Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

So, Qiao Ran had come here and posed the question to Lillie before him, hoping the girl could give him a different answer.

"Mom told me after the crisis... that the Aether Foundation's research is actually research about the future."

Lillie hesitated for a moment, but seeing Qiao Ran's eager eyes seeking an answer, she decided to speak.

The situation had become extremely dire, and the boy before her was the one who had saved her... She had nothing to hide.

"And part of this research about the future is actually the power of other dimensions. We can use special devices to open caves called 'Ultra Wormholes,' and these caves lead to another world, which we call the 'Ultra World'."

"You mean the world where the Ultra Beasts are?"

Qiao Ran stroked his chin. Outside the Pokémon world, other worlds existed. Could his original world also be considered an "Ultra World"?

"Yes, among countless other planes, there are countless unknown Pokémon. Research into Ultra Wormholes is actually research into the unknown... However, my father was sucked into an Ultra Wormhole while doing this research, and his whereabouts are still unknown... It was from that time that Mom became a bit paranoid... She wasn't like this before."

A hint of sadness flickered in Lillie's green eyes as she curled up slightly. She had lacked paternal love since childhood, and the consequence of lacking paternal love was a lack of security. She hadn't felt the sensation of an embrace for far too long.

"It'll be okay, everything will get better in the future."

Qiao Ran could only comfort her a few words. As a player who had played Pokémon games, Qiao Ran knew that Lillie's father was actually alive, but he had lost his memory and become a modern-day Robinson Crusoe...

"Get better..."

Lillie's nose twitched slightly. Getting better... For her now, it was simply too luxurious. All she could do was watch her family members leave her one by one: her father sucked into an Ultra Wormhole, her brother banished to the Ultra World by the invading Nihilego, and her mother frozen by her own hands...

The once complete family of four, the owners of the Aether Foundation, now only had her left.

"Lillie..." Seeing her friend's sadness, Mei sat down beside Lillie and gently took her hand, hoping to alleviate her loneliness in this way.

"..."

Qiao Ran fell silent for a moment, but he still chose to continue asking. Although bringing up these sad topics wouldn't make anyone happy, someone always needed to solve the problems.

"What about outside the Aether Foundation? The Aether Foundation became like this because of the Nihilego invasion. What about the other islands in Alola..."

"The other islands in Alola also suffered the same attack. Before the Aether Foundation's equipment completely lost functionality, we monitored the situation on the other islands of Alola... Like us, it wasn't very optimistic. A large number of Ultra Wormholes opened throughout Alola, and the Aether Foundation was only a part of it."

This time, the one who answered was Mei, who had been silent until now. Her home was actually on Melemele Island in Alola. She had wanted to go back and check on her mother more than once, but due to certain reasons, she couldn't put these thoughts into practice.

"The same..."

Qiao Ran was stunned. To open so many Ultra Wormholes simultaneously throughout Alola to deploy Ultra Beasts... What exactly had happened?

What kind of power was needed for that?

"Do you have any plans to visit other places in Alola?"

"Visit other places?"

Hearing Qiao Ran's question, Mei sadly shook her head.

"Give up. The space around the Aether Foundation is like it's being restrained by something. Once we leave a certain distance from this area, an Ultra Wormhole will suddenly appear and teleport us back to the Aether Foundation."

"...!"

Listening to Mei's words, Qiao Ran's eyes widened in surprise. Teleport back... There was such a thing???

Section 84 082 [Farewell: Parting]

If it were a spatial barrier or something like an "invisible air wall," Qiao Ran could have said that he had seen plenty of it in games and was already battle-hardened. However, this operation of teleporting people back was truly the first time he had encountered it.

"I'll go out and take a look later. What's going on with teleporting people back? Like a return to town?"

Qiao Ran couldn't imagine what that felt like. He felt it would be better to go out and experience it himself.

"If you want to go, then go. You'll know when the time comes."

Mei gave Qiao Ran a sideways glance. If it were that easy to leave, she would have taken Lillie and the others and fled long ago. Why would they be lingering in a place like the Aether Foundation, where they couldn't even feel the sun?

"What are you planning to do next?"

