Chapter 362

"Hmm... If a situation like yours really exists, you do need to work on that skill."

Cynthia nodded in agreement with what Qiao Ran said.

"In the Pokémon World, many Trainer train alongside Pokémon. To become stronger, one must understand training and understand Pokémon."

A smile appeared on her face.

"In short, I will keep pushing you until you reach a certain level of competence."

Qiao Ran didn't consider himself a masochist, but when Cynthia kept telling him to push himself and work harder, he still felt a surge of motivation.

Sometimes, it's not that he didn't work hard enough, but that all his efforts were misdirected, and all his energy was wasted. Now, with such a good "senior" here to point him in the right direction and correct his mistakes, he is overjoyed.

Moreover, in the current Pokémon World, it's probably impossible to find a better "predecessor" than this.

"Mei needs to work harder next time, otherwise..."

Cynthia still had a smile on her face, but Mei, who was suddenly called out, changed her expression and quickly sat up straight.

Yes! Yes!

She had been watching Qiao Ran's antics with amusement and occasionally stirring things up, but now she had unexpectedly found herself caught in the crossfire.

If she also doesn't perform well... no, it should be said that she doesn't perform well enough, she will probably end up like Qiao Ran.

"That Gym Leader's strongest member is no longer able to fight, and his mental state is probably also somewhat depleted. Although he was given time to rest, the feeling of Mega Evolution to the very end and then automatically reverting is not pleasant. Many trainers who Sheer Force themselves to continue would faint. The fact that he was able to hold on shows that his physical condition is already quite good."

Cynthia offered her assessment: in her opinion, Mei had an inherent advantage in this match, so her expectations for Mei were actually higher than those for Qiao Ran.

"Now, it's up to you, Mei."

"Okay, okay!"

Listening to Cynthia's words, Mei Sheer Force herself to cheer up.

She'll need to give it her all in the upcoming Competition.

After dinner, it got dark.

However, because Chen Leizhong decided to "work overtime" today, the other Trainer in the Gym also joined him in working overtime.

"Because two very powerful Trainer are coming to challenge us today, let's all work hard together. After tonight, I can try to get you some 'little perks,' like their autographs, how about that?"

Normally, Chen Leizhong is a very approachable Gym Leader, which is evident from his attire. Some Gym Trainer are on good terms with him often go out to eat and train with him, so the hierarchical relationship within the Gym is not so obvious.

This situation was completely opposite to that on Sabrina, where Sabrina seemed to enjoy the clear hierarchy and the feeling that everyone was afraid of her.

Because it was a sudden "overtime" event, not only the Gym Trainer needed to prepare, but other visitors in the tower also didn't expect that there would be a Competition tonight. Many daytime visitors came here specifically for the Gym Battle, since they couldn't see the night view during the day, and if they chose the night view, they wouldn't be able to see the exciting Gym Battle.

But tonight, I can enjoy both together; it's as perfect as putting sweet tofu and savory tofu together.

The two opponents are Mei and Chen Leizhong. After the previous battles, Qiao Ran can roughly see the current situation. If we take Mei's current strength into account, then she should be able to win this Competition almost without a doubt.

While waiting for the Competition, he urged Rotom to start editing the footage, so that he could post it online and get some traffic after she finished.

--On the internet right now, there's discussion about Mega Evolution everywhere. Mega Evolution is already a very hot topic, but because the focus of the discussion has been on Qiao Ran and Sabrina, it's very difficult to move the conversation forward. Moreover, Sabrina hasn't used Mega Evolution since that battle. After all, there are probably not many challengers in the entire Huaxia Alliance who can get her to use Mega Evolution.

But now—this topic has suddenly received a bombshell: other Gym Leader in the Huaxia Alliance have also mastered the method of Mega Evolution, and the Pokémon they use, like Sabrina Alakazam, are all Pokémon that everyone is extremely familiar with!

Unlike Qiao Ran, who uses undiscovered new varieties every day, and what's strangest is that these new varieties seem to be quite rare, just like the very first ones...

After Dianxi became famous, many people began searching high and low for Carbink, trying to find a connection between the two. Scholars also tried their best to prove Dianxi evolutionary relationship between the two, but - so much time has passed, and there are still no results.

Could this be some kind of Pokémon with extremely demanding evolution requirements?

On the internet today, there's a general consensus that Pokémon like Dianxi and Suicune are extremely rare, which makes Qiao Ran's identity even more mysterious. Although he keeps claiming that he caught all his Pokémon in the mountains, no one else has actually found any of them. One female fan from Dianxi's fan club even claimed that she climbed the mountain three or four times a day for several months but still couldn't find any trace of Dianxi.

