Chapter 355

When Cynthia regained consciousness, it was already evening.

She herself didn't know what was happening along the way, but she and Nihilego weren't very compatible, so some minor accidents occurred.

Are you alright?

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Qiao Ran standing guard by her bedside.

"It's nothing... just a little tired. Is it because of that neurotoxin?...?"

A somewhat helpless smile appeared on Cynthia's face. She tried to move her body, but she seemed to lack the strength. Perhaps this was a lingering effect from that time.

"Just get some rest today. Nihilego has checked you out, and there isn't much toxin left, so it probably won't have a big impact. It's just that your body is reacting quite strongly to these things, so you really need to rest."

Qiao Ran hadn't expected that Cynthia's reaction would be the most intense among everyone present, while among Lillie, Mei Mei, and the others, Mei's reaction seemed to be the mildest, almost as if she could run away as soon as it was over.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Cynthia had no complaints about this; the most crucial thing was that she couldn't move even if she wanted to, and that was probably all she could do.

I could only obey their arrangements and then lie down and rest.

"Is this feeling... the kind of intuition you guys talked about before?"

Cynthia closed her eyes. At this moment, she could clearly feel that there was an invisible connection between herself and Qiao Ran. This feeling was something she had never experienced before, but she could clearly understand the warmth in Qiao Ran's heart and his concern for her situation.

Even without being spoken, Qiao Ran's thoughts were subtly conveyed.

"Yes."

Qiao Ran nodded.

"You'll see just how useful this is when we fight together."

"Ah, let me make this clear first, although you're very strong, it's best if you listen to my commands... If you really don't want to listen, you can just tell me."

Qiao Ran doesn't have the guts to coach a Pokémon League Champion right now. If the other party jumps out to point out his mistakes or directly criticizes him, he definitely won't be able to refute them.

"Don't worry." Cynthia smiled and then shook her head.

"You were the one in command during your previous battles, right? I'll just follow your instructions then."

She had heard many people praise Qiao Ran's command abilities, but as for herself, she was probably more skilled at commanding her own Pokémon than at coordinating the Trainer.

Or perhaps it should be said that Qiao Ran, who can command Pokémon while simultaneously commanding other people, is an even rarer existence.

As evening fell, Qiao Ran stayed by Cynthia's bedside, talking to her. After her transformation, she had many questions she wanted to ask Qiao Ran, and Qiao Ran naturally answered them all, telling her everything.

"By the way, where is the others? Have they gone to eat yet?"

After talking with Qiao Ran for a long time, Cynthia still hadn't seen any of the other girls, so she couldn't help but ask.

"They... they went to help Altaria with their live stream. Ninetales said she'll go help out tonight too, she wants to experience what live streaming is like."

"The Altaria- Ninetales?"

Cynthia pondered the two words Qiao Ran uttered, and vaguely recalled what had happened before.

"Wait, is it another Pokémon turning into a human?"

Humans and Pokémon, Pokémon and humans.

Even though Cynthia has accepted the fact that Pokémon can become human, it doesn't mean she's adapted to it all. Or rather, how does one adapt to something like this?

"Could you hold my phone for me while they're livestreaming? I'd like to watch too."

However, no amount of words can compare to actual observation.

Even under these circumstances, Cynthia wanted to see how those Humanoid Transformation Pokémon integrated into this world.

"Could other Pokémon be like this too? Could it be... that some Pokémon existed before the human world?"

The folklore of the Sinnoh Region that depicts the interchange of human Pokémon identities doesn't actually refer to confusion between the two, but rather to the process of Pokémon becoming human.

"No, this ability... um... it should only have appeared in me, right? I haven't seen anything similar in anyone else."

Qiao Ran gave a brief explanation: there are many unknown powers in this world, and the sudden emergence of strange abilities in him is not something that people in the Pokémon World can't understand.

"So... this is also one of your abilities? Is it similar to that power to travel through worlds?"

Cynthia nodded blankly; clearly, this was the first time she had heard such a statement.

"Yes, but these powers also have their limitations."

