The Two Beauties: Affection / The World: Reality

The boy caught the limp girl, placing his hand on her head and dyeing her golden hair green.

Meanwhile, Mei, the girl's best friend, stood there with her mouth wide open, completely frozen in place—she felt as though she had been witnessing one utterly shocking scene after another for quite some time now.

Th-This... what was going on????

Why had Lillie, who had just been standing beside her, suddenly rushed over to Qiao Ran and collapsed into his arms???

"Wait." Seeing Lillie lying in Qiao Ran's arms with a comfortable, blissful expression, her cheeks carrying an unnatural flush, Mei could not help arriving at a startling conclusion.

Qiao Ran had said before that he actually knew Lillie.

Then—could they... have already been in that kind of relationship?!

Although Mei and Lillie were good friends, Mei actually knew very little about Lillie's past. If Lillie had a boyfriend, Mei really might not have known.

"Th-This..."

Watching Lillie squirm in Qiao Ran's arms, her expression and movements growing stranger and stranger, Mei's cheeks became increasingly red as well.

Wh-What were these two doing!! I was still right here!!!!

"I... I'll leave first. You two should... talk for a while."

Faced with that intimidating green glow, Mei, who had also been dyed green all over, could no longer hold on. Though she had no idea what the green light was, if she stayed any longer, she might see something inappropriate for a young girl. She could only retreat.

Yet as she turned to leave, she still felt a hint of loneliness. She had thought that whether it was getting to know Lillie or getting to know Qiao Ran, she had been the first one... So why had things turned out like this?

"W-Wait! Don't leave yet! Hey! Come help me hold her back!"

Seeing Mei trying to leave, Qiao Ran desperately tried to call her back. Lillie seemed to have lost control, constantly rubbing against his left hand and absorbing his Tokiwa Power. Under normal circumstances, Qiao Ran could control the release of Tokiwa Power, but... perhaps because Lillie was seriously injured, he simply could not restrain his strength. He could only watch helplessly as Lillie drew nourishment from him.

Had he really been treated like a Pokémon?!

"Mm..."

Like a kitten, the golden-haired girl clung to Qiao Ran's left hand and refused to let go. Her face was covered in an unnatural blush, all the more obvious against her pale little face.

"Mas... Qiao Ran..."

Hearing her soft murmur, Qiao Ran froze. Had this girl just tried to call him Master???

For one brief moment, Qiao Ran had nearly treated her as his own Pokémon.

"Those two... what exactly was going on with those two?"

After wandering around outside for a while, Mei still found it hard to believe. But judging from Lillie's earlier initiative and her later reaction, there had to be some kind of relationship between them.

Unable to do anything else, Mei could only stay outside a little longer, lest she suddenly went back in and really saw something strange.

Of course, she had not gone too far. They were still inside Nihilego's nest and had not completely escaped danger. If something happened over there, Mei could rush back immediately as soon as she heard them call.

"..."

After waiting outside in boredom for a while longer, Mei figured enough time had passed and simply headed back.

This time, she did not hear any strange sounds. She called out a few times from outside, but no one answered. Mei patted her cheeks and finally worked up the courage to go in.

However, only after she truly entered did she discover that Qiao Ran, who had looked fairly energetic before, now seemed completely drained. He leaned against the wall, panting heavily. Meanwhile, Lillie was curled up beneath the blankets on the bed, her face flushed and radiant with happiness.

She had clearly fallen asleep, though no one knew what sweet dream she was having.

But Lillie did not look like a seriously injured patient at all, nor did she look like someone who had been parasitized by Nihilego for a long time. Instead, she looked like...

"Y-You two..."

Mei's face turned bright red, and her eyes became the spiraling eyes of a defeated Pokémon.

—She understood instantly. These two must have done something, right! They definitely had, right!

Why... why had things become like this??

Why???

In her daze, Mei seemed to see that faint green glow again. Though she knew there was no light in this dim room, she still felt as if it had shone over her entire body, dyeing her a strange color.

"You two... We haven't even secured our own safety yet. What exactly are you doing?!"

"What were we doing?"

The weakened Qiao Ran raised his head feebly. Lillie had drained him enough to leave him exhausted, and he clearly found it difficult even to stand.

After all, he had gone through a fierce battle with Nihilego, then petted all his Pokémon, and had now spent a huge amount of energy treating Lillie. While it had not caused him any substantive harm, his weakened state was unavoidable.

"You're asking what we were doing... uh."