As for now—while discussions about Qiao Ran's Pokémon continue, the hottest topic right now is definitely Mega Evolution. In the scattered videos circulating online, it can be seen that Gym Leader Chen Leizhong's Ampharos not only changed in appearance after Mega Evolution, but also... its combat power increased significantly. And according to him, he has only just begun to grasp the power of Mega Evolution!

It's important to understand that for a Pokémon of Chen Leizhong's Gym Leader, especially with his Ampharos that has already surpassed the Elite Four level Pokémon, improving is incredibly difficult, practically impossible. Many Pokémon just to stay in the same position, let alone continue to improve.

But now, Mega Evolution has given Trainer an unprecedented opportunity.

"Looks like... I'll have to get one and give it a try."

The woman sitting on the Skarmory scrolled through her phone, muttering to herself.

She was also itching to possess that power.

"I happen to have some free time recently, so I thought I'd fly to Yangcheng to take a look. I didn't expect that kid... to have such strength by now."

"This progress is too fast!"

When she left Hangcheng last time, Qiao Ran's strength was still much weaker than hers. Although she had a vague feeling that she was about to take off, Yi Ruoyun felt that this time would definitely not come so soon.

--It's only been a few months?

Although Yi Ruoyun had watched many of Qiao Ran's videos uploaded to the internet during this period, she still felt a sense of unrealistic absurdity watching Qiao Ran fight back and forth with renowned Gym Leader, and even Defeat them.

Although she was somewhat angry about Qiao Ran's disobedience during their last encounter in Hangcheng, so much time had passed that her anger had mostly subsided. Now, seeing how powerful he was, Yi Ruoyun couldn't help but recall that scene... Could it be that she had been too conservative?

If there's anything about Qiao Ran that's different from her, it's probably that he's really quite "bold."

On the other side, the Competition between Mei and Chen Leizhong was also in full swing. Just as Cynthia had said before, none of the three Pokémon Chen Leizhong sent out to deal with Mei were as strong as Ampharos were back then. Among these three, only Electivire had reached the level of Elite Four.

As the Gym Leader in Yangcheng, Chen Leizhong's skill level is among the best in the country. After all, if you want to have a place in these well-known big cities, you definitely need to have solid skills. Not to mention the preliminary selection for becoming the Gym Leader, if his skills decline, he will be eliminated by other challengers.

The Gym Leader in a city is a symbol of the city's reputation. In their own territory, everyone would give the Gym Leader some leeway.

Moreover, the reason Qiao Ran chose Yangcheng as his next destination was because he was confident in the strength of the Gym Leader there. Many Trainer who are not strong enough might try to challenge some relatively "remote" Gym to reduce the difficulty of obtaining eight Badge. After all, even Pokémon of the same level will perform differently under the command of different Trainer and with different techniques. Weaker Gym are generally inferior in these "details".

But Qiao Ran was different. From the very beginning of his journey, he showed signs of being headstrong, so much so that the first Gym he challenged was the Longjiang Gym in Longjiang City. If he hadn't happened to meet a rookie girl like him, and if Dianxi hadn't been fighting alongside him, he probably would have been defeated right at his own doorstep.

As for now, choosing a stronger Gym is simply to hone my skills, learn their fighting styles, and think about how to deal with such opponents from the perspective of an enemy. Unlike the "straight to the Wild Pokémon, a Pokémon under the command of a trainer is obviously more difficult to deal with. The Pokémon under the command of the trainer often fights from an "instinct" perspective, while the trainer can think about the direction and strategy of the battle from the perspective of an observer.

If I had to describe it, it would give me the feeling of a military general and a strategist.

The battle between Mei and Chen Leizhong didn't last long. Although their fight was still intense and exciting, when Chen Leizhong's Elite Four-level...

After his Electivire fell, his remaining two Pokémon were no match for Mei's attack.

In any Decidueye Mei 'Pokémon strongest Pokémon are now on the verge of reaching the Elite Four level. Thus, to Chen Leizhong's still utterly astonished expression, he was once again defeated by the challenger.

"This..."

He couldn't help but shake his head the moment he lost the Competition.

"... I used to think that Yi Ruoyun was the number one among the younger generation, but was it because I made that judgment too early?"

Not only Qiao Ran, but this girl also gave him a huge "surprise." If she's at this level, even if she weren't Pokémon Trainer now, she could probably be Gym Leader in a big city, right?

If this is the group of people who are all going to participate in the Pokémon Tournament of the Huaxia Alliance this year...

"..."

Just thinking about it made Chen Leizhong's lips tremble.

Could it be that the league tournament, originally a showcase for young people, is going to feel like a battle for the championship among four top players?

If this is true, it would be the most astonishing and surprising Pokémon League tournament in the history of the Huaxia Alliance.

