Chapter 66

"I know... it's not Master's fault... it was the Vulpix that Captivate Master, wasn't it?"

"Huh?"

Dianxi's sudden words caught Qiao Ran off guard.

Vulpix...?

Wait... why does Dianxi know about the Vulpix...?

She...

Qiao Ran's thoughts were immediately in disarray, and even after Dianxi led Qiao Ran to Rotom and sent Qiao Ran back to the Real World, he still couldn't figure it out.

He was extremely tired and felt completely disoriented.

Dianxi stood by his bedside and covered him with the blanket. Even after doing all this, Qiao Ran didn't say another word.

He had reached his physical limit, and so had he mentally. Moreover, looking at Dianxi's complicated gaze, he didn't know what to say.

Dianxi, she...

How much does she know?

"Master... get some rest, see you tomorrow."

After saying goodnight, Dianxi took out a Poké Ball, which transformed into a beam of light under the bright moonlight and disappeared into the ball.

Section 124.121 [A Method]

The next day.

Qiao Ran woke up exhausted from his sleep; everything that had happened yesterday left him still groggy.

Because he had already booked his trip, he didn't head to the Wild Area immediately. Although he was worried about Dianxi and Vulpix, in order to catch his pre-booked train ticket, Qiao Ran could only pack his things and go to the station to wait for his train and get on his way.

Sitting down, watching the scenery rush by outside the window, Qiao Ran tried to distract himself by recalling some of the things the old man, Ouyang Cong, had told him.

"If you happen to meet my old friend, study under her for a while; I believe you will benefit greatly."

"As for your Pokémon... it does seem quite unusual. I've never seen such a strange Pokémon on Juju Mountain before. But you can rest assured, as long as I remain the Gym Leader, I won't easily reveal this information. Juju Mountain should remain as it is. Before you've fully developed your strength, you must also be careful and not be too eager for quick success."

"This old man is indeed very special."

Even after leaving, Qiao Ran still didn't figure out the old woman's identity, but her words still benefited Qiao Ran greatly.

Qiao Ran chose a car this time, which is the most flexible mode of transportation under the current circumstances, since his destination is not a big city, but a freshwater lake far away from the city.

Qiao Ran propped his cheek up with his hand, unable to stop thinking about other things. Although he had tried his best not to think about these issues, it was impossible not to.

After all, those are the things I care about most... Pokémon.

Last night, as he watched Dianxi cover himself with the blanket, Qiao Ran even had an urge to jump up and hug her, but... he couldn't do it, neither physically nor mentally, and besides, he didn't know what Dianxi was thinking.

"Why... why did it turn out like this? What happened to Dianxi? How did she know?"

Sitting in the car, Qiao Ran's doubts deepened. Logically, Dianxi shouldn't know about this, unless...

She secretly emerged from the Poké Ball halfway through and saw what was happening outside.

Or perhaps someone passed on information to her?

Qiao Ran gradually formed an idea in his mind, and he reached into his pocket and took out his phone.

"Rotom, do you have any intelligence? How are they doing now?"

Qiao Ran typed a message on the screen, asking Rotom about it.

He cannot jump to the Wild Area while traveling by car because his spatial location is closely tied to this world and is referenced by the world's coordinate system. If he travels to the Wild Area while traveling by car, he will not appear in the car when he comes out again, but on the main road he passed when he entered. At that time, he will most likely be met with a car accident.

"I don't know either, Rotom... but they seem to be doing fine, Master, don't worry ヾ(▽)ノ"

Rotom replied quickly, even adding a smiley face. However, Qiao Ran didn't feel reassured by her reply. After all, this guy had too many past offenses. Asking her was just for fun. If he really wanted to understand, he would have to wait until he went to the Wild Area to see for himself.

Qiao Ran leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and dozed off for a while. When he woke up again, the car had already arrived at its destination.

This is a small town near Zhenze Lake. It's not a very bustling place, but it's quite beautiful and peaceful.

Yangxian Town...

Qiao Ran took the travel guide he bought by the roadside and began looking for the nearest Pokémon Center. After all, as an adventurer, the first thing you should do when you arrive in a new place is to find the local Pokémon Center.

At the Pokémon Center, you can not only get free food and lodging, but also a lot of other assistance. The Pokémon League is very willing to invest heavily in training Trainer and maintaining the operation of the entire Pokémon League.

Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center and checking in, Qiao Ran contacted Mei via video call.

As previously planned, Mei would meet him at the Elite Four family's place, and Qiao Ran would also contact her regularly to update her on recent events.

"Yes, I've arrived in Yangxian. I estimate I'll reach my destination soon, since Yangxian is right next to Zhenze Lake."

"That's wonderful... It must feel amazing to travel! If I ever have the chance, I'd love to travel sometime... It would be so much fun traveling with you."

Listening to Qiao Ran's narration, Mei in the video couldn't help but show an envious look. As a Pokémon Trainer, she had no reason not to like the life of traveling and adventuring. However, due to the current complicated situation, she had to give up this option. She probably wouldn't be able to settle down and start an adventure until her hometown returned to normal.

"By the way, Mei, I have a question for you. It's about Pokémon breeding."

Suddenly, Qiao Ran asked a question that had been bothering him all along. Sometimes, as a Trainer, he had to ask others for advice, and Mei's strength was indeed something he could learn from.

"About Pokémon?" Upon hearing Qiao Ran's words, Mei puffed out her chest and stood up even straighter.

"Of course, no problem! Just ask me anything related to Pokémon."

Mei smiled confidently; when it came to Pokémon, she was second to none.

"Hmm... well, I have a question. If two Pokémon a fight over something, and I want them to make up, what should I do?"

