Chapter 324

"Qiqi! Qiqi! Qiqi!"

"Damn it, I'm too late... Is it already over?"

Besides the barrage of comments spamming the name "Altaria," many people also wanted Altaria to sing the song again, but a re-performance is not actually scheduled for tonight.

"Sorry everyone, if you still want to hear more, we will upload the official video of the song later."

Altaria herself didn't really want to repeat the song she just sang. A performance that incorporates emotion is very much dependent on the singer's state of mind. She didn't want to become a Sing machine. At least... she would do her best in every performance.

Qiao Ran, who was standing to the side, also gave her a thumbs up.

Refer to.

They stopped broadcasting parts that shouldn't have been broadcast and even knew to redirect viewers to later videos— Altaria has really grown up.

Qiao Ran was quite touched. Without realizing it, she had become a qualified streamer. It seemed that she would need to do more live streams and interact with other people in the future.

After a song ends, all that's left is a few words of conversation to wrap up the live stream.

--Thanks to the excellent performance of the Altaria, everything went very smoothly.

Even at the end of the live stream, there were still over 200,000 viewers, which is enough to demonstrate how strong Altaria's personal charm is.

"Master... I..."

Sitting on the bed, watching Qiao Ran and the others busily packing their things, Altaria, still seemingly reluctant to leave, couldn't help but look in Qiao Ran's direction.

She seemed still immersed in the feeling of the previous live broadcast and hadn't quite come to her senses yet.

"You've done a great job; everyone loves your voice."

Qiao Ran down his notebook and looked at the girl sitting on the edge of the bed.

Under the hotel lights, her long blue hair had a golden sheen, and her slender, delicate shoulders looked like they could be encircled by a single hand. Whether it was from singing earlier or from her excitement, there was a slight blush on her face, and her eyes shimmered with obvious Ripple.

For a moment, Qiao Ran was truly stunned.

However, since there are more than one pair of eyes watching him in this room, it's better to be a little cautious.

Qiao Ran quickly coughed lightly, dismissing her strange thoughts.

"Um... how about I take you back to the Wild Area first? It's getting a bit late."

Normally, interacting with Pokémon is just a normal thing. For example, patting Altaria's head or giving her a hug after she completes her goal. These actions seem perfectly acceptable in Pokémon form. However, when she Humanoid Transformation, Qiao Ran can't do much more in that room.

--Four pairs of eyes were staring at him.

"... Um... you've done a great job. Go home and get some rest tonight. We'll show you the video before we head to Alola tomorrow..."

Upon arriving at the Wild Area, the slightly awkward atmosphere persisted, and Qiao Ran could only try to divert the other party's attention with words.

"Um..."

The Altaria didn't listen to Qiao Ran's words. Instead, it stepped forward and hugged Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran could feel was Limber touch, like gentle clouds.

Yes, she has always liked this pose; she's always been like this since she was Pokémon.

"..."

In the end, perhaps he was just overthinking things?

The recent events have been far too complicated. Qiao Ran shook his head, realizing that he himself was rather strange.

After a long while, the Altaria finally let go of her hand.

Although Qiao Ran had already told her to go and rest, Altaria still Sheer Force pulled Qiao Ran to sit down on the grass.

"Master, I've been really happy these past few days..."

The Altaria placed its hand on Qiao Ran's hand, looking at the empty sky.

"Unlike other Pokémon, I might not be good at battling... I'm also different from Vulpix and Mimikyu; I can't always stay by my trainer's side and play a role."

"Before, I could only do my best in my flying job, but after Yveltal appeared, it seems like flying no longer needs me... Then... I really don't know what I'm capable of anymore..."

"..." Qiao Ran remained silent.

But how could he, as a Trainer, not know this?

The addition of new, powerful Pokémon will inevitably marginalize some Pokémon. If they were just data, replacing them would be understandable. But in any case, they are living, breathing beings.

"You'll have more opportunities to Sing in the future, not just on live streams, but on even bigger stages... Besides being Pokémon, you can also be on stage like everyone else..."

Qiao Ran shared his vision for the future, the future of the Altaria, which was also the future he longed for. Her qualities were so outstanding, and her singing voice was so beautiful. If possible, he also hoped that more people could be attracted to the Altaria.

"I know."

As Qiao Ran was speaking, the Altaria had already jumped into Qiao Ran's arms.

"At times like this... I can't hold you anymore, Master."

When the two made contact, Qiao Ran felt the other's touch again, and her heartbeat became slightly rapid. In fact, it was the same just now. It seemed that Altaria had not yet come out of her previous state, which was probably the reason for her actions.

Are you still nervous?

"A little..." Altaria nodded.

It would be impossible for her not to be scared. As a Pokémon, she didn't know much about human society to begin with. It was only after she went out with Qiao Ran and the others many times and learned a lot about the human world that she gradually learned everything. But—it was her first time experiencing a live broadcast in front of so many people.

She was indeed a little scared.

Not only was he afraid his performance wouldn't meet others' expectations, but he was also afraid his skills were insufficient, thus tarnishing Qiao Ran's reputation.

After all, she wasn't a Pokémon that was very good at battling. Before she became human and discovered her talent for Sing, she was a complete loser and an underdog Pokémon.

She lacks self-confidence.

However, they didn't show it outwardly.

"If you want to do this more often... I'll try to spend more time with you."

Qiao Ran also sensed her feelings. Through the connection between the Trainer and the Pokémon, the closer the two were, the clearer this feeling became.

The embrace from the Altaria wasn't just for Qiao Ran to rest; it was also the feeling she herself wanted...

"Um..."

Altaria responded almost imperceptibly, a slight smile playing on her lips, a blush spreading across her cheeks, and her arms around Qiao Ran seemed to tighten even more.

