Chapter 276

Based on Qiao Ran's understanding of the Pokémon World, Brock is someone he can't avoid no matter what. In the games and Pokémon Adventures, he is a very qualified Gym Leader, but in the anime's world, he has become one of the protagonist's most classic teammates.

Qiao Ran had no idea why Sabrina was so anxious. If it was just "Brock" coming to see her... could it be that Brock had brought some information that no one else knew?

Qiao Ran had many guesses in his mind, however—when Sabrina spoke up and actually told him the information, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

The others

The girl was the same; her face was filled with disbelief, shock, and bewildered panic.

He said... he had been in this world for nearly twenty years.

Qiao Ran: "???"

Twenty years...?

"Impossible."

"Wait a minute, how could it be this long?"

Not only did Qiao Ran voice his opposition, but Mei also subconsciously spoke up. She had also transferred from the Pokémon World to this world, but why... she had only been in this world for about a year.

Twenty years? How could that be?

"... At first, I also thought it was impossible."

Sabrina chuckled softly on the phone, but her voice quickly turned serious again.

"But when you actually see that man, when you see what he looks like, you'll know this isn't fake. He really has become a middle-aged man."

At first, Sabrina was even more unwilling to believe it than the others. Why would her colleague, also Gym Leader in the Kanto Region, become like this? Maybe it was just a prank by Brock's father?

But as the conversation deepened, Sabrina became increasingly aware of the seriousness of the situation; perhaps, from the very beginning, they had already misunderstood something.

"Anyway, you guys need to get to the Gym as soon as possible. I'll also contact Brock and ask him to come over quickly."

"Also, Cynthia will be video chatting with us then; she might have some other opinions as well."

"Okay." After a brief exchange, Sabrina hung up the phone. As the Gym Leader, she had many things to take care of. As for Qiao Ran, they would have to take a taxi.

On the way, the group quietly exchanged their opinions on the incident.

"Twenty years... Does that mean Mei, you actually slept for twenty years before you woke up?"

Qiao Ran glanced at Mei beside him. He vaguely remembered that Mei had told him that she had lost her memory when she woke up, and she had no recollection of how long she had been unconscious. Could it be that during this process, there was a discrepancy in their timelines?

"What are you talking about? If I slept for 20 years, wouldn't I be..." Mei rolled her eyes at Qiao Ran decisively. She wasn't some kind of gifted old monster. If she really slept for 20 years, she would be over thirty by now.

"Could it be... that the people who were transferred to this world jumped to a different point in time?"

Lillie, who was standing next to her, brought up another idea. She had also thought about this question when she met Sabrina, Cynthia, Mei, and others before: why did these people wake up at such different times?

However, back then, the differences between them weren't nearly as great as they are now, and they all came from different regions, so Lillie didn't think about it in depth. But... now, with Brock being the Gym Leader, this difference is practically impossible to call a coincidence or error. In fact, he and Sabrina are from the same region.

This cannot be due to differences between regions.

The only reason, I suppose, is that everyone came into this world at completely different points in time.

I think it's very possible too.

Mei nodded in agreement with Lillie's opinion, not because she thought Lillie was entirely correct, but simply because the possibility of Qiao Ran "sleeping for 20 years" was just too outrageous.

"Anyway, let's hurry to the Gym."

This matter is indeed very important, as evidenced by the fact that Sabrina continued to contact Cynthia afterward, showing that everyone is very concerned about this issue.

What exactly caused this discrepancy?

Upon arriving at the familiar Magic City Gym, the group was guided by the staff to meet Sabrina, whom they hadn't seen for several days.

By this time, she had already changed into her signature tight-fitting Psychic Outfit, with her long, purplish hair flowing behind her, giving her a very Psychic Gym Leader vibe.

Why are you staring at me like that?

Even without using her Psychic, she could guess what Qiao Ran was thinking, but now was not the time to dwell on those issues.

Normally, she would definitely have dealt Qiao Ran a few heavy blows.

"Brock should be here soon. Think about what questions you want to ask him."

"Uh-huh."

Qiao Ran and the others sat down on the chairs in the reception room. Not long after, the door to the reception room was pushed open again. A staff member from the Gym stood at the door and opened it. Behind the open door appeared a middle-aged man with a muscular build, brownish skin, and eyes that were squinted into slits.

"..."

Looking at him, Qiao Ran's memories of him were gradually awakened.

Those signature squinty eyes...

This person really is Brock!

This was the first time Qiao Ran had ever seen such obvious "squinty eyes" in real life.

No, it's not even open at all, is it?

"Um... can you see clearly?"

Qiao Ran couldn't help but ask a question.

"?"

The man who entered the lounge looked at Qiao Ran with a puzzled expression. Although he didn't quite understand, he still thanked her.

Thank you, I

I think I'm doing pretty well.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's stop chatting."

Sabrina glared at Qiao Ran. What kind of questions were those? Luckily, the person opposite her was Qiao Ran Brock. If it had been someone with a more volatile temper, they probably would have started fighting.

With a gentle wave of her hand, she used her Confusion to close the door, then closed her eyes and observed the situation inside the room.

"Qiao Ran, what's the situation around you? Is everything alright?"