After considering it carefully, Qiao Ran recounted some recent events in a different way, hoping that Mei could give him some advice.

"A dispute arose because of the items... Could it be that you didn't distribute them properly...? That won't do. As Trainer, Pokémon is unacceptable."

After listening to Qiao Ran's words, Mei placed her hand under her chin, narrowed her eyes slightly, and began to speak like a famous detective making a deduction.

"If that's the case, getting them to reconcile is actually quite simple."

"This..."

Qiao Ran took a deep breath. "What should we do?"

As expected of the female protagonist of the Pokémon World, she'll find a way to handle a situation like this.

"There's only one way—" A glint flashed in Mei's eyes.

"--Just get them all out together, and then have a great time with them! Finally, distribute the items that weren't allocated before in front of them, making sure not to show favoritism. That way, everyone will understand each other!"

Mei crossed her arms and nodded in deep agreement, speaking with great enthusiasm about her experience.

However, upon hearing her words, Qiao Ran's mouth dropped open.

"Ha ha?"

Let them come out and have some fun!

And they also want to divide what they want equally among each of them... equally?

This...

"This... is a bit difficult to do."

Cold sweat was already beading on Qiao Ran's forehead. If he really did that, wouldn't he be beaten to death?

Section 125, page 122 [Problem Solving]

"Okay... okay, I..."

Okay, I'll think about it carefully.

Although Qiao Ran understood that Mei's method did have a chance of success, and it was indeed a method she had offered without reservation, its feasibility was extremely low.

Qiao Ran even felt that he might be attacked by various shockwaves during the operation and collapse on the spot. He hadn't even dealt with one of them yet, so how could he talk about dealing with two at once?

The saying goes, "You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to take things one step at a time. "Qiao Ran didn't think he had the ability to eat Snorlax in one bite.

"Okay, think it over carefully. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to call me anytime."

Mei was quite concerned about Qiao Ran's problem, after all, it involved Pokémon, so Mei was very attentive.

"If it really can't be solved, we can figure it out together when I get there. I'll be there soon too."

What Mei was talking about was her upcoming arrangement—as Dr. Lilia's Assistant, she would also participate in this scientific expedition. Her strength and ability were quite important among these people.

However, upon hearing her words, Qiao Ran hurriedly shook her head.

"Um... well... I'll figure something out, so you don't need to worry too much."

He's already in a mess he can't clean up, and if Mei gets involved, things will only get worse.

"All right..."

Mei didn't mind and continued chatting with Qiao Ran for a while before hanging up the phone.

Putting down his phone, Qiao Ran stared at the still image on the screen, gazing at the girl's astonishingly kind heart. For some reason, a thought popped into his mind.

--If Mei were to help, maybe she could actually reconcile Vulpix and Dianxi and get them back together?

"Um..."

Qiao Ran looked at people's hearts, and a strange light gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Really? There aren't any Gym around here... So, what's the next bus to Zhenze Lake...?"

Before resting at night, Qiao Ran made a point of chatting with the nurses at the Pokémon Center. For some reason, looking at the nurses' pink hair always gave Qiao Ran a sense of comfort from the bottom of her heart. Rather than asking strangers on the street, Qiao Ran preferred to chat with the nurses.

Moreover, the nurse had a special kind of gentleness, much better than that of strangers on the street.

"The earliest bus is tomorrow morning, but you'll have to go to the station to ask for specifics. Buses that take tourists sightseeing don't run very early, unless it's a pre-arranged tour group."

The nurse smiled and answered. Generally speaking, adventurers who come to their area will visit Zhenze Lake, after all, it is one of the five largest freshwater lakes in China, and almost no one can suppress their curiosity.

Back in her room, Qiao Ran collapsed onto her bed.

"As expected, it's tomorrow morning."

If he needed to buy tickets, he would also need to buy an extra one for Lillie and call Lillie out as well. After all, Dr. Lilia's letter of recommendation for him mentioned Lillie, this Otherworlder.

If Lillie suddenly disappeared, he couldn't very well explain that he had accidentally lost Lillie on the way, could he?

"I'll inform Lillie later; for now, I'll head to the Wild Area..."

Qiao Ran sat up abruptly in bed. Having pondered the Pokémon question all day, he was finally facing the issue. To be honest, he was a little nervous.

"Rotom."

"Exist!"

Rotom spun in the air, a flash of light— Qiao Ran appeared in a beautiful world of lush green grass. Just like in the Real World, it was night here.

Specks of light shone down from the sky, but strangely, there seemed to be no moon in the world, and the night was missing something.

"They probably haven't gone to Rest yet, right? It's still quite early."

Qiao Ran's arrival resonated throughout the world, and his Pokémon were naturally the first to Frisk. The closer their connection to Qiao Ran, the more they could sense these things.

However, in the dim night, the first thing to appear before Qiao Ran was a large Black and Red bird that descended from the sky.

"Yi Ao--"

"Hey, when's the next Competition?"

Yveltal acted like a battle maniac, rushing over to ask about the Competition the moment Qiao Ran appeared. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a huge fan of Competition.

"The next time shouldn't be too long. I'll let you play when I have the chance, since leveling up is more important for you right now."

"What's wrong? If you want what you had last time... just come to me directly, okay?"

Qiao Ran couldn't help but ask with a smile. Looking at her restless appearance, her thoughts were really too easy to guess.

"What... I never thought of that! I just want to destroy, don't talk nonsense!"

Yveltal's expression changed slightly, and he seemed a little flustered.

However, she immediately put on a stern face and resumed her original dignified, aloof, and cool demeanor.

"Hmph... Anyway, get it arranged quickly, don't keep me waiting."