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Early the next morning.
Someone knocked on the door—loud, aggressive pounding.
The three people in the suite had just woken up and were freshening up, while the Pokémon in the living room yawned sleepily.
"Coming."
Li Zhezhan checked through the peephole, then unfastened the security chain.
The door opened. A woman and two men stood outside, dressed in plain clothes, staring at Li Zhezhan.
"You were sent to pick us up this early?"
Li Zhezhan was still a little groggy—he hadn't even rinsed the facial cleanser foam off his face. "Hold on, we'll be ready soon. Come in and sit for a bit."
The three exchanged glances. The woman at the front nodded. "Sure, no rush. Take your time."
Li Zhezhan turned away, just as Li Xiang stepped out of his room.
"Who are you?"
"We're here to escort you, little brother," the woman replied.
"This many people? How many cars are you bringing? Is the Laya City Association that understaffed?" Li Xiang raised an eyebrow, gesturing for them to sit on the couch. "Tea? We've got cold water and soda."
"No need."
All three shook their heads, their eyes scanning the Pokémon in the room before calmly taking their seats.
And then—
"Frogadier!"
Li Xiang suddenly roared, lunging at the nearest man!
From the ceiling, Frogadier's figure flickered in and out of visibility as it shot two thick white strands of webbing at the other two.
Torracat, previously lounging lazily on the sofa, sprang up with an explosive growl, swiping at the intruders with its paw!
The three immediately reacted—the woman's hand flew to her waist, one man reached for Li Xiang, and the last dodged Torracat's attack.
But Li Xiang was faster. Planting his feet, he exhaled sharply, twisted his body, and—
Iron Mountain Charge!
BAM!
The nearest man grunted, the wind knocked out of him as he was sent stumbling backward.
The second man barely avoided Torracat's strike, only to get tangled in Frogadier's webbing. The more he struggled, the more the sticky threads wrapped around him, trapping himself in his own struggle.
That left the woman.
But Li Xiang wasn't about to go easy on her just because she was a woman. Before she could react, he stepped forward, driving his elbow upward—
"I'm not here to capture you!!"
The woman suddenly threw her hands up, screaming in desperation.
Li Xiang's elbow stopped just an inch from her chin.
She let out a shaky breath—only for Li Xiang to grab her arm, flip her onto the ground, and bind her hands with Frogadier's foam ropes.
Nearby, Riolu pinned the man Li Xiang had knocked down.
Within a minute, all three were restrained.
Li Xiang rolled up their sleeves—just as expected. On their wrists was a red sun, inside which was the faint outline of a moth.
The Snow Cult wore pendants. The Sun Cult? Tattoos. Rumor had it they were inked with Arcanine's blood as the main ingredient, mixed with other substances. Once marked, the only way to remove it was to scrape off the skin.
"What's going on? What happened?"
The two adults, slow to react, rushed out of their rooms.
"Dad, your flawless judgment just got wrecked this morning. If I hadn't been smart, we'd be on a one-way trip to trouble," Li Xiang sighed. "All three of them are Sun Cultists. They found us."
"We mean no harm! We're not Dawn Sect! We're the Sun Cult!"
The woman beneath Li Xiang shouted desperately, echoed by the two men.
Dawn Sect? Sun Cult?
Li Xiang and Li Zhezhan exchanged glances, frowning. After restraining them, Li Zhezhan had a brief exchange with the three.
What they learned was… bizarre.
These three were remnants of the original Sun Cult—the ones who used to feud with the Snow Cult. The true Sun Cult.
They had nothing to do with the New Sun Cult—the so-called Dawn Sect, the heretics.
As for why the Snow Cult didn't know about this?
First, internal disgrace shouldn't be aired publicly.
Second, the original Sun Cult was practically extinct—only ten members remained.
At this point, they might as well not exist.
"I swear… why do these weird things always happen when we're traveling?"
Li Xiang rubbed his temples in exasperation. Li Zhezhan and Mrs. Yin looked equally done.
Snow Cult. Sun Cult. Dawn Sect.
These people were exhausting.
So why were they here?
To evacuate Li Xiang's family.
"The Dawn Sect fanatics are planning to attack you—but under the Sun Cult's name. I refuse to let those lunatics tarnish our legacy!"
The woman spoke firmly. "That's why we need to get you out of Laya City immediately."
'Attacking outsiders? What was the point? Were they really just insane?'
"And where exactly are you taking us?" Li Xiang asked.
"Snowpeak City. Once you reach the airport there, you'll be safe."
Same as Chi Zang's plan.
Snowpeak was the nearest city with an airport.
"Sorry, but we've already got someone picking us up—also heading to Snowpeak. Our flight's booked," Li Zhezhan declined. If they weren't already tied up, he'd have called the police.
The three exchanged glances again. One of the men spoke.
