Why is my Pokémon acting a little weird?

"Ah."

Looking at the moonlight shining in from outside, Zhu Lan glanced at Qiao Ran and nodded.

"The bond between humans and Pokémon is a bond that allows for mutual growth."

“…Maybe it’s similar between people.”

If it were in the Pokémon world, as a champion, she might never be able to live with such people and spend such time together in her entire life. Although she did not experience any thrilling adventures, it was indeed a very special experience for her.

Especially the boy in front of her, maybe this was really the first time that she would talk so many things to a man. It was the same when they were strolling outside today. Every time she was in trouble, the first thing she thought of was to ask him for help.

Is it because he and I have a lot of common topics and are very similar to me?

Maybe that's really the case.

"There is no difference between humans and Pokémon." Qiao Ran did not think there was any clear boundary between humans and Pokémon. On the contrary, the world and thoughts of Pokémon were much purer than those of humans.

"Yes." Zhulan also agreed with this point of view. There are many such examples in history and legends.

Humans are not as powerful as other races, but they are very good at using conspiracies and tricks. If we say that humans are similar to Pokémon, it would be a bit of an insult to Pokémon.

"Come here for a moment."

Suddenly, just as Qiao Ran was about to leave and go back to lie down and rest, Zhu Lan suddenly called him.

"What's wrong?"

Qiao Ran felt very strange, but still listened to her and walked up to her.

Looking closely at her face, Qiao Ran could clearly see

I saw the moonlight shining on her golden hair, and the soft fabric of her black nightgown clung to her body.

As usual, it was truly beautiful.

"...!"

And at this moment, when Qiao Ran was looking at the other person's face, the other person stood up slightly and gave him a gentle hug.

"How……"

Qiao Ran's heart trembled violently. He seemed to want to ask something, but the other party's emotions were transmitted to his mind through the waveguide, and the words in his mouth stopped suddenly.

This was an emotion he had never felt before, filled with confusion and a little bit of fear. It was also something he had never thought he would feel from Zhulan.

"Don't move..." Her voice sounded in his ears.

"That's it."

Coming to a strange world, his best friend disappeared, the situation in his hometown was hard to know, and what he investigated became more and more terrifying.

Countless burdens will be placed on her shoulders. As a champion, she will always show her strong and resolute side, but at some point, she will actually feel that these things are too harsh for her.

"..."

Qiao Ran didn't resist her in the end, letting her hold him like this. Not only her, but even he himself would feel confused sometimes, but he had people who could communicate with him, and Pokémon who could sense his emotions. However, Zhulan now had nothing.

"Thank you."

She didn't know how long it took, but she gradually loosened her arms and let go of Qiao Ran's body.

She tidied up her messy clothes and hair slightly, returning to her usual appearance, but there was still a hint of blush on her cheeks.

"Don't... tell anyone else."

She added just in case.

In fact, even she herself didn't know why she did what she did just now, but life is sometimes like this. However, thanks to the hug just now, the depression in her heart slowly dissipated.

"of course."

Of course Qiao Ran would not tell this to anyone unless he planned to be hung up and beaten by a group of people the next day. Besides, in order to avoid being hunted down by Zhu Lan, he had to keep his mouth shut.

"Just remember."

Zhulan shrank her shoulders and turned her gaze back to the moon in the sky.

"When you can defeat me...it's not too late to forget about this."

Chapter 488 [Let It Go]

The next day, she finally left.

As the group watched her go, she walked into the crowd at the station and gradually disappeared from their sight. Yesterday's battle had not been spread on the Internet due to Nancy's strict security. Although these things had no effect on them, Zhulan did not want to use this game as a hot spot for publicity.

She still prefers to be quiet.

"Well, it's time for me to get back to my job as a gym leader."

After catching fish for so long, Nancy stretched and finally made up her mind to seriously show her skills in the gym. Since the competition that day, many trainers have also made reservations for the gym's competitions, and they are all scheduled for an unknown day in the future.

"You guys should hurry up and go to Alola. Finish what you have on hand and don't waste time here."

Naz urged them to leave, saying that they should not stand there like fools and make the brief separation seem like a life-and-death separation.

"Ah."

Qiao Ran and the others nodded, their expressions looking extremely serious.

As the champion, Zhulan is also constantly moving forward. As latecomers, they naturally cannot stop. Otherwise, not only will they not be able to catch up with her pace, but they will also be left behind to a place where they can no longer see her.

That is the situation they least want to see.

————————————————————————————————————————

"Well, you guys went out for a day and took a lot of pictures, but the memory card broke?"

In the House of Aether, Acerola looked at the group of people in front of him suspiciously. Isn't this statement too suspicious?

Is it such a coincidence that this thing broke?

"We also feel it's a pity, but there's nothing we can do. You never know when this thing might break." Qiao Ran looked sad.

"Lilia Meiyi, don't you agree?"

"Eh? Yes...yes, yes."

"okokokok."

The two of them nodded desperately. Although Lillie's movements were a little stiff, she still stood firmly on Qiao Ran's side.

