Why would you need a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

Under the stunned gaze of all the onlookers, the scene was completely silent, with only the referee coming to his senses and raising his hand to make the final announcement...

Dachao Beibi, can't fight, the winner——

——Lowei!

Chapter 43: This kind of thing can be enjoyed in a small area~

Dachao Beibi can't fight, the winner is... Lowe!

After the referee made this announcement, Du Juan took the Da Chao Beibi back into the Poké Ball without hesitation, and then raised her hand to signal, "Well, I lost"...

After these words were spoken, Lowe breathed a sigh of relief. The golden flames that enveloped his body had completely dissipated, and it didn't seem to cause any further burden to his body.

Seeing this, Lalulas on the side finally felt relieved. However, before Lalulas could make any further move, Lowe just stood up and saw a green afterimage flying towards him.

Luo Wei didn't even have time to stand firmly, and was knocked to the ground by this blow...

"Ahem, Mask-nyan?"

Needless to say, the one that pounced over was the victorious Masked Cat. However, even though she had evolved from a kitten to a big cat, her personality hadn't changed at all. The first thing she did was to jump directly into Lowe's arms and "want to be praised"...

However, she may not have an idea of ​​her current body size. Masked Cat is 1.5 meters tall, almost as tall as ten-year-old Lowe. How could she have the body that Lowe could hold in his arms and stroke?

With this pounce, she knocked Lowe to the ground, but she was still unaware of it. She narrowed her eyes and burrowed into Lowe's arms.

Fortunately, she was at least slim, and her light and soft body pressed on him, so that Lowe did not vomit his breakfast.

Even so, with such a big furry cat pressing on my body, it is completely like a large plush doll with a lot of weight, which is very solid and feels quite "real"...

Especially in terms of the body shape of Masked Cat, it is completely a real girl. When you close your eyes, the touch is no different from hugging a living person. It is warm, soft and full of floral scent. She is simply a fragrant beautiful girl.

From this point of view, of course, Lowe is not opposed to it, and even feels a sense of joy that after all the hardships, our cat has finally changed...

...But for things like this, it's better to just do it slowly in private. How can it be done in public with so many eyes watching?

So, after being touched for a moment, Lowe quickly used his hands and feet to take the masked cat out of his arms.

"Okay, okay, we'll talk later!"

However, Masked Cat didn't care about this at all. She was not satisfied yet. But while being pushed by Lowe, she also realized something.

Compared to when he was a new leaf cat, Lowe's physical strength now seemed to be much weaker than hers. Even if Lowe pushed hard, Masked Cat found that he could easily counterattack.

Of course, if you have to say it, even New Leaf Cat is definitely much stronger than Lowe. It was just that it was limited by its size before, which made many things inconvenient. But now, Masked Cat realizes that it has suppressed Lowe in all aspects, from size to strength.

At that moment, the big cat's mouth corners curled up slightly, and then he gracefully stood up and jumped off Lowe.

"call……"

Lowe breathed a sigh of relief, then touched his head and stood up. As a result, the Masked Cat immediately came up to him. She had finally evolved the ability to walk upright. With her hands completely freed, she held Lowe's arm tightly without hesitation, and stuck to him like a girlfriend.

"……Well"

This time, Lowe couldn't refuse even if he wanted to. What was even worse was that this time, the onlookers around him only showed envious expressions.

"Hey, I have a really good relationship with Pokémon, that's awesome!"

"Of course, that's not the case. How can it be so strong?"

"..."

After all, in this world, sticking with your own Pokémon is a natural thing. No one will feel strange or bothered by this, but will only envy the good relationship with the other party.

Even Du Juan, who had just lost the fight, came forward and said with a faint smile, "What a good relationship! No wonder you can cultivate such a strong Pokémon..."

As she spoke, she took out a small badge and handed it to Lowe...

The badge looked like two staggered triangular ores. Needless to say, this was proof that one had passed the Rock Gym. The Rock Badge...

Lowe quickly took the badge and pinned it on the inside of his coat, just like Xiaoyao did.

"...By the way, I have a few questions to ask, can you spare me a moment?"

After Du Juan handed over the badge, she asked the same question again with a serious expression. At the same time, she took out her glasses and put them on. In an instant, her temperament changed from that of a gym owner to that of a little teacher.

This can probably be regarded as the common muscle memory of all educated humans. When facing a teacher-type role, they will always be unconsciously suppressed by their blood. Lowe also nodded subconsciously in response.

"okay……"

In fact, Lowe knew very well what the other party wanted to ask, and it must be related to the last move just now.

Sure enough, Du Juan took Luo Wei to a corner, and after making sure that no one was eavesdropping, Du Juan decisively got straight to the point.

"…Is that last move a Z-Move from the Alola region? I shouldn't be mistaken. Why did Lowe master a Z-Move?"

"Well, this... the situation is more complicated..."

If it were anyone else, they might be able to fool her, but Du Juan was known as the "Top Student of Rock". Besides being a gym leader, she was also an erudite scholar. Her knowledge base was not much different from that of the Pokémon Doctor, so he would definitely not be able to fool her.

At that moment, Lowe briefly explained how he had encountered Xuwuide in the Orange Forest and how he had defeated him and obtained the Z-pure crystal.

Of course, Liliae and her secret were omitted, and it was only mentioned that the crystal dropped after defeating Xuwuid.

Anyway, in theory, they are pretty much the same. Sure enough, Du Juan nodded after listening to it.

"That's right. It seems the Alliance's judgment is correct. The Ultra Beasts have a deep connection with the Alola region..."

Over the past three years, the Alliance has been investigating the Ultra Beasts, but has gained little so far. Now, it seems that the Alliance has finally noticed the connection between the Alola region and the Ultra Beasts.

