Chapter 278

"Um."

Qiao Ran and Sabrina both nodded.

Looking back on their first meeting, they had tested each other, but little did they know that they would now be on the same side.

After Cynthia finished sharing what she had noticed, the conversation returned to its previous back-and-forth exchange, with everyone offering their own thoughts.

And at that very moment, bamboo

The camera on Lan's side suddenly started shaking.

Who are you in contact with? Let me see.

A little girl with long white hair wandered into the camera's view. Through the other screen, she quickly spotted several familiar faces. Qiao Ran and his group were there, and even Sabrina and the others were present.

However, on the screen, she still saw a strange middle-aged man, someone she had never seen before.

What are you talking about?

"That's how it is..."

Seeing Phoebe suddenly come over, Cynthia could only explain to her again the reason for their online conversation. It was nothing more than Brock suddenly appearing, and they were discussing some information about Brock.

Qiao Ran also introduced the suddenly appearing white-haired loli to Brock.

"What... this is actually the oldest Elite Four in this regional Pokémon League?"

After hearing Qiao Ran's explanation, Xiao Brock was completely dumbfounded. Even with his extensive experience in the Kanto League, he had never seen anything so outrageous.

He had heard about the Pokémon League in this region, and some of the top Elite Four were around forty or fifty years old. To become the oldest, he would have to be far older than that.

In the Kanto League, the oldest Elite Four is probably the Ghost Type Elite Four, Agatha. She and Professor Oak, are from the same generation, and both of them are in very good health, still active in their respective fields even at their age. But even they look like quite old men and women.

And this one... what kind of sorcery is this? She actually looks like just a little girl!

Could it be that this person's decades are merely equivalent to a few human years?

On the other hand, after listening to Cynthia's story, Phoebe also became a little interested in this uncle.

"Oh? It's related to time? We're from the same Pokémon World as you, but we live in different eras?"

Her initial contact with Qiao Ran and the others was to find a Pokémon related to time, which was her ultimate goal. Now, hearing news about this, she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Little... Gang... really? When you came to this world, did you see any strange Pokémon? Or rather, when you first appeared in this world, in which area did you appear?"

"This..."

Suddenly faced with such a barrage of questions, Brock was at a loss for words.

His past memories were rather hazy, and after a moment's thought, Brock finally shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see any special Pokémon when I came to this world. Also, my situation is a bit unusual. When I woke up in this world, I had already been rescued and taken to the hospital... I'm not quite sure where I started. Apparently, a group of mountaineers found me, but unfortunately, they left the hospital immediately after rescuing me, and I can't contact them no matter how hard I try."

"I see?"

After listening to Brock's story, Phoebe, who had initially been very interested, suddenly lost all interest in continuing the conversation.

"I thought you had some important information, but it turns out it's all come to this."

Phoebe felt like she was stuck in the same place, not knowing anything about Pokémon or even where she first appeared.

"But knowing that time can affect the travel of people from the Pokémon World is a step forward, isn't it?"

Qiao Ran couldn't help but retort, "Sometimes, Phoebe's words are indeed too harsh."

"So what? Aren't all these problems still unresolved?"

Phoebe glared at Qiao Ran; this guy actually argued with her for the sake of an older man.

"I'll just tell you straight up: whether it's this world or the Pokémon World, all special powers come from Pokémon. No matter how much you think about it, it's better to just find that Pokémon and ask it directly!"

Whether it's time, space, or anything else, the answer will come in time!

Phoebe maintained her previous stance, prioritizing the search for the Time Pokémon. After saying this, she left the camera's viewpoint, making an excuse to go back to her room to Rest.

However, after she left, the few people present remained silent.

She has a point.

Finally, it was Cynthia who spoke up.

"No matter how much we discuss and speculate here, it's not as good as thinking about something more practical, like finding the Pokémon that might have caused all of this."

"We can be fairly certain that the Pokémon World is related to the Time God, but as for the Spatial deity... we don't have enough conclusive evidence yet."

"Therefore, at this stage, collecting Dialga might be the most practical option."

Phoebe's words, though somewhat harsh, were indeed true. Their guesses were ultimately just that—guesses. Following the clues and continuing the search was the only correct course of action.

"... really."

Qiao Ran nodded as well.

It seems... that from now on, whether in the Pokémon World or the Real World,

We need to pay more attention to information about Dialga.

Is the Temporal deity... truly the Key to unlocking all these mysteries?

Time passed gradually, and the conversation drew to a close. Although no substantial clues were obtained, they had basically determined something more "hidden".

"By the way, Brock Gym Leader, I heard you're actually a very skilled mountaineer, is that right?"

Just before everyone was about to disperse, Cynthia called out to Brock.

Although she was in Unova, she had actually heard about Brock. As the Gym Leader of Pewter City and the guardian of the Pewter City Museum, Brock's name was often mentioned by scholars conducting archaeological research.

Pewter City in the Kanto Region is close to Mt. Moon, where not only is the special Pokémon Clefairy, but it is also a source of very rare Moon Stone and ancient fossils. Cynthia had previously planned to visit Mt. Moon, but now it seems too late.

"Impressive... I don't think I'm that great, I just climb mountains a lot."

Brock humbly scratched the back of his head. In all his years in this world, he had spent most of his time in the mountains. Years of searching had made him anxious and stressed, but in the end, he was healed by the charm of the mountains during his mountain climbing.

"Gym Leader Brock, there's no need to be modest. If it's alright, could I ask you for a favor in the future?"

"What's up?"

Brock was somewhat surprised that a Pokémon League Champion would make a request of him. If he hadn't become an old man, he definitely wouldn't be able to stay calm right now.

