Awakening: Coming To / The Two Beauties: Healing

Qiao Ran nodded rapidly. He had not wanted to do this sort of thing in the first place. He was going to challenge Gyms in the future—he could not exactly send Lillie up there to brawl with the opponent, could he?

Besides, at Lillie's age, if he really sent her out to challenge Gyms, Qiao Ran would probably get handcuffed by the police halfway through.

"Come back, Nihilego!"

To avoid making the same mistake as last time, Qiao Ran directly pressed the ball against Nihilego's face with his hand.

"Chua."

A red light shot out. Nihilego smoothly vanished from the ground, and nothing unexpected happened.

"Phew—"

Qiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, nothing had gone wrong. Otherwise, he would not have known what to do—the things happening now had already gone beyond his knowledge. With the Pokémon world theories he knew, there was simply no way to explain any of this.

This ball... could actually hold both Nihilego and Lillie at the same time?

Was it because they were highly similar, causing an error in its judgment, or was there some other reason?

Pokémon becoming humanoid was already astonishing enough. If humans started becoming Pokémon too... ahem.

Qiao Ran turned to glance at Mei, but she immediately curled up and shielded Lillie in her arms.

"W-What are you doing?! I won't let you catch Lillie!"

Qiao Ran: "..."

To be honest, there had been one or two moments when he really had wanted to see whether this Poké Ball could fit Lillie inside while Nihilego was already in it. But seeing Mei act so fiercely protective, Qiao Ran stopped entertaining such bold thoughts.

Forget it... he could try after Lillie woke up and he had asked for her opinion.

This was serious research work, a sacrifice made to uncover the Poké Ball's true mysteries. Qiao Ran insisted that he definitely had no other strange intentions.

After a while, Mei carried Lillie away, saying she was going to clean her up. She warned Qiao Ran several times not to come over.

"Don't come in before we come out! Absolutely don't!"

She was genuinely afraid that Qiao Ran would suddenly pull out a Poké Ball and suck Lillie inside again.

Qiao Ran waved a hand, saying he never took advantage of people when they were vulnerable. Qiao Ran had always been upright and honorable.

Noticing that Mei had left, Qiao Ran began chatting with his Pokémon. After all, some things could only be discussed privately between them.

Besides, it seemed Rotom had wanted to say something to Qiao Ran from the very beginning.

"Master, our mission is actually complete, and we even got a reward~ That means we can go back now, Rotom!"

Rotom flew excitedly through the air.

"So that really was the core of the singularity... But was that little girl the core, or was it Nihilego?"

"Who knows?" Qiao Ran rolled his eyes. Being able to catch Lillie in the ball was already an inexplicable accident. As for everything beyond that, they would probably have to wait to find out later.

"Also, we can go back now? If we go back now, can we still come here later?"

"As long as Master still has that key, you can come here anytime, just like going to Pokémon Pioneer Land."

Qiao Ran's expression stiffened. "Uh...? But isn't the key inside your..."

"That doesn't matter. Once Master gets back, just stick your hand into my... hehehe... and pull it out, Rotom!"

Rotom's cheeks reddened, and she became more excited the more she spoke.

"..."

Even now, Qiao Ran could not get used to Rotom's dirty jokes. The main thing was, she did not even have a real physical body—how did she know this stuff?

Did she generate it herself?

"It's good that we can return. We're not in a hurry to go back to the original world. We can leave after Lillie wakes up."

Qiao Ran did not plan on leaving just yet. There were still many mysteries hidden here, Lillie had not awakened, and Mei's safety issue had not been fully resolved. Besides... there were huge numbers of Nihilego here. For Qiao Ran, they were excellent Rock Type materials!

If he caught some and brought them to Pokémon Pioneer Land to complete missions, would that not be wonderful?

"Right, didn't you say there was another reward? What is it?"

"That is... Master, please tap my screen, Rotom."

Rotom suddenly flew in front of Qiao Ran, and a button appeared on her screen.

"This one?"

Qiao Ran reached out and poked it. Just like before, Rotom made another inexplicable sound.

Then—the screen began to change, and a line of large text appeared on it.

Singularity Containment Reward: Ability Acquired—Tokiwa Power (Left Hand)

"Tokiwa... Power!"

It was actually Tokiwa Power?

Qiao Ran cried out in surprise. As a Pokémon fan, there was no way he would not know about such an immensely powerful ability. In the Pokémon world, every person who possessed it was an exceptionally powerful Trainer. This ability could make Pokémon feel close to its user and also heal Pokémon.

Simply put, it was like a cheat skill that restored HP and applied buffs.

"But why do I only have the left hand...?"

Qiao Ran raised his left hand. A faint green glow was actually wrapped around it, carrying a reassuring power. Feeling that light, it was as though he could understand everything and forgive every injustice in this world.

"Skills have to be divided into left hand and right hand now? Will I have to distinguish between my left eye and right eye in the future too?"

Qiao Ran's mouth twitched as he could not help complaining, though he felt this might actually happen someday...

Awakening: Revival

"Then, who wants to experience this power?"

Qiao Ran looked at his Pokémon. Since he had gained a new power, naturally he had to test it on his own Pokémon.

"Awwooo!"

"Didi-didi-didi!"

"Coo—"

The moment Qiao Ran spoke, nearly all the Pokémon gathered around him. Vulpix and Dianxi in particular were exceptionally enthusiastic. Even Suicune, who was usually aloof and tsundere and liked watching from the side, quietly edged closer.

Was this power really that attractive?

