Chapter 344

Everything we have now is just a new bud on this branch.

When the time had passed, Qiao Ran stared wide-eyed, not knowing how much time had gone by. He suddenly realized that he had found himself in an ancient Altar, surrounded by yellow Plate engraved with strange patterns. Most amazingly, he was still in the strange posture of holding the Ninetales.

Surrounding him were several familiar figures, looking exactly the same as before, only their faces were full of shock and confusion as they stared at Qiao Ran and Ninetales on the ground with astonished expressions.

Wait... something's not right, what exactly happened??

Why did Qiao Ran immediately change into a strange posture the moment he stepped into this Altar... and what about this white fox...?

Where did this huge fox come from???

"This is..."

Suddenly found himself surrounded and fawned over by everyone, Qiao Ran was caught off guard. His gaze swept across each person's face, his expression somewhat bewildered.

Wait, you guys didn't...

Is something wrong? A lot just happened...

"... wrong."

He suddenly seemed to remember something and exchanged a glance with the Ninetales he was holding.

"Does that mean that all those things happened only between the two of us?"

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, and the "strange substance" that had completely disappeared, Qiao Ran became even more certain of this.

The interior of the Ruins of Abundance was no longer in its previous chaotic state. It looked like an ordinary historical Ruins. However, Qiao Ran still remembered how they had entered the site step by step and how difficult it had been.

Back then, this place was definitely not like it is now.

Besides, everything inside the Altar was quite familiar to Qiao Ran. This familiarity did not mean that he had been here before, but rather that the "Floating Island" that Qiao Ran had stepped on during the previous battle were undoubtedly part of this Ruins.

The wall over there, the ground over there, the Altar over there...

Qiao Ran still remembers what those things look like. In order to observe the terrain of the battlefield, he even memorized these things carefully.

"Don't you guys find anything strange?"

Qiao Ran released the Ninetales- Tailed Fox from his arms, dusted himself off, and stood up.

"Strangeness...?"

"It seems so..."

Upon hearing Qiao Ran's voice, the girls were startled. They exchanged glances, then circled the Altar several times, observing the surroundings but finding nothing unusual.

They then realized that this was the most unusual thing.

... After entering this Altar, they seemed to have indeed forgotten something...

The strangest thing isn't Qiao Ran.

The strangest thing is that they themselves are the ones who are most suspicious.

"When we first arrived... this place was full of those strange substances..." Lillie looked around and shrank back.

"And that sense of chaos is completely gone now!" Mei chimed in, frowning.

"The strangest thing is... there's nothing around, and there aren't any other Pokémon in the Altar."

Mei had the same feeling. "Are we being controlled by Psychic?"

"No, my Ghost Pokémon didn't sense anything... The power here must be far greater than Psychic..."

Acerola shook her head. She didn't think ordinary Psychic could achieve this. To control so many of them and their Pokémon at once, could the opponent be some legendary Psychic Pokémon?

What could have accomplished all this must be an even more terrifying force.

Qiao Ran saw that they had finally come to their senses and shrugged helplessly. It seemed that he wasn't the only one experiencing strange things; all sorts of strange things were happening to other people as well.

However, his battle with the Ninetales in that strange space was clearly more bizarre.

"Alright, alright, stop talking and listen to me first."

Qiao Ran gestured for everyone to focus their attention on him, but just as he was halfway through his sentence, he suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly changed his mind.

"No, wait a minute, I'll find Pokémon first."

Qiao Ran took out a Poké Ball and released the Pokémon inside.

The familiar red and white figure swayed and floated in the air, as if it had been drinking fake alcohol.

"Rotom, you..."

Qiao Ran wanted to ask Rotom about what had happened before, but--

"Upgrading... System upgrade in progress, Rotom..."

Qiao Ran was about to ask about her condition when a series of electronic voices suddenly came out of her mouth, as if she had not recovered at all.

"This..."

Qiao Ran grabbed her and looked at the screen, which also displayed a large "Under Maintenance" message. It seemed that there wouldn't be any major response for a while.

"What exactly happened?"

"Yes, yes, tell us quickly!"

The other girls, suddenly intrigued, couldn't help but gather around, eager to hear what Qiao Ran had to say.

"And that one over there... is that... the Ninetales?"

"Could it be...?"

Although it's a bit strange, after calming down and thinking about it, there's probably only one possibility for the Ninetales to be so close to Qiao Ran, right?

What on earth happened??

Why did it change like this in an instant?!

"Yes, that's right."

Qiao Ran released Rotom's hand, walked to Ninetales' side, and patted her head.

"How are you feeling now? Can you still Humanoid Transformation?"

Qiao Ran inquired about Ninetales' physical condition. Besides the girls who were Trainer, the other Pokémon were also observing the situation, especially Dianxi, who was floating nearby. She seemed to want to go forward but also hesitated.

Unlike humans, as Pokémon, they are undoubtedly more sensitive to the changes and the sense of "familiarity" they experience.

This Ninetales was their partner who spent every day with them; it was the Venonat from back then.

"Aww..."

Ninetales- Tails nodded, and after everyone confirmed that the surroundings were temporarily safe, she relaxed a little.

