Chapter 69: First Encounter with Team Rocket, Second Encounter with Mewtwo.
In the rest area on the second floor, standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows gazing at the sea, Xia Mu felt a sense of oppression. His
lack of confidence was inevitable.
After all, without witnessing it firsthand, it was difficult to imagine Mewtwo's weather control abilities.
This was a legendary Pokémon from the anime world; its abilities far surpassed those of ordinary Pokémon.
He wondered about Mewtwo's true level.
As a legendary Pokémon, was its strength merely what its level indicated?
If it was level 70 like in the games, how much difference would there be between a level 70 Pokémon and Mewtwo's level 70?
In short, witnessing firsthand the power to control nature had left Xia Mu trembling.
At the very least, this ability was far beyond what his own Pokémon could match.
Take Gyarados's Rain Dance, for example. Xia Mu had used it when it was around level 40 or 50, and it only caused rain in a small area.
Even now at level 70, it couldn't cover such a large area, and even if Rain Dance could cover such a large area, it certainly couldn't create a storm.
Time passed slowly.
Sonia, bored, sat on the sofa playing with her phone, chatting with whoever she was talking to.
The original plan was to reach the new island smoothly, but now that the ships weren't even going out to sea, and with such a huge storm raging, she assumed no one would leave.
Initially, she had been somewhat hopeful, thinking Xia Mu's words made sense; so much time had passed without any disturbance, and the scene outside looked terrifying.
She didn't believe anyone would risk their lives to cross the sea using Pokémon.
Her thinking was indeed sound, and it was the opinion of most ordinary people.
But often, it's at times like these that unexpected things happen.
As time went on, Officer Jenny and Voyager felt no one would cause trouble anymore and lowered their guard.
Not only them, but the police officers also relaxed their initial vigilance and began chatting and laughing.
As a result, without paying attention, some restless trainers seized the opportunity and ran out of the passenger terminal.
Xia Mu heard the screams from downstairs, and from his position, he could see what was happening outside.
The first thing that caught the eye was Corey summoning a Pidgeotto, arrogantly riding it across the sea.
Then Fergus summoned his Gyarados, helping him traverse the ocean.
With these two leading the way, the others became even bolder.
Some used Kingler, intending to emulate Fergus's Gyarados-based crossing, others imitated Corey using a Pidgeotto, and some even used Scyther – truly, there were all sorts of reckless individuals.
Xia Mu also saw Xiao Tian and Ali. Xiao Tian summoned a Dewgong, fearlessly navigating the waves, truly a sight to behold.
Ali, on the other hand, used Poliwag, his only Water-type Poliwag.
It was easy to imagine that the reason he wasn't in the original story was because his Poliwag wasn't strong enough to carry him across the ocean.
[Many of these people, I wonder what will become of them. As the acting Gym Leader, I can't just stand by and watch them perish.] Thinking this to himself, Xia Mu suddenly felt a fragrant breeze beside him.
Undoubtedly, it was a disbelieving Sonia peering over.
Her expression was so obvious, it was saying, "Xia Mu, how could you have guessed everything correctly?"
Xia Mu didn't speak to her immediately because he saw Ash and his friends run to the shore, and vaguely saw them board a very small boat.
He wondered how they dared to get on. How could such a small boat withstand a storm?
If it wasn't how it was developed in the original story, he would think it was absurd.
He had to admit, Team Rocket and Meowth were pretty awesome to do something so daring.
"Let's go, we should go out and take a look, otherwise, I'll really be useless!" Xia Mu stopped paying attention and turned to walk downstairs.
Now was the time for him to step in, especially since it was a task Blaine had given him—to ensure everyone's safety as much as possible.
Sonia immediately followed.
Although it was dangerous outside, and the storm was still raging, she was also excited by this unexpected event.
A special feeling seemed to be driving her to cross the sea as well.
Of course, while it was impulsive, she still had her head.
That's the difference between an adult and a child.
...
At the harbor shore.
Unable to stop them in time, Officer Jenny and Voyager could only dejectedly watch the trainers' retreating figures.
A total of twenty-odd people chose to cross the sea. Although this was a small number compared to the hundreds or thousands in the passenger terminal, it was still impossible to stop them all.
"As expected, there was no way to stop them. After all, these people are true adventurers," Voyager said. She understood these trainers' fearless journey.
As the port manager, she had seen too much in her life, and she too had once possessed an adventurous spirit, but as she grew older, she became more conservative.
"In the end, it still turned out like this. If we hadn't let our guard down for a moment, this wouldn't have happened," Officer Jenny said from the side.
Actually, it was too late to say anything now.
"You don't need to worry too much. After all, as Pokémon trainers, their confidence in crossing the sea means they believe their Pokémon have enough strength.
Even if they ultimately fail to cross, I think they have the ability to return on their own," Xia Mu said, walking up behind them to the shore.
His words attracted Voyager and Officer Jenny's attention.
The two women turned to look at Xia Mu, momentarily at a loss for words.
In truth, as the acting Gym Leader, Xia Mu should have been assisting them from the beginning in preventing the trainers from crossing the sea.
Yet, he had only appeared now.
"If you had arrived earlier, perhaps you could have stopped some people.
With such a huge storm, and they're still just children, how could we not be worried?" Officer Jenny's tone carried a hint of reproach.
Xia Mu, however, didn't care about such accusations.
He stepped forward and explained, "Without experiencing storms, setbacks, and failures, they won't easily give up.
Just as Miss Voyager said, they are true adventurers. Moreover, even with a more stringent defense, there will always be loopholes.
Ultimately, it's a matter of persuasion. Because we haven't properly made them understand the dangers of crossing the sea, we've only resorted to intimidation.
Naturally, this might scare most people, but a small group, after experiencing it more, won't be so easily deterred."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Mu, disregarding Officer Jenny's potential objections, gazed out at the distant sea.
Several figures could be vaguely seen.
Sonia stood beside Xia Mu, remaining silent throughout, simply watching.
Officer Jenny remained silent, while Voyager, standing nearby, looked at Xia Mu with newfound respect.
Knowing Xia Mu's identity, she had initially assumed he was just a rich young man seeking prestige, but it turned out he was indeed no ordinary person.
"Mr. Xia Mu is right. We failed to properly advise them, focusing solely on restricting the trainers' movements; oversights were inevitable."
Voyager's expression darkened as she finished speaking, clearly reflecting on her mistakes.
"So, what should we do next?"
Officer Jenny asked Voyager and Xia Mu for their opinions.
The deed was done; a solution was needed.
They couldn't simply stand by and watch; after all, these were over twenty lives.
"Your responsibility is to manage the port and prevent any accidents. As for these trainers crossing the sea, leave them to me. However, I'll still need Officer Jenny to arrange for some police officers to be on duty so that we can provide immediate assistance to any trainers who can't withstand the storm and return home," Xia Mu said.
"You're going out to sea?!" Officer Jenny exclaimed in surprise.
Voyager, standing beside her, also looked shocked.
This was no joke
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(End of the chapter)