Chapter 286

"I never knew this mountain was so high..."

Acerola Mei, who had been to this mountain before, couldn't help but sigh. In the past, they had always taken a bus from the foot of the mountain, but now they had to inch their way up.

Take your time, don't rush.

Qiao Ran didn't Sheer Force any particular speed of progress. The people on the mountain might really need their help, but they also needed to ensure their own basic safety and physical strength.

... If only Brock could climb the mountain in their place.

Before reaching the summit, what awaits everyone is the "Battle Train" they are about to participate in.

It wasn't that Qiao Ran and his group were lazy in their mountain climbing, but rather that the distance was truly, truly far. In any case, Mount Hokulani was the second highest mountain in the Alola Region —and the highest mountain was right next to them, so the difference wasn't that significant.

Moreover, the appearance of the Ultra Beast has brought considerable trouble to their journey. Although Qiao Ran and the others said it was just a normal mountain climb, it was no joke.

The afternoon before the show, Qiao Ran took Lillie and the others to visit their Aunt's house again, but unfortunately, Xia Fei was still at school at that time, so it was impossible for them to see her.

Aunt chatted with them about many things. Qiao Ran and his friends hadn't been in Magic City for long, but a lot had happened during that time. Most importantly, Xia Fei had unknowingly changed a lot during their stay.

"During that time, she talked to me about Sabrina every day, and about your Competition with Old Gym Leader Nian Hai that day."

In Magic City, Xia Fei is just one of millions of ordinary girls, simply spending each day as usual, going to school, coming home from school, and going out with friends during her breaks.

Qiao Ran's appearance, however, allowed her to see a more diverse world.

"Now she takes Ralts with her every day, saying she wants to be Trainer someday too."

"She never used to work this hard."

In this world, while Pokémon is undoubtedly the main theme, not everyone can become Trainer. Just like many people play games, but only a few can become professional players, becoming Trainer requires putting in more effort than others in many other areas.

Most ordinary people would choose to entrust their Pokémon to a foster home to save more time for other things, but Xia Fei is now able to keep her Pokémon with her and spend time taking care of them, which is already a big improvement.

Of course, this also means she has much less time to play now, because even if she has to take care of her Pokémon, she can't neglect her studies.

"She'll definitely become a great Trainer in the future." Qiao Ran had a lot of confidence in her; after all, she was his cousin.

"... I hope so." Aunt just smiled gently. More than anything else, she was truly moved that her daughter had found her direction for the future.

Being able to find her own goals and work hard for them, Xia Fei seems to be different from other children her age.

"Oh, right, I also need to tell you about yourself. Why did you bring an extra girl with you today?"

"Looks about the same age as Xia Fei... Honestly, tell your aunt, what are you really thinking?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Qiao Ran's forehead. "This..."

Although he gets asked this question almost every time he comes over, he's really not good at answering it.

Answer.

Moreover, since he had been either staying at Sabrina's house, living in the Aether House, or engaged in various battles during this period, his relationships with the girls had not progressed for a long time.

No... no, it can't be said that there's been no progress?

Feeling the several pairs of eyes around her turn to look at her after hearing the question, Qiao Ran's heart skipped a beat once again.

It wasn't just him who could sense that there was less contact between the group; they themselves felt the same way.

--Once we leave Magic City, there shouldn't be any other people in the way, right?

After spending the afternoon at my Aunt's house, there was one more person we needed to meet in the evening.

Although it was a great pity not to see Xia Fei, the person I met that night was clearly much more special.

--Sabrina deliberately used her privilege as the Gym Leader to leave work early and took a few people to a very nice Western restaurant for dinner.

"You guys are supposed to participate in the show tomorrow."

"Yes."

Sabrina herself didn't care much about the food, and the reason she gave to others was simply that the restaurant looked classy and suited Mei's taste.

"It's probably going to be some time before we meet again."

Under the soft light, Sabrina rested her cheek on one hand and swirled the wine glass in her hand with the other.

In our daily interactions, it became clear that she wasn't a heavy drinker. As a Psychic, maintaining clarity and vigilance at all times was a fundamental requirement, and alcohol would undoubtedly impair her judgment.

However, today is indeed a special day.

"Um..."

Qiao Ran nodded.

After leaving Magic City, he will head South in China and then east. Both directions are destined to be separate from Magic City, and it will probably be quite some time before he returns.

"..."

Sabrina wasn't a talkative person. Although she could be a bit harsh at times, she would gradually fall silent in these situations.

Are you feeling unwell?

"No, I didn't."

A slight flush from the alcohol took hold on her cheeks, and she averted her gaze slightly.

From childhood to adulthood, she has always been on her own. She has not only become the Gym Leader, but also a world-renowned actress. In just a few years, she has accomplished what others cannot do in a lifetime.

However, the thought that several people would have to leave tomorrow still made her feel very uncomfortable.

If I had known beforehand that their contact would make me feel this way, it would have been better to keep my distance from the beginning.

"If one day I can no longer be the Gym Leader... it will definitely be your fault."

A question mark appeared above Qiao Ran's head, "??? What did we do?"

What do you think?

Sabrina raised her head and glared at Qiao Ran with her slightly tipsy eyes, her flushed cheeks resembling delicate flowers.

Under the dim, flickering lights, her beauty even made Qiao Ran's heart skip a beat for a second. Perhaps only in moments like this could he truly feel that she was an actress who had amazed the entire Pokémon World.

However, her current expression is clearly not an act.

Sabrina had drunk too much, and in the end, Qiao Ran helped her into a taxi and then helped her all the way into the residential area.

Whispering, whispering...

Qiao Ran's presence undoubtedly sparked discussion among some residents of the same community, but Sabrina was, after all, their boss, and the Pokémon League maintained excellent secrecy, so these people remained quite tight-lipped.

