Why is my Pokémon acting a little weird?

"Qiao Ran."

"where have you been?"

She didn't say much, but looked straight at Qiao Ran. Then, her gaze lingered on Lillie and Mei beside Qiao Ran.

"Who...are they?"

"They are... I'll explain to you later. I want to discuss something."

Qiao Ran paused and hinted to the girl in front of him with his eyes that he had something serious to say, and they couldn't talk about these things in the street.

Although most of the townspeople in Spike Town are on their side, but... after the previous experience with "President Ross", Qiao Ran became cautious in these places, especially in Galar, where he had to be careful everywhere. Since Ross has an "isotope" in another world, then... what about the others?

Could it be that some people have been...

Qiao Ran didn't want to think too much about it, but when the idea gradually spread, he could no longer suppress it.

"Thanks for lending me your power bank last time, Mary."

"Hmm? Do you still want it?"

Although it was unclear why Qiao Ran suddenly asked this, Mary still gave an answer.

"Well... let me see it later."

"Mary! How can you run so fast!"

In the dark alley, another short-haired girl ran over, interrupting their conversation. She came over to Mary, who had black hair in twin ponytails, and began to breathe heavily.

However, after she saw the situation on Qiao Ran's side, she didn't even have time to breathe. She pointed at Qiao Ran's nose and shouted.

"Good job, you're back after just one day of not seeing each other!"

However, halfway through her speech, her voice suddenly stopped, as if she had discovered something strange.

"Wait, are they from nearby towns seeking refuge in Spike Town? Or...?"

The girl's eyes wandered over Lillie and Mei's bodies. It wasn't because Lillie and Mei's clothes were weird, but... the clothes of these two guys were simply too neat and clean.

It's simply not like someone who lives in Galar—in this apocalyptic hellscape of Galar.

Ordinary People in Galar

, it is impossible to maintain the same elegance as before in such a harsh environment.

"Yuli, don't ask now."

Mary, who was standing by, grabbed her hand and instantly calmed her excited mood and her desire to continue asking questions. When she received Qiao Ran's hint, Mary understood what she should do.

She understood what Qiao Ran meant.

Although she is still a novice, she is also the manager of a town. Moreover, her personality of not easily showing her emotions makes her suitable for doing these things.

"Everyone, come with me first."

"Ah."

Mary and Yuli turned and left, followed by Qiao Ran. Lillie and Mei looked at each other and followed after them.

Although they didn't meet for long and didn't introduce themselves to each other, Lillie and Mei's originally nervous hearts actually relaxed a little.

This town is not normal, but they did not feel any malice from the two girls who suddenly appeared. Moreover, not only Lillie, but even Mei felt like they were familiar with each other from the first sight.

Especially the short-haired girl who showed up later. If it weren't for the slightly different appearance, Lillie would have almost mistaken her for Mitsuki.

"I remember... Mitsuki seemed to have moved from the Kanto region... Are people from Kanto and Galar so similar?"

Chapter 252 248 [Experience]

Galar region.

Spike Town.

At Mary's home.

"My name is Mary, and I'm the acting gym leader of the Spike Town gym."

"My name is Youli. I'm currently the commando captain of Spike Town. I'm mainly responsible for collecting supplies..."

"I'm Mei, a trainer from the Unova region."

"As for me... hello everyone, my name is Liliae, and um... I'm a researcher in the Alola region."

This was an ordinary little house. Qiao Ran and several others sat down on the sofa. After introducing themselves to each other, everyone's eyes were on Qiao Ran.

"So, they're all your former companions? One's from Alola, the other from Unova. They wouldn't choose a time like this to travel to Galar, right?"

Yuri raised her eyebrows. No outsiders had approached the Galar region for a long time. After all, the sky and ocean in this area were even more terrifying than the land.

In the sky, gigantic sky predators hunted everything around them. Human aircraft were mere toys in their eyes. In the ocean, the king whale, a giant island, could completely overturn a giant ship with just a slight opening of its mouth.

