091 [Reunion] / Section 95 092 [Recommendation] ...

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Section 94, page 091 [Revisited]

Despite having received the news, Qiao Ran did not go directly to see Mei and the others, but instead brought Lillie was sleeping in the room next to his.

This girl, who had experienced countless tragedies, did not have the habit of sleeping in. When Qiao Ran went to wake her, she was already sitting at her desk in the room, intently reading a book.

"Qiao Ran?"

In the sunlight streaming through the window, Lillie gently brushed aside the blonde hair behind her head. Her hair was slightly damp and carried a pleasant fragrance, as if she had just taken a shower.

"Yes, the person we're looking for has returned. If you're free, you can come with me."

Qiao Ran glanced at her white dress. She was indeed very suited to white clothing; the purer the white, the more it accentuated her delicate and pure nature.

"They're back already?"

Lillie blinked in surprise, then closed the book she was holding and placed it under her pillow.

She stood lightly and nimbly behind Qiao Ran, like a little rabbit.

Let's go together.

"Um."

Qiao Ran nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on Lillie's pillow.

--Although Lillie hid the book very well, Qiao Ran knew that the book was actually from the Pokémon World.

"Are you still reading that book?"

"... I've already seen quite a few, I'm sure I can be of help to everyone."

Lillie looked up and smiled softly, though she still seemed somewhat unsure of herself. However, she added in a low voice at the end.

"It will definitely be useful..."

Lillie isn't good at Pokémon battles, and she's even afraid to interact with Pokémon in normal times. She knows she might not have the talent to become a trainer, so in order to be able to help, she has been studying the knowledge of the Aether Foundation, or rather—the research notes left behind by her mother Lusamine and father Professor Mohn.

In the Pokémon World, the Aether Foundation is the research institution that knows the most about Otherworld and Ultra Beast, and has made many remarkable achievements. The researchers who lead this organization are Lillie's biological parents. Now that Lusamine and Mohn are no longer around, Lillie has inherited their mantle.

"So from now on I'll have to call you Dr. Lillie?"

"Eh...? Eh? No... no, that's not it."

Hearing Qiao Ran's teasing, Lillie lowered her head shyly and began fiddling with her fingers.

"Um... wait a moment, I need to fix my hair."

Lillie decided to tie her hair up first; it would be too impolite to go see people like this. Although she was now down on her luck, she still had the self-awareness of a young lady deep down.

"Let me help you, it'll be faster that way."

Qiao Ran offered to help, and Lillie hesitated for a moment but didn't refuse. However, she was truly surprised when she discovered that Qiao Ran was actually quite good at this kind of thing.

The technique and movements didn't look like someone doing this for the first time. Lillie had initially planned to personally Coaching Qiao Ran.

"You... seem quite skilled at this?"

Seeing Qiao Ran quickly tie her hair into a ponytail in the mirror, Lillie couldn't help but make a sound.

"Ah, I used to braid my sister's hair a lot, so I guess I got good at it."

Qiao Ran's lips twitched, and he quickly came up with an excuse. Otherwise, why would a grown man like him need to learn this kind of thing?

--It's because Vulpix and the others didn't know how, so Qiao Ran had to learn it himself and then teach them.

However, in other people's eyes, he does indeed have two younger sisters. Although in the story Qiao Ran told others, both sisters have now returned to their hometown, these two sisters do indeed exist.

"You actually have a younger sister...?"

Lillie sighed, not doubting at all that Qiao Ran might be lying. After all, she also had an Older Brother, and hearing that Qiao Ran also had a younger sister still touched her heart.

"That's about enough, let's set off together."

After tidying everything up, Qiao Ran clapped his hands and opened the door first. Lillie followed behind him and nodded gently.

Looking at the man walking ahead, Lillie felt as if she understood him a little more.

Beyond his power and mystery, he is also a very gentle and kind person...

"Eve, please wait outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with Mr. Qiao Ran."

