On the outskirts of Mauville City, a small path shaded by sparse trees wound forward.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Jiang Han walked along this path, Athena's words still echoing in his ears.
"A League genius from the Ever Grande Conference?"
In the Hoenn region, names like Steven, Wallace, Roxanne, and Fujiki were legendary.
Cynthia from the Sinnoh region, Lance from the Kanto region, Sabrina, and so on.
Taking a spot in the top eight from the hands of these geniuses would be no easy feat.
Two years sounded like plenty of time, but Jiang Han knew very well how intense the competition would be.
He needed greater strength and faster growth.
Amidst his thoughts, a sharp shout came from behind, breaking the tranquility of the outskirts.
"You, surnamed Jiang! Stop right there!"
Jiang Han stopped and turned around.
A familiar figure came into view—it was Fumino Huang.
His hair was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, his face was covered in lingering bruises, and his clothes were rumpled; he had clearly just been released from the police station not long ago.
He rushed over and stopped in front of Jiang Han, panting heavily. In his eyes, besides anger, there was a hint of humiliation.
"I kicked Officer Jenny—that was your doing, wasn't it!"
Fumino Huang's voice was hoarse with rage. He pointed at Jiang Han, his finger trembling slightly as if trying to pour out all his resentment.
Life in detention at the police station had clearly made him suffer, and he blamed all of that pain on Jiang Han.
Jiang Han looked at him calmly, without a hint of emotion.
He spread his hands in a casual gesture. "You assaulted a police officer yourself; it has nothing to do with me." His tone was flat, yet it was like a needle pricking Fumino Huang's already fragile self-esteem.
"It was you! It must have been you!"
Fumino Huang's face turned the color of pig liver. He could not accept the humiliation he had suffered, let alone Jiang Han's dismissive attitude.
"You actually let me suffer such humiliation! I will definitely tell my father, and he will kill you!" He brought up his father like a drowning man clutching at a straw, attempting to use the name to intimidate Jiang Han.
Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Han's eyes.
He didn't laugh out loud; he only let the corners of his mouth turn down imperceptibly.
It seemed this fellow had just come out of the police station and didn't yet know that the family he relied on for survival, as well as his supposedly 'omnipotent father,' had long since been wiped clean by Team Rockets.
Fumino Go? Just based on that old geezer? He can kill me? Jiang Han felt nothing but disdain.
Team Rockets' efficiency was far beyond what a hothouse flower like Fumino Huang could imagine.
Fumino Huang was stunned by the sudden pressure emanating from Jiang Han, and he instinctively took half a step back.
But soon, thinking of his father's Gym-level strength, he straightened his back again, forcing a show of confidence.
"Bluffing! Just you wait!" He pulled out his pokédex, his finger sliding urgently across the screen as he tried to contact his father.
However, the pokédex screen only displayed the words "Unable to Connect."
"What's going on?" Fumino Huang frowned, shaking the pokédex in confusion and repeatedly trying to dial.
Jiang Han did not answer his confusion. He simply moved forward slowly, each step seemingly treading on Fumino Huang's heart.
The wind of the outskirts blew past, bringing the faint sound of rustling leaves, but it couldn't mask Jiang Han's low voice: "Tell me, if I were to kill you right here, could your father still stand up for you?"
As soon as these words came out, Fumino Huang's face turned deathly pale. He backed away subconsciously until his back hit a thick tree trunk.
Only then did he feel terror. Jiang Han's gaze was ice-cold, without a hint of joking.
"You... what do you want to do!" Fumino Huang's voice trembled, and he released his two Pokémon almost as a reflex.
Manectric and Magnemite.
Electricity flickered on Manectric's body, while Magnemite floated in the air, emitting a weak electrical hum in an attempt to create a sense of threat.
Jiang Han didn't waste words and released his three Pokémon.
Sandile, Inkay, and Sneasel.
As soon as the three Pokémon appeared, the atmosphere in the air instantly froze.
Sandile gave a low growl, its body like a bolt of black lightning as it pounced straight for Manectric.
Manectric instinctively released a Thunder Shock, but the current had no effect on Sandile's tough scales. Ignoring it entirely, Sandile opened its maw and bit down on Manectric's neck.
With a *crack*, the crisp sound of breaking bone was exceptionally clear in the silent outskirts.
Manectric let out a short, mournful cry, and then its body slumped to the ground. After a couple of twitches, it went silent.
At the same time, Inkay's eyes flashed with an ominous purple light, and a distorted Dark Pulse shot out instantly, accurately hitting the floating Magnemite.
Magnemite didn't even have time to react before it was completely swallowed by the Dark Pulse. Its metal shell deformed under the intense impact, emitting bursts of black smoke as it fell straight down like a piece of electrical equipment that had been instantly scrapped.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Before Fumino Huang could even see clearly how his Pokémon were defeated, both had already lost their ability to battle.
He stood frozen in place, his pupils shrinking as fear completely consumed him.
Sneasel walked with light steps toward Fumino Huang.
Its sharp claws glinted coldly under the sunlight.
Fumino Huang's gaze moved from his fallen Pokémon to Sneasel's claws, which looked like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
He wanted to scream, he wanted to run, but his body felt as if it were frozen and could not move.
Sneasel did not hesitate for a second; its sharp claws slashed directly across Fumino Huang's throat.
Blood surged out like a fountain, tracing a crimson arc in the air.
Fumino Huang clutched his neck with both hands, making a gurgling sound. His eyes bulged, filled with disbelief and a poisonous resentment toward Jiang Han.
He collapsed to the ground, his body twitching violently. His mouth continued to utter intermittent Curses until the breath of life completely dissipated.
Jiang Han stood before the pool of blood, expressionless. He patted his hands as if merely dusting off his clothes.
"Go find your father in hell," he said softly, his voice cold without a hint of warmth.
The wind in the outskirts continued to blow, and the leaves rustled as if singing an elegy for this momentary peace.
After he finished disposing of the body,
Jiang Han recalled his Pokémon, turned around, and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.
As for the Wen Ye Family?
The remaining remnants would be swallowed up bit by bit by the Violet Company under legitimate pretenses.
He knew that on this path, he would encounter more self-righteous stumbling blocks like Fumino Huang.
And he only needed to clear them away.
The Ever Grande Conference allowed for no distractions. He needed stronger power to deal with stronger opponents.
He needed to become stronger, at any cost.
Jiang Han's pace did not falter for a moment; he had already put this matter behind him.
What he needed to consider now were those League geniuses Athena had mentioned and the Ever Grande Conference two years later.
He had to seize every moment to increase his strength.
After all, in Team Rockets, those without ability would be eliminated.
Those without potential would not receive the highest quality resources.
He did not want to be among those who were eliminated.
He thought of that high-quality sharp claw Athena had mentioned that was soon to arrive.
That was the key item for Sneasel's evolution and an important link in his strength progression.
He had to pick up his pace and collect two Gym Badges as soon as possible.
Jiang Han took a deep breath. The air carried the freshness of earth and vegetation, as well as a faint, lingering scent of blood.
He inhaled this scent into his lungs as if reminding himself that this path was destined to be anything but peaceful.
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