Qiao Ran shrugged. This wouldn't work, and that wouldn't work either. Were they really planning to be trapped here for the rest of their lives?

"First, we'll clean up the Nihilego, and then we'll use the seeds and materials stored by the Aether Foundation to restore the basic infrastructure here. Then we can wake up Lillie's mother. Perhaps we can even use the technology here to find the lost people... With Lillie here, there will definitely be a way."

Mei looked at Lillie beside her, her expression finally relaxing a bit. As the children of two scientists, Lillie actually had some relevant knowledge. At the very least, she understood the facilities in the Aether Foundation very well.

"Yes, I think so too... With the three of us working together, we can definitely rebuild this place..."

Lillie looked at Qiao Ran's face, and a glimmer of hope gradually appeared in her eyes.

Everything was moving in the direction of wasteland reconstruction. Qiao Ran's appearance had also given Lillie a shot of confidence. If she had been a little lost before, now she was filled with energy.

This usually cautious and timid girl had decided to change herself; she had to cheer up.

—Also, if Qiao Ran could continue to pet her like yesterday, that would be even better...

As she thought about it, Lillie's body actually felt a slight heat. As a human, she was experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the Everlasting Power. Perhaps her body had undergone some unexpected changes when she was parasitized by Nihilego.

"Lillie, what's wrong?"

Mei, who had been holding Lillie's hands, was the first to notice Lillie's abnormality. She had never seen her good friend make such an expression before. In her impression, Lillie had always been a pure child, perfectly fitting the image of a young lady in her heart.

However... Lillie seemed to be acting strangely all the time now.

"Stare—"

Mei turned her gaze to the man in front of her. After all, Qiao Ran was the only one she suspected, and he was definitely the one who had caused Lillie to become like this.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Qiao Ran blinked speechlessly; he was still completely clueless himself.

For the next while, Qiao Ran and Mei worked together to clean up the Nihilego. Although Lillie wasn't a trainer and had no combat ability whatsoever, not even being able to hold a shovel, she was very familiar with the Aether Foundation's layout.

Moreover, having her stand by to cheer them on was quite effective.

Qiao Ran also discovered that Lillie seemed to possess a natural, special attraction to Nihilego. If he placed her in an open area, she could draw many Nihilego into a trap. At first, Lillie's eyes still held some fear, but after she thought of certain things, her expression became much more determined.

Seizing this opportunity, Qiao Ran took the chance to capture about ten more Nihilego with Poké Balls. Although the probability of capturing an Ultra Beast with a Poké Ball wasn't high, as long as they were knocked out and put inside, they were all the same.

After finishing these tasks, Qiao Ran also went to the uppermost level of the Aether Foundation to try and find a way to leave the artificial island by flying. He summoned Altaria and then rode her into the clouds.

However—just as Mei had said, when he left a certain range of the artificial island, a white opening suddenly appeared before him, engulfing Qiao Ran and Altaria. By the time Qiao Ran reacted again, he had already reappeared inside the Aether Foundation.

"Is this really teleportation???? There was no reaction time at all."

Not only that, but Qiao Ran also tried ascending, to see if he could fly higher to observe the distant scenery. However, after leaving the ground for a certain distance, he still encountered that troublesome Ultra Wormhole, which teleported him back.

"Seriously… it's airtight."

Qiao Ran couldn't help but complain. Although he still had the idea of diving underwater, he ultimately abandoned that plan.

The Aether Foundation was built in the sea. With Suicune's control abilities, protecting Qiao Ran in the vast ocean would be quite difficult. Qiao Ran saw no need to take such an unnecessary risk for something so trivial.

Qiao Ran rested for another day at the Aether Foundation. During this day, he explored more of the Aether Foundation's terrain and also grew closer to Mei and Lillie.

Mei's attitude towards Qiao Ran was still unpredictable, just like before. When they talked alone, things were fine, but as soon as Lillie was mentioned, she couldn't help but lose her temper with Qiao Ran.

Lillie's change was probably the most noticeable among the group. Qiao Ran could clearly feel her trying her best to become more capable and stronger. With her family gone, she, the youngest, had to step up.

During the nights of these past few days, she had been studying the books in the Aether Foundation, seemingly determined to find everyone else using the power of technology.