Upon arriving at the conference room, Eve, who had come with Qiao Ran and the others, was stopped at the door by her sister, Dr. Lilia.

This female PhD student, whose name differs from Lillie's by only one character, is already a well-known Pokémon Ruins excavator in China. She has not yet discussed marriage, but has devoted all her youth to this career.

"Why can't I go in... Humph... That guy can go in though."

Eve was throwing a tantrum. She was already unhappy when she saw Qiao Ran enter Lillie's room, and now she was being blocked at the door.

Despite her resentment, Eve had to admit that Lillie was indeed more elegant and more like a so-called young lady, even her blonde hair was brighter.

--It's practically a complete upgrade of her.

"Eve, stop fooling around. We really have something important to discuss this time. Just wait outside."

Dr. Lilia frowned, and finally managed to persuade Eve to leave after much persuasion. It wasn't that she didn't want to accommodate her sister, but this situation was indeed too unusual.

Having dealt with the situation outside, Dr. Lilia closed the door herself.

Lillie and Qiao Ran sat down in the room, and Mei also appeared in the room. However, she seemed to be fiddling with something on the table, and her hands were constantly recording some data.

"Qiao Ran, you're finally here... Phew, I've been waiting for ages."

Mei pouted and turned around, looking in the direction where Qiao Ran was.

Have you seen this before? We unearthed this this time.

She showed Qiao Ran what was on the table. It turned out to be a small, somewhat worn-out cannon barrel. The original purple paint had become a bit old, but the black barrel still seemed to be showing off its powerful firepower, shining with a deep light.

"This is..."

Qiao Ran's eyes flashed, and the instant he saw the turret, he actually thought of something.

However, what he was thinking about wasn't the weapon itself, but rather a certain Pokémon that had been equipped with it...

--Genesect?? Apocalyptic Bug????

How could something like this appear here???

First it was Ultra Beast, now it's Genesect —you archaeologists, can't you even unearth some normal Fossil Pokémon?!

Section 95, page 092 [Recommended]

Qiao Ran was convinced. She was truly convinced.

Archaeology in this world seems to be going in strange directions, completely different from the Pokémon archaeology he had imagined.

In typical Pokémon archaeology, you'd usually dig up creatures like Omanyte, Kabutops, Aerodactyl, Armaldo, but in this world, it's all about Ultra Beast, Genesect... basically, whatever's dangerous, they dig it up, and whatever's dangerous, they find it.

Qiao Ran even felt like he wasn't doing archaeology, but digging for landmines.

If any one of these things is revived, there will likely be a constant stream of troubles to come.

Genesect – These are a group of Pokémon that lived 300 million years ago. They generally lived a group-hunting life, and in their time, there were basically no creatures that could rival them.

Even the dominant Aerodactyl is no match for them. Just think about it—a group of social Pokémon with a base stat total of 600 flying around, whimpering behind their prey. Their base stats are basically equivalent to a group of Dianxi or Jirachi. In that prehistoric era, what life form could possibly Defeat such a group of hunters!

"Qiao Ran? What are you thinking about?"

Mei looked at Qiao Ran with some curiosity, but Qiao Ran shook his head, indicating that she should talk about it later.

Dr. Lilia walked over and clapped her hands at everyone.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Lilia, and I'm an ordinary PhD in archaeology. Our current research focuses on Pokémon Ruins..."

Dr. Lilia had everyone introduce themselves, especially the newcomer Lillie, who was actually the main character this time.

"Hello everyone... My name is Lillie, and I'm from another world. Qiao Ran saved me... Now I'm going to travel with him."

Are you also from the Pokémon World?

After listening to everyone's self-introductions, Mei curiously sized up the girl in front of her. Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, Mei could sense a hint of resilience emanating from her.

"Yes, I'm from Alola, where it's already..."

Lillie's expression darkened slightly. After speaking, she told Qiao Ran most of the information she knew, as instructed.