Compared to Tokiwa Power, which other Pokémon prefer, she seems to like these other things more.

Thirty or forty minutes after returning from the Wild Area, Qiao Ran reappeared in Lillie Mei's room, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"You... you're a little late coming back?"

Mei raised an eyebrow.

The others all turned to look. Lillie wasn't there; she seemed to have gone to take a shower. Acerola and Mei hadn't returned to their rooms either; they were just scrolling through their phones watching videos, seemingly waiting for Qiao Ran's return.

"I had some things to take care of with Altaria, so it took me a little longer, since it was her first time performing like this."

Qiao Ran didn't explain much. Communication between Trainer and Pokémon is necessary, whether the other party is in its original Pokémon form or in Humanoid Transformation. He should treat them equally and not have any worldly desires.

"But this time..."

"It's only a short time, half an hour, there shouldn't be any problems."

Mei seemed to want to ask something more, but Mei smoothed things over for Qiao Ran, as she was quite certain that half an hour would be no problem.

Furthermore, the most important thing to focus on right now is not Qiao Ran's "lateness," but rather the situation online.

"By the way, Qiao Ran, come over here quickly."

Mei ran excitedly to Qiao Ran and shoved her phone right in his face.

"The video of the song 'Altaria' was only posted half an hour ago, and it's already on the site's trending charts!"

"There are over 100,000 people watching at the same time right now!"

"What?"

Qiao Ran was also startled by this unexpected surprise. She picked up the phone from Mei's hand and saw that, just as she had said, the video that had just been uploaded was flooded with comments, and the number of simultaneous viewers in the lower left corner had reached an absurd number.

Wow, so many people... love the Altaria!

For many, tonight is destined to be an Insomnia, but for Qiao Ran and his group, they must get to sleep early to conserve their energy for tomorrow's battle.

After a brief chat, Qiao Ran and Mei returned to their respective rooms. Lillie, having finished her shower, also came out of the bathroom and changed into her white nightgown.

However, her usual Outfit leans towards white, and even after changing into a dress, it was merely more form-fitting and thinner, without any significant change in appearance. Nevertheless, Qiao Ran couldn't help but look away.

"Good night."

It wasn't because he was shy or anything, but rather because the other person's clothing was rather provocative. To avoid any unpleasant associations, Qiao Ran could only leave quickly.

Things would have been much simpler if Lillie and Mei had shared a room, but when it came time to assign rooms, Mei seemed to have anticipated something and immediately asked to stay with Lillie.

However, this was not unexpected for Qiao Ran. After all, Mei and Lillie had always had a very good relationship. They were already good friends before they met Qiao Ran.

Back in his room, after taking another shower, Qiao Ran calmed down a bit. Lying in bed, he even considered that if all else failed, going to Dianxi and the others might be a solution...

"This is so strange. Am I being made to look strange too?"

Qiao Ran felt that she was not this kind of person before, but sometimes she really couldn't control herself.

Perhaps... the key to all this is that they are indeed that strong.

It might be attractive, though.

"You should get some Rest."

This morning, we purchased supplies and transported them to the Wild Area. In the afternoon, we looked for a hotel and also took the opportunity to visit Galar and introduce Acerola to Marnie and the others. In addition, while purchasing supplies this morning, Qiao Ran also brought Marnie and the others some things they had mentioned might need.

Of course, besides all that, the biggest event today is definitely the live broadcast tonight.

Recalling everything that had happened today, Qiao Ran gradually drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up the next day, it was already a familiar morning.

Everyone went outside to find a place to have breakfast, then returned to their rooms, ready to be transported to the Pokémon World.

However, Qiao Ran wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Lillie and Mei were looking at him much more often, and there was something strange in their eyes. Could these two... be thinking the same thing as him?

However, since they were sharing a room, if they were to sneak out as before, it would definitely alert their other companion. Therefore, sneaking out as before was no longer feasible.

"If you're ready, let's set off together."

"We'll be spending the whole day there, and the next few days will probably be the same. We're going to climb to the top of the mountain in one go... Everyone needs to be prepared. If anyone runs out of energy, or Pokémon can't keep up, we'll come back immediately."

Before they set off, Qiao Ran reiterated the precautions. Although the purpose of reaching the summit was important, it could never compare to their own safety and that of their Pokémon. Therefore, if any danger was detected, his decision was to evacuate immediately.

"Don't try to Facade."

He didn't want to see anyone get hurt, and if anyone were injured, it would also slow down their climb.

"Um."

Everyone nodded seriously and put their hands together.

Let's go!

Passing through the Portal, the first thing they saw was the familiar scenery of Alola, with lush trees and blue skies everywhere, almost identical to what they had seen recently.

However, this petite mountain still towers into the clouds. What used to be a mountain that could only be climbed by car can now only be reached by manpower and Pokémon, which seems somewhat slow.

Of course, flying is also a way to increase efficiency. However, flying in such places basically makes you a target for Ultra Beast. Unlike the vicinity of Aether House and Po Town, the Ultra Beast have settled in these wild areas have not been cleared out, and their numbers are even greater. These Ultra Beast have basically invaded the local Pokémon's ecosystem to gain these territories. Once Qiao Ran and his friends step into them, they will launch a desperate attack as if they were defending their home.

Most importantly, even if they managed to get up there by flying, Qiao Ran wouldn't be able to bring everyone down. Ultimately, they would still have to take the mountain path. So, it would be safer to go up little by little and clear Ultra Beast along the way.

"Whoosh!"

A Kartana attacked from nowhere, but was eventually knocked away by Silvally whose entire body was covered in Fire type energy. In addition to the Kartana, Qiao Ran and the others also encountered several Naganadel gathered together, as well as giant Celesteela, Stakataka, and other Ultra Beast. On this mountain, there was simply nothing that could be more strange than the wild.