Chapter 354

Qiao Ran also recounted what she and Cynthia had said along the way. In fact, they had discussed this matter privately many times in the past few days, and their attitude was not much different from Qiao Ran's —they did not object to Cynthia joining their team, and would even be very happy, but the only thing was that it was too unsettling.

Whether it's the other party's strength or status, it will give people this feeling.

After all, no matter what, none of the people who joined them before—whether it was Lillie, Mei, Mei, or even Acerola —were so strong that none of them were incomparable to the others. Furthermore, they were all around the same age, so there wasn't a significant difference in their abilities.

But Cynthia are different.

In any case, she is a very special person.

--If they insist on joining, the adjustment period might take quite a while.

So, that night, everyone talked for a long time, openly discussing their thoughts, current situation, and even future goals. Although everyone had different backgrounds, they were able to understand each other's reasons for working so hard after Cynthia's explanation.

"The Pokémon World is a

It's a very special world... I don't want to see it disappear like this, and I don't want to see other people or Pokémon still struggling."

"I just want to stop all of this. If I just stand by and watch, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

If she wanted, she could live a life of comfort and ease in the Real World. As long as she proved her Champion- level strength, with her age and qualifications, becoming a superior person would be no problem at all. However, this was not what she expected. When she became the Sinnoh Champion, she already understood that those things were no longer what she was pursuing.

She derives more from publishing research papers than from fame, fortune, or even exploring Ruins.

"..."

"... Me too."

After listening to Cynthia's speech, the other girls also clenched their hands.

Their thoughts were not much different from Cynthia's.

Whether it was Mei, who met Qiao Ran first, or Acerola, who joined last, they all had a strong desire to change or even save the Pokémon World.

Even Lillie, who had nothing before, strengthened her resolve after seeing the changes in her mother and Older Brother.

"I'm going to change all of this, no matter why... The Pokémon World will definitely get better."

"... Hmm." Qiao Ran, who was standing to the side, also nodded.

Seeing their reactions, he wasn't really surprised. However, on the way to the Inn, Cynthia had expressed her concerns to him, but now it seemed that she had been worrying too much.

Isn't the reason they've been able to fight all this way all along because of this same goal?

"Alright."

Qiao Ran checked the time; it was almost time to end the conversation. He then turned his gaze toward Cynthia.

"That's settled then. We'll continue tomorrow. You just arrived today and don't seem to be feeling well, so don't push yourself."

"Um... thank you everyone."

Before the evening ended, the Sinnoh Champion nodded sincerely to everyone and gently expressed his gratitude.

She couldn't bring herself to say shameful slogans like "I want to save the Pokémon World" or "Come save the world with me!" She could only express her thoughts in very clumsy language. Before setting off, she had even prepared for the worst, that she would make a deal with Qiao Ran and then face the consequences alone. However, now that she was sitting in this room and seeing a group of people who shared the same thoughts as her, she was quite moved.

"Everyone should get some rest too."

A smile appeared on her face, and surprisingly, she was actually looking forward to tomorrow.

This is probably the first time she's ever joined a group, even though she usually just sits back and does nothing in the Sinnoh Region Pokémon League.

Tonight is a wonderful night without the threat of Nihilego, but even without Nihilego's threat, there will still be other troubles—as compensation for yesterday's failed sneak attack, Lillie and Mei still sneaked out in the middle of the night, wanting to find an opportunity to ask Mei about the situation in detail.

During the day, they didn't get a chance to ask questions, or even have a moment to do so.

They spent most of the day dealing with Anabel and Cynthia, and as for yesterday... they were planning to ask Qiao Ran about it in detail tonight, so they basically spent the day playing around. But by evening, Qiao Ran had vanished without a trace. Lillie and Mei were also very frustrated; what on earth has been going on these past few days?

"Wait a minute, you guys keep sneaking out like this every day... Aren't you afraid of getting caught by Mei and the others?"

However, upon seeing the two people who entered his room, Qiao Ran couldn't help but roll his eyes. Acerola was fine, she went to Rest and woke up on time, and was clearly still growing. But as for Mei... ever since the last time, Qiao Ran had already learned from her that this girl had been pretending to be asleep.

