Chapter 58

Section 108, page 105 [Qiao Ran the Traveler]

Mei Qiao Ran had no idea what Meiyue was talking about while she was whispering to Lillie. However, he wasn't worried that they would say anything strange, because after spending some time together, Qiao Ran had basically figured out Mei's temperament.

Although she was incredibly perceptive at times, able to notice many unexpected things, most of the time she was just as Oblivious as Mei. Even when Qiao Ran felt quite ashamed and embarrassed, they remained completely oblivious, acting as if nothing was wrong.

Lying in bed, Qiao Ran prepared to Rest and rest. However, before Rest, he still went to the Wild Area —not for the Type: Null, but to see the Altaria that had just blocked an attack for him.

If her Type: Null, Qiao Ran plans to release her for a heart-to-heart talk tomorrow after his stamina has recovered. As for Altaria, it's because of her previous heroic performance that everyone, including Qiao Ran, has recognized her courage. After she was injured, Dianxi and Suicune even offered to help take care of her.

How is the recovery going?

Qiao Ran stroked the neck of the Altaria. Although he did not use the Tokiwa Power, the gentle touch still made the Altaria squint its eyes in pleasure.

"Clear--"

She flapped her wings, indicating that she was now fine and that as long as she had time to recover, it was only a matter of time before she regained her health.

In the Pokémon Pioneer Land, Pokémon naturally recover from their injuries. The process isn't fast, but it's still quite remarkable. Altaria, for example, was knocked away by Type: Null Pokémon and was practically embedded in a wall. It took Dianxi and Suicune working together to pry it out. Despite suffering such severe injuries, she has regained consciousness after Wild Area.

It must be said that this Ability of Wild Area is quite powerful.

"You should get some rest first. If you have any problems, just let me know. Don't just fly away without a reason."

As he spoke, Qiao Ran became somewhat helpless. Unlike other Pokémon, Altaria would often fly away halfway through his sentence. Although Qiao Ran she understood what he meant, he couldn't guess what she was thinking at all.

Sometimes, she's too unrestrained.

However, Qiao Ran was still quite moved when he saw her take the initiative to block that attack for him.

Regardless, Altaria has acknowledged him and recognized him as Trainer.

If it were a Pokémon without feelings, it definitely wouldn't do this for him. The ones who would do these things for him are his best partners.

"Clear..."

"How about it? Sometimes it's nice to talk like this, isn't it?"

Qiao Ran rubbed the little tuft of feathers on the head of the Altaria, a smile involuntarily appearing on her face. If it were any other time, this bird would probably have already flown away, and wouldn't have continued chatting with her. If she hadn't been injured, this would never have happened.

Qiao Ran told her a lot, but gradually, Qiao Ran noticed that the other person was responding less and less.

He looked down and saw that the Altaria had already lay down, its head resting on his body, and had fallen asleep.

"I wanted to Rest too... but you fell asleep first."

Qiao Ran somewhat helpless; being a Trainer was truly not an easy task. With the Altaria leaning against him, he found it difficult to leave for the time being.

The next day, Qiao Ran spent some time capturing Nihilego at the Aether Foundation before leaving. Although the Aether Foundation still held many secrets, such as the "aura of light" covering Nihilego and the Type: Null, as well as the mysterious underground laboratories, all of these were things that needed to be explored.

However, the number of Nihilego is ultimately limited. With Qiao Ran's extensive search, jellyfish are becoming increasingly difficult to encounter. Although Qiao Ran only needs three or four more to complete the task of capturing 100, it's better to try his luck in the Real World than to waste time catching Nihilego here.

Qiao Ran can still encounter Rock Type Pokémon if he goes up the mountain more often.

"Then let's get going first."

Upon arriving in the Real World, Qiao Ran shouldered his backpack and continued his journey. Since Lillie had already stayed with the Aether Foundation, the only one who could stay by his side now was the petite Vulpix.

The distance from Jinling to Hangcheng is quite long. To cross this distance, Qiao Ran must use a car or similar means of transportation. If he were to walk, it would probably take several months.

"Is it really best to choose a route with mountains along the way in order to catch Rock Type Pokémon?"

Qiao Ran scanned the map on his phone, and soon he found a good place, which happened to be near the route.

"Juju Mountain Scenic Area... we could check it out while we're there. And according to the information on my phone, a Grass-type Gym just opened there recently?"

In the vast land of China, many Gym open every year, each with its own unique Badge. However, only a few Gym in major cities have emblems that are truly effective and can be collected to participate in the Pokémon League Gym.