"We're the only ones nearby; the Gym Trainer has already left."

Sabrina's Psychic are far inferior to Qiao Ran's Aura Power in terms of detection. Although she had already checked it herself, it would be safer to have Qiao Ran check it again.

Sitting in the chair, Brock was still unclear about what they were talking about. He didn't even recognize any of the newcomers—the boy who seemed to know Sabrina well, or the girls.

"Alright."

Perhaps having already considered this, Sabrina first clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention to her, and then began to introduce the people in the room.

"Putting aside our purpose for coming here, let me introduce you... This is Brock, the Gym Leader of the Kanto Region. You should know him, right?"

"Um."

Qiao Ran and the others nodded. Even Mei and Lillie, who were relatively unfamiliar with Qiao Ran Mei, had already heard quite a bit from them.

Hello.

Brock greeted everyone very politely, which surprised Qiao Ran. After all, in the animated work, Brock was always portrayed as a womanizer who loved to confess his feelings. But this Brock... could it be that he's become more mature and composed as he's reached middle age?

After introducing Brock, Sabrina also introduced Mei and the others.

"So you're all Trainer from the Pokémon World..."

After listening to Sabrina's introduction, Brock also had a general understanding of Mei and the others. These girls were all outstanding individuals from various regions, and they had already approached the Elite Four-level at such a young age, and even—made their Pokémon break through to the Elite Four-level.

This level of skill is considered extremely high, even in the Kanto Region of talented individuals.

"And this one is..."

Brock focused his attention on Qiao Ran was at the very end.

"He is Trainer in this world, and a very strong one at that, recognized by many Legendary Pokémon."

Sabrina didn't spend too much time introducing Qiao Ran, but just that one sentence was enough to leave a deep impression on Brock.

"... Legendary Pokémon?"

Those who are recognized by Legendary Pokémon are all outstanding Trainer, and they must also have a strong and pure heart, at least in one aspect that earns the praise of these Pokémon.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gym Leader Brock Gang."

Qiao Ran smiled and stood up to shake hands with Brock.

Brock's palms were rough to the touch. Qiao Ran didn't know how he had managed all these years, but they didn't seem to be very comfortable.

"Not bad, a very energetic young man."

A smile also appeared on Brock's face.

He roughly understood why Sabrina had sent these people over. Indeed, whether they were young Trainer from the Pokémon World with great strength or owners of Legendary Pokémon, they were all helpful in unraveling the mystery.

"There's one last person left, and I've already contacted her."

Sabrina gently waved her hand, and a tablet floated in front of her, displaying an image of a person on its screen.

"Hello everyone."

The Sinnoh Champion appeared on the screen, sitting upright in a chair. Judging from the surrounding decorations, Qiao Ran could tell at a glance that she was already in Phoebe's Western-style Mansion.

"Long time no see, Qiao Ran."

She first greeted Qiao Ran. The two hadn't been in contact for a while, as both Qiao Ran and she herself had been quite busy lately.

"Long time no see," Qiao Ran replied with a smile.

However, compared to Qiao Ran and others who already knew Cynthia, Brock seemed much more awkward.

"... The... the Champion of the Sinnoh Region? Really..."

He immediately stood up from his chair.

"You look like..."

The Cynthia on the screen was exactly the same as he remembered. He couldn't help but touch his cheek. Neither Sabrina nor Cynthia seemed to have experienced twenty years like him.

And these girls from the Pokémon World that he met... if we could go back twenty years, they probably wouldn't even exist yet.

"Could it be... as long as I am...?"

In an instant, a variety of strange feelings filled Brock's heart. He gave a bitter laugh and slumped weakly into his chair.

"Gym Leader Brock, don't be so discouraged."

On the screen, Cynthia encouraged Brock, saying that although some things had already happened and become history, they still needed to figure out the reasons behind them.

"Can you tell us what happened to you, how you came into this world, and how you've spent the past twenty years?"

"I...

..."

Brock closed his eyes and calmed himself for a while. Finally, he sighed and sat up straight.

Having lived through twenty years, his personality has indeed become more composed, and he is more like a resilient Rock-type than before.

"Alright, I'd like to talk to you about it too."

In those twenty years, he didn't encounter any companions and didn't pay much attention to other things. Finally, one day, by chance, he saw a familiar figure on a screen somewhere.

--Sabrina

A star that no one in the Pokémon World will ever forget.

After seeing that figure, Brock came to Magic City without hesitation. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even know that such a group of people from the Pokémon World had gathered together.

Over the years, he had kept many things to himself, and now it was time to tell everyone.

"The reason I came into this world can probably be traced back to a very, very long time ago..."

Brock leaned forward slightly and covered his head with his hands.

To ask him to recall events from nearly twenty years ago is, frankly, not an easy task—even the most vivid memories begin to fade with time.

He could only try to recall as much as possible, retrieving what only he knew.

"At that time, some unusual phenomena seemed to be occurring in Pewter City. It started with cracked roads and collapsed huts that hadn't been inhabited for a long time. As the Gym Leader, I sent people to investigate, but the final investigation showed that these things had nothing to do with Pokémon."