The previous battle had exhausted most of her physical strength and energy. When she relaxed, she couldn't help but lie down on the ground, her limp body like a large patch of snow.

--Although I no longer have much power in my body, I should still be able to take on Humanoid Transformation.

"If you can, then transform into human form first, and we can talk about what happened before."

Everything that happened in that strange world was an experience shared by him and Ninetales Fox. Although Ninetales's current state confirmed the reality of that world, just to be on the safe side, Qiao Ran still wanted to check their memories to see if there were any strange discrepancies.

As for seeing what the Ninetales looks like in Humanoid Transformation... cough cough.

Qiao Ran swore that this was absolutely not his intention.

He just wanted Ninetales to be able to communicate better with everyone.

"..."

Ninetales didn't doubt Qiao Ran's words at all. After nodding slightly, she gathered that familiar power as usual.

In the dim light, a figure, both strange and familiar, gradually emerged...

Even if evolved Pokémon differ in Humanoid Transformation, they will still retain similarities to their original forms.

--This is well illustrated by Dianxi. Although Mega Evolution cannot be considered a normal evolution, there are still some similarities between them.

Just like the Ninetales right now.

"This... this..."

"Six... Vulpix?"

Where the Ninetales Fox had been lying, the large white fox had vanished, replaced by a girl dressed in a simple white dress, slender and tall with enviable curves, dressed entirely in blue and white, like a girl straight out of Mew... No, that's not quite right, calling her a girl doesn't seem quite right either. Although she doesn't give the impression of being a recognized older sister like Suicune, her inner and outer gentleness is clearly not something a girl could possess.

Moreover, her long, light blue hair with slightly curled ends gave her an unusual sense of holiness, like a pristine saint. Coupled with her blue eyes with long eyelashes, even though she was currently looking dazed and confused, completely unaware of what was happening or why everyone was staring at her as if she had seen a ghost, none of this diminished her unique aura.

--Alolan Ninetales is a very special Pokémon, in addition to its inherent fox-like allure, also possesses a unique sense of holiness.

After Humanoid Transformation, this characteristic was even more fully manifested by Ninetales.

"Ah..."

Suddenly, as if it had lost control of its Humanoid Transformation power, the Ninetales was startled and cried out in surprise.

Two long white ears uncontrollably sprouted on her head, and nine large tails emerged from behind her.

"Waaah..."

Ninetales- Tails blushed slightly and tried to tuck her tail back in, but her tired body made it difficult to control her power, and the unfamiliarity brought about by her sudden evolution left her somewhat at a loss.

"Wow... that's amazing..."

The female Trainer stared wide-eyed, expressing their astonishment; after transforming into this form... she seemed even more... even more beautiful...

"..."

Qiao Ran was also slightly amazed by the appearance of the Ninetales. Although he had prepared himself mentally, he really did not expect that the Ninetales would change so much as she grew up.

Although she still retains some of her former cuteness in appearance, and those who know her can immediately tell that she's grown up, her temperament is completely different from her previous cuteness!

Moreover, judging from the Ninetales' appearance, her personality probably hasn't changed much from before; she's still a bit clumsy. Coupled with her holy and alluring appearance... it really creates a rather unique contrast.

Although my body has grown up, my inner self hasn't grown at all...

"..."

On the other side, seeing Ninetales Humanoid Transformation, Dianxi also quietly landed on the ground and transformed into Humanoid Transformation. She looked at the evolved Ninetales, then at herself, and finally couldn't help but sigh.

"Why..."

The changes are huge...

While it's not quite as extreme as Suicune or Mei, this is already at a very normal level...

Compared to its predecessor, who couldn't even turn the tide after Mega Evolution, Ninetales already had a head start.

"Master... Master, it... it can't be taken back..."

After struggling for a long time, the Ninetales, unable to retract its tail, pitifully turned to Qiao Ran for help. However, seeing her expression, Qiao Ran could only awkwardly look away.

"Well... things are fine now."

At this moment, Ninetales was clearly completely Frisk of just how destructive her current form was. The cute Kurama of the past was a completely different person compared to her current appearance.

Most people probably couldn't withstand it.

"Anyway, let's hurry up and get to the point. Let's just briefly talk about what happened before."

To avoid revealing her awkwardness, Qiao Ran quickly changed the subject.

This became a topic of discussion.

Moreover, he genuinely felt that lingering here was not a good idea. This place didn't seem like a safe area for conversation, and if he continued to dawdle, who knew what unexpected things might happen?

After briefly explaining the situation and carefully examining their own circumstances, they were able to wrap up their work.

As for what happens next... we can deal with it after Rotom finishes the upgrade.

"Um."

Seeing Qiao Ran's expression, Ninetales nodded seriously.

As Qiao Ran's Pokémon, she naturally understood her master's meaning. In fact, she had similar thoughts. The sense of urgency from the previous battle was still lingering in her body, which was probably why she couldn't retract her tail.

"So, you went to a Torn World and Defeat Tapu Bulu there?"

After listening to Qiao Ran and Ninetales's brief account bit by bit, the first person to ask a question with a look of surprise was actually Acerola, who had previously appeared the most composed.