Chapter 383

"Walk."

Just to be on the safe side, Qiao Ran also had Mew and Latias accompany him, in addition to Cynthia who was always by his side, as well as Garchomp and Lucario who were also Cynthia. This was already the umpteenth layer of protection.

When she came out of the Life Ruins, Cynthia was reflecting on how she had been too focused on the mist and neglected Qiao Ran's situation. This time, she was determined to Absorb from her mistake and shift her focus entirely to Qiao Ran.

This time, she absolutely won't make any mistakes!

"Tap, tap tap..."

The two moved forward cautiously. Although maintaining this posture made their movements incredibly slow, each step felt incredibly firm in this close proximity.

"Qiao Ran, can you feel it?"

"Um."

Gradually, both of them sensed the familiar mist. Even though they weren't looking directly at it, and even though it was easy to miss in the dimly lit corridor, the unsettling sense of disorientation was still the most obvious feeling.

That's something that shouldn't exist in this world.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

It was as if a voice—a voice from within their bodies—was warning them not to come closer, hindering their steps. However, these obstacles were nothing compared to the two Trainer had honed their strong wills on their Pokémon Journeys.

And

Moreover, this is exactly what they came for.

"What do we do if that thing gets closer?" Qiao Ran asked.

"Retreat first, then observe. The longer we can observe, the better." A glint flashed in Cynthia's eyes. What she needed now was observation data on that thing, not a confused unconsciousness.

"Last time, we all probably passed out after coming into contact with that thing, unless something else unexpected happens."

"That means even if you come into contact with that kind of thing, it probably won't have any effect."

"Perhaps...?"

Although Cynthia spoke with apparent certainty, Qiao Ran could clearly sense her wavering. He could not only sense her thoughts, but their bodies were also pressed tightly together.

"... Probably... but it's best to avoid touching them unintentionally... However... we're in a hurry, so even if there's no particular reason, we'll have to make contact with these things."

Although Cynthia wished for more time to observe and for them to act more cautiously, it was undeniable that the location of the Ruins was far too unique, and that the time they were gaining to advance was thanks to the efforts of their companions.

If they delay too long, they may have no choice but to retreat on the spot and come back later.

That's definitely not an easy outcome for anyone to accept.

"Let's go in and take a look first."

Compared to Cynthia, who is all talk and no action, Qiao Ran decided it was better to decide based on the situation. The so-called choice is made under the condition that there are conditions for making a choice. If there is no opportunity to make a choice, then they can only do the same thing as last time.

After passing through a long corridor, Qiao Ran and Cynthia arrived at the very center of this War Ruins, which was the Ritual hall.

Similar to the Ritual halls of Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu, they are all decorated with ornate carvings on the sides, with a huge Altar in the center, placed high on countless steps.

Legend has it that during the festival, each island has a female dancer who performs Ritual before the gods. These dances are the precursors to the dances that use Z-Move, and the annual festival is the most lively time in Alola.

Of course, to Qiao Ran, these were just legends of the past. Now, Alola had lost not only festivals, but even their former lives. As the Captain, Acerola could only protect the children in the Aether House. Lana, who wanted to swim freely in the water, could only sneak into the house that Olivia didn't allow her to enter at night to see the largest artificial Pond in the city.

"Qiao Ran, stop."

Cynthia slightly tensed her body, and Qiao Ran instantly sensed her intention.

"Just like before, that thing also surrounded the very center of the Altar."

"Um."

Qiao Ran's gaze also caught a trace of "that thing".

Like a swirling Smokescreen of smoke, or some trembling creature, it is a scar on this world, a corner of a "Torn World".

"I'll try it first."

Although time was tight, Cynthia did not intend to give up the idea of conducting some experiments first.

"Garchomp! Lucario!"

At her command, Garchomp created a rock in front of it and flew at great speed toward the mist opposite it. At the same time, Lucario launched a small Aura Sphere, enveloping the rock within it.

The stone, trailing a blue tail, hurtled towards the other side like a shooting star. However, upon contact with the mist, it seemed to Infiltrator something and vanished before everyone's eyes.

Lucario?

Cynthia quickly looked at her Pokémon, Lucario, whose blue light flashed in its hand, but it immediately shook its head.

"Luca..."

"Didn't you feel anything?"

The unspoken understanding between Cynthia and Lucario allowed her to instantly grasp the other's intentions. The stone covered in Aura Power simply moved out of Lucario's sensing range—not because the power dissipated, nor because the stone was shattered, but because it simply moved out of the sensing range.

"I didn't feel it either."

Qiao Ran, who had been squinting, also opened his eyes at the same time. In his perception, the stone had disappeared and become an object that could not be found in this space.

"It seems... indeed, it's just as I thought."

Cynthia's face lit up with joy, her chest heaving with excitement.

It is indeed possible to pass through that thing!

Having obtained the information she wanted, Cynthia was visibly excited, and when she got excited, Qiao Ran would inevitably get excited too.

Fortunately, he clearly had Heavy Slam things to deal with, so even with a perfect being like Cynthia, who was both beautiful and powerful, so close to him, he was able to remain calm and composed.

