Chapter 94

Seeing Gloria accept her defeat and punishment, Qiao Ran didn't intend to do anything to her for the time being. His reasons for participating in the Competition were simple: first, to teach her a lesson, and second, to let Yveltal get some exercise and gain some experience for leveling up.

Gloria is much more obedient now—without a doubt, Qiao Ran has achieved his goal.

"That's all?"

Gloria blinked in disbelief. If she had won, she would definitely have made good use of this opportunity, at least to teach the other person a lesson. But this man had let her go so easily.

"Of course, that's how it is. What else do you want?"

Qiao Ran rolled his eyes. Gloria hadn't actually made him hold a grudge to that extent; she was just a little bit of a troublemaker.

If it were someone like Phoebe, a master of hatred, standing in front of him, he would definitely take this opportunity to completely crush her and let her experience what it feels like to be utterly dominated.

Qiao Ran wasn't some saint who could forgive and forget, but everything he did was what he believed to be right.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Turning his gaze away from the stunned Gloria, Qiao Ran looked at Marnie beside him. He had more important things to ask the girl in front of him.

"Marnie, I have something I'd like to ask you. Can we talk for a little while?"

Qiao Ran's gaze was somewhat serious. Tonight's battle was just a small interlude; the more important thing tonight was that he had to make a decision about his future actions.

"Is there... something wrong?"

Marnie's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes darted away slightly. The other person's sudden seriousness and intense stare made her feel quite uneasy.

Could it be... that they're trying to say something... strange?

Although Marnie's rational mind told her that this was impossible, deep down, she might have been hoping for such a development.

No matter how she appears, she is actually just a teenage girl. Despite taking on the role of leader of Spikemuth, she is still very vulnerable.

This is why she was so excited after finding Qiao Ran. She never said she was tired, but in a corner of her heart, she missed the time when her Older Brother was still alive and hoped that someone would stand up for her.

Qiao Ran's appearance was like a ray of light in the darkness, giving her hope.

Let's talk as we walk.

Qiao Ran glanced around at the Team Yell that was eyeing them covetously. These Team Yell had originally only looked at Marnie with shining eyes, but now they were staring at him with Illuminate eyes. However, Qiao Ran knew that their target was not him; they were actually just after Yveltal.

"Um."

Marnie nodded and walked home with Qiao Ran. Gloria picked up the green hat that had fallen to the ground, put it on her head, and followed behind.

Looking at the two people talking intimately in front of her, Gloria sighed deeply, and at the same time, she felt the hat on her head become even heavier.

Was it because it picked up some sand or dirt when it fell to the ground?

"Marnie, there are some things I want to ask you... Is it true that you've really run out of power here?"

On the way to Marnie's house, Qiao Ran asked the first question he wanted to ask: Rotom's situation was not optimistic, and finding usable electricity might be the only solution.

"Electricity?" Marnie shook her head, confirming Qiao Ran's guess.

"We are here... for a period of time"

There had been no power supply for some time, and normally our power comes from Hammerlocke in central Galar... There, the Pokémon League Master Rose has built Energy Collection Device that can store large amounts of energy. However, after the disaster, the connection seems to have been severed by Gigantamax Pokémon."

"What other methods are there? I have a Rotom, and she's not doing too well right now; she'll probably need to Charge to recover her stamina. Are there any other ways to do this?"

Qiao Ran was still unwilling to give up. The power outage was still within his acceptable range. What he wanted to know now was whether Marnie had any other solutions to the problem.

"Charge...? Hmm... if it's just this level of power..."

Marnie's long eyelashes fluttered as she fell into deep thought.

"Actually, I have an Electric-type partner... so the power supply shouldn't be a problem. All we need to do is find a machine in Spikemuth that Pokémon's electricity. Generally, there should be one in town... to prevent temporary power outages."

"Can we find such a machine now?" Qiao Ran asked anxiously.

"It might be a little difficult, because Spikemuth's population is dwindling, and the new energy source developed by Chairman Rose is very stable, with virtually no power outages or similar problems. So, I've only seen this kind of machine a few times since I was a child... It's probably piled up in a warehouse now, and it'll be hard to find right away. However, if you need it, I can contact other people tonight to help, and maybe we can find it tomorrow."

Marnie considered Qiao Ran's question seriously, then turned to Gloria, who was following behind her, and told her to take care of it.

"Ah... okay, I'll go, I'll go, alright?"

Gloria blinked her dead fish eyes, once again being used as a tool.

After letting Gloria do some chores, Marnie and Qiao Ran walked and chatted, talking about other things. Before they knew it, they had returned to Marnie's house.

Marnie's parents hadn't returned yet, so Marnie skillfully lit the candles and sat down in the living room with Qiao Ran.

"Thank you... I'm leaving this to you; it's really important to me."

Qiao Ran didn't know how to thank Marnie, so he could only look at her sincerely.

To understand the true mission of the Singularity, Rotom must wake up. Moreover, if he doesn't go to the Wild Area soon... Qiao Ran is genuinely afraid that those troublemakers will start to defy the heavens in the Wild Area.

"I should be the one saying thank you."

Marnie slightly turned her gaze away, a hint of gentle tenderness in her eyes. In truth, there were some things she might have already sensed, but she had never told anyone else.

"Everyone here is so down after the disaster... I can't Sing for them like my Older Brother does, to cheer them up. All I think about every day is... how to keep going. It's so tiring... Ah, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to complain..."

Marnie glanced cautiously at Qiao Ran's expression, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief after finding that he didn't seem displeased at all.

She didn't know why she suddenly brought these things up, but she didn't want her emotions to cause Qiao Ran to dislike her.

