Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

Eve's eyes flashed with a hint of realization. Too... too good. Did I misunderstand Iron Maiden, misunderstand Qiao Ran?

—People only believe what they are willing to believe. Eve felt the same way now. Perhaps because the shock she had received before was too great, she was now more willing to believe the reason Qiao Ran gave.

Yes, no one had changed, and no one had disappointed her. She had simply misunderstood them.

"..." Iron Maiden averted her gaze speechlessly. She had originally wanted to refute Qiao Ran's words, but seeing the situation, she swallowed her next words.

Did her head really get impacted, causing her thoughts to become confused?

"That's great, Lillie, is your name Lillie? Did you see the same thing in the room?"

"Huh? Ah... um, um..."

Lillie, who had been sitting stiffly on the chair, zoning out for who knows how long, turned her head blankly, a smile of awkward politeness on her face.

As the only outsider who had witnessed the entire process, she was completely in awe of these people from another world.

"You guys... are really amazing."

This... is this another world?

Unova · Chandelure.jpg

Section 89 087 [Language Education]

Having basically figured out the whole story, Iron Maiden asked Qiao Ran what he planned to do next.

"Right, you're actually looking for Little Eve's sister now, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

Qiao Ran gave an affirmative answer. The two people he wanted to see the most right now were Dr. Lilia and Mei. After talking with them, Qiao Ran would have to return to Mei's side again and continue catching jellyfish.

—He still hadn't finished catching his hundred.

However, upon hearing Qiao Ran's answer, Iron Maiden shook her head.

"Then you'll probably have to wait a day—they've been at the laboratory in the suburbs analyzing the latest discoveries. I'll pass on your message and see if they decide to come over."

"But even if they decide to come, it'll probably be tomorrow before they arrive."

Iron Maiden patted Qiao Ran's shoulder and then stood up from the bed.

"I'll arrange a room for Miss Lillie. My Gym is quite large."

"Th-thank you, sister." Lillie replied very politely, standing up and repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

Only now did she suddenly realize that this older sister in front of her was actually a Gym Leader!

So... so amazing!

Of course, as Iron Maiden's status increased, Qiao Ran's image in Lillie's heart became even more mysterious and majestic. A boy who could command legendary Pokémon and defeat a Gym Leader with one hand... you wouldn't find that anywhere else, would you?

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Qiao Ran responded and let Iron Maiden take Lillie away. Lillie was a very sensible and obedient child, and she could make decisive judgments at critical moments. She wasn't as much of a pretty face as she appeared.

So Qiao Ran wasn't afraid she would do anything out of line—she knew what should and shouldn't be said.

Information about the other world had to be kept secret from Iron Maiden for the time being.

To wait for Dr. Lilia and Mei to arrive, Qiao Ran rested in the Gym for a day. However, saying he rested in the Gym wasn't entirely accurate—in fact, he spent most of his time in the Pokémon Pioneer Land.

"&!……@&!……@&!……@!&"

Looking at the Nihilego floating in front of him, Qiao Ran sat on the grass, propped his chin with both hands, and fell into thought.

It was clear that Nihilego wanted to express something to him, but—Qiao Ran couldn't understand a single word.

"Dianxi, did you understand?"

"...No." Dianxi also shook her head in confusion. What language was this?

"Suicune, what do you think?"

"...Roar."

Suicune looked up at the sky, and only the empty sky could represent her current mood.

"Vulpix, what are your thoughts on this?"

"I... I think it's very strange. But... but I don't understand either."

Vulpix closed her eyes, trying to recall what she had just heard, but after a moment, her eyes began to spin. Let alone understanding, she couldn't even imitate it.

"Then Altaria..."

"Chii—"

Qiao Ran finally cast his gaze on Altaria, but Altaria didn't want to answer the question and took off immediately, leaving the ground.

"It seems no one here can understand what she's saying."

Qiao Ran shrugged helplessly and also lay down on the grass.

This language barrier was a big problem, especially when giving commands. Although Qiao Ran could still issue commands to Nihilego through that faint link, it was ultimately too slow.

To put it simply—normally, when he had Suicune use Water Cannon, he just needed to convey the concept of "Water Cannon." But with Nihilego, it became "use a skill that looks like a turbulent, columnar stream of water sprayed from its body."

The concept that could originally be summarized in a single word now required Qiao Ran to recall its characteristics in his mind every time he used it before he could correctly convey it to Nihilego. That was roughly the feeling.

"Master, master, I actually have another way!"

Seeing that everyone was at a loss, Rotom, who had the most wild ideas, chuckled.

"If you have a way, just say it," Qiao Ran reached out to grab her, but Rotom agilely dodged.

"Don't rush, master, I'll tell you, Rotom~~~ Learning Pokémon language isn't just about learning; it's more like an innate instinct, Rotom."

Rotom began her analysis with her unique electronic voice.

"So, it's impossible for us to understand the language of Nihilego from another world, Rotom, and she also can't understand our language because it's instinct, Rotom!"

"You mean..." Qiao Ran rubbed his chin. The point Rotom raised was indeed a blind spot.

"Master, think about it, Rotom. If this were really a language, why could Pokémon with different calls understand each other? And master, do you think Vulpix received any 'language' education when she was young? Rotom!"

"This..." Qiao Ran glanced at Vulpix beside him. The little girl with blue and white long hair tilted her head slightly, blinking her innocent big eyes.

Indeed, as Rotom said, Vulpix had been raised by him since birth and had no experience living with elders. If what Pokémon used was truly a language, then Vulpix should have been "unable to speak" in the end.

