[Under the moonlight] / [vs. Mei]

To be honest, Qiao Ran was a little surprised by Dr. Dr. Lilia's high regard for him. According to Qiao Ran's previous thinking, he and Dr. Lilia had not actually had much contact. Even including the last cleanup operation, this was only their second meeting.

If you put yourself in Qiao Ran's shoes, if Qiao Ran had such resources, he would never give them to a young man he had only met twice, unless this guy was really exceptional.

"Could it be because of Eve...?"

Qiao Ran's expression was somewhat strange, but this was the only reason that could explain what was happening.

Dr. Lilia, is she repaying a favor to her sister?

The morning conversation lasted for several hours, with several people sitting down to discuss the matter in detail at length in order to learn more.

Finally, Dr. Lilia closed the tablet.

I put down my pen.

"Right now, all we know is roughly the following. First, the Pokémon World has been hit by an unprecedented crisis; every region we know of has suffered. Second, there's some kind of connection between the Pokémon World and this world. Since Mei, Lily... Ai, you were able to get here, then we might also have some way to get there."

"Finally, there are a few points... these points basically match what we've discovered... and that..."

Dr. Lilia's summary grew longer and longer, and she even took out a pen and started writing and drawing on the whiteboard. Finally, looking at the bewildered faces around her, she smiled and stopped.

"Sorry... I might have gotten a little carried away. This information is really important... It's unprecedented research, and if it can actually be verified..."

Dr. Lilia's expression revealed her genuine excitement; her chest was heaving faster than usual. The female doctor stood up, patted Qiao Ran and Lillie on the shoulder, and couldn't wait to return to the research institute to write her report.

"I hope you all continue to perform well. If you make any new discoveries, please let me know immediately. I'll have Mei bring you that Elite Four's recommendation letter tomorrow. By the way, what are your social media accounts...?"

Before leaving, Dr. Lilia and Qiao Ran exchanged contact information, and Qiao Ran also added Mei to the list, making it easier to contact them in the future.

"Come tonight..."

However, before leaving, Mei secretly tiptoed and whispered something in Qiao Ran's ear. This was their secret signal, even though Qiao Ran and Lillie had already revealed most of the information. Mei knew that this man hadn't revealed the most crucial details.

They need to meet again privately.

Even after leaving the room where the conversation took place, Qiao Ran was still looking at her phone.

Several new unread messages appeared on his social media account, most of which were from Long Jiangxue.

Ever since Qiao Ran left Longjiang City, the young lady from the Gym would send him several photos every now and then, reporting on the situation of Dianxi's capture and asking Qiao Ran for the secret to meeting Dianxi.

The most recent photo is a picture of her standing excitedly with a Pokémon.

Long Jiangxue: Look what I found! Is this a subspecies of Dianxi? It looks so much like Dianxi!!!

"Isn't this... Carbink?"

Upon seeing the picture, Qiao Ran was completely stunned. The Pokémon in the picture had a body made of minerals, but it was smaller than Dianxi, and its diamonds weren't the same dazzling pink color. However, these Pokémon were Dianxi's supporters and members of the Diamond Kingdom— Carbink.

Furthermore, there is even a theory that Dianxi is actually a mutant among the Carbink; in other words, Dianxi's essence is also a special Carbink individual.

Following this line of thought, it might not be impossible to say that Long Jiangxue actually captured Dianxi this time?

Thinking of this, Qiao Ran's fingers twitched, and he decisively typed a line of text on the screen.

Qiao Ran: Congratulations! At this rate, you'll definitely catch him sooner or later!

Long Jiangxue: Really? You think so too? My father said something similar to me, telling me not to be afraid of any difficulties I encounter... Indeed, perseverance does pay off!

Long Jiangxue replied extremely quickly; even through the screen, Qiao Ran could feel the boiling excitement in her heart.

"Long Jiangxue: This kind of Pokémon has never been discovered before. Everyone was stunned when I first used it at school..."