"You guys..." Acerola narrowed his eyes and looked at the faces of several people. In the end, he had no choice but to sigh deeply.

"Forget it, forget it. Sit down and rest first. The children are worried about you."

If possible, she would certainly like to know what they had done, but if they refused to say anything, there was no need for her to ask. Everyone had their own secrets, but... thinking of this, she did feel a little lonely in her heart.

"By the way, are you going to deal with that monster tomorrow?"

Acerola cheered up and asked

The details of tomorrow's action have been discussed. If other matters can be delayed, then this matter still needs to be considered carefully.

"Yeah." Qiao Ran nodded. This was something that had been prepared beforehand. Moreover, after these days of rest, his body had almost fully recovered.

As for Guzma, there is no need to be too anxious.

After all, there was only one way from Aether House to Marie City, blocked by Alola's highest mountain range. This single route would inevitably pass through Guzma's town, which would be a good opportunity to recruit Guzma and his companions.

"Although I'm very grateful that you can help us, I also had a conversation with Uncle Mo Dan before..."

Acerola seemed to hesitate and her voice paused slightly, but in the end, she continued to speak these words.

"He said if we both go, there will be no one to take care of the children...so it would be best if only one of us goes."

A look of regret appeared on Acerola's face. If only one person could go, then... the more powerful Uncle Modan would be the best choice. As for her, she could only watch them leave as before.

She could only stay here quietly as before.

However—just as Acerola said this, a voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Don't worry, leave everything here to me."

"Mom?" Lillie looked at Lusamine who suddenly appeared in surprise, not knowing why she said that.

"Actually, when it comes to Pokémon battles, I'm not weak either." Lusamine walked up to the group with her usual smile on her face.

Since coming here, she has smiled more often. She doesn't know if it's because of these children or for some other reason.

"Besides, this is the Aether Home of the Aether Foundation. You don't really think there's no way to resist Ultra Beasts here, do you?"

"Chairman Lusamine..." Acerola looked at her worriedly. Although she had heard so much from Lusamine, she was still a little worried.

"It's okay, you young people can just go ahead and do your job, and leave these rear-end matters to old people like me."

As Lusamine spoke, her expression gradually became serious, as if she had turned back into the chairman.

"Or do you not even believe in my abilities?"

"..."

Acerola remained silent and did not answer. After a while, she finally nodded.

Lusamine is not only the mother of these children, but also someone she has always admired. If this is what Lusamine said, then - she is indeed willing to believe her.

"I'm counting on you, Chairman Lusamine."

Acerola raised his head, his eyes determined.

Like other children of her age, she also wanted to go out on an adventure, and like Qiao Ran and the others, to see more novel things, but... in this special era, her life was tied to these children in crisis.

She couldn't bear to leave these children, so she had to stay with them, but it was precisely this responsibility that became a shackle that bound her.

“Just do it, and don’t have any regrets.”

Lusamine walked over to Acerola and patted the girl on the shoulder.

Looking at Acerola nodding frantically, Lusamine couldn't help but think of a certain high-ranking official of the Aether Foundation who was also full of kindness and very friendly to children and Pokémon.

I don’t know...what happened to them?

Chapter 489 [How does it feel]

At night, Qiao Ran did not go to sleep early, but came to the frontier.

This is not only a preparation for tomorrow's battle, but more importantly, he feels that he should meet with the current Cang Xiang.

Somewhere in the forest, Qiao Ran found the giant wolf. At this moment, she was lying on the ground with her eyes closed and resting. When she saw Qiao Ran coming, she opened her eyes slightly.

"How does it feel after playing a match with the champion?"

"Strong, but nothing special."

The proud Cang Xiang still maintained her pride and even after losing the game, she was not discouraged.

In the past, she had experienced many failures. In the legend of Galar, she was also a brave warrior who fought a hundred battles but not a brave warrior who won a hundred battles.

Moreover, such arena competitions cannot fully demonstrate her strength. Only when fighting in the wild and with her sister present can they show the full level of the brave sisters.

A sword without a shield can only hurt the enemy, but a shield without a sword will eventually be destroyed.

"I'm glad you don't feel uncomfortable."

Qiao Ran sat down beside her and leaned against her, his body wrapped in thick and soft wolf fur.

The reason he came here was actually to see how Cang Xiang was doing. Now it seems that her condition is much better than he imagined.

Should we say he is worthy of being called a brave warrior who has fought a hundred battles?

I was actually worried about her situation. It seemed that I was thinking too much.

"The master can

Trust us a little more."

Cang Xiang glanced at Qiao Ran, his eyes filled with gentleness that was completely different from when they were fighting.

As legendary Pokémon, they don't need any human guidance most of the time. However, for some reason, they still gathered around Qiao Ran, which was also their own choice.

If possible, they also hope to help Qiao Ran share more things. Pokémon and trainers are a whole, and trainers don't have to bear everything alone.

"Ah."

Holding Cang Xiang's big tail, Qiao Ran gradually fell asleep. It felt pretty good to sleep here tonight.

"The master is resting."

"Yes."