Chapter 325

However, even after encountering so many Ultra Beasts, Qiao Ran and his group only encountered the same Guzzlord they had met before, and no matter Ultra Beast they captured, it wouldn't help Qiao Ran's mission of "capturing Fairy Type Pokémon".

Qiao Ran could only fight Ultra Beast while searching for other hidden Pokémon that could help him complete this task that had been stuck for who knows how long.

The day passed quickly, and as darkness fell, everyone's energy was almost completely Qiqi.

"So tired..."

Not only the relatively delicate Lillie, but even resilient Trainer like Mei and Mei began to sigh in admiration.

Let's call it a day and go back to rest.

"Mmm." Hearing Qiao Ran's voice, everyone nodded frantically, and the Pokémon also breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to return to the Wild Area to relax.

With everyone's unanimous agreement, Qiao Ran opened the Portal back to the Real World.

Sometimes, balancing work and rest is also very important.

There will probably be many more days like this.

Mount Hokulani is the second highest mountain in Alola and is also known as the "best mountain for observing the universe".

However, at this moment, this mountain peak became the strongest obstacle for Qiao Ran and his group.

"Mei, you must have been here when you participated in the Island Challenge, right? You should have been here back then..."

During a break in the climb, Acerola also asked about the beauty.

This happened a month ago.

Participating in the Island Challenge is an essential part of every Alola Trainer's journey, and Mount Hokulani is one of the most important nodes along the way. This is because, on this Ula'ula Island, besides Acerola, there is another person who holds the Captain, and that person is none other than the director of the Hokulani Observatory at the Mount Hokulani of Mt. Hilclani.

"Back then, of course I took a car up there."

Mei rolled her eyes, but quickly looked around warily again. Chatting was fine, but vigilance was still essential. They didn't possess Qiao Ran's unique Aura Power, and even if Qiao Ran had that amazing ability, he might have oversights after prolonged surveillance.

If we were to be ambushed by Ultra Beast at that time, that would be a real problem.

Unlike Pokémon, these Ultra Beasts have very "abnormal" individual abilities. Many are high speed, high attack, and low defense. Such base stats may not be very effective in the Battlefield, but they can be extremely effective for surprise attacks in the wild.

In short, these Ultra Beasts are all masters of one-shot attacks, and if they fail to withstand this attack, Qiao Ran and the others will lose their chance to counterattack, since many Ultra Beast's attacks are aimed at the Trainer.

Living in Otherworld, they don't understand the concept of martial virtues like humans do.

Fighting, climbing mountains, returning to the Real World to rest Rest.

These past few days have basically been a repetitive cycle between three points. Although many emergencies occurred along the way, we overcame them thanks to everyone's efforts.

However, for Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei, the evening time became a very difficult period to manage. Qiao Ran could still go to Dianxi and the others, but Lillie and Mei obviously couldn't put aside their pride and directly corner Qiao Ran in the bathroom.

Sneaking out at night... that's just too difficult.

If they were captured by Mei or Acerola, wouldn't they suffer social death on the spot?

Time passed, and after about six or seven days, the group finally arrived at the area near the mountaintop.

Along the way, in addition to capturing a bunch of Ultra Beast and throwing them into the Wild Area, Qiao Ran also caught quite a few hidden Pokémon, including a certain Pokémon unique to Mount Hokulani — Minior.

This Pokémon has a star-like shape and can Levitate in the air. Sometimes it has a gray shell, but as the shell breaks, a radiant core is revealed. This Pokémon comes from the stratosphere and is a very magical Pokémon.

In addition, Qiao Ran and his group also encountered many Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable hiding. It was with the help of these Pokémon that Qiao Ran finally reached the goal of collecting 100 Fairy Type Pokémon and completed the final task. However, he was not in a hurry to draw the next Pokémon. After all, things here were not yet finished. If he got a new Pokémon, he probably wouldn't be able to take care of it.

It's better to wait a little while.

As for Lillie, she fell in love with Clefairy from the moment she first saw them on Mount Hokulani, and even found a Clefairy with whom she had a great rapport, making it her Pokémon.