Long Jiangxue became increasingly talkative, even recounting amusing anecdotes from school. If Qiao Ran hadn't met her before, he probably wouldn't have guessed that this girl was the same somewhat aloof young lady from before. However, finding Carbink on the back mountain of the school—could it be that Dianxi really exists?

"I should start working hard too."

Qiao Ran put away her phone... Rotom did not continue the conversation with her.

He has a lot to do next. Besides challenging the Gym, he also needs to meet one of the Elite Four along the way. In addition to these long-term plans, he also needs to go shopping with Lillie today—to bring back resources for Mei —and he also needs to meet Mei tonight...

Suddenly, Qiao Ran remembered something. "Oh, right, we need to buy clothes for Suicune too... We can't let them know about Suicune, we have to buy them separately..."

Suicune has just Humanoid Transformation, also needs to buy new clothes. Her figure is completely different from that of the Vulpix and Dianxi, so even if she makes do, it's not feasible.

Let her wear Dianxi's clothes... she'd probably explode immediately.

"Ugh, I'm so busy!"

Qiao Ran collapsed onto his bed, and only Rotom floated down to him.

"Master, Master, if you're busy, why don't you have them come out and help out? Wouldn't that be better, Rotom?"

Hearing her words, Qiao Ran could only roll her eyes.

"Isn't that getting more and more..."

Is this a problem? This does absolutely nothing to relieve my stress.

Logically speaking, more people would lead to higher efficiency and fewer tasks assigned to each person. However, for Qiao Ran, having more people only increased his pressure.

When will this ever end?

Chapter 97, Page 94 [Under the Moonlight]

"Sneaking around... sneaking around..."

That night, Qiao Ran once again took advantage of a walk to sneak out of the Jinling Gym. To be honest, he went out shopping twice today, once with Lillie and once with Suicune and the others. Both of these groups are the type who can't resist clothes, and when they got new clothes, they liked to have Qiao Ran pat their heads with his left hand, as if they were addicted.

Qiao Ran was exhausted; he had absolutely no energy left. All he wanted to do was lie in bed and count the Groudon, then drift off to sleep.

But there was no way around it; since Mei had invited him to meet, she would definitely be unhappy if he didn't go.

Arriving at the familiar park, Mei was already there, waiting by the fence by the water, staring blankly at her reflection in the water.

"Have we been waiting for a long time?"

"No... I just arrived too."

Upon hearing Qiao Ran's voice, Mei shook her head and turned around to look in Qiao Ran's direction.

"You..."

"You must have a lot of questions, right? If you want to ask, just ask over there."

Qiao Ran shrugged and led her to sit down on a nearby bench.

"Um."

Mei seemed less lively than usual at night; even the two small pieces of bread in her hair drooped down—she knew that what she was about to discuss with Qiao Ran would be something very serious.

Qiao Ran recounted his experiences at the Aether Foundation to Mei in detail. In Mei's eyes, Qiao Ran now possessed the special identity of a "Chosen Child." Therefore, traveling through different worlds was as simple as eating and drinking.

She had no further doubts about what Qiao Ran said. Mei also had no intention of questioning someone who could gain the approval of Legendary Pokémon.

"As expected, the world has truly been destroyed..."

Mei hugged herself tightly, whether from the cold night wind or the cruel news, she was very depressed.

"The world has indeed been destroyed, but we have not been defeated."

Qiao Ran offered her a word of comfort, even though he knew that for a girl who had suffered such a huge loss, such comfort was just a trivial word. However, Qiao Ran hoped that his words could help her cheer up.

"That's true... Luckily, we still have hope. The Legendary Pokémon haven't abandoned us yet, and thankfully, you're here..."

After Mei finished speaking, she slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on Qiao Ran in front of her. In this world, she couldn't find a way to survive, and could only follow Dr. Lilia, searching for memories she might have lost in the past. But... since meeting Qiao Ran, she felt as if she had a new goal.

Her life regained its luster.

She wants to work with the man in front of her to uncover the truth and save the world—that's what a true female protagonist should do.