For example, the Longjiang Gym in Longjiang City and the Jinling Gym in Jinling City both have powerful Gym Leader who, given time, are strong contenders for the Elite Four spot. However, the number of such strong individuals is ultimately limited, and not everyone wants to become a Gym Leader.

In contrast to the huge shortage of Gym Leader, there is a lack of enthusiasm for becoming Trainer. If a region has no Gym, then there are no formal Trainer training institutions. Although such knowledge is taught in schools, it seems to be lacking compared to Gym.

Therefore, the Pokémon League has gradually relaxed the qualifications for opening Gym. However, to join the Pokémon League, you still need the Badge of those established Gym.

"Alright, let's rest over there for now, catch all 100, and try out the Gym."

Gym Battle is actually a good thing for Qiao Ran. Collecting more Badge will allow him to receive more Pokémon League subsidies. Most importantly, participating in more battles will also allow his Pokémon to level up more quickly.

His current goal is not just to challenge the Pokémon League and become the Champion; in order to solve the problems in the Pokémon World, he will inevitably go to even more dangerous Singularity in the future.

All of this is based on sufficient strength.

Without strength, he can't protect anything.

Another version of Nihilego's female form. jpg

Section 109, Chapter 106 [Newcomer to the Gym]

Life is like a journey; it's not about the destination, but about the scenery along the way and the mood with which you view it.

Sitting in the car, watching the scenery rushing past the window, Qiao Ran couldn't help but think of this saying he had heard somewhere before. However, compared to his initial self, he now felt a little impatient and no longer had the mood to appreciate the scenery.

At first, he truly traveled for the sake of traveling. He could enjoy everything he encountered on his journey and then pursue the Champion he dreamed of. But... after experiencing so much, everything changed.

Unbeknownst to him, he had taken on more responsibilities and burdens. He carried not only the hopes of Lillie and the others, but also Mei's expectations of him. No matter how heavy these burdens were, Qiao Ran could not escape them.

Even if he says now that he's tired and wants to leave, wanting to go back to that carefree travel he used to have—is that even possible?

Not only would Mei and the others not allow it, but he himself wouldn't want to see such a thing happen.

"Aww..."

Vulpix, nestled in Qiao Ran 'Qiao Ran arms, rubbed against his arm and made a soft sound. Qiao Ran patted her back to indicate that he was fine.

Although he had thought about many things, ultimately, there was only one root cause for all the problems.

He's not strong enough.

If he's strong enough, many problems won't be problems anymore.

Qiao Ran had always Covet power, but never before had he Covet it as much as he did now. A comfortable life breeds laziness, and perhaps it was the recent crises that had stirred a burning desire within him.

A sense of urgency crept in.

"We've arrived. Is this Juju Mountain?"

Stepping out of the car and surrounded by lush greenery, Qiao Ran couldn't help but stretch.

Juju Mountain is a famous mountain in China, known as the Eighth Grotto-Heaven and the First Blessed Land. Although Qiao Ran's current location is obviously not in the center, he can still feel the charm of this place.

"Oh, right, you guys should come out too."

Qiao Ran released Dianxi and Suicune, turning them and Vulpix into human form.

He hadn't forgotten his Pokémon; since they were in such a scenic area, he naturally wanted to let them out and have some fun.

Especially Suicune, who was kept in a dark room the whole time on the cruise ship, and Qiao Ran had already said he would make it up to her.

"Hmm... so let's go together."

Qiao Ran looked at the three beautiful girls in front of him, one adult and two children, and nodded gently.

Bringing your own Pokémon trip was no problem, but Qiao Ran soon encountered trouble when buying tickets.

Are you looking to buy family tickets? If it's a package deal, we offer a discount.

The ticket seller glanced at Qiao Ran, then at Suicune, and asked the question quite naturally. As for Dianxi, whose head could only be seen halfway, and Vulpix, whose head could only be seen on the top, she automatically ignored them.

"This..."

Under the pressure of four pairs of eyes around him, especially the Grudge gazes from Vulpix and Dianxi behind him, Qiao Ran felt quite innocent.

The root cause of this problem is actually yourselves, okay? Qiao Ran asked himself honestly, if he saw a group of four like this walking towards him, he would probably have the same thoughts as the ticket seller.

This isn't because Dianxi and Vulpix lack feminine charm, but rather because Suicune next to them has such a "madam" vibe.

"Um... could you please get me two adult tickets and two child tickets? I also have my student ID and adventurer's certificate..."

In the end, Qiao Ran didn't buy the foolish family tickets, but instead got each of them a proper ticket.

