Chapter 82

Despite it being her first time experiencing something like this, Phoebe felt a surge of nostalgia and excitement coursing through her, making her want to have more.

"Hey..."

She looked up in the direction of Qiao Ran —but that one look sent chills down Qiao Ran's spine.

No... no good!

This guy!

Qiao Ran tried to reach for his Poké Ball, but he was too late. Several Froslass had already emerged from the darkness and grabbed Qiao Ran's limbs, rendering him completely immobile.

What are you doing? Trying to rebel against me?!

Phoebe spoke incoherently, looking as if she were drunk, and even stopped referring to herself as "concubine." However, her unruly attitude remained unchanged.

"Carry it... take it... um... just throw it on that bed over there~"

"???"

A series of question marks popped into Qiao Ran's head. What is this guy going to do?? What is he going to do???

The Froslass lifted his body and threw him onto the other side of the bed, and then—his consciousness gradually began to blur.

In his last moments of lucidity, he saw a winged black shadow swooping down on him, and then everything went black...

Three hours later.

"..."

"..."

Qiao Ran and Phoebe, who had changed into a new nightgown, sat on either side of the bed, both with a hint of embarrassment on their faces.

"Um... don't tell anyone about tonight's events, okay? Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook."

Phoebe coughed lightly, trying to regain a semblance of authority, while Qiao Ran on the other side nodded knowingly.

"Alright... ok."

Now that things have come to this, he really has no other choice but to keep the secret—he can't very well go down in flames with the other party, can he?

Moreover, he had witnessed quite a few embarrassing moments of the other party, which... could be considered leverage over them, right?

Moreover, for a period of time before, his body hadn't suffered any physical crisis, nor had he been taken advantage of. However... during the period when he was in a daze, his left hand suffered inhuman treatment, almost losing a layer of skin. If his left hand had its own thoughts, it would probably be squatting in a corner crying its eyes out right now.

"We don't need to wear this coat anymore, and there's this..."

Phoebe ripped off Qiao Ran's jacket, which was missing an entire sleeve, then took out a bottle that looked like perfume and sprayed it on Qiao Ran's left hand.

"What are you doing?" Qiao Ran's eyebrows twitched. Why was this guy always doing such strange things?

Don't ask!

Phoebe glared fiercely at Qiao Ran, her expression contorted and her cheeks slightly flushed. If she asked him any more questions like that, she would Qiao Ran unconscious again.

"... Keep this a secret, and I'll provide you with anything else."

"..."

Qiao Ran walked speechlessly towards the door. What was with this feeling of being suddenly kept by a rich woman and then silenced?

However... the Tokiwa Power is being consumed so much...

How did this guy manage to make me use that ability in a daze?

Also, why do I always feel...?

"You... never mind, ask again next time."

Qiao Ran originally wanted to continue asking about the Z-Move and other things, but considering the time and his own exhaustion, he gave up the idea. If he didn't go back soon, Lillie and the others would probably start looking for him everywhere.

He genuinely disappeared for three hours; that's not a time that can be easily faked.

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

Phoebe, still covered by the blanket, pointed to the doorway.

She still can't believe that she would suddenly do so many things to a man.

What's wrong with her?

Mingming... we're going to explore the Ruins tomorrow.

She actually thinks... doing this kind of thing first is more important?

Hearing Qiao Ran's footsteps fade into the distance, Phoebe lay down on the bed and buried her head in the pillow.

This is really strange.

On the other side, Qiao Ran followed the route pointed out by the Froslass and tiptoed back to his room.

However, there were neither candles nor lights in the room.

"?"

Strangeness...

Where are they?

Qiao Ran blinked in confusion, and then in the next second—a shout suddenly rang in his ears.

"Serperior! Coil that guy up!"

... Mei?

That's very

It was clearly Mei's voice, but before Qiao Ran could think further, another unexpected event occurred.

"Whoosh!"

In an instant, Qiao Ran's body was entangled in the huge, long object, and he lost the ability to move his limbs.

"Alright, let me see... who you really are..."

The lights suddenly came on, and Mei and Lillie, their faces covered, appeared in front of Qiao Ran. However—after realizing that the person they were entangled with was Qiao Ran, they couldn't help but widen their eyes in surprise.

"Huh? You... weren't captured by the evil organization???"

Section 156, page 153 [As expected]

In fact, until a few hours ago, Lillie and Mei had been lying on the bed, happily chatting about all sorts of strange and unusual topics. However—as time passed, their ominous premonition grew stronger.

"Could it be... that Qiao Ran has encountered some danger?"

Lillie frowned, realizing that things were definitely not that simple.

"I've always felt that Phoebe was suspicious. She left Qiao Ran alone; she must have some ulterior motive..."