This is quite incredible, because many characteristics of the Ultra Beasts can be combined with the legends of the Alola region. I don't know why it took three years of investigation to make the connection.

But considering the implications behind this, it’s actually not too strange.

All of this starts with the uniqueness of the Alola region...

This is an area consisting of four islands and is currently the largest nature reserve in the Pokémon world. Due to its geographical environment, it is relatively isolated. How isolated is it?

...Even the Pokémon League has not set up a branch in the Alola region, which shows how closed this place is.

But the reason why there is no Pokémon League in the Alola region is not just because of its isolated geographical environment. After all, with the productivity and technological strength of this world, it is just an isolated island in the sea. It would only take a few minutes to develop it if one really wants to.

The reason why it has not been interfered by the alliance is because there is a big force in the Alola region that has occupied the position first.

That is the famous Pokémon Charity Organization, a charity organization that rescues wild Pokémon and conducts various charity activities...

…The Ether Foundation!

Chapter 44: Ether Foundation

The Ethereum Foundation...

This is not the first time that this organization has been mentioned. As a global corporation that can stand on equal footing with Silver Corporation and Devon Corporation, the Ether Foundation itself is a charitable organization.

It is a research institute established to protect wild Pokémon populations. It has helped countless rare and endangered wild Pokémon to restore their populations. It is a large organization with a good reputation throughout the Pokémon world.

In theory, this behavior itself is not profitable. In this case, how can the Ether Foundation be compared with Silver Corporation and Devon Corporation?

You should know that Silver Company is the holder of the patent for Poké Ball. The Poké Ball product alone is enough to make a lot of money. And Deven Company has also become one of the world's top companies thanks to its epoch-making product Pokémon Navigator.

How does the Ethereum Foundation, a charitable organization, make money?

This is because the Ether Foundation itself is involved in medicine, biology, genetic engineering and other fields, and it also has corresponding products for sale, and the sales volume is quite strong.

This is because the Ether Foundation, as a charitable organization, needs operating funds. In their own words, direct social fundraising is not a long-term solution, so they provide product sales to obtain operating funds.

Because the Ethereum Foundation is well-known, its products are naturally very easy to sell. People buy their products as if they are doing charity, so they have established a good brand image and reputation.

On the other hand, the quality of the Ether Foundation's products is indeed excellent, and their technology in their field is indeed top-notch. They use these technologies to rescue a large number of wild Pokémon.

This formed a virtuous circle, leading to the giant it is today.

So, how rich is the Ethereum Foundation?

Their headquarters is in the Alola region, and the Alola region itself is composed of four islands. The Ether Foundation directly built a large artificial island in the Alola region as its headquarters!

This artificial island was fully funded by the Ether Foundation and built with its own technology... This shows how strong its financial and technological resources are...

Because of this, as the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. The influence of the Pokémon League is indeed unique, but the Alola region is their base after all, so the League has not even been able to set up a branch in the Alola region.

However, I heard recently that under the active efforts of a certain Pokémon professor, the Alliance has begun preparing to set up a branch in the Alola region, and the Ether Foundation... has also expressed its full support.

...At least they definitely support it openly, but

Luo Wei said, "I have read the script, you don't have to try to fool me!"

From this point of view, it is understandable why, three years later, the Alliance's investigation into the Ultra Beasts has not been linked to the Alola region. This is obviously because the Aether Foundation is operating in secret.

But after all, the old saying still applies: truth will come out sooner or later. We live in an information society and even in a remote place, it is impossible for no information to be leaked.

The Alliance has long known about the Alola region, especially the unique cultural beliefs of the Alola region and the "Z moves" that are closely related to it.

Taking a look at it now, I naturally found the problem.

The so-called Z moves are said to originate from two gods believed in the Alola region. In ancient times, the two gods descended from the sun and the moon came to the Alola region and fought a great battle with the indigenous gods of the Alola region.

In the end, the local indigenous gods were no match for the Sun and Moon gods and were defeated in the battle. They eventually chose to become subordinates of the Sun and Moon gods and were infused with the power of the gods...

...As a result, the indigenous gods gained new power, and this power was also distributed to the Pokémon in the Alola region.

The Alola region has had an "Island Pilgrimage" activity since ancient times. Young trainers who meet the requirements travel to the islands and challenge the "dominant Pokémon" blessed by the island gods. This is the Island Pilgrimage...

As long as you defeat the dominant Pokémon, you can get the blessing of the island god, obtain the qualification to use the "Z" power, and release powerful "Z moves"...

Because there is no alliance in the Alola region, there is no concept of gym masters and the Four Heavenly Kings, and this pilgrimage to the islands is very similar to the gym battle in form.

Therefore, the Alliance in the Alola region seems to intend to preserve this local characteristic and use the Pilgrimage to replace the Gym Battle. Instead of appointing gym masters in the Alola region, they will directly establish the Four Heavenly Kings.

From this point of view, the Alola region is equivalent to having eight fewer powerful trainers from the alliance stationed there than in other regions. This also means that even if a branch of the alliance is established, the influence of the alliance will probably be affected.

This may be the result of "negotiation" with the Ether Foundation. After all, no matter what, as long as the alliance branch is established, its influence will definitely be stronger than in the past.

The various possible exchanges of interests and involvements involved may sound far away from Lowe now, but due to some special reasons, Lowe was directly involved in the key of this incident.

Lowe obtained the Z pure crystal in his hand, which proved that Lowe had been recognized by the "God of the Island" and was qualified to use the power of Z.

However, Lowe knew that he did not get the approval of the "Island God". His purest crystal came from Liliae's "partner", who was even more awesome than the Island God...

...What he obtained was the source of the power of Z, the direct blessing of the Sun and Moon Gods!