Prediction!

"..."

Rotom fell silent for a moment before responding.

"Talking to someone with psychic powers is definitely something Master can't do himself... but come to think of it, there is actually a way, Rotom."

"...!"

Qiao Ran's eyes suddenly widened as he looked at the line appearing on the screen.

This guy... actually had a way?

Qiao Ran hurriedly typed another line. "What way?"

"Actually, most Legendary Pokémon can communicate through telepathy. Dianxi, for example, can do it. But Master's thoughts can usually be transmitted directly into our minds, so Dianxi and the others normally don't use this method to talk."

Qiao Ran stared at the words on the screen and fell into thought.

Qiao Ran: "So you're saying Dianxi can use telepathy?"

"Yes. To some extent, Suicune can too, but Dianxi's stats are higher, and she can Mega Evolve with Master, so her stability is better and she can cover a wider range. It's the same when it comes to humanoid gro—cough cough, Rotom."

"I see... Then it doesn't matter if I can't do it myself..."

Ignoring Rotom's nonsense, Qiao Ran nodded lightly. Iron Maiden's only requirement of him was to establish contact with Eve's older sister. Though he himself lacked so-called psychic powers, he could now use Dianxi as a relay and achieve the effect of transmitting information.

As Qiao Ran and Rotom delved deeper into their conversation, Iron Maiden beside him noticed what he was doing.

"Young people shouldn't always be playing with their phones. It's bad for your eyes, and a Trainer's eyesight is very important."

"Mm... mm."

Qiao Ran answered softly, not taking it to heart. But when he lowered his head again, he discovered that Rotom's face had somehow turned a humanlike shade of red.

Qiao Ran: "Um... what are you doing?"

"Because of what that person just said... Master is playing with a phone, Rotom... So embarrassing, Rotom..."

Looking at the line displayed on the Rotom Phone, Qiao Ran helplessly covered his head.

Playing... playing with a phone??

What was wrong with playing with a phone?!

Qiao Ran: "Forget that. Are you sure Dianxi and the others can do this?"

"Of course, Rotom! Dianxi and the others naturally have this ability, Rotom!"

The Rotom Phone guaranteed it confidently. Although this method of conversation was practically useless to Qiao Ran and the others—by the time they finished talking, they could have communicated mentally already—it could accomplish many things under the current circumstances.

"How are you feeling? Better now? We're about to reach the place they might pass through. We've already located them by satellite. When the time comes, you'll establish contact with them."

Iron Maiden glanced at Qiao Ran beside her and asked with concern.

"Mm, I'm fine now."

Qiao Ran nodded. This time, he was prepared—once he sent Dianxi out, everything would be fine.

Meanwhile.

Inside the transport truck.

This ordinary-looking truck sped along the highway, and no one knew that it was carrying precious ruins data.

At the back of the truck, a brown-haired girl wearing a sunhat, her hair styled like two meatballs, sat in a chair and looked at the woman beside her.

"Dr. Lilia, this expedition went very smoothly."

"Of course. We didn't encounter any poachers causing trouble along the way, so we're already quite fortunate."

The woman called Doctor looked only in her twenties, perhaps close to thirty. She wore a dirt-resistant camouflage uniform and a pair of red women's glasses. Though she was covered in grime, it could not conceal her beauty. Most eye-catching of all was her long golden hair, which looked exactly like Eve's.

"The materials we gathered this time should keep us busy researching for a long time, especially those written records. If we can decipher them, they should be useful for restoring your memories too, right?"

"Mm... mm."

The girl in the sunhat nodded blankly, but an almost imperceptible gloom flashed through her eyes.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, this will always be your home."

Dr. Lilia held the girl's hand, trying to reassure her. She would never forget the moment during that expedition when she found this girl inside a sealed stone chamber within the ruins.

—She had seen the girl staring at everything around her in terror, her young face filled with fear and horror.

Lilia did not know what the girl had experienced, but at that moment, she had felt the urge to protect her.

From then on, Lilia took the girl in and used her connections to obtain a legal identity for her, allowing her to become her assistant.

"Thank you... Dr. Lilia..."

Tears of gratitude shimmered in the girl's large eyes. Though she still had many secrets she could not reveal, being able to meet someone so kind in this unfamiliar world was already her good fortune.

"Don't be so formal. You came from the ruins, and ruins are exactly what I explore. Maybe you're one of my research subjects too."

Lilia smiled and joked with the girl. However, just after she finished speaking, the truck they were riding in suddenly began to sway out of control.

"Doctor! Watch out!"

The girl jumped in fright and instinctively lunged forward, grabbing Lilia just as she was about to be thrown away.

Although both of them reacted immediately, they still ended up tumbling around in a daze.

"What... happened?"