"No... that's impossible, isn't it?"

Mei was slightly taken aback. Although she said she didn't believe it, her expression gradually became serious.

Under normal circumstances, Qiao Ran wouldn't have taken this long to return, unless... he really ran into some trouble.

"If that's really the case... then it's going to be difficult to resolve... This is their home turf, and the person who kidnapped Qiao Ran is someone with the strength of an Elite Four..."

Mei's gaze grew increasingly grave; this situation... was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for them.

"Thump--"

Suddenly, just as they were discussing, footsteps approached from the doorway. Their hearts skipped a beat, and they exchanged a glance. A plan was already taking shape in their minds...

--And then, this is what's happening right now.

"Qiao... Qiao Ran! Quick, let him go!"

After realizing that the person who was Bind was Qiao Ran, Mei and Lillie quickly had Serperior untie them. They had originally planned to ambush the enemy and catch them off guard, but unexpectedly, it was Qiao Ran himself who suddenly appeared.

"Cough... cough cough cough cough cough cough!"

Qiao Ran collapsed to the ground as soon as he was released. He was already exhausted, and being Bind by the python made him feel terrible.

"Qiao Ran!"

"Qiao Ran, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing Qiao Ran's appearance, Lillie and Mei panicked and rushed over to check on him. However, as they got closer, they both frowned.

Qiao Ran's physical condition didn't seem as terrible as they had imagined, but--

"Wait, what's that smell?"

"This... it seems to be coming from the arm..."

Almost instantly, they all smelled the perfume emanating from Qiao Ran's left hand. The scent was very strong, with a hint of rose. However, Qiao Ran wasn't someone who liked to wear perfume, so the smell seemed particularly jarring on him.

What happened?

"..."

Mei's head was filled with a series of question marks, while Lillie remained silent.

Mei might not know the significance of Qiao Ran's left hand, but Lillie does—the left hand is one of the most important parts of Qiao Ran's body. Considering the series of events that have occurred before, Lillie clearly already has a plan in mind.

She is not a stupid person; on the contrary, as the child of two scientists from the Aether Foundation, she is intelligent and has strong judgment.

"Let's... put him on the bed to rest for a bit."

"Hmm... that makes sense."

Mei and Lillie discussed it and decided to have Serperior move Qiao Ran to the bed first. Qiao Ran blinked and did not object.

He was indeed a little tired.

So, what exactly happened?

Once everything was in order, Mei pointed at Qiao Ran's left hand and began questioning him.

"And this smell of yours... how did you get it?"

"Cough... I don't know either, do you believe me?" Qiao Ran sighed, her expression like that of a child who had lost their memory for more than ten years.

"I went to a room as that guy asked, and when I woke up again, three hours had passed, and I was in this condition."

In any case, Qiao Ran had promised Phoebe to keep it a secret, so he didn't reveal the truth directly. Besides... he didn't have the courage to tell the truth in front of these two people.

If he had just said it outright, he probably wouldn't need to go to the Ruins tomorrow; building Ruins for himself on the spot would probably have been a better option.

"Really? You don't know anything? Your body is like this."

After hearing Qiao Ran's explanation, Mei and Lillie both looked confused, clearly not believing Qiao Ran. It was as absurd as adding sugar to hot pot.

However, when they shook Qiao Ran's body, wanting to ask her again, they found that Qiao Ran had already closed her eyes and was lying on the bed, fast asleep.

He fell into a deep sleep.

"This guy..."

Mei covered her head.

Lillie's expression was also full of helplessness.

"There's nothing we can do... Let's get some rest early tonight. Since he's back, it means everything's alright. We have more important things to do tomorrow."

"Too."

Mei nodded, her expression slightly calm. However, after glancing at Qiao Ran's sleeping face, her cheeks couldn't help but puff up again, and a slight anger rose in her heart.

They've been worried sick here for so long, what on earth has this guy been doing?

The next day was also the day the expedition team prepared to depart.

The Pokémon League's agents arrived during the day to take inventory and register the number of personnel and equipment. They also brought some necessary supplies, such as diving gear.

As a high-ranking member of the Pokémon League, Phoebe wields considerable influence within Pokémon League, giving her considerable freedom to organize actions without requiring every place to adhere to the rules.

"Those who can't swim, go practice now. Also, all the Water-type Pokémon can take someone diving with you, put them in wetsuits and practice. You don't need to develop any advanced skills, just be able to use them when the time comes."

Phoebe had a sour face early in the morning, urging the team members to train, and when she passed by Qiao Ran, she even kicked his butt hard.

"Stop daydreaming! Go train with me, or you'll lose and embarrass yourself!"