He can't carry just anything across worlds, and the Key to opening the door isn't himself. As for Humanoid Transformation, it's limited to his own Pokémon, and he has to reach a certain level of "intimacy." As for what this intimacy level is, Qiao Ran himself doesn't understand it yet. If he had to describe it, it would probably be more like some kind of vague and ethereal feeling.

"Hmm... maybe it's some kind of special power generated by this world... after all, this place is different from the Pokémon World, so it's understandable that some special powers would arise here. Just like in the Pokémon World, there are some special powers that only people in specific regions can generate, and the origin of those powers is actually an unsolved mystery."

Cynthia leaned against the pillows by the bed and began to Analytic situation with a serious expression.

Some say it's related to underground magnetic fields or local Legendary Pokémon, while others say it's due to some kind of power in the local bloodline, but who knows?

"This power that allows Pokémon to Humanoid Transformation also suggests that, to some extent, Pokémon and humans do indeed share a common origin... both are creations of Arceus. I've heard that Bill from Kanto conducted an experiment exchanging humans and Pokémon... although it was stopped by the Pokémon League midway due to ethical risks, I've heard he did achieve some results... which seems to prove this point..."

"..."

Qiao Ran was stunned and nodded repeatedly. Although he had only said it casually, after hearing Cynthia's Analytic, he felt it made a lot of sense. So that's what power is like?

Although he didn't understand it, he was indeed deeply shocked.

"Um... could you help me up a little?"

Cynthia's long-winded speech lasted for a long time. When she was in high spirits, she would unexpectedly talk a lot. However, as time went by, Qiao Ran noticed that Cynthia's cheeks were becoming slightly rosy.

"?"

Cynthia Ran was caught off guard by Qiao Ran Lan's sudden remark, but after listening to her words and considering her current state, Qiao Ran seemed to understand something.

Most importantly, Qiao Ran was able to vaguely guess some of her thoughts at this moment.

After all—the idea is all too obvious.

"Okay, okay."

Without saying a word, Qiao Ran quickly stepped forward, and Cynthia readily put her hand on his body, turning her around so that Qiao Ran could support her.

"I'm sorry... I'm really not that strong right now. I feel like I could manage if I tried... but you wouldn't just leave me like this, would you?"

Cynthia smiled slightly, observing Qiao Ran's expression.

"Isn't that a given?"

Qiao Ran affirmed this with righteous indignation. Such a great Pokémon League Champion, if it were to be damaged because of something like this, Qiao Ran would definitely not be able to forgive himself.

However—if I had to say, the other person could have done something similar by calling out their own Pokémon, but now... she chose to ask me for help. Perhaps, this is a kind of trust in me.

At least, that's how Qiao Ran felt.

She carefully supported the other person's body and then escorted her to the bathroom door. Standing there, Cynthia couldn't help but speak.

"Okay, that's enough for now. Remember to help me back later."

"Huh? Don't we need to go in a little further?"

"..."

Hearing Qiao Ran's reply, Cynthia's already slightly flushed cheeks became even more unnatural.

"This is fine."

"It's really ready."

This time, Cynthia's attitude was very firm; she even tried to break free from Qiao Ran's hands and lean against the wall next to her.

What... what do you mean by "send it in"?

Does this guy have absolutely no common sense???

Cynthia had always been alone. From becoming Pokémon League Champion to a researcher, she hadn't given much thought to romantic relationships. But now—only now—she genuinely wanted to retort to Qiao Ran, "Is this guy's head made of steel?"

"Alright." Qiao Ran had no choice but to let go of Cynthia's arm.

"I just thought it might be more slippery inside, so I wanted to help you across... If you insist on doing it yourself, that's fine too. After all, it's not a long way, and holding onto the wall shouldn't be a big problem."

After all, Cynthia is a very strong-willed woman, and she is unlikely to be completely dependent on herself like Lillie was before her.

"But please be careful. I'll be there to help if anything goes wrong."

"Um."

Seeing Qiao Ran's serious and earnest expression, Cynthia was unable to refute him for a moment and could only obediently nod.

While this responsible attitude is commendable, the way this was handled... is just too strange, isn't it???