Therefore, other regions had already cut off their aid to Galar, and due to the damage to various facilities, Galar gradually lost contact with other regions.

What is going on in the world outside?

"I brought them all here...and you should be mentally prepared. Everything I'm about to tell you is true."

Qiao Ran planned to tell Yuli and Mari about what happened to Lillie and Mei. They were the few people Qiao Ran could trust. Whether it was in private or through his understanding of the original work, Qiao Ran had no reason to hide anything from them.

"The region they live in has also suffered a huge crisis."

"The Alola region has been invaded by an alien species called Ultra Beasts, and most areas have lost their ability to resist."

"As for Unova..."

Qiao Ran glanced at Meiyi and thought about how to narrate the story.

"The situation in Unova is probably not good either. Mei experienced a battle that nearly destroyed the entire continent, and was eventually transported to my previous world by some force. And... she also lost her memory."

Although information about the Unova region is still very scarce, judging from Mei's strength, Qiao Ran can already guess how terrible the battle was.

Mei now...has the real strength of a superstar.

A king was beaten back step by step, lost his memory, and was even thrown into another world by some force. Not to mention what that power that can cross the world is, just being able to defeat Mei, and even defeat many powerful trainers in the Unova region, is already a very scary thing.

——Unova is not a sparsely populated area like Alola.

"Has the outside world also suffered such terrible damage?"

"..."

After listening to Qiao Ran's story, Mali and Yuli's expressions suddenly turned pale. Before this, most people in Galar actually had an unrealistic fantasy - that is, to restart the energy system of Quanguan City, send a distress signal to other areas, and let people from other areas form a joint army to save them from the water and fire. This idea was rooted in everyone's heart when the days became increasingly difficult. This is also one of the reasons why the alliance continued to deliver supplies to Quanguan.

However, the news brought by Qiao Ran has completely shattered their fantasies.

——No one else will come to save them.

"As for some of the things that happened to me before..."

Qiao Ran did not give them much time to digest the news, he suddenly changed the topic

Then he talked about what happened after he arrived in Quanguan City.

Qiao Ran's expression became more and more solemn. Even Lillie and Mei looked over here seriously. It was the first time for them to hear Qiao Ran narrate this incident.

——Qiao Ran still can’t forget that broken world.

I can't forget the sky dyed red by the red light, and I can't forget the battlefield built of iron and fire.

That terrible man, the president of Ross from another world, completely abandoned everything he had. When he was at the end of his rope, he even tried his best to die together with Qiao Ran. It could not be regarded as a battle between trainers at all, but the most primitive and bloody real battlefield.

Either you die or I die.

There are no moral constraints or rules, and all Pokémon attacks are aimed at destroying the opponent's life.

If Qiao Ran hadn't finally grasped the man's weakness and used the "inheritance of his will" as a threat, this matter probably wouldn't have ended so easily.

Moreover, the appearance of Cang Xiang also played a role in turning the tide of the battle. It was the will of the Sword Hero that has been passed down in Galar to this day that gave Qiao Ran hope of life.

Even though in the very end, Qiao Ran cheated the other party a little, broke his previous promise before leaving, and let Yveltal bombard the two guys with Deathwing - Qiao Ran did not feel that he needed to hold back against such a person who posed a substantial threat to the entire world and his own life.

Although he broke his promise, he did not think that he was a great and glorious person. All he wanted to do was what he thought was right.

——What he had to do at that time was to protect his own world, the Pokémon world, and everything he cared about.

Moreover, if their positions were reversed, he felt that the other party would behave in the same way, or even worse.

However, even if Yveltal's Deathwing hit them directly in the end, Qiao Ran could not guarantee that they were dead. Although Yveltal's Deathwing was extremely powerful and could take lives very efficiently, he was such a terrible opponent after all. Qiao Ran didn't know if the other party had any way to deal with it. It was always right to be cautious.