Stepping through the mountain gate, one finds a path leading to the immortals.

The scenery of Juju Mountain is quite beautiful.

From the foot of the mountain to the top, Qiao Ran and Dianxi Suicune took a quick tour. Along the way, he didn't forget his most important mission—to pick up a few Rock Type Pokémon and put them into his Poké Ball.

Normally, encountering Rock Type Pokémon isn't easy, as they generally don't live in densely populated areas, like Dianxi. However, in scenic mountain areas, with careful searching, it's quite easy to encounter Pokémon with similar types to Dianxi.

Therefore, Qiao Ran's recommendation for Long Jiangxue to go to the back mountain to catch Dianxi actually has a profound scientific basis; who knows, they might actually succeed!

Qiao Ran happily sent the ball into the Pokémon Pioneer Land. He had reached the target of one hundred Pokémon. All that was left was for him to find a place to rest that night and then share this joy with his other Pokémon.

"Call--"

After descending the mountain, Qiao Ran once again took a car to the nearby city. He planned to visit the Gym in the city tomorrow, and after completing the challenge, he would leave the city directly. He wouldn't stay here for too long, after all, he still needed to get to the Elite Four's house by Zhenze Lake.

If he arrives late, it means he's stood up the Elite Four.

After finding the Pokémon Center in the city, Qiao Ran quickly checked in. The Pokémon Center is a very important place for adventurers. Here, they can not only rest their team and restore their Pokémon's stamina, but most importantly, they can get some useful local information from the nurses.

"You mean the Pokémon Gym that recently opened here?"

The pink-haired nurse poked her cheek and pondered for a moment.

"Hmm... actually, I don't know much about it either. I heard that the Gym Leader is an elderly woman, but as a local, I've never heard of her before..."

"And let me tell you, the Pokémon League approved the Gym construction this time much faster than usual, almost abnormally so."

As Qiao Ran inquired, the nurse spilled out a lot of information, and in short, after listening to her answers, Qiao Ran roughly understood the situation of the Gym.

"A very mysterious Gym Leader, who might have some kind of connection to the Pokémon League... and he's quite old."

Back in his room, Qiao Ran shook his head and lay down on his bed.

The beds at the Pokémon Center were always very soft, Qiao Ran loved the feeling of lying directly on them.

"Forget about that for now. It's about time we headed to the Wild Area."

Qiao Ran summoned Rotom and had her send him to the Pokémon Pioneer Land.

The requirement of one hundred has been met; now—it's about time for him to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Section 110, page 107 [Changes in the Wild Area]

--Pokémon Pioneer Land.

The current Wild Area has changed significantly compared to its original state.

Back then, there was nothing here, no grasslands or rivers, just barren land. Qiao Ran vaguely remembered what it looked like back then. He thought it was a lifeless land, and that it would take a lot of time to make it better.

However, with the help of Suicune and Dianxi, many, many changes have taken place here. Every Legendary Pokémon has the ability to manipulate the world's energy, and they seem to have been born with this ability, easily accomplishing things that even the administrator, Qiao Ran, could not do.

Furthermore, every time you collect 100 Pokémon, something special always appears in the world. First, it's Forest and grasslands, then water and wind...

This time, when Qiao Ran brought the total number of Rock-type Pokémon in the Wild Area to 100, the ground in the Wild Area began to tremble violently. Qiao Ran could clearly see that the originally dull flat terrain in the Wild Area began to rise and become uneven, and the world became more diverse.

The world is getting better.

The air here is thick with life. In this place, even ordinary Pokémon don't have to worry about illness. It's no exaggeration to call this a paradise on earth.

However, Qiao Ran always felt that something was missing.

"Type: Null, you stay here quietly, okay? Don't bother me later."

For tonight's summoning, Qiao Ran also released Type: Null, so that she could watch from the sidelines as well.

Nihilego sometimes disobeys him, and the Type: Null is even more outrageous, giving him attitude is just a regular occurrence.

However, even with such Type: Null, Qiao Ran found a way to subdue her after trying many different ways of communicating with her.

"Did you hear me? You're not coming to cause trouble, are you? If you don't agree, I'll have no choice but to..."

As Qiao Ran spoke, he approached her with a kind smile on his face, and light emanated from his hands.

"Ouch."

As Type: Null Qiao Ran approached, a bead of cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He turned his head and quickly responded.

She's fearless, but she's helpless when it comes to this thing. What other Pokémon love is poison to her, something she avoids like the plague.

She disliked the feeling of being out of control of her body, and... the feeling of being watched was terrifying.