Qiao Ran had been focused on the treatment before and had only just managed to get a chance to rest. Looking at himself, then at Lillie lying on the bed with a blissful flush across her face, he seemed to understand something as well.

"Y-You still have something to say? Lillie was just rescued, do you know that?! Her health is poor!" Mei glared at Qiao Ran on the floor. Even she herself did not know what expression she should be making, but she was simply unhappy.

—And whenever she was unhappy, Qiao Ran was the only target.

"Um... nothing really happened between us. We're innocent... really."

Qiao Ran tried to salvage a little of his reputation. He, Qiao, had sacrificed himself for another, pouring Tokiwa Power into Lillie to nourish her body. It had been a fearless act of devotion, so how had he become the one being scolded here?

"Look at yourself right now. Look at Lillie right now. And you still dare say that!"

Mei shot him a glare, then stubbornly stopped talking.

The facts were right in front of her, yet this guy still wanted to deny it. What was he trying to do?!

Two Beauties: Friendship

Silence. It was a silence like death itself.

Faced with Mei, who was still sulking at him, Qiao Ran could only sigh inwardly and simply stopped explaining.

He had done nothing wrong, so he feared no accusations. Besides, he was truly tired right now and needed some time to rest.

"Are there any other beds nearby? I want to sleep for a while."

"Over there."

Though her thoughts were still unsettled, Mei pointed Qiao Ran in a direction. Nihilego rarely came around there, so it was relatively safe.

Besides, now that the large Nihilego had been contained by Qiao Ran, the Nihilego colony should have already fallen into chaos. They probably had no time to come looking for trouble with Qiao Ran and the others.

"Thanks."

After thanking Mei, Qiao Ran prepared to find a bed and rest. Before getting into bed, however, he entered Pokémon Pioneer Land and placed Nihilego there to recuperate.

He had no plans to return to the real world yet, and even if he did return, it would take time to reach a Pokémon Center. So he simply left Nihilego in the Pioneer Land, where she could slowly recover.

Not only that, but because Qiao Ran had absolute control over the Pioneer Land, even if Nihilego had any strange ideas, he could control her immediately. Thus, he was not afraid that any accident would happen.

After all, Nihilego was an invasive species from another world. Qiao Ran did not really understand what consequences letting such a species enter the Pokémon ecosystem would bring. If it truly came to that... he might have to prepare a separate place for them to live on their own...

Lying in bed and staring at the spotless white ceiling of the Aether Foundation, Qiao Ran gradually drifted into sleep.

He had not been in this world for long, but he had experienced far too much. Although the anomaly's mission had been completed, there would definitely be more things to do after today. He had to rest properly.

The next day, Rotom woke the sleeping Qiao Ran at the scheduled time. However, seeing the chaotic pile of Pokémon around him, Qiao Ran was clearly no longer surprised.

A silent war had broken out the previous night over the right to claim Qiao Ran's left hand. Other than Rotom, who lacked a normal body, and Nihilego, who remained unconscious, nearly every Pokémon had joined in. Even Suicune watched eagerly from the side, trying to find an opportunity to get involved.

After yesterday's experience, everyone had come to understand the benefits of Tokiwa Power. Especially when its user was Qiao Ran, they simply had no way to resist it.

"N-No, don't look at me like that. There's really nothing left. I need rest too!"

Seeing Dianxi and the others staring at him hungrily, Qiao Ran sprang out of bed in fright. It was an indisputable fact that Tokiwa Power consumed physical stamina. He still had many things to do today and could not waste his energy on this sort of thing.

Thankfully, ordinary Pokémon could not trigger the automatic healing of Tokiwa Power... Otherwise, Qiao Ran suspected that getting out of bed in the future would become difficult.

After tidying his clothes and having Suicune provide water so he could brush his teeth and wash his face, Qiao Ran prepared to check on Mei and Lillie in the other room. If everything was normal, Lillie should be waking up soon—after all, she was the one who had received treatment.

Sure enough, when Qiao Ran arrived, the first thing he saw was Mei and Lillie sitting face-to-face, both silent.

—Mei looked somewhat helpless, while Lillie kept her head lowered, seemingly unsure what to say.

Upon noticing Qiao Ran, both girls turned their eyes toward him.

Mei immediately stood up, walked over to Qiao Ran, and spoke in a low voice, her expression carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"What exactly did you discuss with Lillie? Why does she keep acting all mysterious whenever I ask her about you? She says she doesn't know and that she doesn't understand it herself... What kind of love potion did you feed her?"

