Tonight was not peaceful. In the pitch-black night, explosions rang out from time to time, followed by the agonizing cries of Pokémon.
This was all happening near Jiang Chen's villa. The residents in the vicinity had already been evacuated; everyone present now was either an ally or an enemy.
At one o'clock in the morning, Jiang Chen stood by the window, gazing outside.
"It's certainly lively out there, isn't it, Gardevoir?"
"Gardevoir~!"
Gardevoir's voice was laced with anger. Her sensory range was incredibly vast, and she could feel the intense malice directed at Jiang Chen from those approaching the villa. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to use Confusion to crush them all.
Boom!
The main gate of the villa was smashed open.
"Nakamori, go fulfill the mission! I'll hold them back!" Takeda shouted to his companion before ordering his Houndoom to stand guard in front of him.
Hearing this, Nakamori nodded and charged straight toward the villa, throwing out a Poké Ball containing a Golem.
"Golem, use Explosion!"
He intended to use Golem to blow Jiang Chen to pieces. It was a solid plan in theory, but the reality was harsh. Before the Golem could even cross the yard to reach the house, it was flung back by a powerful force of Confusion.
It landed directly in front of Nakamori. Since the move Explosion had already been triggered, Nakamori could only watch in wide-eyed horror as his own Pokémon detonated. Only when facing death head-on does one truly understand the meaning of fear.
BOOM!!!
The blast tore through the yard, yet the villa itself didn't even vibrate. In fact, those inside the house heard nothing at all.
Ling Wanqiu and the others were still sound asleep, completely unaware of the chaos outside. This was because Mew had already isolated the villa from the outside world.
The man from Sakura Country, Nakamori, was killed instantly. An Elite level Golem's Explosion would have leveled the entire villa if not for Mew's protection. Nakamori stood no chance, and Takeda didn't survive either; the shockwave of the blast reduced him to nothingness.
"Gardevoir~!"
Gardevoir asked Jiang Chen if she should step in and eliminate the rest.
"Go ahead, Gardevoir. Be careful not to get hurt," Jiang Chen said.
Upon receiving his permission, Gardevoir excitedly used Teleport and vanished. No one harboring malice could escape her. With her ability to use Teleport consecutively, she was like a ghost-like assassin.
Before long, Gardevoir returned. Jiang Chen knew the problem had been handled.
"It's late. Let's get some sleep."
Jiang Chen yawned, not bothering with the aftermath. He knew his father, Jiang Yuan, would take care of the cleanup.
Jiang Chen slept soundly, but Jiang Yuan didn't close his eyes all night. His face was grim.
"Fine. I never expected that among my own people, there would be those who eat from the inside out and collude with outsiders."
Under his watch, it should have been impossible for anyone to break into Jiang Chen's villa. Yet, someone had actually breached the perimeter yesterday. Fortunately, nothing had happened. His investigation revealed that someone had intentionally let them through.
"I hope my investigation doesn't lead back to you. If those people were simply bought off by other countries, that's one thing. But if not..."
A cold light flashed in Jiang Yuan's eyes. If someone had stabbed him in the back, he wouldn't let them go, regardless of their identity.
The next day, Ling Wanqiu and the others stared wide-eyed at the devastation outside. The villa yard looked as if a major battle had taken place.
"What happened?" Ling Wanqiu immediately turned to Jiang Chen.
"A few terrorists broke in. It's nothing serious," Jiang Chen said calmly, a piece of bread hanging from his mouth.
"Why didn't we hear anything?" Xiao Luoxue asked.
Even if they were heavy sleepers, it was impossible to miss such a massive commotion. It was very strange.
"I had Mew create an energy shield to block out all the noise."
It didn't just block sound; it blocked attacks as well. In truth, those who tried to target Jiang Chen were a joke. Even if he let them attack freely, they could never break through Mew's energy shield.
What Jiang Chen didn't realize was that not many people knew he possessed a Mew. Most only knew about his Articuno. When reporters had previously asked if he had other Legendary Pokémon, his honest "yes" was taken by many as a bluff to create mystery.
If someone actually had a Legendary, wouldn't they hide it? They never considered that Jiang Chen simply didn't care about hiding it. Consequently, they reached the wrong conclusion, believing he only had Articuno. But even if he only had Articuno, that alone was enough to keep them from threatening him.
"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped," Ling Wanqiu and Xiao Luoxue complained, and even Ning Ya looked at him with a hint of reproach.
"You don't treat me as a friend," Gu Shuangyue said, her eyes fixed on him.
"Young Master, don't shoulder everything alone in the future. I will always stand by your side," Ning Ya said earnestly.
"Alright, I won't do it again," Jiang Chen promised quickly.
"You said it. Don't just brush us off next time, or we'll really be angry," Xiao Luoxue said, playfully punching his arm.
"Who were the attackers? I'll tell my father immediately."
Though they failed, there was bound to be someone pulling the strings.
"They were from all sorts of countries. There were too many of them. It seems I've truly become the target of all."
Jiang Chen hadn't expected that by doing nothing, he would end up in everyone's crosshairs. Human nature was truly complex.
"Since you can't tolerate me, then fine. I won't tolerate you either. One side is going to have to bow down."
Jiang Chen muttered to himself. He opened his quest panel and looked at the top entry. His eyes settled on the reward: a Shiny Rayquaza.
How great was the temptation of a Major Legendary? Moreover, Rayquaza was an elite even among Major Legendaries. Once it underwent Mega Evolution, how many other Major Legendaries could even stand against it?
Jiang Chen had originally resisted the temptation because completing this quest would likely result in many, many deaths.
"You're forcing my hand. Since you want to force me to be the villain, then so be it."
Jiang Chen had already made his plans. He had simply been looking for a reason to justify it to himself. While he hadn't fully convinced himself yet, the scales had begun to tip.
"Pack your things. Let's head back to Tianhai City first."
Jiang Chen spoke to the girls.
"Right, Tianhai City is much safer than the Imperial Capital," Ning Ya agreed. Tianhai City was their home turf, a completely different environment from the capital.
Jiang Chen smiled. His decision to return to Tianhai City wasn't actually because it was safer. To him, every place was the same wherever he was was the safest place. How could it be otherwise?
As they prepared to leave, Jiang Chen looked toward Gu Shuangyue. Ling Wanqiu and Xiao Luoxue had lived at his house before, so it was natural for them to return to Tianhai City with him. But what about Gu Shuangyue? She was only here because they had happened to run into each other in the capital.
"Am I not welcome?" Gu Shuangyue was clever enough to sense his hesitation.
"No, if you want to come with us, I don't mind," Jiang Chen shook his head.
"I'm going to Tianhai City with you. We can talk about other things once this matter settles down."
Jiang Chen was in trouble, and Gu Shuangyue wasn't the type to abandon him now.
"Then, thank you."
Even though Jiang Chen didn't actually need her help, the sentiment was worth a word of thanks. Most people would have run as far as possible upon learning he was in such trouble.
"Mew, take us back to Tianhai City," Jiang Chen said to the little fellow.
"Mew~!"
Mew nodded and teleported Jiang Chen, the girls, and all their luggage directly back to Jiang Chen's villa in Tianhai City.
Though they had been in the capital for a while, the house was quite clean. There were other maids and nannies there, so they didn't need to clean upon their return.
Once they were settled, Jiang Chen called his parents to let them know he was home so they wouldn't think he was still in the Imperial Capital.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).