and a character Qiao Ran was quite familiar with.

Her personality was cheerful and sunny, and she had a real talent for expressions, often making amusing and cute faces that would make people laugh.

How familiar was Qiao Ran with her? It was to the extent that he had once adventured in the game using her as his character. Her iconic hairstyle and figure were basically unforgettable after seeing them just once.

Qiao Ran had played many games and used many heroines from the Pokémon world, but none of them were as "outstanding" as Mei. The scariest part was that this girl was only a little over ten years old.