"I think she was telling the truth. Do you believe me?"

Qiao Ran rolled his eyes where he stood. There was no need to think about it—Lillie definitely did not know what had happened... She had either been unconscious or asleep. It would have been stranger if she did know.

"Hmph... You two must have coordinated your stories just to mess with me, right?"

Mei did not believe Qiao Ran's explanation at all. Seeing was believing, and hearing was not. She had seen those things herself, so how could they be fake?

"Believe whatever you want. We still have other things to do next."

Qiao Ran did not want to waste his breath on this. He had come today to investigate this world's situation—especially the situation outside the Aether Foundation.

"Other things to... do?!"

Mei's eyes widened, and her cheeks turned red again.

"It's only morning! What are you trying to do?! I'm warning you, I won't leave this time!"

Mei's flushed, flustered expression reflected in Qiao Ran's eyes. In the end, all she got was the look he gave an idiot.

"I meant clearing out Nihilego and exploring the outside! What were you thinking?"

"Ah...? Ah? Huh???"

Mei's expression froze, and a wave of heartfelt embarrassment immediately rose within her. She could not help covering her face.

Wh-Wh-Wh-What was I thinking???

Could it be that yesterday was too stimulating, and I was becoming a little strange too???

Well... although Mei had never admitted it aloud, she had still found herself thinking about those things before going to sleep last night. That soft, delicate Lillie had actually... When Mei herself had not even...

"Hmm...?"

Meanwhile, Lillie sat on the bed with her head tilted, watching Qiao Ran and Mei interact so passionately. Although she could not hear what they were saying, seeing Mei's cheeks rapidly turn red and then watching her shyly cover her face made Lillie feel that something was wrong.

After everything that had happened yesterday, Lillie clearly had a vague fondness for Qiao Ran. This man had not only rescued her, but yesterday he had also... Her memory was hazy, but she still remembered lying in his arms, feeling safe, comfortable, at ease, and happy.

Lillie had lost her father at a young age. She had never felt this way from any other man, so she was especially sensitive to that feeling and remembered it especially deeply. When she saw Qiao Ran and Mei discussing something she could not hear, with Mei showing such a shy expression—she could not help feeling as if something inside her was missing.

Their relationship was so good...

"Mas..."

Looking at Qiao Ran, Lillie always had an urge to call him Master, but in the end, she changed her words.

"Qiao Ran..."

She only called his name because she wanted to draw his attention. Just watching from the side really did make her feel lonely.

The World: Reality

Hearing Lillie's voice, Qiao Ran decisively ended his conversation with Mei and walked over to Lillie.

Rather than talking to Mei about all this nonsense, what Qiao Ran truly needed was to obtain more information from Lillie. As the young lady of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine's daughter, and Alola's beloved child, Lillie had never been a simple character.

"You two... seem to have a pretty good relationship."

"We actually only met yesterday."

Hearing Lillie's words, Qiao Ran smiled noncommittally. Was he familiar with Mei...? Qiao Ran actually was quite familiar with her, and they were comrades who had fought together. That kind of relationship was even stronger than an ordinary friendship.

"By the way, there are some things I want to ask you about—about this Aether Foundation and the situation outside."

Qiao Ran sat down in front of Lillie and asked his questions. He had considered this issue for a long time. Or rather, one of the main reasons he had come to this world was to seek its answer.

According to Mei from the Unova region, in the Unova region where she had lived, "all Legendary Pokémon had disappeared," and "the region had been invaded by a 'dark force.'" However, Mei had been rather vague whenever it came to this dark force.

—That night, Qiao Ran had stayed with Mei in an empty park for a long time. Although they had had enough time, whenever Mei tried to recall key information, she would clutch her head in pain. She did not even seem to understand why she had come to Qiao Ran's world.

As for anything else, once Mei tried to remember it, she would fall into pain. She had told Qiao Ran that she had joined the archaeological research team in hopes of awakening her memories through things related to the Pokémon world.

Since she could not recall things on her own initiative, accepting help from external forces was an option Mei could accept. Furthermore, Dr. Lilia's psychic powers could alleviate the headaches that came and went, and Mei hoped to remain by Dr. Lilia's side and help her however she could.

Qiao Ran supported Mei's choice and understood the helplessness in her heart. But their all-night conversation had left Qiao Ran with an even deeper question—what exactly had happened to this world?