"The stone is gone, but other things are still uncertain."

Although Cynthia seemed quite happy, Qiao Ran still watered her.

This was a bucket of cold water for her; the disappearance of the stone only proved that there was likely a "space" on the other side of the fog, and the conditions for Infiltrator this space were still unclear to them.

Yes... that's right.

Currently, only a stone can pass through, but no one knows whether other things can pass through, or even whether living objects can pass through directly.

Testing other objects is relatively straightforward, but how should we test "living things"?

Countless questions arose in Cynthia's heart, transforming into a desire to explore.

Let's give it a try first.

Cynthia increasingly felt that what Qiao Ran had said earlier made a lot of sense.

She's now a complete pragmatist. Theories and preconceived ideas become irrelevant in the face of hands-on practice.

About four or five minutes later.

Under Cynthia's direction, the test is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Unlike the fog on Akala Island, the fog here seemed much more obedient. Despite Cynthia's efforts for a long time, there was no unusual movement. During this short period, Cynthia had Garchomp throw countless Stone Blocks of all sizes into the fog, but the result was always the same.

The other objects met the same fate—disappearing into places undetectable.

Both Qiao Ran and Lucario received the same result from their senses.

"Qiao Ran, we can get a closer look."

In order to save time, Cynthia decided to take a slight risk and approach the cloud of mist to investigate.

She planned to observe the moment the Stone Blocks and the mist came into contact at the closest possible distance, and it had to be done with the naked eye, because she and Qiao Ran had tried to photograph this mist before. Although they could capture it, the effect always felt "not quite right".

Perhaps it's because there's something about the "Reverse World" aspect that doesn't fit the camera equipment?

Cynthia wasn't sure, so they had to keep trying. If they could get more information, then even if they couldn't rescue Tapu Koko directly this time, it would still be worth it.

After all, such fog exists everywhere in the Pokémon World. Only by understanding its characteristics can one find a way to deal with it. The only things that can evoke fear in humans are the unfamiliar and the unknown. After the previous round of testing, Cynthia's understanding of this fog has improved considerably, and she even finds it somewhat cute.

Be careful.

Qiao Ran could only advise her not to be too radical, and Cynthia nodded, indicating that he could rest assured.

Cynthia wasn't positioned directly against the mist, but rather at a certain distance. Further away, Garchomp and Lucario were also ready to serve.

The Stone Blocks, trailing a blue tail, streaked through the air and then—directly passed through the dark purple mist. In that instant, both Qiao Ran and Cynthia, at this closer distance, captured an even more breathtaking scene.

They saw something "splash" up from the surface of the mist, and then Ripple spread out from the center where the Stone Blocks had disappeared. The two looked at each other, and having the same thought, they couldn't help but utter the same word.

"Water surface?!"

Yes, this scene is exactly what you'd expect on water!

Cynthia became even more excited. If she could record this discovery and publish it, it would be a groundbreaking discovery that would span centuries!

"Because it's water from the Antimatter World, its state and appearance are completely different? Then when we were swallowed by the fog before, shouldn't we have been submerged as well?"

Cynthia was speaking very quickly, but—at that very moment, an unexpected event suddenly occurred in front of Qiao Ran and Cynthia.

The wisp of mist not far behind Cynthia, after being struck by the Stone Blocks, began to writhe rapidly, and then engulfed Cynthia's body at an extremely fast speed.

"Huh?"

Neither Qiao Ran nor Cynthia reacted at first. Qiao Ran could only hold onto the other tightly, trying to prevent them from getting involved.

"Qiao Ran! No, let me go!"

This time, Cynthia finally panicked a little.

If this continues, not only will I be dragged into it, but Qiao Ran will be dragged in too!

"Didn't you say you wanted to come with me this time?"

Qiao Ran ignored her attempt to make a drastic decision. As the Sinnoh Champion, she certainly had her pride, but Qiao Ran also had her own principles.

If he were to simply let go like that, he wouldn't be himself anymore.

"Then I... won't let go either..."

"Not bad. You're here again so soon...?"

I felt dazed and confused, like I was in a daze again.

In a state of confusion, Qiao Ran opened his eyes in astonishment, then sat up abruptly.

"Cynthia? Cynthia?"

He read

Looking at his own hands, he could almost feel the touch of the other person, and the same was true for his body, but... right in front of him, Cynthia had vanished without a trace.

All that appeared before him was that large Light Orb.

"A ball of light...?"

A huge Light Orb?

"That's rude. Just call me Rotom."

"Here it is..."

Qiao Ran looked around and saw the same "familiar" scene: Levitate Floating Island, with dark purple matter surging above and below, a scene of utter fragmentation.

However, Qiao Ran soon noticed something was amiss.

No, that's not right.

She quickly shifted her gaze to the large Light Orb.

"Wait, have you gotten bigger?"

"Illusion."

The Light Orb immediately refuted him.

Why don't you reflect on yourself? Have you actually Minimize?

"This..."

Qiao Ran was stunned for a second or two. Faced with this sudden question, her already somewhat confused mind was even more at a loss for words.

"Wait a minute? This Floating Island is about the same size as before!?"