The first explosion was not the end, but the beginning.
Boom! Rumble!
Before the crowd's screams could reach their peak, they were completely torn apart by a succession of loud bangs.
In an instant, Slateport City's proud festival beach was filled with fire and billowing thick smoke.
The joyful music was drowned out by the sounds of explosions and crying, and a pungent smell—a mix of burning and panic—filled the air.
Curator Namu, who had been elegantly holding a wine glass moments ago, was now pale, his fingers trembling uncontrollably as they gripped the stem of the glass.
He was a businessman after all, not a Trainer who lived on the edge of a blade; the scene before him was beyond his capacity to handle.
"Teng Zhai, close your eyes!"
Fujiki reacted extremely quickly. Taking a step forward, he released his Pokémon, Machamp, with a flick of his wrist.
The robust four arms steadily shielded him from behind.
"Machamp, take Teng Zhai to the Pokémon Center, hurry!"
Teng Zhai was clearly stunned by fear. Her small face was filled with confusion and terror as she stared blankly at the fleeing and wailing crowds.
This sight was too horrifying for a sheltered young girl. Fujiki didn't dare let her look a second longer, fearing it would leave an indelible psychological shadow.
Machamp understood immediately. It scooped up the little girl, using its mountain-like, thick chest to block out all the blood and chaos of the outside world. It strode forward, charging toward the city, easily knocking aside any debris in its path.
After dealing with his sister's safety, Fujiki's eyes instantly turned cold, losing all the easygoing nature he had during the festival.
"Hariyama, prepare for battle!"
A pokémon with an even sturdier build and palms as thick as iron plates appeared by his side, its eyes full of fighting spirit.
Jiang Han's movements were just as fast; one could even say he had been waiting for this moment.
"Sandile, Inkay!"
Two flashes of red light passed, and Sandile and Inkay appeared to his left and right.
Without wasting words, his gaze accurately locked onto several suspicious figures in blue shorts within the chaotic crowd.
"Officer Jenny is over there. Cooperate with them and get these guys under control!"
Jiang Han's voice wasn't loud, but it was highly piercing, reaching Fujiki's ears clearly.
Fujiki glanced at Jiang Han, a flicker of approval showing in his eyes.
In this moment of crisis, this young man hadn't panicked; instead, his thinking was clear, and his commands were decisive.
"Good!"
With the addition of the Gym Leader and Jiang Han, the pressure on the Jennys at the scene was greatly reduced.
Hariyama used Knock Off, directly sending a Poké Ball flying from a Team Aqua member's hand, followed by a Vital Throw that neatly subdued the person.
Things were also going smoothly on Jiang Han's side.
A Team Aqua member was just about to release his pokémon when blue light flashed in Inkay's eyes. The person's body went limp, and he collapsed straight down, while his Zubat, which had just poked its head out, also fell into a deep sleep.
Sandile was even more ferocious. Following Jiang Han's instructions, it didn't use lethal force, but instead used the Dig move to create traps on the beach or used Bite to precisely disable the opponents' ability to resist.
Jiang Han knew that these Team Aqua members generally weren't very strong; those with real strength were all over at the museum.
The chaos was quickly suppressed.
Just then, the phone in Curator Namu's pocket began to ring like crazy.
He answered it in a scramble, and a terrified, wailing voice came from the other end.
"Curator! It's bad! The museum is under attack! It's Team Aqua! They... they've blown open the main gates!"
"What?!"
Curator Namu's voice instantly changed pitch, and the color drained completely from his face.
The Ocean Science Museum!
The loss of any single collectible inside was more than he could bear, not to mention the 'heart of the tides' that had just entered the museum!
That mysterious Damp Rock was of a value that couldn't be measured in money; it was the treasure of all Slateport City!
Curator Namu was sweating profusely from anxiety, his lips trembling so much that he couldn't speak a complete sentence for a moment.
Jiang Han's ears caught the keywords 'museum' and 'Team Aqua,' and he understood everything instantly.
As expected, everything was just as he had predicted. The explosion on the beach was merely a feint; the real target was the 'heart of the tides' in the museum.
He looked at the panicked Curator Namu, then at Fujiki, whose sense of justice was bursting forth with a face full of rage, and knew his opportunity had come.
"Curator Namu, Gym Leader Fujiki!"
Jiang Han stepped forward, his voice loud and filled with an unquestionable sense of righteousness.
"This scum from Team Aqua actually dares to create chaos and attack public facilities in broad daylight! As a Trainer of the League, I absolutely cannot allow them to commit such evil!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the other Trainers around him who were equally filled with righteous indignation, and raised his arm in a call to action.
"Now, I propose that we head to the Ocean Science Museum immediately to crusade against Team Aqua and let them know that the power of justice is invincible!"
These words were spoken with passion and resonance.
However, Jiang Han was sneering in his heart.
Justice? It was nothing more than the most useful cloak to achieve one's goals.
He needed a legitimate reason to intervene in this matter, a reason that would allow him to get close to the gritty rock.
Now, he had created that reason himself.
Fujiki was already fuming with rage, and hearing Jiang Han's words, his blood boiled even more, and his admiration for the youth reached its peak.
"Well said, Jiang Han!"
Fujiki responded loudly.
"Trainers, Slateport City is our home! Now that our home is being destroyed, how can we sit idly by! Anyone willing to join me in protecting Slateport City, follow me!"
"Yeah!"
"Down with Team Aqua!"
"Protect the museum!"
The Trainers present were infected by the emotions of Fujiki and Jiang Han, responding one after another, and for a moment, the crowd was stirred up.
Curator Namu felt like he had grabbed a lifeline and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! Everyone, I'm counting on you! As long as we can take back the museum, my Namu Shipyard will surely reward you handsomely!"
The group charged toward the Ocean Science Museum in a grand procession.
The streets along the way were a mess, with festival streamers mixed with broken debris, and the faint smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air.
Soon, the grand silhouette of the Ocean Science Museum appeared before everyone's eyes.
However, at this moment, the museum had completely lost its former glory.
All external lights were extinguished, and the massive building lay prone in the night like a silent beast. Only a few dim emergency lights cast pale patches of light in the darkness.
Most shocking of all was the museum's main gate, made of a special alloy, which had been violently blasted open, leaving an irregular large hole with charred black marks on the edges.
Members in Team Aqua uniforms were standing guard at the entrance in groups of two or three, holding Poké Balls.
When they saw the large group of Trainers led by Fujiki and Jiang Han, they were first stunned, then fierce expressions appeared on their faces.
"Hmph, a bunch of people coming to their deaths." A Team Aqua member who seemed to be a Minor Leader stepped forward, took a Poké Ball from his waist, a disdainful sneer hanging on his face.
"You think you can stop Team Aqua's great plan?"
Without a word, Fujiki's Hariyama had already taken a combat stance.
Jiang Han's gaze bypassed these lackeys and peered into the bottomless darkness deep within the museum.
He licked his somewhat dry lips, the thought in his heart becoming clearer and clearer.
Laic of the Team Rockets should already be lying in ambush with his people at the waterfall on Route 103, ready to rob the robbers.
And he, right here, in the name of justice, would reap as many benefits as possible.
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