What kind of incredible development did it take for her to end up like this?!
"No... no, what I should be thinking about now is why she appeared in this world, not her figure."
That night, Qiao Ran lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
It wasn't just because there was an unexpected guest staying in the room. It was also because of that photograph—why would someone from the Pokémon world appear here?
What exactly had happened?
And since people from the Pokémon world could come here, then... did the Pokémon world really exist? How was it different from this world?
Ever since hearing the legend of the Pokémon nurse, Qiao Ran had harbored such suspicions. He had wondered whether that person might be Nurse Joy, but he had no evidence to support his guess, so he could only let it go.
But this time was different. He had actually seen Mei's image in the photograph—she really existed!
And when he connected it with the mysterious ruins he had found on the mountain before, as well as the time Pokémon had appeared in this world, Qiao Ran felt that some thread was tying all these things together.
"Once we get to Jinling, I have to meet her... What exactly is going on?"
Qiao Ran glanced at Eve, who was lying on the floor. Her sleeping posture was a little terrible. Not only was her blond hair scattered everywhere, but even her smooth bare feet had poked out from beneath the blanket.
That spot had originally been where Suicune was supposed to sleep on the floor, but after this girl came in, Suicune could only obediently rest over by the open land.
"This girl's identity is suspicious too..."
Eve hadn't told Qiao Ran much, but judging by her ability to sneak onto the ship and the fragments she had let slip, she was probably far from the ordinary runaway child Qiao Ran had imagined.
Were ordinary children really that capable?
"Master... you still aren't asleep?"
Vulpix rolled over beside him and quietly scooted closer. She seemed to have been watching Qiao Ran all along. As the Pokémon who had been with him since birth, her familiarity with him was carved into her bones.
"Not yet. I was just thinking about a few things."
Qiao Ran glanced at Dianxi, who had already drifted into dreamland on the other side. As expected of a princess, she still maintained her composure even while asleep.
Since someone else was staying over tonight, they had all slept very properly.
"We should get some sleep too."
Qiao Ran yawned. Thinking about these things really drained the mind. Besides, neither his strength nor the clues he had now were enough to support any of his ideas. Their first priority should still be getting stronger.
"Mm, let's rest early." Vulpix skillfully leaned against Qiao Ran's arm and curled herself up.
She didn't reject physical contact with Qiao Ran. On the contrary, she was very fond of it.
"Good night."
Qiao Ran helplessly shook his head and closed his eyes as well.
Soon, it was the next day.
Qiao Ran dragged himself out of bed in exhaustion, only to find that all the girls besides him seemed to have already woken up.
"Y-you're finally awake!"
Eve looked at the awakened Qiao Ran with excitement, tears shimmering in her eyes. It even gave Qiao Ran the illusion that he had been rushed to the hospital and had just woken up after emergency treatment.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, I'm just a little hungry. I wanted to wake you up and have you get something to eat. But these two..."
Eve shot a resentful glance to either side of herself. Vulpix and Dianxi were sitting on her left and right.
"They wouldn't let me disturb you. They kept saying their big brother needed proper rest, and whenever I made a sound, they covered my mouth... What's with you siblings?!"
"Uh..."
Qiao Ran awkwardly scratched his cheek. This girl had been sitting beside him, watching him sleep—how long had she been doing that?
After getting up and washing, Qiao Ran took the group out to deal with breakfast. Of course, he hadn't forgotten about Eve in the room and specifically brought some food back for her.
However, when he returned to the room again, he found that Eve had changed into another face.
—She had turned back into that black-haired woman in her twenties, though this time her makeup was even uglier than before.
"How is it? My makeup skills are so good you can't tell at all, right? And it's different from last time too."
Eve proudly stood before Qiao Ran, but he couldn't help taking a step back.
"Y-yeah... I can't tell at all."
Qiao Ran looked away after one glance. Most people wore makeup to look prettier, but this girl had taken a completely different path and was actively trying to make herself uglier.
And this time, she had succeeded spectacularly. After just one look, Qiao Ran had no desire to take a second.
"Hehe, great. Now I can relax." Eve happily laughed and even spun around in place.
"Why did you suddenly put on makeup?" Qiao Ran handed her the food and asked curiously.
"Hm?"
Eve raised her head and blinked.
"Didn't I tell you? This ship is holding competitions. There aren't just Trainer battles, there are Performer competitions too. I heard the prize is a mysterious Evolution Stone. I definitely have to enter and take a look!"
"By the way, do you want to participate too?" Eve asked Qiao Ran.
"Me? Hmm... if I get the chance, I'd like to try."
Qiao Ran stroked his chin. He felt this might be a good opportunity to grind levels. After all, aside from catching Flying-type and Water-type Pokémon, he had nothing else to do on this ship.
It wouldn't be bad to join an activity like this during the next few days of sailing.
"Mm... you're entering too? Then the performance competition will definitely be especially exciting!"
A strange light shone in Eve's eyes as she looked at Qiao Ran with a face full of excitement. But his next sentence froze that expression on her face.
"Wait, who said I was entering the performance competition?"
