Chapter 259

Qiao Ran was already prepared to go watch the game, and his words resonated with several girls. They all nodded in agreement. They had become good friends with Sabrina over the past few days, and they felt they had to go and cheer her on for such an important Competition.

As for ourselves...

Qiao Ran lay down on the bed and gently closed her eyes.

Lusamine has been found, the huge crisis has been resolved, and their journey can now come to an end. They should continue to consider what to do next—rather than stay in one place for too long.

They are Trainer, not Gym Leader like Sabrina.

"In the Real World, we can continue to the next city to get new Badge and maybe even see if there are any people from other Pokémon World. And here in Alola, should we also check out the other islands?"

Qiao Ran glanced at Mei; if it were her, she would probably think the same way.

"I..." However, Mei's face showed some hesitation. She had her own things to do in Galar, and she was also a little worried about the townspeople of Spikemuth, with whom she had spent a lot of time. But in Alola... she still needed to find her mother.

"It's alright, I'll talk to Galar about it for you. Marnie and the others will definitely understand."

Galar has Galar difficulties, and Alola has Alola own. With Marnie and Gloria in Spikemuth, that's enough.

Moreover, Mei's heart will definitely not be at peace until she finds her mother. Even if she continues to go to Galar to continue what she did before, something might go wrong.

If she had to choose between the two, she would definitely choose Alola in the end.

"Um!"

Mei nodded seriously. She did indeed have the idea of staying in Alola. Even if Qiao Ran didn't bring it up, she would have chosen to explain it seriously to Gloria and the others.

After all, this is her second hometown.

She will rebuild this place well and become its first Champion.

May her name be remembered by every Alola.

"When... are you planning to leave?"

Early the next morning, Acerola grabbed Qiao Ran and his group while they were having breakfast and quietly asked them the question.

"You guys definitely won't be staying here for long, I knew that a long time ago."

Although she looked like a child, Acerola had already seen through Qiao Ran and his group's thoughts. Trainer like them certainly wouldn't stay in the same place forever.

"I'll probably rest here for a while."

Qiao Ran thought about it for a moment. He and Lillie had discussed this issue last night. They needed some time to deal with what had happened recently, and they also needed some rest.

The recent series of battles has been exhausting.

"Oh right, didn't you mention before that there's a very dangerous Ultra Beast in the largest city on this island?"

"If there's an opportunity, I think we can be of some help."

Before leaving, Qiao Ran wanted to do more for these children. It wasn't just them; the adults in Po Town were also suffering because of a powerful Ultra Beast. If they could drive it away, the survival pressure here would be greatly reduced.

"Yes, we can definitely help." Mei, Lillie Mei nodded, wanting to do as much as they could. The harmonious atmosphere of the Aether House deeply moved them.

Whether it's the Aether Foundation staff who have stayed here all this time, or Acerola and Modan who are able to live here, they are all very good people.

In this chaotic era, this is all the more precious.

"Mm." Acerola nodded with a smile.

When they first met, she was wondering if Qiao Ran and his group were strong enough to help them, but now it seems they might actually be able to solve this problem.

"I'll talk to Uncle Modan about it then, and also to Guzma in Po Town..."

"Leave Guzma to me." Lusamine volunteered to take on the task. According to some private conversations between her and Lillie, she seemed to be planning to stay here for the time being. Not only was it safer than the headquarters of the Aether Foundation, but there were also many more children to interact with.

As for her ongoing research into Otherworld spaces, some of the Aether Foundation's research facilities are also backed up here, and there are also hidden doors she deliberately left in some secluded corners unknown to the staff.

"Yes, if it's Aunt Lusamine, then it's definitely possible."

Acerola seemed to know something as well. As a resident of the same island, she had dealt with Guzma several times. That guy always had a disdainful attitude towards everything, but every time Lusamine was mentioned, he seemed like a completely different person.

That guy... could it be unrequited love?

Acerola thought to herself.

Are the Older Brother and sisters going to fight a giant monster?

"Amazing!"

"I heard there are some really powerful Monster in the city. If we can defeat them, my Older Brother will definitely be the strongest Trainer in Alola!"

Hearing Qiao Ran and Acerola's discussion, the children from the Aether House also gathered around, looking ready to immediately blast the Monster in the city away.

"Not now." Qiao Ran could only smile and wave at them.

"Eh--Does that mean we're not going?"

"I'll go in a few days."

Qiao Ran's body has not fully recovered yet. The damage caused by overexertion is undoubtedly enormous. He himself does not know whether this damage is reversible or not. The only thing he knows is that after each time... the time he needs to recover is getting longer and longer.

It's not too late to deal with that "huge problem" once we're almost ready.

"..."

Seeing Qiao Ran playing and frolicking with the children, Acerola smiled. The arrival of Qiao Ran and his group brought a fresh and different feeling to the place, and he seemed to be really popular with these children.

If only things could stay like this forever.

"Welcome."

At night, Qiao Ran and the others found an opportunity to return to the Real World. Magic City at night was no different from usual. In the large room, the only sound was the sound of Cynthia turning pages of a book on the sofa.

"Sabrina is still at the Gym —and tomorrow's her Gym Leader Election, you guys will definitely be going too, right?"

"Um."

Qiao Ran and Lillie both nodded. There was a reason they came here tonight. They might have to find an excuse to disappear from the Aether House for a day tomorrow.

They naturally wanted to witness the best of Sabrina's Gym Leader Election.