However, it was also about time for Qiao Ran to leave. He had to go back and discuss the information here with Mei. Furthermore, with the Nihilego having lost their leader, the remaining ones would no longer be a match for Mei.

—In other words, Mei and Lillie's basic safety was completely guaranteed.

"Is that so? You plan to leave… As I thought, you came here through special means, didn't you?"

Hearing Qiao Ran's intention to leave, Mei was first taken aback, then revealed an expression of understanding, as if she had already anticipated this.

"I haven't seen you in the Aether Foundation, and it's impossible for anyone to come directly from the outside… There's only one explanation: you have a special method."

"Yes, I do have a special method, but it's something only my Pokémon and I can do. Otherwise, I would have loved to take you with me."

Qiao Ran shrugged. He wished he could take them with him, but he lacked the ability to transport others, so he could only let Mei and Lillie stay here.

"I'll come back often to check on you. I hope things will have changed here by the time I return."

Qiao Ran sent his blessings. Next time, he would also bring some necessary supplies, believing they would need them.

"No… Don't go!"

However—

Lillie, who had been silently looking down beside them, directly blocked Qiao Ran, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tightly.

"I… I thought you would always be here…"

Lillie's voice was choked with emotion. The reason she had changed so much recently was because she believed Qiao Ran would support her, and that they could support each other as they moved forward. Yet… this man, after giving her such a sense of security, chose to leave. Lillie couldn't accept such a blow; it felt as if the world she had painstakingly rebuilt was about to collapse again.

"I'm sorry… I really can't take you with me. All I can say is that I'll visit often… We'll see each other frequently from now on."

Qiao Ran felt helpless and could only let Lillie hug him. She was a girl who easily got shy, and for her to take such initiative showed how deeply emotional she was.

"No… Don't… Don't leave me…"

Lillie lifted her head, her golden hair falling over her forehead. Her eyes were filled with tears. Clearly, Qiao Ran's intention to leave seemed to have stirred up some painful memories for her.

She had long been alone. It was only after meeting someone she could rely on that she experienced a few happy days, but why… did he choose to leave in the end?

Would everyone… always be gone?

The more Lillie thought about it, the more distressed she became.

"…Don't cry."

Qiao Ran patted her head, unsure what to say. He glanced at Mei beside him, who also shook her head silently, equally at a loss.

"Lillie…"

Qiao Ran seemed about to say something more, but at that moment—the Rotom Phone suddenly jumped out of Qiao Ran's pocket.

"Ah! I can't stand it anymore, Loto!"

Rotom, seemingly unable to bear the atmosphere, flew directly in front of Qiao Ran and pressed its screen against his face.

"Master, let me tell you, you can just put her in a ball and take her with you! Why make things so complicated!! If she can be put in a ball, then she's a Pokémon!!!!"

"……Huh?????????"

Several question marks popped up consecutively above Qiao Ran's head.

"Wait… there's an operation like that???"

Undoubtedly, Rotom's explanation had completely hit a blind spot in Qiao Ran's knowledge.

This meant... Lillie was actually a Pokémon now?????

Section 85 | 083 [Choice: Crossroads]

"This..."

Hearing Rotom's words, it wasn't just Qiao Ran who felt shocked; Mei and Lillie, standing beside him, also cried out in surprise.

After all, no matter when you heard it, this kind of thing was utterly world-shattering. Being captured in a Poké Ball and treated as a Pokémon...

"No! I won't agree to this, you can't do this to Lillie anymore! She's human!"

Mei was the first to protest. Lillie was her best friend, and she certainly couldn't stand by and watch Lillie become a "Pokémon" in a man's hands.

This was too beastly.

However, after a moment of silence, it was Lillie who first tugged on her sleeve.

"No... Mei, I'm okay."

Lillie had also gone through an internal struggle, and finally, she made her decision.

"Although I don't know why... I feel very at ease when I can stay by his side..."

"So... even if it's through this method, I want to spend more time with him..."

"But Lillie..."

Mei took a deep breath, her hands falling limply. Lillie's words had already shown her attitude and stance. This girl was even willing to go into a Poké Ball just to be with this man.

Was this really worth it?

To pay such a price for something like this?