"Huh?"
"I'm entering the Trainer competition. I started traveling to challenge Gyms, after all. As for performance competitions, that day was my first experience. I'll go again next time I get the chance."
As he spoke, Qiao Ran took the badge case from his pocket. The Longjiang Badge lay quietly inside.
"Huh?????????"
Seeing the badge Qiao Ran displayed, Eve was so shocked that the lunchbox slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.
This guy... had such powerful performance abilities, yet he wasn't even a Performer????
And that had been his first time on stage??????
What the hell was going on?!
"The Battle on the Ship"
"What is it? Did I say something strange?"
Qiao Ran scratched his head in confusion.
"It really was my first time."
"N-no, don't say any more." Eve covered her forehead, her face pale.
"I can't accept this reality."
What kind of monster could reach that level on their very first time on stage?
"Right! You must have some special training method, or maybe you realized some kind of performance technique during battles?"
Eve thought for a while, then excitedly moved close to Qiao Ran again.
"Teach me, okay?"
"I don't have anything to teach you... I just did this and that, and it happened."
Qiao Ran helplessly shrugged. He really had nothing to teach her. Besides, instead of asking him, she might as well ask Dianxi herself.
—That girl was the true master of stage performances.
"You're lying! You must be hiding some trick, right? Hmph... I know it. All famous Performers are like this. They act like everything comes easily, but secretly practice in the middle of the night! I know it. The top students in my class are all like that too!"
Even faced with Qiao Ran's explanation, Eve still clung to her own beliefs. No matter what, she refused to believe Qiao Ran's utterly fantastical-sounding story.
What did he mean, he could capture the whole audience's attention on his first time on stage? To succeed, putting in the necessary effort was only normal!
Eve held her cheeks, her eyes sparkling.
"For example, last night, you definitely snuck out while I was asleep! You secretly practiced on the deck beneath the moonlight! I know it, you saw the four a.m. sun!"
Qiao Ran rolled his eyes speechlessly. "..."
This girl's imagination was way too powerful, wasn't it?
With no other choice, Qiao Ran changed the subject.
"Alright, alright, stop talking about this. Didn't you say you were entering the competition? Where do we sign up again? I'll go ask a crew member first..."
"Hall One. I know, it's in Hall One."
Eve raised her hand to answer first.
"How do you know?" Qiao Ran was somewhat surprised.
"Of course I know. Yesterday, when I was hiding in the storage room and sent Smoochum to find you, I learned all this stuff along the way. My partner is really impressive too."
Eve giggled, though Qiao Ran had no idea where she had learned these little tricks.
"Then let's go together."
Qiao Ran shrugged, but he exchanged a look with Vulpix beside him. Vulpix nodded and quietly walked into the restroom.
If there was a battle later, he figured he would send Vulpix out. After all, his other two Pokémon were far too special.
If he brought them out casually, they would probably cause quite a bit of trouble.
Suicune was one thing because of her special appearance. Her majestic and dignified bearing made it obvious at a glance that she was extraordinary, and using her too often would inevitably attract unwanted attention.
As for Dianxi, she only looked cute, and ordinary people wouldn't think she was strong. But because of the previous competition, videos of her were now spreading wildly online. Nearly every netizen had commented that they wanted a Pokémon like her too. Some had even offered high rewards for information about Qiao Ran, all to find out where Dianxi had been caught.
Looking at those tempting rewards, even Qiao Ran himself felt a little like selling his own information.
—After all, no matter how they asked, he would say that he had caught Dianxi in the grass on the back mountain of Longjiang Third Middle School.
Hall One of the cruise ship.
A Pokémon battle competition was in full swing here.
Generally speaking, most people who chose to travel by cruise ship weren't in a hurry. So during their time aboard, aside from enjoying the scenery over the water, activities like these were held to add some entertainment.
"Now beginning the Pokémon battle competition! The finals!"
"The contestants are Liyingshang from Greece, and... Qiao Ran from Longjiang City! Welcome them! Who will win the final prize, this mysterious Evolution Stone?!"
"Go! Vulpix!!"
Qiao Ran sent out Vulpix. He had used her in battle all morning, and her level had now reached an astonishing level 29. She was only one step away from crossing into level 30.
However, a whole morning of continuous battles had left Vulpix quite fatigued. Her stamina was already starting to run low.
"Vulpix, be careful. Once this battle is over, everything will be done. We'll go back and rest together."
"Vul-vul-vulpix."
Vulpix let out a cry filled with fighting spirit. After winning all morning, her morale was higher than ever. She wanted to keep winning with her master.
Qiao Ran and Vulpix waited for their opponent. Yet when the opponent actually stepped onto the battlefield, Qiao Ran was still mildly surprised.
"You...?? Aren't you entering the..."
That black wig, and that face made a complete mess by makeup—there was no way Qiao Ran wouldn't recognize her.
—Eve.
"Didn't expect that, did you? I'm actually pretty strong too—at least stronger than a lot of people here."
"And besides, I breezed through all the battles on the other side of the bracket~"
Before you continue