"... Congratulations, this is the Badge of the Yangcheng Gym."

Chen Leizhong stepped forward and personally handed the Badge to this promising young man.

"Good luck in this year's Pokémon League tournament. You should have a chance to win the Pokémon League Champion, right?"

"Thanks."

Mei happily accepted the Badge, but when she heard Chen Leizhong mention the Pokémon League tournament, she couldn't help but feel conflicted.

"... Hmm... the Pokémon League tournament here? I'll probably participate too, but speaking of the Champion... maybe Qiao Ran will be more..."

As Trainer, she certainly wouldn't refuse to participate in such a grand event, but deep down, she preferred to win the Alola Champion first, rather than any so-called Champion title in this world. Although she had traveled in this world for a long time and loved its customs and culture, her first thought was still the scenery of Alola.

Besides, if she really wins the Champion... wouldn't Qiao Ran be furious?

While giving your all in a battle is something every Trainer should do, it's still a bit of a dilemma... After all, they've already established this kind of relationship, and it's impossible to simply dismiss it with a "rival."

"...?"

Chen Leizhong blinked in confusion as he looked at Mei's performance, but he quickly smiled knowingly.

"I understand, I understand."

"Leave this kind of thing to you young people."

In competitive sports, there will always be winners and losers. If personal feelings are mixed in, it will most likely not end well.

"However, my suggestion is that if the opportunity arises, you should also have a full-scale battle."

"After all, no matter how familiar you are with someone, people always change after a long time."

After returning from the Yangcheng Gym, it was already past ten o'clock. Everyone just gathered together for a short chat before heading back to their rooms to rest Rest.

"Mizuki and I have both successfully obtained our badges. Now it's up to Mei, Lillie, and Acerola."

"But don't put too much pressure on yourself. If we don't get it this time, we can always find time to get it later."

Qiao Ran held out her hand and showed them her phone, which displayed Chen Leizhong's number and name.

"Before leaving, Gym Leader Chen called me back and we exchanged numbers. I'll ask him to arrange a time to challenge me; he definitely won't refuse."

"It's quite unfortunate that Gym Leader Chen knows you." Mei couldn't help but roll her eyes. Although asking for help wasn't a big problem, hearing Qiao Ran say it still gave her a strange feeling.

Ever since we met them, have the Gym Leader all had to work overtime all night?

"He also asks me some questions about Mega Evolution, since I only have a tiny bit of experience in that area."

Qiao Ran stretched out his hand and used his thumb and forefinger to make a gap.

However, seeing his smug look, Mei was inexplicably speechless. "So what were you doing during dinner?"

How long has it been? Has this guy already forgotten about the "lecture" he received last night?

"That aspect is that aspect, and this aspect is this aspect."

Qiao Ran coughed lightly. "Trainer... can this kind of interaction between Trainer be considered 'education'?"

"Alright, alright, you two, stop talking for now. Let the others rest today. Your Competition are over, but the others have to challenge the Gym tomorrow."

Looking at Qiao Ran Mei, Cynthia couldn't help but shake her head. Was there something wrong with the relationship between these two?

--Although she hasn't been part of the team for very long, Cynthia has noticed that compared to Lillie or Mei, Mei clearly prefers to tease Qiao Ran a bit.

However, what she didn't know was that Mei's change actually began not long ago—if it was the kind of inner turmoil she had before...

In her usual state, she wouldn't talk to Qiao Ran like that. Or rather, the real her is the kind of person who likes to tease Qiao Ran all the time.

"It's alright, they're both..."

Mei and Lillie were already used to this, but the newcomer Cynthia, was clearly unaware of the situation. However, Mei and Lillie couldn't really explain it to her, since they themselves had experienced quite a few things in private.

Explaining things to Acerola before was very easy; she rarely thought about such matters. But Cynthia is different. If she found out about their relationship with Qiao Ran...

"..."

Mei and Lillie's expressions both changed slightly.

--Then everything will definitely be over.

"No, no, this secret must be kept."

"Yes... yes."

Mei and Lillie exchanged a secret glance, and they both tacitly reached an agreement: keeping everything a secret from Cynthia would be the top priority. As for the future... they might have to come and talk to Mei.

This secret can only be kept hidden for a long time if they work together to protect it.

That night, Qiao Ran also got a good rest. Apart from spending some time checking on Latias and the others at the Wild Area, he basically spent time with Mei launched a midnight raid.

However, Qiao Ran could understand that they would probably have a long period of continuous fighting ahead, and if it were him, he would also take advantage of this time to do more things.

As for Lillie and the others, they won't have the opportunity because they have to challenge the Gym tomorrow. In other words, the only one who can do this now is Mei.

"I'm saying, why don't you just not go back tonight? Lillie's probably already..."