Moreover, when Qiao Ran and Cynthia were chatting yesterday, Cynthia also mentioned something—after watching Sabrina's Competition, she would probably have to leave soon.

Before leaving, she will fulfill her promise to Qiao Ran and have a battle.

In that battle, she wanted to see Qiao Ran's true self.

What it looks like as Trainer.

"Putting aside the question of whether we'll actually watch the Competition, we have to go just to film the video."

Qiao Ran shrugged. The recent events had disrupted their plans to develop online and become a super Uploader —they had practically Disappearance, having stopped updating for several days.

"Indeed, tomorrow's Competition should be good material, and we should be able to find a way to get a good seat."

Cynthia smiled faintly. The people present could all be considered "old acquaintances" of the Old Gym Leader, Nian Hai. Since it was a request from an old acquaintance, it shouldn't be a difficult problem to solve.

"Besides this video, I'm also planning to do something new."

Qiao Ran mysteriously took out his phone. He had prepared this beforehand but hadn't used it yet. However, since they hadn't sent a video for a long time, they needed a big one.

Otherwise, it won't work if there's no buzz.

"What is that? You're smiling so strangely."

Cynthia also looked over with some curiosity, and slightly put down the book she was holding.

She was also very curious about what Qiao Ran had suddenly mentioned; could it be something strange or unusual?

Living is something you can't just force yourself to.

However, Qiao Ran does indeed have such a "treasure" that can cause a huge reaction and subvert many people's values.

--That most mysterious, oldest, and most secretive Elite Four of the Pokémon League, who had never revealed her true identity, was, to everyone's surprise, a...

"This... this is not something I wanted to do... I... I only did this to lure out people from other Pokémon World!"

"I know, I know."

Looking at the other end of the phone, at the white-haired loli dressed in gothic lolita fashion, who looked like she had stepped out of a painting, Qiao Ran couldn't help but nod.

"I'll pretend to connect with you online and chat, and you can just say whatever comes to mind."

"Remember, make the character a little cute."

"Hmph." Phoebe snorted coldly. She was the Elite Four of the Pokémon League; what did she need to be cute for?

If it weren't for the purpose of attracting more people from the Pokémon World...

The next day, just as dawn broke, strange and unusual information began to spread among the breakfast stalls.

"Hey, did you see that new video the Trainer Diary posted in the middle of the night?"

"Trainer Diary? I remember it being... oh, the one that participated in the Performance Competition and then withdrew? I heard the judges were almost furious on the spot."

Shh—that's not what I meant.

This."

The person drinking porridge across from him pulled out their phone and shoved a video at the face of the person eating pancakes.

On the phone screen was a picture of a pretty little girl wearing a gorgeous dress, with long white hair, sharp fangs, and a faint blush on her face. She seemed a little shy, perhaps because of the camera.

"Who is this? He seems quite..."

Before the word "cute" could even be uttered, the companion eating the pancake had already glanced at the text on the video. "Exclusive Interview with the Oldest Mysterious Elite Four of the China Pokémon League — Phoebe."

"Puff."

The half-eaten biscuit flew out of my mouth, almost smearing a bit of my phone screen.

"What are you doing?" His companion, who was eating porridge, was startled. Had this incident ruined his phone?

"Sorry, sorry." The companion eating the pancake caught his breath and hurriedly apologized. It wasn't that he lacked self-control or couldn't manage his jaw muscles; it was just that the video was a bit too exaggerated—wait, is this Elite Four?!

You're saying this guy with a loli-like face, looks like an elementary school student, and has weird hair color is Elite Four??

Could it be just hype???

Seemingly wanting to confirm his conjecture, he casually scrolled down a bit in the video, intending to find answers in the comments section. As everyone knows, video comment sections are always full of strange and wonderful experts. If there's even the slightest problem with the video, an expert will definitely jump out and point it out. If this video is really just hype, someone will definitely come out to debunk it.

However, what surprised him even more was that a bunch of strange and unusual influential figures suddenly appeared this time.

Flying Heavenly King Yi Ruoyun: "I saw her a few months ago, and she seems even cuter than before."

Archaeologist Lili'an: "Phoebe is a leading figure in Pokémon archaeology. It's wonderful that he could share some of his experience this time... It's just that the time was a bit short. I strongly hope it can be longer!"

The strangest comment came from the official China Pokémon League, whose tone seemed filled with resentment.

The China Pokémon League: "Sometimes even our Pokémon League can't invite this Elite Four, how did the Uploader manage to do it?"

"Ah... this."

If he didn't believe it at all before, now that things have come to this, it's impossible for him to disbelieve it even if he wanted to.

The things happening before my eyes, the words in black and white on the online comments, all clearly show one answer—it's true.

"Wait, could it be a fake account?"

He couldn't help but think of another possibility. As everyone knows, a strange creature called a "fake account" is active in the comments section. If you're not careful, you might fall for it. This situation might just be the end of the fake account phenomenon...

"Wait, 20 million fan points, 5 million fan points..."

This is definitely not a fake account!

This is genuine!

The China Pokémon League has really come out!

"Stop struggling, just give up."

The companion who was eating porridge had stood up at some point, taken the phone from the blank-faced companion eating pancakes, and pulled up a QQ group.

The words "Phoebe Elite Four Temporary Fan Club" were prominently displayed above.

"Why don't we join the fan club together and discuss our next steps?"

The explosive news spread like wildfire. Phoebe's identity completely overturned many people's imaginations. However, the verification from other influential figures, as well as her eloquence and extensive knowledge displayed in the videos, thoroughly confirmed her identity and impressed most people.