All of this was brought about by him; in this world, he was the only one who truly understood her. A special connection had been established between them, and this connection would become even stronger and more resilient over time.

Mei was lost in thought, and in a daze, the two people sitting on the park bench had been gazing at each other for a very long time.

"Qiao Ran..."

The girl parted her red lips, and an enchanting atmosphere began to spread between them, mingling with the silvery moonlight, like finely brewed rice wine, intoxicating and captivating.

Her eyes sparkled like twinkling stars, like pure reflections in water.

Looking into those eyes, Qiao Ran couldn't help but feel his heart race. Mei was indeed a very cute girl, full of charm beyond her years. She had a lively and adorable side, as well as a sentimental one.

And most importantly—she is a human being, so Qiao Ran and she have no psychological burdens and don't need to worry about strange questions like whether she will lay eggs or whether the eggs Flash.

"Qiao Ran..."

Mei's expression grew increasingly excited; her cheeks flushed slightly, and her gaze was fixed intently on Qiao Ran's face, as if she wanted to memorize it.

This... this... this... this...!

Could it be... that she also...

Qiao Ran's heart began to race; he even wondered if something unusual was about to happen.

--After all, the surrounding environment is just too good right now.

The gentle breeze, the bright moon, the lake water—everything seemed perfectly prepared, as if it had all come together naturally.

It's time.

As Qiao Ran predicted, Mei ultimately...

She leaned closer to him, her prominent chest seemingly asserting its presence while obscuring her waist and abdomen.

"Qiao Ran, I have a request, and I hope... you can grant it."

She looked somewhat nervous, as if she were afraid of being rejected, and extremely cautious.

Qiao Ran was equally nervous—was it coming? Could it be that... it was coming???

"You say."

Qiao Ran swallowed hard. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever been treated like this by a human girl... He had never experienced anything like this before.

"Then I'll tell you."

Mei nodded and closed her eyes. Qiao Ran also closed his eyes, feeling both incredibly nervous and incredibly excited.

The girl took a deep breath, and after a moment of silence, she finally spoke out loud—

"Qiao Ran! Let's have a Pokémon battle! I want to see your Pokémon face to face!!"

Mei's voice startled countless sparrows in the deserted park, and even the water rippled wildly.

Qiao Ran, who was facing her, tilted his head, his eyes widening to the size of copper bells, and hundreds of question marks appeared on his head.

"... ha??????????????????"

Fighting???

... fighting????

Zhan Ge Dou??

There were so many question marks popping up that Qiao Ran couldn't even find her own head anymore.

The atmosphere, the situation, the scene just now... this guy... this guy just wanted to start Pokémon battle with me????

"You... you didn't mean to... you actually want to fight??"

"The battle... is there a problem? We stared at each other for so long just now, and I could feel your passion and determination for the fight, Qiao Ran... could I have been mistaken?"

Seeing Qiao Ran's head full of question marks, Mei also had a head full of question marks on her head.

"Impossible! I clearly saw it, Qiao Ran, there was a glint of Covet in your eyes! You definitely want it!"

Qiao Ran was completely speechless. "..."

He figured this guy's thought process was definitely a little different from his own.

--You actually use eye contact to decide whether to fight?! Where did you even come from, you normal Trainer?!?!

Chapter 98, Episode 095 [vs. Mei]

In the Pokémon World, Pokémon battles are a topic that will never go out of style. Whether it's a young kindergarten child or an elderly person with graying temples, when they make eye contact, an endless fighting spirit will surge from their bodies.

Mei was no exception. Since coming to this world, she hadn't enjoyed the thrill of battle for a very long time—she had even forgotten that she was actually a challenger in the Pokémon League, a rookie trainer eyeing the Champion.

"Let's fight, Qiao Ran!"

Moreover, in her mind, Hilbert a way to enhance mutual understanding. Only after fighting this man can their relationship move forward. Even if she has a thousand emotions in her heart, only through battle can she fully vent them.

"... All right."