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Since Curator Nanmu still had matters to attend to, Kai and the others didn't want to keep disturbing him. After leaving the office, they began wandering around the museum on their own.
Because the museum was officially closed, the entire building was eerily empty. Aside from Nanmu himself, there wasn't a single staff member in sight not even a basic security patrol.
Yet despite that, Nanmu had confidently allowed them to explore freely, clearly unconcerned about theft. That alone was enough to show how open and magnanimous he was.
Thanks to this freedom, their visit became far more relaxed. Without a guide accompanying them, they could go wherever they pleased, speak freely, and comment on the exhibits without restraint.
Beyond the displays they had already seen, the museum housed many other exhibits—marine water samples, soil and sand collected from different ocean layers, and various electronic voice-guided educational installations.
By the time they finished touring, not only had Max learned a great deal, but even Kai and the others felt they had gained new knowledge.
Without realizing it, dusk had fallen outside the windows, the sky tinted orange and gold a quiet reminder of how quickly time had passed.
And then—
A sharp sound rang out.
The lights abruptly went out, plunging the entire museum into darkness.
"Huh?" Ash looked around in confusion. "Did the power go out?"
"Probably," Misty replied casually, not thinking much of it.
None of them panicked. Power outages weren't exactly rare, and Ash had experienced them more than once during his travels. It hardly seemed worth worrying about.
Only Kai's expression shifted slightly.
He already suspected someone had broken into the museum.
The only question was which one: Team Magma or Team Rocket. Either was possible.
Using the faint glow of the setting sun filtering through the windows, Kai gestured to the others. "Let's head back to Curator Nanmu's office. I think something's wrong."
"Wrong?" Misty blinked. "Why do you say that?"
"This is a museum in a developed coastal city," Kai explained quietly. "A sudden blackout like this shouldn't happen. Even if it did, there should be backup generators. But the lights haven't come back on at all—which means even those aren't working. That's not normal."
Only then did the others realize the seriousness of the situation.
They rushed back the way they came, and when they reached the office door, their hearts sank.
The room was a mess—drawers pulled out, papers scattered everywhere. It had clearly been ransacked.
Curator Nanmu was gone.
So was the case.
Worse still, a large hole had been smashed through the window. The sea breeze rushed in, scattering documents across the floor.
Ash stared in shock. "What happened here…?"
Kai exchanged a glance with the others, then didn't hesitate. One after another, they jumped out through the broken window.
Outside the museum, they immediately spotted two opposing groups facing off in the distance.
One was instantly recognizable as the Team Rocket trio.
The other group, dressed in uniform red outfits, could only belong to Team Magma.
"So that's how it is," Kai muttered.
Before they could get any closer, Jessie's voice rang out sharply: "Hey! You guys over there hand over that treasure right now!"
With just that, everything became clear.
Team Rocket must have noticed Team Magma sneaking into the museum and stealing the case. Mistaking it for some valuable treasure, they'd decided to intercept them.
Ironically, if it weren't for Team Rocket interfering, Team Magma might have already escaped.
Kai quickly scanned the area—but Curator Nanmu was nowhere to be seen.
At least the two villain groups had already introduced themselves to each other. That spared everyone from hearing Team Rocket's overused introduction yet again.
Just as Ash was about to charge forward, Kai grabbed his arm.
"Wait," he whispered. "If we rush in now, they might escape. Let Team Rocket keep them busy. You and Misty circle around and block their retreat."
Following Kai's instructions, Ash and Misty split up, quietly moving in from opposite sides. Max stayed close behind Kai, advancing carefully from the front.
The fading twilight worked perfectly as cover.
Neither Team Rocket nor Team Magma noticed they were being surrounded—their attention was completely focused on each other.
Since entering Hoenn, this was the first time Kai had encountered Team Rocket again.
And just as expected, their Pokémon lineup had changed.
Aside from Meowth and Wobbuffet, the Pokémon protecting Jessie and James were no longer the ones they'd used back in Johto.
Instead, standing before them were Cacnea and Seviper.
Cacnea, a Grass-type Pokémon, looked exactly like a walking cactus.
Its round body was sturdy, its arms thick and powerful. Three dark-green diamond-shaped markings decorated its chest, while a yellow flower bloomed atop its head. Covered in sharp spines and colored a fresh light green, it looked surprisingly healthy.
Cacnea typically lived in harsh, arid environments like deserts. It stored water inside its body, allowing it to survive up to thirty days without drinking a single drop.
The flower on its head bloomed only once a year—and the harsher the environment, the more beautiful and fragrant the flower became.
Its spines were razor-sharp. It could lure prey using its sweet scent before firing its needles, or swing its arms lined with thick spikes to fight directly.
As for Seviper—
Its body resembled a sleek black serpent, with a golden lower jaw and gold armor plating along its head and back. Six small golden nodes lined its belly, while crimson fangs and a blade-like tail gave it a truly menacing appearance.
Seviper was the eternal rival of Zangoose, their feud stretching back generations. The scars on its body were a testament to countless deadly battles.
Cold, precise, and extremely dangerous, Seviper's blade-like tail could secrete poison. It preferred ambushes—striking from tall grass with venomous fangs, then slicing its opponent apart while spreading toxins with every movement.
That said…
Kai couldn't help but think it was not lovely.
Completely outside his aesthetic tastes.
Then again, he supposed only someone like Jessie would be fond of such a snake-like Pokémon.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
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