Chapter 299: Grand Display!

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom— A rapid, heavy knocking suddenly rang out, shattering the morning calm of Blowing Fire Island, the force so great it nearly burst the door open.

Huo La was leaning on the soft bedding, resting, and the knocking made him let out a long yawn; he rubbed his sleepy eyes, rose slowly, and shuffled his feet to open the door.

At the doorway, Xiao Zhao was frantic and at a loss, brows knit tightly, fine beads of sweat even beading at his temples, his expression burning with anxiety.

"What's wrong? Why the rush?" Huo La looked at the out‑of‑bounds demeanor, the lingering sleepiness vanished instantly, his tone carrying some doubt and a hint of caution.

"Huo La, something's wrong! A big incident—come quickly, there's an important person who wants to see you!" Xiao Zhao's voice was unmistakably urgent, and as he spoke he reached out to grab Huo La's arm, the pull stronger than usual.

Seeing this, Huo La knew a pressing emergency had arisen, dared not delay, grabbed the coat draped over a chair back, threw it on haphazardly, and hurriedly followed behind Xiao Zhao toward the hall of the Pearl Team Base.

When the two reached the hall, the room was already filled with people, the atmosphere so heavy it was suffocating.

Zhu Bei, Gangshi, Ma Jia Mu, Xingyue, and even Dr. Laventon, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, were all seated there, expressions solemn;

In addition, there were two unfamiliar figures seated on either side of Gangshi and Zhu Bei.

Ma Jia Mu was the first to spot Huo La behind Xiao Zhao; he raised his hand slightly, signaling Zhu Bei beside him to explain the situation, his eyes heavy with gravity.

Zhu Bei inhaled deeply, suppressing the inner agitation, deliberated a moment, then said, "Huo La, we truly apologize; had the matter not been extremely urgent and imminent, we would never have rashly disturbed your rest."

Huo La gently shook his head, his expression growing serious, and said firmly, "It's fine, Captain Zhu Bei, no need for formalities. Whatever it is, just say it directly; I'm ready and can assist at any time."

"Alright, then I'll speak plainly." Zhu Bei gave a slight nod, then pointed to a middle‑aged man with white hair in a Pearl Team uniform beside him, his tone solemn, "This is our Pearl Team member, tasked with overseeing the Niu La Tribe, and also the caretaker Field Master of the Great Niu La King — the Beishang Field Master."

Hearing the words "Beishang Field Master," a flash of surprise crossed Huo La's eyes, and he couldn't help to glance at the man a few more times.

The white‑haired middle‑aged man also stared at him pensively, his gaze deep; their eyes met in the air, and they silently nodded to each other, a tacit greeting.

Then Zhu Bei's finger pointed to the long‑haired man seated beside Gangshi, continuing, "This is Mu Chun, the Field Master of the Diamond Team, responsible for looking after the Mischievous Rocket Tribe, and also the caretaker of the Mischievous Rocket King."

Mu Chun merely lifted his eyes faintly, glanced at Huo La, his expression cold, making no extra gestures, not even a nod, an aura of detachment radiating around him.

Huo La paid no mind to his coldness, withdrew his gaze, and turned back to Zhu Bei, his eyes asking a question, silently awaiting her next words—gathering so many key figures and inviting two Field Masters meant the matter was certainly extraordinary.

Zhu Bei also sensed Huo La's urgency, stopped dragging, and his tone grew even heavier: "Here's the situation: the Great Niu La King and the Mischievous Rocket King, who had always been docile and calm, suddenly went berserk and uncontrollable last night, extremely aggressive. We tried everything to calm them, but to no avail; we had no choice but to come to you."

Huo La furrowed his brows, his fingertips lightly rubbing his chin as if recalling something, looked up at Zhu Bei, and said with a hint of doubt and contemplation, "Captain Zhu Bei, if it's merely the two Pokémon Kings going berserk, with the strength of the Diamond Team and Pearl Team, we shouldn't need to stage such a grand display, right?"

As he spoke, he slowly lifted his gaze, scanning the assembled crowd, his eyes flicking over the faces of Zhu Bei, Gangshi, Dr. Laventon, and others, his stare full of inquiry.

Gangshi, seeing this, couldn't hold his composure, jumped in: "You're right! If it's just the two Pokémon Kings going berserk, our two teams could suppress them for a day or two without issue. But… the key is, last night, the Diamond Team and Pearl Team were both robbed!"

"Robbery?!" Huo La's pupils narrowed slightly, his tone full of shock—he never imagined such a thing could happen.

The Pearl Team and Diamond Team are usually heavily guarded; to be robbed simultaneously, the missing items must be of great significance.

"Yes, it was a robbery." Gangshi nodded heavily, his tone grave, "The one who stole from our Diamond Team was A Zhu, one of the Three Bandit Sisters."

Zhu Bei immediately added, "On our Pearl Team side, the thief we saw with our own eyes was A Mei."

"Huh? It was them?" This time, even Ming Yao, who had been silently standing aside, couldn't help but speak, his face full of disbelief.

He had only just pursued the three sisters; they had fled in such a ragged scramble, how could they so quickly dare to raid the two major teams?

Huo La suppressed his shock, his expression growing even more serious, and asked in a deep voice, "What was taken?"

Gangshi and Zhu Bei exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat evasive.

After a moment, Gangshi finally spoke ambiguously, "It's the heirloom passed down through generations of our two teams, fundamental to both teams' foundations."

"How can you be certain it was those two sisters?" Huo La pondered briefly, then raised the crucial question, his eyes full of caution.

Gangshi and Zhu Bei exchanged another glance, a wry smile appearing, their tone full of helplessness and frustration: "Because they not only stole our teams' treasures, but also released the Blizzard King and Poison Skull Frog, injuring many of our members; they were extremely ruthless."

Ming Yao listened, increasingly incredulous, shaking his head repeatedly: "This… how is that possible? Even with their previous strength, they weren't my match! In just one day, how could they have gained such power!"

"We are equally surprised, but that's the fact," Zhu Bei sighed lightly, his tone heavy, "None of our team members could match them; not even a single hit from their Pokémon could be endured—the gap is absurd."

Huo La fell silent, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table, his mind racing to recall the most critical point.

After a moment, he looked at Ming Yao, his tone serious: "Ming Yao, are you certain that the mysterious person who rescued the Three Bandit Sisters used the Pokémon move Shadow Ball?"

After returning from yesterday's unsuccessful pursuit, Ming Yao had already recounted in detail the incident where someone intervened to rescue the Three Bandit Sisters.

Ming Yao showed no hesitation, nodded firmly, his tone resolute: "Confirmed! I saw it clearly; from the trajectory and energy fluctuations of those Shadow Balls, the Pokémon that released that skill is far from ordinary, indeed quite powerful."

Huo La fell silent again, the hall's atmosphere growing heavier, only the faint sounds of breathing remaining.

After a moment, he slowly lifted his eyes, gazing at Gangshi, and asked in a deep voice, "You say the attack on the Diamond Team was carried out by A Zhu?"

Gangshi nodded without hesitation, "Exactly, it was her; our members saw it clearly."

Huo La turned his gaze to Zhu Bei again, his tone still solemn, "And on the Pearl Team side, the attacker was indeed A Mei?"

Zhu Bei also nodded, his expression grave, "Absolutely certain, no doubt about it."

Huo La's brows knit tighter, his tone carrying a barely perceptible caution, his eyes turning to Ma Jia Mu as he slowly asked, "Since A Zhu and A Mei have been located, then… A Song? Where is she?"