Will it be like this tonight too?

"Mei... she looks like she's asleep?" Lillie said, noting that Mei looked the same when she sneaked out before, and there was no difference from before.

So there shouldn't be any problems, right?

Qiao Ran's lips twitched, and for a moment he didn't know what to say, "..."

The relationships between these people seem to be even more complicated than those in his own situation...

Soon, the next day arrived, and thankfully, nothing unusual had happened the previous night.

At the dinner table the next day, Anabel, who had been somewhat out of control, gradually recovered after a night's rest. She had basically understood the current situation and was trying to accept it. After all, she was a Frontier Brain and International Police, so she had the mental fortitude to handle it.

However, she still feels doubt and Rage about what she has experienced. It is definitely not something she wanted to see—ten years of her life taken away for no reason and completely disconnected from her previous life.

"Next... I'd like to think of one."

Quietly, thank you all for helping me so much... but right now, I also want to think about things on my own for a bit."

After breakfast, Anabel didn't stay there for long. Her memories of the Real World hadn't been erased, so her mind was still quite chaotic.

"Yes, please feel free to contact us if needed."

"Okay... I'll bother you again later, thank you, thank you so much..."

Anabel bowed politely to everyone, then left somewhat forlornly.

Qiao Ran and the others could understand her thoughts. After all, these things were only related to herself, whether it was her memories or anything else... No one could help her with these things, and she would probably have to slowly get to know everything around her and gradually accept them.

"We'll be heading to the Alola Region and Unova Region next. If there's anything you'd like to know, we can help."

Watching her retreating figure, Qiao Ran added another sentence.

Regardless, Qiao Ran hoped to maintain a friendly relationship with the other party. As for directly bringing the other party over—that could be done gradually.

If you're in a hurry now, you'll miss out on the best opportunities.

After Anabel left, only Qiao Ran and the others remained. The most important thing now was to prepare for Cynthia's transformation and discuss the next steps.

"I plan to take advantage of these next few days to go to Yangcheng first. Staying in one city for too long will probably get us checked Trainer the Pokémon League."

"Furthermore, the World Pokémon League tournament is starting in a few months, and I don't want to give up collecting the remaining Badge."

Qiao Ran shared her thoughts.

After her transformation, Cynthia certainly won't be able to rush to the Unova Region immediately. Although Cynthia is eager to cause trouble in the Pokémon World, she needs a period of time to adapt, both physically and otherwise.

Furthermore, her teamwork with Qiao Ran and the others needs to be refined, which requires a significant amount of time to train and fight together.

"... Then we'll take care of things in the Alola Region. Cynthia can also battle with us during this time to get used to the pace. If all goes well, we'll be able to prepare to head to the Unova Region soon."

"It might be a little slow... but... okay."

Although Cynthia felt that this might be a bit of a drag, after Qiao Ran's description of the dangers in the Unova Region, she finally agreed to the proposal.

She was eager to save the Pokémon World, but that didn't mean she had completely lost her mind. She understood that after undergoing those special transformations, she would need time to adapt, and—she would need some time to adjust to her new teammates.

"Don't worry, it won't take long. If we all work quickly, we should be able to set off in a few days."

Qiao Ran didn't plan to drag things out. The Pokémon World was already in this state, and they couldn't afford to be slow any longer. However, the Alola Altar of the Moone was a place he had always wanted to visit, but couldn't go there at the moment. If they could awaken the sleeping Nebby there, their team's strength would definitely improve even further.

That way, when we go to the Unova Region, we'll have an extra layer of insurance.

And most importantly, Qiao Ran hadn't seen that little guy for a long time.

With plans for the future finalized, today's arrangements were also roughly set: first, help Cynthia transform, and then everyone would head to Yangcheng. To save time, everyone opted for the fastest mode of transport, the airplane, instead of the traditional bicycles used by Pokémon Trainer.

This is certainly not Qiao Ran forgetting his roots, but considering the size of China, if we really used bicycles with those short legs, even ants would probably take ten years to finish one Pokémon League tournament.