No... no, we can't delay any longer.

Cynthia glanced at Qiao Ran, then felt her way along the wall into the bathroom, finally closing the door carefully.

This was the first time Cynthia had ever experienced such an embarrassing situation since she could remember.

If she could, she would never want to go through it a second time, but just this one time was enough to make her remember it for a long time.

"..."

Even after everything was over and Qiao Ran helped her to bed, she couldn't help but keep thinking about it.

He probably... didn't feel anything, right?

Seeing Cynthia lying on the bed suddenly fall silent again, Qiao Ran took the initiative to speak.

"It's almost dinnertime. What would you like to eat? We can buy it for you. Don't worry about anything tonight, just lie down and rest. We'll take care of everything else."

"Tomorrow, once you're feeling a bit better, we'll head straight to the next city. You can continue to recuperate, and the rest of us will take down the next Gym tonight."

"This..."

Listening to Qiao Ran's schedule, Cynthia, lying on the bed, felt it was inexplicably absurd.

"... This really was... a quick and decisive battle."

But it makes sense. With Qiao Ran and the others' current fighting strength, they are already far ahead of ordinary Gym Leader. If they wanted to finish the battle quickly... they might actually be able to do it.

However, for that Gym Leader, it certainly wasn't a pleasant experience.

"But in this world, you usually need to make a reservation to challenge Gym, right? And I see that there are a lot more people in this world than in the Pokémon World, so the waiting time should be longer."

Cynthia raised her question, but Qiao Ran simply shook his head.

"It's alright, there are four or five other Gym Leader who can recommend us... just consider it a small way of cutting in line."

Qiao Ran wasn't too worried about this. Although they would usually make an appointment and queue up like everyone else, this was a special time, and if they wanted to save time, there were naturally ways to do so.

At least— Sabrina and the Iron Maiden would definitely be willing to lend them a hand, and as for Wan Shuang, they might be able to try and get some help.

"Once you've rested and recovered, we'll practice at the Alola Altar of the Moone. Once you're comfortable, we'll conquer Unova in one fell swoop."

Qiao Ran then went on to explain their plans for the future. According to this schedule, they probably wouldn't have much free time to rest in the coming period, but all of this effort would be worthwhile.

This is not only Cynthia's wish, but also Mei's wish, and a great opportunity to dispel the shadow that has been hanging over the Unova Region.

"Okay, it seems you've thought it over carefully."

Since Qiao Ran had already arranged things to this extent, Cynthia had no choice but to go along with him. The most important thing was that she was indeed not feeling well. After resting tonight, she would probably feel a little better tomorrow, and as for a full recovery, it would probably be the day after tomorrow.

"I'll call the others over later. Except for those who still need to help out there, everyone can come and watch the live stream, then have a meal and chat."

The rest of the time was packed, and Qiao Ran wouldn't miss this good opportunity to work on team cohesion. This cohesion didn't necessarily have to be in battle; at the very least, it was about getting everyone to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses and preferences, which was a very important step.

The night passed quickly, and the next day arrived.

Last night, everyone got together and played various board games, including Truth or Dare, with Cynthia. As for games like tabletop role-playing games or murder mystery games, which are more time-consuming and difficult, we'll save those for later.

After all, Cynthia had never been exposed to these things before, and her friends mostly played various video games.

--For example, if Caitlin likes to stay in her room, she can stay in her room as long as there are games or other forms of entertainment.

In addition, the live streams of Altaria and Ninetales last night went very smoothly. This girl, who calls herself "Xiao Jiu", has attracted a lot of attention since she appeared in Altaria's live stream. Her natural white hair without any fake hair, as well as her outstanding temperament and facial features, make her stand out even when sitting next to Altaria.

Even the attention that the Altaria receives seems to be about to be snatched away by the Nine-Tailed Ninetales.

The next morning, Qiao Ran and the others hadn't posted any videos themselves, but the videos of Altaria and her friends that fans had recorded the night before had actually made it onto the trending list, albeit at the very bottom. This was definitely proof of the level of attention these two had received.

Upon seeing this, Qiao Ran couldn't help but complain on the spot.