"Well, I need to study some old materials here right now. If there are any Ruins that need to be studied, I won't be able to leave for the time being. In that case, I'll probably have to ask Gym Leader Brock to help me take a look at them in person."

Cynthia has absolutely no free time right now. Phoebe has stored decades' worth of documents here, and finding anything useful from them will inevitably take a lot of time. Phoebe herself is also a lazy person who doesn't like to go out. If they want to conduct an on-site investigation, they'll have to ask someone with professional skills and plenty of time for help.

Brock might be a good candidate right now.

As the guardian of the Pewter City Museum and an expert in wilderness survival, he possesses all the necessary skills. According to Sabrina, Brock doesn't have a proper job these days; he just challenges many Gym and lives off Pokémon League subsidies from all over the world.

That was definitely a bit too carefree.

"Observing the Ruins? If that's all, it's not impossible... It should be quite important for us."

After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Brock nodded in agreement.

"Yes, the Ruins of this world are closely connected to the Pokémon World. I came to this world through the Ruins before, and Qiao Ran and the others... actually had the experience of being transported to the Pokémon World through the Ruins."

Cynthia believes that the Ruins are the Key to unlocking everything, which is why she is so dedicated to this work. If Brock can support her work, that would be even better.

"Of course I'd be happy to oblige!"

Brock patted his chest and accepted the task with a smile.

He loves things like mountain climbing and camping.

After the conversation ended, Cynthia turned off the camera and went back to her research, while Sabrina stayed at the Magic City Gym with Brock. She still had her duties as Gym Leader to do, and she planned to use her authority to register Brock as Gym Trainer.

She'll probably do something similar when she encounters people from other Pokémon World in the future.

As for Qiao Ran and the others, they are now completely free.

Are you planning to explore the area further around here?

Standing at the entrance of the Magic City Gym, Qiao Ran looked at the girls around him.

We talked for almost the entire morning, and to be honest, it was quite tiring. Most importantly, there was a lot of information this time. Brock's appearance made them realize the impact of time for the first time. Who knows... there might be more people with time-related problems in the future.

"Certainly!"

Lillie answered decisively. She had been looking forward to it all morning, planning to relax and have some fun. Even with this unexpected event, she couldn't just give up.

Besides, it's only been a morning. There's still a whole afternoon to go.

"So you are...?"

Mei: "Don't look at me, I'll listen to Lillie."

Mei: "I want to go too."

Mei doesn't seem to care much about her appearance. Although she's changed a lot compared to before, she actually has the lowest desires among the three. As for Mei, although she keeps a low profile, she has a very deep understanding of fashion. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been favored by Sabrina and wouldn't have been able to create such a distinctive style of dressing.

"Okay, let's continue with the plan."

Qiao Ran shrugged, resigned to the majority opinion.

"Let's find a place to eat first, then find an opportunity to..."

"The Pokémon, they called out too."

"Um."

Lillie smiled happily, while Mei listened to Qiao Ran's words with a hint of envy.

"That's great... Pokémon Humanoid Transformation, I can even take it with me when I'm out shopping!"

Generally speaking, in crowded shopping streets like this, it's not allowed to release Pokémon that are too large. Only smaller Pokémon can stay close to their Trainer. But Qiao Ran is different; he can transform into a human... That's practically cheating!

"Indeed, if I could stay in Humanoid Transformation indefinitely, I could probably keep the Decidueye by my side forever... I could also directly Coaching her on what she's thinking."

Mei could understand this feeling quite well. Trainer like her, even though they were with their Pokémon all the time, sometimes still felt the differences between themselves and their Pokémon, and regretted that they couldn't understand each other's thoughts. Moreover, once the relationship reached a certain point, it became difficult to make any further progress.

They longed to know each other better, but they just couldn't.

They don't even understand each other's language, nor can they touch each other's hearts. Everything can only be guessed. Although they have a tacit understanding built up over time, it is still far, far behind Qiao Ran's current situation.

Mei Mei both admired Qiao Ran's abilities, but admiration was one thing; they couldn't learn it themselves.

Just like how a Rotom can open a Portal, allowing them to travel through time with Qiao Ran when they transform into Pokémon, this is something no one can explain.

"Yeah, why is Rotom able to open the Portal?"

Lillie couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Although she eventually accepted this premise, she still thought—it's still so strange!

Who knows?

Qiao Ran shrugged. He just couldn't understand it. He had asked Rotom many times, but each time he got no answer.

"She couldn't possibly be Hoopa in disguise, could she?"

"It definitely couldn't be any other Pokémon... otherwise, we wouldn't be able to edit the video."

Lillie nodded thoughtfully.

"Indeed, where does this power come from?"

"Don't overthink it. Didn't we agree to relax today?"

Mei walked straight up and patted Lillie on the shoulder.

They've been through so many battles, they really need to relax. If they keep their nerves on edge like this, who knows when a big problem might arise.

A proper balance between work and rest is also an essential skill for Trainer.

"Um."

Lillie nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

"I also receive a subsidy from the Pokémon League, which allows me to buy quite a few things."

Besides Mei, Mei and Lillie also received Badge from the Huaxia Alliance, which means they have officially become Trainer in the Huaxia Alliance. Although they don't have many Badge yet, they are enough to receive a stipend.

With the subsidies, the prize money from the previous Performance Competition match, and the rewards from the several viral videos they recently produced, Qiao Ran and his friends are now in a state of being somewhat well-off, but not very wealthy. However, Qiao Ran feels it's worth it to make everyone happy.