Since her last Gym Battle, Lillie has reflected on her team. She definitely needs to increase the number of Pokémon in her team. Not counting the Rest Nebby, she only has three Pokémon, which is probably not even enough to qualify her for some of the bigger Competition.

Of course, Lillie, like Pokémon Mei. Pokémon matters is mutual trust and personal preference. After all, in Mei real world, base stats are just a reference at best.

Qiao Ran completed the mission, Lillie Harvest a new Pokémon, and they also reached the summit.

Everything was moving in a better direction, but as they got closer to the Observatory on the mountaintop, their anxiety grew.

This is the base used by the Alola Region to observe the universe. Not only that, it must also collect various information from the sky, such as intelligence sent back by satellites. In the Pokémon World, humanity is actually making step-by-step progress towards the universe, and the Hoenn Region is actually at the forefront.

What do you think we might find?

"I don't know... how are we supposed to answer a question like that?"

Hearing Qiao Ran's question, the girls couldn't help but shake their heads. They guessed that these questions were beyond their comprehension. Moreover, instead of thinking about these things, they should consider how to deal with the Ultra Beast charging towards them.

"Watch out! There's a Blacephalon ten meters to your right, and a Buzzwole seventeen meters at a thirty-degree angle to your left rear!"

Qiao Ran directly stated the location of the Ultra Beast, but in fact, he could have achieved a similar effect without saying it. After these few days of battle, everyone's level of teamwork had reached an incredibly high level. They were no longer just working together as one—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they had become one.

Of course, besides the connection between Qiao Ran and the girl, there will still be communication channels between them and their respective Pokémon.

The possibility of accuracy exists, however, as they reach extremely high levels, the likelihood of these possibilities gradually decreases.

"Leaf Storm!"

"Shadow Ball!"

"Spirit Shackle!"

"Venoshock!"

Several attacks were launched in an instant towards the location where the Ultra Beast were charging, and Qiao Ran's Pokémon immediately followed up, delivering the final blow.

The battle strategy will change accordingly to exploit the weaknesses of these Ultra Beasts. Some Ultra Beast have weak defenses, while others have weak special defenses. They all have their own shortcomings.

It's fair to say that after this period of fighting, everyone has mastered this system to the core; calling them Ultra Beast experts wouldn't be an exaggeration.

This is probably the first time, after so many events, that someone has climbed to the top of this mountain.

After a battle to clear out the surrounding Ultra Beast, Qiao Ran and the others quickly approached the building in the center of the mountaintop, hoping to uncover its secrets.

From a distance, it was just a rather tall house, which seemed out of place in the desolate natural environment. However, the radar receiver and telescope on the top of the building still highlighted its special nature. Moreover, due to the lack of cleaning and maintenance for a long time, a lot of weeds had grown around the building.

--Hokulani Observatory, the largest astronomical observation building in Alola, and one of the few places in the underdeveloped Alola Region with advanced technology.

The gate to this building is as tall as several people; normally, even trucks transporting supplies could probably drive right in.

"But... how do we get in?"

Qiao Ran looked at the girls crouching behind him; they too looked thoughtful and gazed in Qiao Ran's direction.

"Should we knock on the door?"

Hmm... Shall we give it a try?

Lillie nodded somewhat uncertainly. She didn't know how to handle the situation either; she couldn't just greet her as usual, could she?

"If all else fails, we'll just—" Mei made a banging motion against the wall, clearly prepared for a demolition assault. Most importantly, judging from the building's exterior and surrounding environment, the situation inside might not be so optimistic.

"Let me check the situation first."

As Qiao Ran spoke, he approached the door and released his Aura Power. After sensing the situation briefly, he waved to the girls behind him, signaling them to come over first.

"It's quite empty inside... a bit cluttered, but I didn't sense any life force."

"That's pretty much safe?"

Acerola asked a question, and Qiao Ran nodded.

"You could say that for now, but..."

