Chapter 300

The truth is—he was too tired.

The reason for his exhaustion wasn't because he had done a lot of work, but simply because he hadn't slept enough. There was a time when he was a good kid who slept eight hours a day. When did he become like this?

When exactly was it?

--What, it started the day before yesterday?

That's alright then.

Pillow... pillow...

Back in his room, Qiao Ran collapsed onto the bed.

However, before taking a break, he still called Rotom out.

"Rotom, could you edit yesterday's video and upload it online for me?"

Ugh... I'm so sleepy.

Qiao Ran couldn't help but Yawn, and soon lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Only Rotom, Levitate in the air, stared blankly.

Why is the owner so tired?

What on earth happened?

When Qiao Ran woke up again, she was actually awakened by a noisy phone call.

The voice coming from the other end of the phone was that of the Director had previously directed the Battle Train.

"Brother Qiao, our film has been approved!"

"It will be broadcast on Magic City TV in a few days!"

His voice was filled with obvious excitement; how could he not be happy that his show had finally made it onto television?

Congratulations!

Qiao Ran smiled slightly. Not only would he receive a bonus, but he would also get to appear on television. For him, this was a sure-fire deal.

Most importantly, he also found Anabel, a hidden gem, on the Bullet Train. Without this opportunity, he didn't know when he would have found her.

"By the way, Brother Qiao, I saw that video you posted before. It's a good opportunity to promote our show, haha, if possible..."

The Director's voice suddenly turned strange, but Qiao Ran clearly understood what he meant.

"Of course, we can create hype, but editing the videos is a huge hassle for me... and they've already been posted for a while."

"It's alright, it was only posted a few minutes ago. It's not too late to take it back. Besides, if you want to remake the video, we'll offer a little help. What price are you looking for, Brother Qiao? We can discuss it. We just hope you can help us promote it... After all, our show just started airing, and we don't have enough viewers yet, hahaha."

Well...

The mention of helping others immediately perked up Qiao Ran. After making videos for so long, was she finally going to be able to earn a living for the first time?

And the food was even brought to them by themselves.

Altaria just happens to want to buy the arranger for their new song, so I need to eat a lot to make ends meet. Otherwise, next time I take them shopping, I won't even be able to afford a cute dress.

"Don't worry, Director. As long as there are no worries, we will definitely do our best to help."

Qiao Ran was definitely not sleepy at all.

Only Rotom, Levitate nearby, having just finished editing the footage and still resting, watched this scene with a speechless expression.

"..."

So now he's the Director??

Is this the power of money?

"So please, Rotom."

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Ran turned his attention to Rotom on the other side. Now that he had finally received a job, he naturally had to make sure it was done properly.

Rotom was his only hope.

"But I'm so tired, Rotom, I don't want to move at all Rotom..."

Seeing Qiao Ran like this, Rotom immediately turned the tables and started complaining. He felt like he was being used as a tool every day, and even a tool would rebel!

What do you want? I'll get it for you.

Qiao Ran wanted to send Rotom some Present to comfort her, but Rotom wasn't eating and didn't have any physical function, Qiao Ran couldn't bring Present to do so. She couldn't exactly get her some kind of wind, hydro, or Sun power, could she?

"Hmm... I don't know what kind of Rotom I want."

Rotom pondered for a while, only to find that he had no answers.

"How about you give me a massage, Rotom?"

Finally, having no other option, Rotom had Qiao Ran use the Tokiwa Power to massage it. However, during this process, Qiao Ran noticed that Rotom was much calmer than the other Pokémon.

She appeared even more composed than Lillie and the other transformed humans.

Is this because you don't have a physical body?

"Maybe it's Rotom."

Rotom herself seemed confused. She couldn't feel joy in something that other Pokémon seemed to enjoy. Although the healing effect was still there, in some ways, the core effect of Tokiwa Power had completely failed.

"Sigh, why can't you become human?"

Qiao Ran held Rotom in her hand and touched its screen.

The body of this machine probably doesn't have the same tactile sensation as flesh.

"..."

"..."

"Maybe... Pokémon in the Wild Area, we can achieve Rotom."

"Real?"

Hearing Rotom's sudden sound, Qiao Ran couldn't help but get out of bed and ask a question.

"... Of course it was a guess, Rotom."

Rotom seized the opportunity to break free from Qiao Ran's clutches and took to the air.

"I'm just System Spirit Rotom, I don't understand any of Rotom."

"Okay, okay, I know, I was just asking."

Qiao Ran could only sigh, feeling both amused and exasperated. However, deep down, he was still quite looking forward to that day.

What kind of girl will Rotom become?

While Lillie and the others were still training outside, Qiao Ran also went to the Wild Area to spend some time with his Pokémon. Although Qiao Ran sees them every day, with more and more things to do these days, the days when he can just lie on the grass and Sun with them without thinking about anything are becoming fewer and fewer.