Qiao Ran naturally had his own purpose in asking her to recount these things. From a long time ago, Qiao Ran had wanted to warn archaeologists in this world not to study Ultra Beast. However, his own account alone was certainly not enough—no one would believe a boy's empty words. But if Lillie, a firsthand witness, were added, it would probably increase the credibility considerably.

"You mean... a white, jellyfish-like creature destroyed your Artificial Island, and other islands in your region were also destroyed by many strange Pokémon??"

As expected, after hearing Lillie's story, Dr. Lilia's expression gradually became serious, even turning somewhat dark.

As a seasoned archaeologist, it was impossible for her not to make unfounded connections to Lillie's story; at least... judging from the characteristics Lillie described, everything seemed to match.

"..."

Dr. Lilia's thoughts became increasingly chaotic. She scratched her hair, standing up and sitting down repeatedly.

Mei, what do you think?

"I... I think Lillie is probably right. Some of the things she said are indeed only known to people in my world."

Mei already firmly believed what Lillie had said. She even wondered if these Ultra Beasts were also responsible for the immense destruction in their Unova Region.

Mei couldn't remember the specifics; all she could recall was the feeling of pain.

"Okay... I'll keep a record of these things and submit them to the research institute later."

Dr. Lilia nodded seriously. If the region where Lillie lived was truly destroyed because of these things, then their current research would be no different from courting death.

After discussing for a while, Qiao Ran brought up another question she wanted to ask.

"By the way, did you find any Golden Key during the excavation?"

"Key?"

Dr. Lilia frowned and thought for a moment, then finally shook her head. "I'm sorry, we haven't discovered anything like this before."

"All right."

Qiao Ran looked somewhat disappointed, but he wasn't discouraged. After all, "Key" are rare and hard to come by. If he hadn't been quick-witted and nimble-fingered, the Key probably wouldn't have been discovered.

"... You seem quite interested in archaeology? I heard you went to a Ruins with Elite Four Yi before."

"It's alright, there are quite a few interesting things in the Ruins."

Faced with Dr. Lilia's sudden question, Qiao Ran smiled slightly. He was indeed quite interested in the Key in the Ruins, the Key themselves, and the Key.

"That's perfect. A well-known figure in the archaeology field is currently recruiting Assistant. I was originally planning to send Mei to help out, but since you're interested, I can recommend you go and take a look."

"Huh?"

Qiao Ran was somewhat surprised. This... this sudden recommendation to be Assistant?

Dr. Lilia seemed to sense Qiao Ran's confusion, so she took the initiative to explain.

"Don't overthink it. It just so happens that you're interested in this, have Psychic, and have someone who understands the language of the Pokémon World by your side. You're a pretty good candidate. Although the language of that world sounds similar to this world, and there are no problems with daily communication, it has its own unique writing style and Rules when recorded on paper. I'm really grateful to Mei; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to decipher some of the records written on paper."

"Furthermore, the convener's residence is on the way to Hangcheng. I've already heard from Eve that Hangcheng is your next destination, right? I'll have Mei go there to provide support before the mission begins."

Dr. Lilia seemed to have everything arranged, but Qiao Ran still raised his hand and asked his last question.

"May I ask... um, who is that organizer?"

"Convener?"

Dr. Lilia gave a somewhat mysterious smile.

"She's one of the four strongest Elite Four in China, and also the most senior Elite Four. Her family is said to have some connection with Iron Maiden. Anyway, Iron Maiden and I will write you recommendation letters, and you'll find out when you meet her. She's also very accomplished in archaeology, so you can ask her many questions then."

"..."

Qiao Ran blinked, somewhat bewildered. One of the four strongest... Elite Four??

In other words, the person he's about to meet is the real, genuine Four Elite Four???

And -- Dr. Lilia... why does she suddenly think so highly of me????

Lillie

Chapter 96, Page 93 [Qiao Ran's Troubles]