Chapter 275

Sabrina remained silent, then pressed the button on her phone once more.

None of those people are here right now.

However, she still has someone she can contact.

"Hello?... Is this Cynthia?"

"Yes... I'm here."

--Cynthia, the Champion of the Sinnoh Region and a renowned mythologist.

Since their last parting, she had arrived at the Western-style Western-style Mansion by Zhenze Lake and begun her historical research work with Phoebe. Through the numerous books and hidden materials there, she had indeed learned quite a lot.

However, even this great man, who wouldn't panic even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, was startled after hearing Sabrina's account.

"Wait, what did you say?"

Her voice rose an octave.

"You're saying... a Gym Leader from the Kanto Region like yourself has lived here for almost twenty years??"

"This..."

When Cynthia first heard the news, she simply couldn't believe it. She and Sabrina hadn't been in this world for very long, and even if there were some discrepancies, the time span wouldn't be too large. But twenty years... that was just too outrageous!

Where are Qiao Ran and the others now?

"He hasn't come back yet; he's probably still in the Pokémon World."

Speaking of Qiao Ran, Sabrina couldn't help but roll her eyes. This group of people had been gone to the Pokémon World for several days, and there was still no news of them. Why were they nowhere to be found at such a crucial time?

"Contact me as soon as they get back. And that Gym Leader... let me speak with him then."

From initial disbelief and shock to gradual calm, an unprecedented idea began to emerge in Cynthia's mind: if this was the case, then the event that happened to her had a special reason and meaning.

Why didn't she think of that at first?

The next day.

The Pokémon World.

After a comfortable night's rest, Qiao Ran and his group leisurely sat down at the Restaurant table to enjoy their breakfast for the next day.

To celebrate defeating the Guzzlord, Acerola specially added extra food for everyone.

While we still need to be frugal, adding just a little bit to express the festive spirit should be enough. After all, defeating this Monster that was entrenched on the island is an unprecedentedly great event for everyone.

"There's meat for breakfast this morning!"

"Meat for breakfast! That's great!"

The children were overjoyed; they rarely get to eat such delicious food. Seeing the smiles on their faces, the adults, Lusamine, felt much better.

"Acerola."

Qiao Ran and the others hadn't forgotten what they'd discussed last night, and Acerola probably felt the same way. After all, this matter was of great importance, and no one could possibly forget about it.

"Sh--"

When asked by Qiao Ran and the others, Acerola simply placed her finger in front of her face, gesturing for them to be quiet.

"Wait a minute, I'll tell you later."

Although she had been thinking about it all night, it was breakfast time, and besides, she needed some time to mentally process things, didn't she?

"Um."

Qiao Ran and the others could only nod, both amused and exasperated. Watching Acerola get busy again, Mei couldn't help but walk over to Qiao Ran and nudge him with her elbow.

It's done.

"You figured it out?" Qiao Ran was a little surprised. Acerola hadn't said anything just now, so how did Mei know it had succeeded?

"If I say it's done, then it's done."

Mei smiled gently.

"This... could it be considered a woman's sixth sense?"

She herself didn't know why she had this feeling, but after seeing how Acerola looked this morning, she had already come to this conclusion.

Perhaps it's because she's most familiar with the other person... who knows?

"I've made up my mind. I still want to join you."

Just as Mei had predicted, after breakfast, Acerola approached them directly.

Have you made up your mind?

Mei glanced at her and nodded slightly.

"Hmm... I thought about it for quite a while yesterday." Acerola put her hands behind her back, looking at her ankles.

"I want to see what Otherworld is like, and I also want to help more people in this world."

"Besides... now that you've all joined, I have nothing to worry about. If I were the only one, I might actually refuse, right?"

Acerola looked up and smiled at Qiao Ran.

Just as she said, she was actually a little worried when she was alone with Qiao Ran, but she felt quite safe when there were many people around.

"Since you've made up your mind, then we welcome you to join us."

Qiao Ran smiled and shook his head. It was normal for Acerola to be wary of him, after all, they had only known each other for a few weeks. Perhaps Mei was more the reason that prompted her to make this decision.

Welcome.

The other girls stood by, smiling and clapping to welcome her. To be honest, after so many battles, they were quite looking forward to having more people join them. In any case, only by increasing the strength of the team could they accomplish more.

In the face of a survival crisis, emotions or other things can actually be somewhat disregarded.

"Um."

Acerola stepped forward and gave everyone a light hug.

"So... what should I do next?"

She inquired about something very important: since traveling to other worlds requires being recognized as Pokémon by Poké Ball, it must be more than just a simple matter, right?