Qiao Ran was somewhat surprised, but when he truly placed his left hand on Vulpix, who had arrived first, he discovered that this power truly deserved to be called a treasure of the Pokémon world.

The instant he touched Vulpix's body, she went limp and collapsed into a puddle, then excitedly rubbed herself against the ground while letting out incredibly blissful sounds. It felt like she had just received the full deluxe treatment.

"This..."

Qiao Ran was stunned. What Tokiwa Power? This was clearly a golden left hand made for petting Pokémon!

Petting Vulpix's back was not enough for her. She even rolled over on the ground, preparing to get another full session on her front. However, Dianxi beside her stopped her time-wasting behavior.

"Master, it's my turn!"

Dianxi floated in front of Qiao Ran, then closed her eyes, preparing to experience it with all her focus.

As a Pokémon, she could naturally sense how attractive that power was to her. Just as cats became excited over catnip, she seemed to become excited by this power too... merely feeling it from afar was enough to fill her whole body with vitality.

"Ah..."

When Qiao Ran's hand touched her head, Dianxi could not help making a sound. It was not one of pain. On the contrary, it was filled with extreme delight and comfort. Qiao Ran blushed slightly just hearing it. This was the first time he had ever heard Dianxi make such a sound.

"T-That's enough for now."

After petting Dianxi for a while, Qiao Ran announced a stop, because he saw that Altaria and Suicune beside them were both eager to try.

"Mmm..." Dianxi floated low in the air, still wanting more, but her trajectory wobbled crookedly, making her look like she was drunk.

Qiao Ran naturally noticed this as well, and several question marks could not help popping into his mind. This Tokiwa Power was so strange... its aftereffects seemed rather strong?

"Master... when I turn human, can you let me try it again?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded in Qiao Ran's heart. Hearing that familiar tone, Qiao Ran could not help glancing at Dianxi. Dianxi had actually taken the initiative to make such a request? And she had specifically used telepathy so no one else would hear...

Qiao Ran's understanding of Tokiwa Power rose another level. It could not only pet ordinary Pokémon like Vulpix—even legendary Pokémon like Dianxi could not resist it. It truly worked on everyone, top to bottom.

"Who's next?"

After a few pets left Altaria sprawled on the ground and twitching excitedly, Qiao Ran turned his gaze toward the last one, Suicune.

Suicune stood still. She looked like she wanted to try it, yet also seemed hesitant.

After remaining silent for a while, she finally slowly stepped forward a few paces. Yet unlike her feet, she kept her head lowered the entire time, not daring to meet Qiao Ran's eyes. There was even a faint blush on her face.

"You really are..."

Qiao Ran once again came to understand Suicune's tsundere nature. She wanted to try it, but could not let go of her cool, aloof image and did not want to show weakness in front of everyone else.

"Just treat it as getting some proper rest. Since I have this power, naturally I should use it on all of you."

As Qiao Ran spoke, he began petting Suicune's mane. In almost an instant, he petted the steadily standing Suicune right onto the ground.

"Awwo—"

A strange sound rang out.

"Whew. I'm exhausted."

After petting the last Pokémon, Qiao Ran looked at Suicune lying on the ground, her eyes glazed over from comfort, and could not help wiping the sweat from his forehead. Tokiwa Power was great in every way, but it consumed a bit too much stamina. If Qiao Ran had not been young, he would probably have collapsed from exhaustion by now.

However, Qiao Ran ultimately did not release the unconscious Nihilego to pet her as well. They were in the enemy's main base right now, and Qiao Ran did not know what consequences awakening Nihilego would bring. Besides, Tokiwa Power could at most provide temporary healing and buffs. With injuries as severe as Nihilego's, she still needed professional medical treatment.

Qiao Ran sat by the bed, waiting for Mei to return. Only after she came back could he learn what the other party planned to do next.

The Aether Foundation definitely still concealed many secrets. And since the Aether Foundation had already become like this, what had the Alola region outside turned into?

Perhaps even the entire Pokémon world... had it fallen into all kinds of crises?

Qiao Ran's thoughts churned. Recalling some things Mei had told him before, he felt that this guess was genuinely quite possible.

"Qiao Ran?"

A voice suddenly came from the doorway. Qiao Ran looked up and saw Mei standing there. Beside her was a girl with long golden hair.

The girl stood quietly, her hair still slightly damp. Her temperament was as pure as a jasmine bud, completely different from the parasitized appearance Qiao Ran had seen before.

"H-Hello... My name is Lillie. Thank you for saving me... Mei told me about it."

The girl named Lillie introduced herself softly. Every one of her movements carried the refinement of a young lady, though she looked extremely weak.

"It's good that you've recovered. Although you might already know, I should introduce myself too. My name is Qiao Ran. If you have any problems in the future, just..."

Qiao Ran raised his hand, intending to pat his chest and make himself look more dependable. However—just as he raised it halfway, Lillie suddenly dashed forward and shoved her head into his hand.

"????"

At the same time, green light burst from Qiao Ran's hand as though by reflex, instantly dyeing Lillie's golden hair green.

"Ah..."

Feeling the power flow into her, Lillie's cheeks quickly turned red. A soft moan escaped her lips, and her body went limp as she collapsed into Qiao Ran's arms.

"Huh?"

Staring at the sudden scene before him, Qiao Ran froze completely in place.

Wait... wait, what was going on???? Why had she suddenly rushed over???

And I had never heard that Tokiwa Power could be used on humans too!!

It was already the end of the month, and there was a double monthly-ticket event recently, so the author was asking for tickets too!

Twin Beauties: Healing

In the dim Aether Foundation, only a faint green light shone.