"It's okay, it's normal to feel tired." Qiao Ran smiled, feeling that he could understand Marnie's thoughts. She was still young and hadn't reached the point where she should have to bear these things. It wasn't her fault, but rather that the world was too cruel.

"Hmm... Thanks to Lord Qiao Ran for coming here, I haven't seen everyone so excited in a long time. Gloria too... she wasn't like this before, she must also want to battle alongside real trainers."

Marnie's lips curled up slightly, as if she had thought of something warm, and she also noticed the changes in the people around her.

Everything was moving in a positive direction, all because of this man's arrival. If... he could stay here, things would definitely get even better.

"However... one day, Lord Qiao Ran will surely have to leave this place... to become a true Hero, right?..."

As she spoke, a hint of loneliness appeared on Marnie's usually expressionless face.

She understands.

She understood that as a Hero, one was bound to have the Fate of being Hero.

He can't stay here forever, even if...

Looking at Marnie's expression, Qiao Ran was also somewhat moved.

In the darkness and candlelight, a layer of melancholy settled on the girl's delicate face.

"I..."

Flash Braixen Fox. jpg

Section 178, page 175 [Life: Death]

Marnie very pretty, and she's the type of girl Qiao Ran likes.

If Qiao Ran hadn't experienced so much and shouldered so many responsibilities, he might have acted impulsively and made some unusual choices.

But for Qiao Ran now, this path is no longer an option.

"Feel sorry..."

Qiao Ran looked away.

"I've made up my mind. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will leave tomorrow."

Beyond the Singularity, there are many, many more people waiting.

He was so eager not only for himself, but also for those who were waiting for him.

Even though Marnie is really pitiful, fragile, and in need of someone to rely on, Qiao Ran still believes that she can persevere. Even if he is no longer here, Gloria can help her.

As the main characters in the Pokémon World, Qiao Ran actually likes each of them very much, and Qiao Ran also admires their personalities. Even in dire straits, they can still display human courage.

Gloria certainly won't let him down.

"Tomorrow...?"

Marnie responded, and then the room fell into complete silence. She looked at the moon outside the window and released her Morpeko —an electric mouse Pokémon that looked somewhat like Pikachu, but whose body was half covered with black patterns.

Morpeko

This was her first partner and her favorite Pokémon.

"Mooo..."

"Be good, don't talk."

Marnie held Morpeko in her arms, her gaze still fixed on the view outside the window, lost in thought.

"..."

Qiao Ran stayed in the living room for a while, then decided to go outside for some fresh air. Nights without electricity were indeed a bit unbearable, so he Pokémon.

When Qiao Ran went out, she ran into Gloria, who was returning home. You Li had gone to the warehouse in Spikemuth and handed over the task of searching for the machine to the warehouse manager. She was on her way back now.

She looked at Qiao Ran's face with some surprise and confusion.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so strange?"

"Nothing, just going out for a walk."

Qiao Ran patted Gloria on the shoulder, but for some reason, he felt a little unsatisfied, so he raised his hand and pinched her cheek.

"Ah! What are you doing?"

Gloria quickly slapped Qiao Ran's hand away, startled.

"Well maintained."

Like other girls, Gloria has soft skin, and even though she's Trainer who travels the continent, she's still a pretty girl.

Qiao Ran smiled gently and walked out of the house.

Watching Qiao Ran's departing figure, Gloria's expression grew increasingly strange. Had this guy taken the wrong medicine?

Is there something on my face?

After traversing the deserted streets of Spikemuth, Qiao Ran made his way to the outskirts of Spikemuth — the Forest where he had first arrived in this world.

Due to its sparse population, the natural scenery around Spikemuth is quite beautiful, and from Qiao Ran's perspective, who has traveled to many places, it's hard to find any fault with it.

"Alright, you can all come out now."

Qiao Ran looked around and, after checking that no one was following him, took out his Poké Ball and released all his Pokémon.

Whether it was Dianxi and Vulpix, or Mimikyu who joined last, Qiao Ran called them all out directly.

Even the Type: Null and Nihilego, were among them.

"Master, what is this...?"

Dianxi looked around and was somewhat surprised to find that Qiao Ran had called them all out at once.

"It's nothing, it's just that Rotom hasn't recovered yet, so I can't go to Wild Area for the time being, which is why I had to call you all out."

Qiao Ran sat on the grass, somewhat helpless.

If Rotom hadn't fallen into a coma and had been able to go to the Wild Area, none of this trouble would have happened.

"This trip is mainly to check on your situation. Also, Type: Null and Nihilego... you haven't done anything strange, have you?"

"!&...@&!"

"Awoo."

Normally, if they heard Qiao Ran speak in this tone, Type: Null and Nihilego would flinch slightly. However, they had already heard about Qiao Ran's left hand, so they were much bolder now.

The Type: Null simply lay down beside Qiao Ran, Yawn, completely ignoring him. Meanwhile, the Nihilego floated to Qiao Ran's side and wrapped its Limber tentacles around his head.

"..." Qiao Ran's eyebrows twitched. These two guys were just as he had thought, completely reverting to primitive ways.

"No... don't do this! Master is very weak right now..."

The Vulpix fox, who had already transformed into human form, was startled and hurriedly reached out to pull the Nihilego off Qiao Ran's head. However, Nihilego's body was too flexible, and despite her efforts, she couldn't pull it off in a short time.

Finally, Suicune, unable to bear it any longer, intervened, spraying Qiao Ran with a jet of water, which finally drove Nihilego away. This jellyfish is indeed afraid of water.

After doing all this, Suicune belatedly realized that Qiao Ran's body was also soaked. She hurriedly stepped forward, touched Qiao Ran's chest, and began to separate the moisture from Qiao Ran's body.

"Ah... I'm sorry! Master, I'll dry it for you right away..."