Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

The boy supported the limp girl, his hand resting on her head, dyeing her golden hair green.

Meanwhile, Mei, the girl's best friend, also had her mouth agape, frozen in place, completely drained of color—it was as if she had been witnessing incredibly shocking scenes for some time now.

What... what was going on now????

Why had Lillie, who was just beside her, suddenly rushed over to Qiao Ran? And fallen into his arms???

"Wait a minute." Mei looked at Lillie, who was lying in Qiao Ran's arms, her face full of comfort and happiness, with an unnatural blush on her cheeks, and couldn't help but arrive at a startling conclusion.

Qiao Ran had said before that he actually knew Lillie.

So—were they... already in that kind of relationship before?!

Although Mei and Lillie were good friends, Mei actually knew very little about Lillie's past. If she had a boyfriend, Mei might not even know.

"This..."

Watching Lillie squirm in Qiao Ran's arms, her expressions and movements becoming increasingly strange, Mei's cheeks grew redder and redder.

What... what were these two doing!! I'm right here!!!!

"I... I'm leaving first. You two... you can talk first."

Gazing at the intimidating green light, which had also dyed her entire body green, Mei could no longer bear it. Although she didn't know what the green light was, if she stayed any longer, she might witness scenes that were inappropriate for young ladies. She had no choice but to retreat.

However, as she turned to leave, she felt a sense of loneliness. She had previously thought that whether it was getting to know Lillie or Qiao Ran, she would be the first one... but why had it become like this?

"Wait... Wait! Don't go yet! Hey! Come here and help me hold her!"

Seeing Mei about to leave, Qiao Ran desperately tried to call her back. Lillie was now like she had lost control, constantly rubbing against his left hand, absorbing his Tokiwa Power. Under normal circumstances, Qiao Ran could control the release of his Tokiwa Power, but... perhaps because Lillie was severely injured, Qiao Ran couldn't retract his power at all. He could only watch helplessly as Lillie drew energy from him.

She was really being treated like a Pokémon!

"Mmm..."

The golden-haired girl, like a kitten, hugged Qiao Ran's left hand and didn't want to let go. Her face was filled with an unnatural flush, which was even more pronounced on the girl's fair face.

"Mas... Qiao Ran..."

Hearing the soft moans from her mouth, Qiao Ran's face froze. Did she... did she just try to call him Master???

For a moment, Qiao Ran almost mistook her for his Pokémon.

"What... what is going on with those two?"

After wandering outside for a while, although Mei still found it hard to believe, based on Lillie's proactive actions earlier and her subsequent reactions, they definitely had some kind of relationship.

There was nothing she could do, so Mei had to stay outside a little longer, just in case she returned and saw something strange.

Of course, she didn't go too far. After all, they were still in Nihilego's nest, and they hadn't completely escaped danger. If anything unexpected happened, as long as she heard a call, Mei could rush back immediately.

"..."

After waiting boredly outside for a while longer, Mei figured it was about time and decided to go back.

This time, she didn't hear any strange sounds. She called out a few times from outside, but no one responded. Mei patted her cheek, then gathered her courage and walked in.

However, when she actually entered, she discovered that Qiao Ran, who had looked fine earlier, was leaning against the wall, panting heavily as if he had been completely drained. On the other side, Lillie was rosy-cheeked, beaming with happiness, and glowing with health as she curled up under the covers on the bed.

She had clearly fallen asleep, perhaps dreaming of something wonderful.

However, Lillie's appearance didn't look like that of a seriously injured patient, nor did she look like a host who had been parasitized by Nihilego for a long time. Instead, she looked like...

"You... you guys..."

Mei's face turned completely red, and her eyes became the swirling circles seen when a Pokémon is defeated.

—She instantly understood. These two must have done something! They must have!

Why... why had it become like this?

Why???

In a daze, Mei's vision seemed to be filled with that faint green light again. Although she knew that there was no light in the dimly lit room, she just felt as if this light had permeated her entire body, dyeing her a strange color.

"You two... We haven't even guaranteed our own safety yet, what are you guys doing!"

"What are we doing?"

The weak Qiao Ran weakly raised his head. He was a bit exhausted from Lillie's absorption and could barely stand up now.

After all, he had just gone through a fierce battle with Nihilego, then he had taken care of his Pokémon, and now he had spent a lot of energy treating Lillie. Although this didn't have any substantial impact on him, exhaustion was unavoidable.