Are you ready?

"Um."

In Cynthia's room, everyone gathered, and Cynthia, who was in the center, was wearing a thin nightgown and ready for what was to come.

"While most people won't have any problems, please let us know immediately if you feel unwell. After all, no matter how much the Nihilego try to control themselves, they still carry neurotoxins."

The reason Lusamine didn't wake up for so long in the Aether Foundation was because she had been parasitized for too long, causing the toxins in her body to accumulate. Even among all Pokémon, Nihilego's toxins are quite terrifying.

Therefore, every time he carried out such an operation, Qiao Ran had to have a detailed conversation with their queen, asking her to provide psychological counseling to her subordinates. After all, he understood that these Nihilego were lawless beings. They might be more obedient in front of him, but they never treated these unrelated humans well.

If even a minor problem arises along the way... then it's probably useless to ask anyone for help.

"Don't worry, leave it to me. After all, I was really satisfied last time."

Levitate in mid-air, Nihilego patted his tiny chest, indicating that it was just a minor problem, while the prepared Cynthia...

He smacked his eyes, staring at the fantastical scene before him.

Although her best friend Caitlin could also Levitate, the person in front of her... didn't look like a Psychic at all.

"She is Nihilego, and the one who will perform the transformation for you later is one of her kind. With her watching over you, there shouldn't be any problems."

Since Cynthia was already prepared to join them, Qiao Ran took the opportunity to introduce Nihilego's identity. Since they would have to get to know everyone one by one later, it was better to introduce them now.

"This... is Nihilego??"

Cynthia stood frozen in place.

Qiao Ran's single sentence completely overturned her firmly held worldview, which she had built up over the past twenty years.

--It was understandable that Latias turned into a human yesterday, as that was indeed Latias's ability, but what about today...?

Why is even Nihilego turning into a human form??

Pokémon becoming humans—even in the Pokémon World, this is an impossible fantasy.

Although ancient records mention Pokémon transforming into humans and living alongside them, this was merely an excuse for some kind of special relationship. Historians from the Sinnoh Region and Unova Region have determined that the legend of Pokémon becoming humans is simply nonsense, at best a secularized excuse for a "special relationship." However, the offspring of humans and Pokémon do exist within this context.

Similar folk tales are recorded in the Canalave Library in the Sinnoh Region.

Pokémon live in the Forest

Pokémon shed their skin in the Forest

Turn back into a human and go to sleep

Then it will put on Pokémon skin.

Arriving in the village

Humans and Pokémon getting married

Pokémon marrying humans

In the past, humans and Pokémon were the same.

Therefore, this is just a normal thing.

This part of history is not within Cynthia's research scope; she only consulted similar documents during her breaks. The origin of the Egg Group -type Humanoid Group seems to be related to this vague history. In that era, when the boundary between humans and Pokémon was not very clear, similar situations did occur in some regions.

However, there is only one thing—it's absolutely impossible for Pokémon to become human.

Even in Legendary Pokémon, that's only the privilege of certain special individuals, such as Latios and Latias.

"This is truly... amazing."

After a long pause, Cynthia finally managed to utter this comment: Pokémon Humanoid Transformation, appearing right in front of her without any ripples at all. If this were in the Pokémon World, she could probably write countless papers just about this one question and become a supreme authority in the scientific community.

After all, this is absolutely groundbreaking news that could shake the world.

However—judging from the expressions of the people in front of them, whether it was Qiao Ran, Lillie, or Mei, they all seemed to be used to this. Is this how you usually are?

"I'll introduce you to them one by one when I have the chance later. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. If you get to know them well, you can ask them anything you want."

Once Cynthia joined them, there would be opportunities to train together in the Wild Area every day, so this kind of thing naturally didn't seem like a big deal.

"Is that so...?"

Although it goes against all logic for Pokémon to become human, Cynthia surprisingly accepted this premise very quickly in this absurd situation.

Moreover, it was time for her to undergo "transformation," leaving her no time to think about it anymore.

These are obstacles she must overcome in order to achieve her goals.

"Cynthia?"