However, an internal discussion was inevitable.

After a peaceful night, Qiao Ran and the others had packed their things and were ready to head to the station. The film crew would send someone to coordinate with them, and then the official battle would begin.

"... Anyway, let's keep in touch later. If anything comes up."

The next day, Sabrina also took the day off. Apart from not feeling well, she put on makeup and, without attracting attention, saw the group off on their final journey. Accompanying her was Nian Hongyu, who had become Elite Trainer. After Sabrina became the Gym Leader, the extra Elite Trainer positions became vacant, and she undoubtedly became the most suitable person to succeed her.

"I look forward to your participation in the national conference; I'll be cheering you on then."

Her gaze remained fixed on Qiao Ran and Sabrina's faces, and finally, she revealed a rare smile.

Even though she didn't become the Gym Leader, she found a new goal for herself, just like Qiao Ran and the others. Everyone will embark on their own brand new journey.

Not only them, but Nian Xiaoxiao and Xia Fei also called Qiao Ran and the others. Because they were still in class, they were basically unable to meet with Qiao Ran and the others, but they still said goodbye.

"I'll become Trainer someday!"

"Me too!"

Judging from their tone

As if the two of them had made some kind of agreement, Qiao Ran didn't Chilling Water them, but instead encouraged them to keep going.

"I'll take down the Pokémon League first, then I'll wait for you guys."

Challenging Gym, then the Pokémon League —that was his original intention for embarking on this journey, and leaving Magic City this time brings him one step closer to that goal.

Finally, Xia Fei and Nian Xiaoxiao hung up the phone, and Nian Hongyu also turned and left. It was Sabrina who escorted the group all the way to the ticket gate.

"They're gone."

"Um."

Sabrina seemed a little distracted and only gave a perfunctory reply.

Everyone has their own responsibilities, just like when they first came into this world. Even if she conquers this huge Gym, in the end she's still all alone.

... Did Mei and the others choose to travel with him because they also thought about these things?

Her mind was in turmoil, but she could only try her best not to let her thoughts wander.

Finally, Qiao Ran gently stepped forward and hugged her.

Although it only lasted two or three seconds, this time she did not have the thought of resisting.

"..."

The touch of others reached her, and that warmth Infiltrator the defenses and barriers she had built with her Psychic.

It was a short time, but it seemed pretty good.

She raised her head, looked at Qiao Ran, and then slowly began to speak.

"... This is the first time I've ever done this since I can remember."

She wondered what Qiao Ran was thinking as he made those moves. She didn't use her Psychic to read his mind; she simply kept the surprise to herself. However, to her complete surprise, he gave an answer she could never have imagined.

"So you had quite a few first times."

Sabrina: "...???"

Upon hearing this, Sabrina's face flushed bright red, whether from embarrassment or genuine anger at Qiao Ran's spoilsport, it was hard to tell.

An innocent suitcase flew up and hit Qiao Ran on the head, scaring the other passengers half to death.

"As expected, people like you should just disappear!"

After saying goodbye to Sabrina and passing through security, Qiao Ran and the others quickly found the filming crew they were supposed to meet at the designated location inside the high-speed rail station.

"Here, here."

The show's producer was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. As soon as he saw Qiao Ran, he came up to shake her hand very warmly, almost giving her a hug.

"You are all very famous young Trainer recently. It's an honor for our program team that Gym Leader Sabrina could recommend such excellent candidates."

The Battle Train is a relatively recent and emerging project. It's not only meant to attract attention to railway hubs, but also to boost the city's image. It's great that Trainer like Qiao Ran, who is currently very popular among young people, is participating.

From this perspective, they really do owe Gym Leader Sabrina a huge favor.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Qiao Ran and Mei were not good at this kind of social interaction, so they could only laugh it off to deal with the compliments and polite words.

Lillie, on the other hand, is immune to this kind of greasy, socially-minded talk. As the heiress of the Aether Foundation, she probably grew up listening to this kind of stuff.

The filming for the program will officially begin in an hour and a half.

After the discussion with the producer, a woman who also wore glasses and looked like Secretary explained the Rules to everyone, while the producer himself went off to do other things.

"We will depart from Magic City Station... that is, from here, and the final stop will be Rongcheng. The entire journey will take about four and a half hours. Our train will be slightly slower than a regular Bullet Train, but for safety reasons, this is the most suitable option."

"As for battles inside the vehicle, we will also use special Rules. Due to the limited space inside the vehicle, the area for movement is a long, vertical strip. Furthermore, due to the constraints of the confined space, neither side can send out Pokémon that are too large."

"Finally, and most importantly, besides prohibited moves like Earthquake, the power of both sides' moves must also be strictly controlled. We've placed two Mr. Mime in each carriage to reinforce the barrier. If either side's move breaks through the transparent barrier, that side will immediately lose."

"This is the unique characteristic of our Battle Train."

"Fast, efficient, small and beautiful!"

"Using skills with absolute control and then accurately striking the opponent's vital points is a comprehensive test of the Trainer's and Pokémon's control, teamwork, and adaptability!"

It's understandable to make some changes to the Rules for safety reasons. Even in the Unova Region of the Pokémon World, it's impossible to let two Trainer fight randomly in a train car. If you use a Dragon Rush and I use Hyper Beam, even the sturdiest train car would probably be destroyed on the spot, and the people would be sent flying out.

Therefore, this "Bullet Train battle" actually feels more like a duel on a suspension bridge between canyons. In this confined environment, one must not only consider how to Defeat the opponent, but also how to maintain the stability of the vehicle beneath one's feet. If either side malfunctions, it is unlikely that victory can be achieved.

"In each carriage, the matches are played one-on-one, with each round determining the winner."