Lilia rubbed her reddened forehead. Listening to the strange sounds coming from outside, she could not help forming some bad suspicions.

"I don't know... I'll go take a look."

The brown-haired girl volunteered to check outside. She was not weak, and she was already strong enough to handle most emergencies.

"No... wait... wait!"

Suddenly, Lilia clutched her head. At that very moment, it was as though a voice had sounded inside her mind.

"...Can you hear me?"

It was a somewhat youthful, somewhat adorable female voice.

"Who are you?" Lilia warily looked around. Only after seeing no one did she realize this was psychic telepathy.

"I'm Alliance reinforcements. You are currently under attack by poachers."

"We can exchange information this way and catch them off guard."

"The Alliance..." Lilia pondered for a moment. As far as she knew, there should not have been any other psychics near Jinling.

Was this person real or fake?

"Wait, what's your name?" Lilia could not help asking.

"My name is..."

The voice hesitated for several seconds before finally answering.

"My name is Qiao Ran."

"I'm an adventurer."

Unova legend.jpg

Section 63: 062 Predicting the Enemy!

Meanwhile, Qiao Ran and Iron Maiden had already hidden in a small patch of grass where no one could see them.

"Have you contacted them yet?"

"Th-this... I'm still trying... She doesn't seem to trust my identity very much."

Qiao Ran relayed the situation. Although he had asked Dianxi to do her best to make the other party believe them, at a time like this, the other party would naturally be suspicious of everything.

"She doesn't trust your identity?" Iron Maiden frowned as well, but she immediately came up with a response.

"Tell her, 'Your best friend is here too. She says you liked wearing red underwear during Lunar New Year.'"

Iron Maiden delivered a bombshell almost without hesitation, leaving Qiao Ran utterly stunned.

"Th-this..."

"Just repeat my exact words. We were roommates back then. Only I know about something like that."

"Okay... then."

Qiao Ran really wanted to complain that now he knew too, but time was of the essence, so he gave up on the suicidal urge to tease her.

After conveying his meaning to Dianxi beside him, Qiao Ran let Dianxi handle the rest. There definitely would not be a problem leaving such a trivial matter to Dianxi. As a princess, perhaps she was even better at communicating than he was.

Meanwhile, inside the truck.

"Wait, Mei. Let's stay inside for now. Don't go out yet."

Dr. Lilia clutched her head. Just now—the voice in her head had revealed a fact that made her whole body tremble.

Thus, even she had no choice but to believe it.

"Okay... Dr. Lilia."

Seeing Lilia's serious expression, the girl named Mei ultimately held back her questions and chose to trust the woman before her.

Dr. Lilia nodded and pulled a communicator from her pocket. This was an internal communication device for their expedition team. Their group consisted of several trucks, and they could only contact one another this way.

"What happened?"

"Beep—Pokémon... suddenly appeared in the middle of the road... We changed direction and slowed down, but... it looks like a lot of people are chasing us from behind! There are motorcycles and cars!"

"..."

Lilia's expression darkened. First, they used Pokémon to slow the convoy, then they sent people to chase from behind. As expected... it was those people's usual trick.

"Don't panic! From now on, everyone follows my commands. Keep driving forward! Shake them off!"

As Lilia spoke, she opened her laptop, a sharp glint reflecting off her glasses.

"Yes! Dr. Lilia."

Everyone in this team basically regarded Lilia as their leader. The moment they heard her voice, they decisively followed her instructions.

"The direction we're heading next is..."

Lilia pointed at the screen, while conversing with another voice in her mind. No one knew what exactly they discussed. So-called psychic powers... were far more secure than communication devices that could be wiretapped.

—"Lead those poachers to where we're lying in wait. When the time comes, we'll catch them all in one sweep."

"Dr. Lilia..."

Mei looked at Lilia with concern. She had not been in this world for long, but she did not want the woman before her to suffer any harm.

She would do everything she could to protect this person.

The poachers closed in extremely quickly. It did not take much time before they caught up with the expedition team's convoy.

"..."

Several motorcycles overtook the convoy and released the Pokémon from their Poké Balls.

In an instant, four or five Tyranitar appeared on the ground, using their hands and bodies to try to stop the trucks racing forward at full speed.

"Roar roar roar roar roar!!"

The Tyranitar let out pained roars, and a faint smell of blood spread through the air. Yet through their efforts, the trucks actually began to slow down.

In the end, the entire convoy was forcibly brought to a stop.

"..."

The motorcyclists exchanged signals, and their formation changed again. Not only that, they had the Tyranitar smash the trucks' tires. Just as they began changing positions and preparing to form an encirclement—

A violent blizzard and a swirling pink storm suddenly struck, directly knocking several of the motorcycle riders at the front to the ground.

"Attack! We're under attack!"