"We weren't taught any 'language'—but we can communicate. This ability is an innate instinct, Rotom, an instinct bestowed by a higher being, and this instinct cannot be learned, Rotom!"

Rotom's voice grew louder and more excited.

"So, to break this deadlock, there's only one way, Rotom!"

"What way?" Qiao Ran asked curiously.

"Of course, it's to conquer Nihilego, make her shy, increase her affection! Make her transform into human form, Rotom!"

"???"

For a moment, Qiao Ran felt that what was floating in front of him wasn't Rotom, but a flying matchmaker. — She even had aspirations of becoming a midwife.

Rotom, however, continued to speak eloquently.

"Master, the most important thing you need to do now is to make her transform into human form, Rotom!"

"Only after transforming into human form can she break free from this instinct and use the most convenient body to learn new languages, Rotom!!"

Section 90 088 [Head Pat]

"After all that, why haven't you transformed into human form yet?"

Although Rotom's words made a lot of sense, and Qiao Ran largely agreed with her theory, there was still a problem that had been bothering him: Rotom herself. As a Pokémon who had been with him from the very beginning, even earlier than Dianxi, why hadn't she transformed into human form yet?

"Well... my situation might be a bit special, Rotom. I don't know why I can't, Rotom..."

Rotom's form swayed in the air. As she said, even she didn't know why she couldn't transform. Increasing affection and intimacy didn't necessarily require battling, but given the time Qiao Ran had spent with her, that value should have been reached long ago.

Was there some necessary condition missing?

"Never mind, if you can't figure it out, don't dwell on it. If you transformed, it would be inconvenient for me to put you in my pocket, right?"

Qiao Ran smiled, telling Rotom not to dwell on it. However, his words only dealt a greater blow to Rotom.

"Master, that's not comforting at all, Rotom! I don't want to be stuffed into your pocket, Rotom!"

"Whether you want to or not, it's decided. Who told you you look like a phone."

Qiao Ran joked with her without reservation. He had long known that her bottom line was basically zero, or even negative.

"Also, you..."

Qiao Ran was about to say something else, but halfway through, he felt something soft land on his head.

Qiao Ran: "..."

He reached out and touched it. It was slippery and soft, even more comfortable than the finest skin, with a hint of coolness that made him want to rub against it.

However, Qiao Ran didn't let the thing stay on his head. A ball of green light emerged from his left hand and struck the strange object.

"!...&...!@"

The object let out a sharp "scream," then convulsed. Its body gradually softened. While it was softening, Qiao Ran quickly removed it from his head.

"Wait, Nihilego, don't bite my head! I'm not Lillie! No, even Lillie can't be bitten!"

Qiao Ran's face was full of helplessness. This wasn't the first time Nihilego had attacked him. Although she didn't seem to have any intention of truly attacking him, being hung on his head by a parasitic beast capable of controlling minds was a very unpleasant feeling.

In the end, Qiao Ran could only use Tokiwa Power to pry her off his head. Although Qiao Ran didn't understand the principle himself, as long as they were his Pokémon, their bodies would turn into a flowing liquid upon contact with Qiao Ran's Tokiwa Power.

"Master... it must be because of this power that she attacked you."

Dianxi witnessed the entire scene. Looking at Nihilego wriggling on the ground, she offered her opinion. Although she couldn't understand what Nihilego was saying, she felt she understood the desire for that power.

Dianxi closed her eyes and recalled the feeling of Qiao Ran stroking her when she transformed into human form a few days ago. Gradually, her human body began to feel hot.

"Is this power really that powerful?"

Qiao Ran scratched his head. Honestly, he had read many Pokémon manga before, but none of them seemed to have "Tokiwa Power" with such an effect. Seeing his Pokémon's exaggerated reactions, Qiao Ran was almost afraid to heal them during battles.

"It's definitely powerful! Hmm... really powerful!" Vulpix answered quickly. To strengthen the credibility of her words, she added a sentence.

"If master doesn't believe me, you can ask Suicune. She definitely knows!"

Suicune: "...!"

An exclamation mark popped above Suicune's head, and she turned her head alertly. She seemed unwilling to discuss the matter, but in reality, her dignity had nearly vanished after Qiao Ran's petting over the past few days.

"Awooo..."

Suicune turned her head away, haughtily refusing to look, but even if she actively avoided it, someone would still want to tease her.

"Master, Master, hurry up and go, Lotto. She definitely can't resist, hehehe."

Rotom's voice, eager to stir up trouble, rang out, and Qiao Ran actually nodded in agreement this time.

"Hmm—it's definitely worth a try."

Qiao Ran's thoughts weren't solely focused on teasing Suicune; his deeper intention was to change Suicune's tsundere personality.

"Awooo!"

Suicune's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Qiao Ran approaching, her legs starting to tremble. However—she didn't dodge. In fact, she was even a little expectant.

Qiao Ran's left hand rested on her without any obstruction, emitting a faint green light.

"Good girl, good girl. Just relax here."

Qiao Ran's voice softly echoed in her ear, and Suicune's breathing gradually became heavier.

It was clear she was still trying her best to maintain the image of a serious, dependable older sister, yet even so, her body quickly responded to Tokiwa Power with a resounding "It's so good!"

"Awooo—"

Suicune let out a sound of enjoyment, her body going limp as she lay down on the grass. She felt Qiao Ran's hand stroking her mane, and under the nourishment of the green power, she felt every cell in her body being reborn—just like Lady Ho-Oh had done before.

"Isn't this quite nice?"