Chapter 273

--Dark Queen.

Yes, she did Role Play such a role before, and the only people who know this are those who know about her past—those people from the Pokémon World.

"Take me there."

"Yes... yes!"

The Gym Trainer nodded repeatedly, but couldn't help but feel relieved.

As expected of Miss Sabrina, she wasn't angry at all after hearing such bad things, and even wanted to see the other person... That's so kind!

Led by the Gym Trainer, Sabrina met the so-called "dark-skinned" man in the reserved rest room.

He was a very distinctive middle-aged man.

The other person had a tall and straight stature, a body as firm as Rock-type, and short gray-brown hair standing up like spikes on his head. Apart from his slightly bronze skin and the big beard on his chin, his most distinctive feature was his perpetually squinting eyes, as if they were never open.

"Who are you..."

Sabrina undoubtedly knew the other person; their characteristics, and a certain...

The Trainer looked very similar to the one she had ever met, and that person was also a Gym Trainer in Kanto, so he could be considered her colleague.

"You are... Brock's father?"

"Wrong."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Sabrina's voice, the man shook his head.

"It's been almost twenty years, hasn't it, Sabrina?"

"I didn't expect you to look exactly the same as you did back then. You truly deserve to be the most amazing star in Kanto."

A faint smile appeared on his weathered face.

"I'm Brock."

On the other side, in the Pokémon World.

"Older Brother Qiao Ran is amazing! He actually defeated that Monster!"

"Acerola is really strong too, okay!"

Upon their triumphant return to the Aether House, Qiao Ran and his group were greeted with a warm welcome from the children. Although they had never been to a real battlefield or witnessed a battle, they could feel the hardship of such a fight simply by imagining it.

It's even stronger than those Ultra Beast outside, Monster that's over ten meters tall, how terrifying must it be!

My Older Brother and sisters are truly amazing!

"Congratulations."

Lusamine also came forward to congratulate everyone. While Qiao Ran and the others were leaving, she and other Aether Foundation staff had been handling the issues here, and thankfully, nothing unexpected happened.

Did you rest in Po Town last night?

"Yes, Mr. Guzma took us there."

Lillie nodded. Judging from the time they returned and their current mental state, it wasn't surprising to draw this conclusion. If Lusamine hadn't noticed, Lillie would have thought she was pretending to be stupid.

"Guzma has changed quite a bit too."

Lusamine chuckled softly. She remembered how Guzma used to be such an arrogant, prickly kid, but now he was actually inviting people to stay at his place. Indeed... people's changes are truly a wondrous thing.

"Next time I have the chance, I'll go and check out the situation in Po Town."

After Qiao Ran and his companions went through countless hardships to defeat the Guzzlord, Lusamine had some ideas in mind. Perhaps by taking advantage of this opportunity, she could bring everyone on the island together and create even greater possibilities.

Lusamine seemed to want to say something to Qiao Ran and the others, but before she could speak, she was interrupted by a group of children.

The children didn't want to hear this boring stuff; they just wanted to know what had happened.

"Sister, tell us about your battles."

"Yeah, yeah, tell me what you encountered! Why was that Ultra Beast so big?"

"Okay, okay."

Lillie and Qiao Ran exchanged a glance, then sat down on the sofa with a sigh and began to tell them the story.

Qiao Ran had originally wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Acerola, but it seems... he'll have to postpone it a bit.

"Don't worry."

Acerola held a little girl in her arms, then smiled mysteriously.

"Let me tell you, your Older Brother Qiao Ran was amazing back then... He not only commanded the Pokémon, but he also commanded us! Uncle Modan said he was a great commander."

"Really... really?"

The children swallowed hard, watching Acerola nervously; this was quite a clever way to keep them in suspense.

"Really? Let me tell you."

Acerola glanced at Qiao Ran discreetly, narrowing her eyes mischievously. Qiao Ran's heart skipped a beat; he was still a little embarrassed to Flatter like this by someone he knew.

"Cough... cough cough cough."

Qiao Ran could only look away and pretend she hadn't seen it.

That night, after dinner, Qiao Ran and the others finally seized an opportunity to bring Acerola, who wasn't surrounded by children, into the room.

Acerola's storytelling skills were truly amazing. The children practically surrounded her all day just to hear about yesterday's battle. If Qiao Ran hadn't already known that Acerola was actually a Trainer, he would have definitely thought she was a storyteller.

However, considering Acerola's earlier self-introduction and her habit of reading and studying history in her spare time, perhaps it was through this subtle influence that she acquired these things.

"Huh? What happened? Why did you drag me into the room?"

With Mei and Lillie each grabbing one of her hands, Acerola was led into a dark room. Acerola looked around, completely bewildered.