Qiao Ran's story lasted for a long time, and all the strange things he told made the girls open their eyes wide in surprise.

The real and fake Ross, a world outside of the world, Kaguya Ironfire, the Ultra Beast, the purple-faced man, another broken Galar...

This complicated situation seemed to have far exceeded their imagination.

They can even sense that a terrible crisis is about to strike them, making it impossible for them to breathe.

Chapter 253 249 [Legend]

"Ultimate Beasts... Is that world the original world of those Xuwuide?"

After listening to Qiao Ran's story, Liliae, who had been silent before, suddenly asked.

Originally, she would not be so excited, but considering the permanent staff of the Ether Foundation and her missing brother, she could not contain her emotions.

"Actually, I have no way of confirming this. After all, I haven't seen anything related to the Aether Foundation, nor your brother, over there."

Qiao Ran pursed his lips. After he was safe, he also asked Xu Wu Yide himself whether that was her original world. However, the other party also did not give a clear answer.

——Xu Wu Yide, transformed into a human form, floated in the air, his long silver-white hair emitting a translucent light under the night light.

"It looks similar... but I don't know."

Just like the real world and the Pokémon world where Qiao Ran is, there is almost no way to tell the difference between the two worlds before clear confirmation - Hollowid is not a space-type legendary Pokémon. If it were Palkia, he might really be able to feel something in this short period of time.

"alright, I got it."

After hearing Qiao Ran's answer, Liliae sat back helplessly, but she still secretly kept this matter in mind. Next time if Qiao Ran wanted to go there again, she would definitely ask him to take her with him.

——Maybe she can really find something over there?

"elder brother……"

Hearing the conversation between Qiao Ran and Liliae, Mary on the other side suddenly stood up.

She also cared about news about her brother, especially since these were just among the things Qiao Ran had just mentioned.

"Qiao Ran, are you saying that you didn't see my brother in the city over there, and others said that he went to carry out a mission somewhere else?"

"Well... this is what I heard."

Almost everyone he met in Quanguan City who knew information about Mary's brother gave him this answer.

Qiao Ran nodded, but immediately changed the subject, "However, this news seems to have been spread by that fake President Luo Zi, so..."

"He's missing."

Mary's originally calm expression suddenly turned gloomy. The information she had received did not match what Qiao Ran had brought back. Moreover, the reason why the fake Roz wanted to pass on this information was very intriguing.

"My brother is the strongest in Galar.

A top-tier trainer who, even without Dynamaxing, can battle giant Pokémon, is the pride of our Spike Town. Furthermore, he's a renowned singer in Galar. With his abilities, he could have a better life in any city, yet he remains here.

Mary's body trembled slightly and she sat down again.

"He certainly wouldn't just leave without contacting us. Something must have happened to him."

"...His situation might be related to that fake guild leader." Qiao Ran expressed his opinion. "However, there's also the possibility that he really did suddenly go somewhere else to carry out a mission. The situation in Galar is not optimistic right now, so it's possible that he would suddenly adjust his plans, right?"

"……Um."

Mary took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

Of course, she hoped that the latter possibility was more likely. If her brother was involved in the conspiracy of a villain who transcended the world, he would probably be in great danger now.

"Also, regarding the identity of that fake guild leader and his purpose... From what he said during the battle, it seems that what he wants to do is related to his own world..."

Qiao Ran blinked and moved on to other topics. This discussion also lasted for a long time. They all needed a clear conclusion on the next actions and response methods.

…………

…………

Fifty minutes later, the discussion was still going on. However, most people present understood that due to the lack of information, they would not be able to come to a definitive conclusion.

"Furthermore, we don't know if the other side has anyone capable of replacing us. Since there are 'other Lotz' in the other world, it's also possible that there are other us. Therefore, we need a code to verify the other party's identity."

As for Lillie and Mei, Qiao Ran naturally didn't need to confirm their identities. The connection between them and himself would never be severed. However, for Mary and Yuri, this danger was always there.