"You ask what we're doing... uh."

Having been focused on treatment and only now able to rest, Qiao Ran looked at himself, then at Lillie, who was lying on the bed with a happy flush, and in a daze, he seemed to understand something.

"You... do you have anything else to say? Do you know Lillie was just rescued! She's not feeling well!" Mei glared at Qiao Ran on the ground. She didn't even know what expression she should have right now, but she was unhappy in her heart.

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

"That... nothing happened between us, we're innocent... really."

Qiao Ran tried to salvage some of his reputation. He, Qiao Ran, had sacrificed himself for others, infusing his Tokiwa Power to nourish Lillie's body. This was a fearless spirit of dedication, so why was he being scolded here?

"Look at yourself now, look at Lillie now, and you still say that!"

Mei glared at him and then pouted, refusing to say anything more.

The facts were laid out before him, yet this guy still wanted to deny it. What was he trying to do!

Chapter 82: 080 [Two Beauties: Friendship]

Silence, a silence as if of death.

Facing Mei, who had been sulking with him, Qiao Ran could only sigh inwardly and decided to stop explaining.

He hadn't done anything wrong, so he wasn't afraid of ghosts knocking at his door. Besides, he was really tired right now and needed some rest.

"Are there any other beds around here? I want to take a nap."

"Over there."

Despite her inner turmoil, Mei still pointed Qiao Ran in a direction. Nihilego rarely came around here, so it was relatively safe.

Furthermore, with that large Nihilego having been contained by Qiao Ran, the internal situation within Nihilego should have been in chaos, and they likely wouldn't have had the time to cause trouble for Qiao Ran and the others.

"Thank you."

After thanking Mei, Qiao Ran prepared to find a bed to rest. However, before getting into bed, he went to Pokémon Pioneer Land to place the Nihilego there for recovery.

He had no intention of returning to the real world yet, and even if he did, it would take time to get to a Pokémon Center. So, he decided to leave the Nihilego in Pioneer Land, where she could slowly recover.

Not only that, but because Qiao Ran had absolute control over Pioneer Land, even if the Nihilego had any strange ideas, Qiao Ran could control it immediately, so he wasn't afraid of any accidents.

After all, no matter what, Nihilego was an invasive alien species. Qiao Ran didn't quite understand what the consequences would be if such a species were introduced into the Pokémon ecosystem. If it really didn't work out... he would genuinely have to specially arrange a new place for them to live separately...

Qiao Ran lay on the bed, looking at the gleaming white ceiling of the Aether Foundation, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

He hadn't been in this world for long, but he had experienced far too much. Although the mission at the Singularity was complete, after today, there would definitely be more things to do. He had to recharge his energy.

The next day, Rotom woke the sleeping Qiao Ran at the scheduled time. However, looking at the messy pile of Pokémon around him, Qiao Ran was clearly used to it.

Last night, a silent war had broken out over the ownership of Qiao Ran's left hand. Except for Rotom, who lacked a normal body, and the unconscious Nihilego, almost all the Pokémon had participated. Even Suicune was eyeing them greedily, trying to find an opportunity to intervene.

After yesterday's incident, everyone had experienced the benefits of Tokiwa Power, especially when used by Qiao Ran. They were simply unable to resist.

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

Qiao Ran was startled and jumped out of bed, looking at Dianxi and the others with their eager eyes. It was an undeniable fact that Tokiwa Power consumed stamina, and he still had many things to do today. He couldn't afford to expend his energy on such matters.

Fortunately, Pokémon in their normal state couldn't trigger the automatic healing of Tokiwa Power... Otherwise, Qiao Ran guessed it would be difficult for him to even get out of bed in the future.

After tidying up his clothes and having Suicune use water to help him brush his teeth and wash his face, Qiao Ran prepared to go to another room to check on Mei and Lillie. If everything was normal, Lillie should be waking up soon—after all, she was the one who had received treatment.

As expected, when Qiao Ran arrived, the first thing he saw was Mei and Lillie sitting face-to-face, but neither of them spoke.

—Mei's expression was a little helpless, while Lillie kept her head down, seemingly unsure of what to say.

Noticing Qiao Ran's arrival, the gazes of both girls turned towards him.

Mei immediately got up and walked to Qiao Ran's side, speaking in a low voice with a hint of scrutiny in her expression.