"Of course I have something important to say."

Mei was hiding by the door, closed the door and then turned on the light switch in the room.

As the light came on, Acerola could finally see that Qiao Ran was sitting on the bed in the center of the room, with a snow-white Vulpix in his hand.

"Acerola, we have something important to tell you."

"Is... is that so?"

Startled by this strange scene, Acerola couldn't help but feel nervous. She looked at the two girls standing beside her, then glanced at...

The door behind me was closed, and a man was sitting on the bed in front of me... What kind of strange development is this?

Wait, why does something feel a little off?

"Yeah, didn't we talk about that this morning? You mentioned wanting to come with us or something."

Mei didn't hesitate and went straight to the point, stating her thoughts. They had discussed it before, and the gist of it was that it was better to be straightforward.

"Yes... um..."

Acerola paused for a moment, and after a few seconds, she finally looked at her shoes and nodded blankly.

"I... yes."

Although she missed the children here, deep down she wanted to go out and see the world like the Trainer. Most importantly, she saw a group of young people who shared the same thoughts as her.

If she could be around these people... maybe she could see more things, and that kind of life was something she had longed for.

"In that case, we should make things even clearer to you."

Lillie took Acerola's hand. Some things, if left unsaid, will forever remain secrets. They had kept things from too many people, but with those they could confide in, they were still happy to tell everything.

"If you want to come with us, you'd better be prepared."

"Prepare?"

Acerola looked at Lillie, still somewhat confused. She had never seen Lillie with such a serious expression before. Was this matter... really this serious?

"Yes, we need to be prepared."

Mei nodded as well, looking at Qiao Ran who was sitting on the bed petting the Vulpix.

"Qiao Ran, why don't you talk to her?"

This matter is of great importance; it would be better if Qiao Ran addressed it personally.

"Um."

Qiao Ran nodded and slowly began to speak.

"Acerola..."

He paused for a moment.

"... Actually, I'm not from the Pokémon World; I come from another world."

"Varied..."

The first thing Qiao Ran said made Acerola's eyes widen. After calming down a bit, she listened to Qiao Ran's next words and it took her a long time to slowly digest them.

"You mean... you're not from the Pokémon World... and you didn't first meet Mei in this world? And in your world, there are many Pokémon World?"

"Wait... I've never heard of such a thing before?"

Acerola's mouth gaped open like a kitten's; this bombshell information had left her mind in complete disarray.

Are you kidding me...? Another world is one thing, but there are even people from the Pokémon World who traveled there?!

"It's... Otherworld!"

After the initial surprise, Acerola's first feeling was curiosity.

As an expert in Ghost-type, she was like those Ghost Pokémon, full of energy and endless curiosity. She even stepped forward, examined Qiao Ran's face, and pinched it.

"Otherworlder... are actually the same as us."

Suddenly, she realized that she had done something very rude, and quickly took a step back, her face flushed.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I... that...!"

But looking at it this way... Qiao Ran seems even more handsome than she imagined... a little bit?

I've never seen anything this close before.

"Fine."

Qiao Ran didn't mind too much. He had said so many surprising things that Acerola hadn't reacted immediately and was surprised, so it was understandable that she did something strange.

"I come from another world, and I have the ability to bring other people with me across worlds. Mei, Mei, and Lillie are all like that."

"Have you all... already been to Otherworld?"

Acerola glanced around at the girls and hurriedly asked, "Does that place look the same as here? Or are there some strange buildings and trees? What about the Pokémon? Are there any special kinds?"

"Hmm... it's pretty much the same, just some of the customs and such are a little different."

Mei said that the two worlds are actually quite similar, and even their love for Pokémon is the same. She didn't feel uncomfortable living in that world.

There are some foods she's not quite used to. Having grown up in the Unova Region, her lifestyle is more like that of a Westerner in the Real World, quite different from the China where Qiao Ran lives.

I think it's about the same.

Lillie didn't feel any difference either. Traveling with Qiao Ran and cooking food in the Forest was actually the most interesting time for her.

"I see." Acerola nodded. Through their brief conversation, she had gained a basic understanding of the Otherworld, but she still knew nothing about the specifics. This state of partial understanding only made her more curious.

Compared to the things I've already heard about in the Pokémon World, the completely unknown Otherworld is definitely more interesting.

But--

Even if Azerbaijan

Despite Lola's excitement and curiosity, Qiao Ran still had to pour cold water on her enthusiasm.

"Although they can travel between worlds, they have paid a heavy price."

Qiao Ran sighed and looked at Lillie and the others.

"To travel between worlds, a special method is required."

"Method...?"