"Let's talk about this in more detail tonight. This process might take a little while, and it wouldn't be good if others found out."

Qiao Ran didn't intend to attract too much attention. After all, Acerola was a celebrity in the Aether House. If she suddenly disappeared for three or four hours, wouldn't the children turn the entire Aether House upside down?

It would be fine if Modan knew about this, but if the children found out, things could get a bit out of control.

Okay~

Acerola didn't dwell on these things; once Qiao Ran made his decision, everything would proceed according to their plan.

"Now I should think of a way to say goodbye to everyone here."

I hope everything will get better in the future...

In such a time of crisis, she could do more with her abilities, and after Lusamine came here, the children had a real mother, so there weren't as many things she needed to do.

"It will definitely get better."

Qiao Ran was quite optimistic. When he first arrived in Alola, the situation was much worse than it is now. But now, he not only has many companions, but he has also accomplished many things that he couldn't do before. Everything is developing in a positive direction, and one day, everyone will be able to enjoy relaxed and enjoyable Pokémon battles in this world again.

It's better to leave this kind of life-or-death struggle to the past.

--

"Qiao Ran, when do you plan to leave?"

After Acerola left, Mei looked at Qiao Ran and asked about his future plans.

They've been here for quite a while now.

"The day after tomorrow... Let Acerola have a buffer tonight and tomorrow, then we'll leave the day after tomorrow. We can visit the other islands in the Alola Region while traveling in the Real World."

Qiao Ran explained his plan, emphasizing the need to allow time, whether it was to say goodbye to Acerola and the others, or for another reason—no one knew what aftereffects would result from being parasitized by Nihilego. Although Lillie and the others were fine, it was still better to set aside a day for observation.

After making some basic arrangements, Qiao Ran and the others didn't stay at the Aether Foundation during the day. They made up an excuse and Qiao Ran took Mei and the others back to the Real World. This time, Acerola even took the initiative to cover for them.

"Sabrina... So, Sabrina wasn't home during the day either?"

After crossing the Portal and arriving in the Real World, Qiao Ran and the others found themselves in Sabrina's living room.

It was completely empty; there was nothing there. Sabrina herself and Cynthia had both left.

"Let's go out too, and take this opportunity to let the Pokémon explore the city and relax."

This time, Qiao Ran came to the Real World because she wanted her Pokémon to rest and buy them some things she wanted, since... they were all very tired from the previous battles.

As their Trainer, I also have to give them some Present.

"Um!"

I want to go see it too.

The girls agreed to the suggestion, especially Lillie, who loved browsing clothing stores. The various styles of clothing in this world were slightly different from those in the Pokémon World, which was quite interesting.

The group walked to the door and were about to open it and go out when Qiao Ran caught a glimpse of a strange object placed on the shoe cabinet.

"What is this...?"

The thing looked like a card with something written on it in neat handwriting.

"...?"

Qiao Ran was curious, so he stepped forward and picked up the object.

"I am Sabrina."

If you get back, call me immediately, something important has happened!

!!

"Qiao Ran... who is this?"

The other girls also saw what Qiao Ran was holding, and after reading the words on it, they were all startled.

This was the first time they'd seen Miss Sabrina with such a serious attitude. "Something important"... what could have happened?

"I'll call her first."

Qiao Ran's expression gradually turned serious. He immediately reached into his pocket, took out his phone, dialed a special contact's number, and simultaneously pressed speakerphone so that everyone could hear clearly.

"Beep... beep..."

Hearing the voice from the receiver, everyone couldn't help but feel tense.

What exactly is it that Miss Sabrina considers important...?

Could it be that something extraordinary happened while they were away?

"Hello?"

After waiting a short while, Sabrina's voice finally came through the phone.

"After all this time, you've finally decided to contact me?"

She was quite dissatisfied with the fact that Qiao Ran and the others were reluctant to return to the Real World for so long.

"... I've run into a little trouble, I'll tell you in detail later." Qiao Ran could hear Sabrina's dissatisfaction, but now was not the time to dwell on that. His primary purpose in calling this time was to find out the purpose and significance of the note Sabrina left behind.

"As for your side, what exactly is that note...?"

"You guys come to the Gym right away. I'm canceling all my other work now and waiting for you to arrive."

Before Qiao Ran could even speak, Sabrina had already brought up the matter.

"I don't know if Mei told you Kanto a Gym Leader in Kanto named Brock who came to the Gym to see me during the time you were away."

"Oh?"

Sabrina's anxious tone made Qiao Ran take it seriously. He held his phone while giving the three girls beside him a look, preparing to continue his conversation with Sabrina while they were on their way.

"I know Brock, what happened to him?"