"What exactly did you discuss with Lillie? Why is it that whenever I ask her about you, she mysteriously says she doesn't know and that she doesn't understand herself... What kind of love potion did you give her?"

"I think she's telling the truth, do you believe me?"

Qiao Ran rolled his eyes on the spot. Without even thinking, Lillie definitely didn't know what had happened... After all, she was either unconscious or sleeping. It would be a miracle if she knew what was going on.

"Hmph... You two must have colluded to mess with me, right?"

Mei didn't believe Qiao Ran's explanation. After all, seeing is believing, and hearing is deceiving. She had seen those things; how could they be fake?

"Believe it or not, we have other things to do next."

Qiao Ran didn't want to waste any more words on this. He came here today to explore the situation of this world—especially the situation outside the Aether Foundation.

"There are other things to... do?!"

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

"It's only morning! What do you want to do! I'm warning you, I'm not leaving this time!"

Mei's blushing and pounding heart was reflected in Qiao Ran's pupils, which only earned him a look of an idiot.

"I'm talking about clearing out Nihilego and exploring the outside situation! What were you thinking?"

"Ah...? Ah? Eh???"

Mei's expression froze on her face, and a wave of shame from the bottom of her heart instantly surged, making her cover her face uncontrollably.

What am I thinking???

Could it be that what happened yesterday was too stimulating, and I've become a bit strange myself???

Okay... although Mei never admitted it, she couldn't help but think about these things before going to sleep last night. That frail Lillie actually... even though she didn't...

"Hmm...?"

On the other side, Lillie, sitting on the bed, tilted her head and watched Qiao Ran and Mei interact passionately. Although she couldn't hear what they were saying... seeing Mei's cheeks quickly turn red and even cover her face shyly, Lillie felt that something was not right.

After yesterday's contact, Lillie clearly had a vague good impression of Qiao Ran. Not only did this man rescue her, but yesterday he also... Although her memory was not deep, she still remembered lying in his arms and feeling very safe, comfortable, cozy, and happy.

Lillie had lost her father at a very young age. She had never experienced such a feeling from any man, so she was particularly sensitive and deeply affected by this feeling. When she saw Qiao Ran and Mei talking about a topic she couldn't hear, and Mei showing a shy expression—she always felt that something was missing in her heart.

Their relationship is so good...

"Mas..."

Looking at Qiao Ran, Lillie felt an urge to call him "Master," but ultimately, she changed her address.

"Qiao Ran..."

She called out his name, simply wanting to get his attention. Just watching from the sidelines like this, she still felt lonely.

Kanto · Sabrina.jpg

Section 83 | 081 [World: Reality]

Hearing Lillie's voice, Qiao Ran decisively ended his conversation with Mei and came before her.

Rather than discussing those messy things with Mei, Qiao Ran actually needed to gather more information from Lillie. As the eldest daughter of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine's child, and the beloved daughter of the Alola region, Lillie was never a simple character.

"Your relationship... seems quite good."

"Actually, we only met yesterday."

Hearing Lillie's words, Qiao Ran smiled noncommittally. To say he was familiar with Mei... Qiao Ran was indeed quite familiar with her. Moreover, they were comrades who had fought together, a bond stronger than that of ordinary friends.

"Right, I have some things I want to ask you, about this Aether Foundation, and some situations outside."

Qiao Ran sat down in front of Lillie and asked his questions. He had been thinking about this for a long time, or rather, one of the main reasons he came to this world was to find the answer to this question.

According to Mei from the Unova region, in her Unova region, "all Legendary Pokémon have disappeared," and the "region has been invaded by 'dark forces'." However, Mei was somewhat vague about this dark power.

—That night, Qiao Ran accompanied Mei in an empty park for a long time. Despite having enough time, whenever Mei tried to recall some key information, she would clutch her head in discomfort. Even the reason she came to Qiao Ran's world seemed unclear to her.

As for other things, if Mei tried to recall them, she would fall into pain. She told Qiao Ran that her joining the archaeological research team was also in the hope of awakening her memories through things from the Pokémon world.

Since she couldn't actively recall, accepting help from external forces was also an option Mei could accept. Not only that, but Dr. Lilia's psychic abilities could also alleviate her intermittent headaches. She hoped to stay by Dr. Lilia's side and help her.

Qiao Ran supported Mei's choice and understood her helplessness, but the all-night talk that night brought him deeper doubts—what exactly was wrong with this world?