"Was it Chi Zang who arranged your escort?"
"…Why do you ask?"
Li Zhezhan didn't confirm or deny.
"He's been missing since last night. Even the Snow Cult can't find him," the woman said. "I suspect the Dawn Sect already captured him. You're in danger—whoever comes for you next might be one of them."
"How do you know all this?" Li Xiang pressed.
"Our Audino overheard it."
The woman spoke matter-of-factly. "You know how sharp their hearing is. The Snow Cult's hideout was exposed the moment you arrived. When they evacuated, my Audino and I were nearby."
She paused. "As for how we knew about the hideout in the first place… we can't tell you that."
Probably spies or informants.
But since she didn't know Chi Zang's whereabouts either, it meant their inside source wasn't high-ranking enough for real-time intel.
The situation kept getting messier.
'What the hell is the Saizhou Association doing?!'
Li Xiang was furious. If the Dawn Sect could act this brazenly, it was because the authorities were turning a blind eye.
Waiting until after disaster struck to act was not how things should work.
Li Zhezhan quickly began calling Xu Dongran.
The moment the call connected—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion shook the world outside the window!
The entire building trembled violently, and everyone's hearts lurched with it.
Li Xiang rushed to the window and saw flames raging in the direction of the old city, thick black smoke billowing into the sky, staining half of it dark.
"Insane… They're completely insane!"
Li Xiang muttered in disbelief. Where did these Dawn Sect lunatics get the courage to wreak havoc inside a city?!
Li Zhezhan joined him at the window, phone in hand, his brow deeply furrowed as he stared at the distant inferno.
"Let's get downstairs—now. No elevators. Take the fire escape. Leave the car behind. Cover your faces!"
He barked orders at the other two while continuing his call with Xu Dongran.
Li Xiang and Mrs. Yin nodded quickly, recalling their Pokémon—except for Corviknight, who was immediately released outside the window to scout.
"Wait for us."
"Caw!"
Corviknight acknowledged.
Inside the room, the three Sun Cultists had also rushed to the window, their faces twitching at the sight of the distant flames.
"It's over… The Sun Cult is finished. What the hell are these maniacs thinking?!"
The woman, Pona, looked like she was on the verge of losing it. By doing this, the Dawn Sect had ensured that the Sun Cult would never find refuge in Zhu Xia—no, in the entire world. They'd be hunted globally!
"Calm down, Pona! This wasn't us! If we explain to the Association, they'll understand!"
One of the men tried to reassure her, only to remember his hands were still bound by Frogadier's sticky foam ropes—impossible to break free.
He turned to look for Li Xiang, only to find the family already prepped to leave.
"Wait for us!"
The man panicked. "You're just leaving us here?!"
"You want to come with us to the police station?"
Li Zhezhan gave him a strange look.
Xu Dongran had instructed them to seek shelter there.
"Yes! We're coming!"
Pona gritted her teeth. "We'll cover our faces too."
She seemed to have made up her mind.
Li Zhezhan didn't respond immediately, instead glancing at Li Xiang.
"Got it. Frogadier," Li Xiang said softly.
The briefcase in his hand shifted slightly as Frogadier, camouflaged, scaled the wall and dissolved the foam restraints with a quick Water Gun.
The three Sun Cultists were freed, bewildered as they looked around—completely clueless about how it happened.
But there was no time to linger.
They rushed down the fire escape.
Outside the hotel, the streets were already in chaos. Though they were in the newer district, the old city wasn't that far away.
Li Zhezhan quickly flagged down a taxi. The Sun Cultists had mentioned that the Dawn Sect knew about them escorting Bianzhen back—meaning their bus was compromised. Taking it now would be suicide.
Li Xiang circled to the driver's side and smiled.
"Uncle, your bracelet looks really cool."
Then, without waiting for permission, he yanked the driver's sleeve up, checking for any hidden tattoos. Finding none, he relaxed.
The driver scowled, yanking his sleeve back down. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Sorry, sorry! My son's just too playful. Really, our apologies!"
Li Zhezhan quickly smoothed things over while loading their bags. Li Xiang gave him a subtle nod—this guy was clean.
"What kind of brat…" The driver grumbled but didn't refuse the fare.
The three Sun Cultists hailed another cab—there wasn't enough space in one vehicle anyway.
Once inside, they sped toward the police station.
Li Xiang let out a quiet breath. Laya City might be underdeveloped, but even the Dawn Sect wouldn't be reckless enough to attack a police station…
Right?
'…Damn it, these people are insane. Normal logic doesn't apply!'
From the moment they bombed the old city, this was no longer just a conflict over beliefs.
The Dawn Sect was challenging all of Zhu Xia. Challenging every human and Pokémon who just wanted to live in peace!
There was no reasoning with them. No weighing pros and cons.
They were enemies of the world!