Although Reshiram was radiating a slight warmth, the breeze from Suicune and the coolness from Vulpix made the surrounding environment not so bad. Besides, it would definitely be more comfortable for Reshiram when winter came.

Qiao Ran lay on the grass and fell asleep again. This time, no one disturbed him. After all, once he was in the Wild Area, the radio waves of the Real World could no longer affect him.

Thanks to this, Qiao Ran was able to rest until noon before gradually waking up.

"You're already cooking?"

"Um."

Rubbing his eyes, Qiao Ran immediately spotted Suicune and the others cooking over a fire by the river. Having eaten so much human food, the Pokémon naturally weren't so fixated on their original Pokémon food. Besides, even if they couldn't get ready-made food, they could cook it themselves.

Some ingredients that aren't available in the Wild Area can be bought and brought over by Qiao Ran from outside. As for farming within the Wild Area, Dianxi and Suicune are already doing it, and based on the successful experience in Spikemuth, everything is going very smoothly.

Speaking of the fire here, at first they even considered using the infinitely producible diamonds of Dianxi as firewood. Although it was unrealistic, it was still a possibility. In the end, it was Reshiram's arrival that alleviated the crisis.

The so-called True Flame only requires an actual object to ignite, making cooking much less troublesome in the future.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Master?"

Latias floated to Qiao Ran's side and inquired about Qiao Ran's intentions.

It seems that if they stay, it wouldn't be a problem for them to do a little more.

"Certainly."

Qiao Ran naturally nodded in agreement. As for Lillie and the others... they'd have to wait until they got back to discuss it.

The girls spent most of the day training, while Qiao Ran spent the day playing with the Pokémon. Normally, besides their daily training, they would spend more time on things that interested them.

Of course— Qiao Ran refused all entertainment activities that used the Tokiwa Power. This thing isn't for use right now.

"Eh... I thought I could... just a little bit..."

The rather idle Nihilego clicked her tongue. Unlike Dianxi and Suicune, who had things to do, she seemed to enjoy hanging around Qiao Ran today, especially when she looked at Qiao Ran, her gaze seemed to carry a strange meaning.

"I've been feeling really strange these past two nights... I don't know why I'm feeling this way..."

"Huh?"

Qiao Ran, who was leaning against Zacian's back looking at the sky, was so startled by these words that he almost jumped up from the grass.

"What did you say? These past two nights?"

"I don't know either. Could you please tell me privately, Master?"

"This..."

Beads of sweat appeared on Qiao Ran's forehead. Considering the unusual timing, coupled with the hints from Nihilego, wait... could this be related to his previous experience of parasitizing Lillie?

She could actually sense something?

Oh no, this is a complete blind spot in my knowledge!

If we follow this line of reasoning, would those Nihilego who have parasitized other girls also encounter similar problems?

"Master, you actually still owe me one more time."

Nihilego brought his face, which bore a striking resemblance to Lillie's, close to Qiao Ran's face. However, Lillie didn't have Xu Wu Yi De's slightly curly white hair, nor her dangerous yet naive personality.

"Um... let's talk about it next time when I have time. Yes, let's talk about it next time."

Qiao Ran naturally remembered the "once" that Nihilego mentioned—it seemed to be back when he helped transform Acerola, and a complete set of Tokiwa Power services was also a condition agreed upon.

However, after hearing what Nihilego had said, Qiao Ran became cautious.

Under the murderous glare of Nihilego, he dared not give a clear answer. If he were really eaten, where would he go to seek justice?

Perhaps only by saving themselves can they survive in this cannibalistic world.

At present, Qiao Ran has no need to provoke Nihilego.

If mishandling leads to the enemy joining the fray, who knows what the consequences will be? Besides, the enemy has so many loyal followers. If it really comes down to a real fight, the human side will likely suffer a crushing defeat.

So in the very end, Qiao Ran still tried his best to refuse her, at least until he finished dealing with the things in front of him.

Back in the Real World from the Wild Area, Qiao Ran met the girls who had returned from training. Although he had lunch with the Pokémon Qiao Ran noon, it was time to get together with them in the evening.

"Let me tell you, we got our first meal order today."

"What kind of order is it? 'Sponsored business'... does it refer to the ads in the video?"

Several girls looked over with some curiosity. Although they didn't quite understand some of the terms used in this world, they had been Surf the internet for so long that they had a general understanding of some things.

"Pretty much. Actually, the person who placed the order with us was someone we'd met before."

Qiao Ran recounted everything that had happened, and the girls nodded in agreement.

"In short, we get paid and also get some good publicity for the show we participated in. Isn't that great?"

Even if the Director doesn't mention it, Qiao Ran will probably mention the show to promote it eventually. But since the other party has brought it up, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it and make a living.

"Wow, I didn't know shooting videos had this kind of benefit."

When Acerola learned of this for the first time, it was as if a new world had opened up for her; she had never known such a thing existed before, even back in Alola.

"By the way, how's it going over there? You trained for a whole day, you must have gained some insights."