Qiao Ran reached out and touched the massive door in front of him. To everyone's surprise, the door creaked open with a click as he did so.

Or rather, this thing was never turned off in the first place.

Who do you think opened this?

Qiao Ran's question caused everyone's expression to change, and their hearts sank to the bottom.

It's highly unlikely that anyone would willingly open the door to a room; the danger of such an action is far too high. Even the original Aether House always kept its doors tightly shut, and Acerola, as its administrator, would regularly patrol the area to ensure nothing went wrong.

Not only her, but Uncle Modan also acts as a vigilant observer of the surroundings, though most of the time it's at night or when others are still resting.

--This situation is simply impossible in the Aether House.

"Let's go in and take a look. Everyone, be careful."

"Um."

The group put away their playful mood and became serious. They followed behind Qiao Ran, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Qiao Ran recalled the larger Pokémon back into their Poké Ball, while Vulpix and Mimikyu climbed onto Qiao Ran 'Qiao Ran shoulders in perfect unison, ready to protect him.

The other girls were the same; they all carried at least one small Pokémon with them. When they were Trainer, they probably never imagined that small Pokémon be used in this way.

"..."

The indoor environment is completely different from the outdoor environment. Perhaps because of the lack of sunlight, the dilapidated surroundings give one a sense of unease just by looking at them.

Moreover, due to the presence of Ultra Beast, the electrical network connecting this place to the outside world seems to have been cut off, but Qiao Ran is not sure if there are any backup power generation facilities here.

Just like the Aether House, even in this situation, there are alternative energy sources available—of course, this is thanks to the technological strength of the Aether Foundation. Judging from the "ecological Artificial Island" they have built, the Aether Foundation may have been focusing on this aspect from the very beginning.

"Sh--"

Suddenly, Qiao Ran, who was walking in front, stopped and reached out to stop Mei was standing next to him.

"Wait, something's not right."

"?"

Several girls cast questioning glances at them.

Something's not right...?

There doesn't seem to be anything here.

"Wait a moment."

Qiao Ran didn't answer directly. Instead, he took out an empty Poké Ball from his waist, pressed the switch on the ball, and Poké Ball quickly began to grow larger, reaching a size that couldn't be fully held in one hand.

"..."

Qiao Ran moved slightly closer to the center of the passage, aimed in a certain direction, and then threw the Poké Ball in his hand.

Qiao Ran's expression looked very serious, but probably no one understood what he was doing.

Until—the red and white ball traced a parabola through the air and fell close to the ground—

"Snap!"

It was as if I could sense the ball's presence.

In an instant, the walls surrounding the passage ahead began to deform, and several upright pillars emerged from the cracks in the walls, with blinding electric light flashing at the top of the pillars.

"What?"

Both the girls and the Pokémon were startled by the sudden sight; the once quiet room had instantly transformed into something else entirely.

"Crack!"

Several pillars trapped the Poké Ball in a small space. Golden lightning crackled wildly around it, like a giant Electroweb, as if trying to prevent Poké Ball from escaping.

"What... is this...?"

Mei couldn't help but swallow hard. If they accidentally went forward, wouldn't they be subjected to the same thing?

And judging from this situation... who knows if there will be anything similar later!

"Don't rush, I have a feeling someone will be here soon."

Qiao Ran closed her eyes and felt it for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Aura Power is indeed a very convenient ability, especially in indoor areas where sight is completely blocked by walls.

Compared to an unobstructed Aura, what a person sees indoors is basically no different from what a blind person sees.

Qiao Ran's confident statement was based on his own reasoning.

These devices in front of them were clearly not something that Ultra Beast could create; most importantly, they used electricity as their energy source.

--This is an energy source they haven't seen since they entered the building.

Moreover, as time passed, Qiao Ran also sensed some movement in the distance.

What do we do now?

Mei looked at Qiao Ran beside her and asked for his opinion. Although the electric cages in front of them looked terrifying, that was only relative to the inside of the cages. From the outside, they could completely destroy the devices that emitted the electric light, thus eliminating the threat completely.