Following the location he remembered, Chen Mo brought Pichu to an outdoor gear specialty store called "Kalibu."
Most of his previous outdoor equipment had been bought here. After using it on his last trip and finding the quality decent, Chen Mo came again to purchase some supplies he'd need for tomorrow's journey.
Most importantly—
a tent and a sleeping bag.
For the next science stream, Chen Mo planned to explore deeper into Hongjingpo Forest Park, venturing into areas he hadn't reached before.
If nothing unexpected happened, he and Pichu would be spending the night in the forest. A tent for resting and a suitably warm sleeping bag were absolutely essential.
"Thank you for your purchase. We look forward to your next visit."
Amid the clerk's polite farewell, Chen Mo walked out of Kalibu with his hands full of shopping bags.
In just a few minutes, nearly ten thousand yuan was gone.
As expected—
outdoor camping really is something only the rich can afford.
"Next, let's hit the supermarket for some simple ingredients and ketchup, then we can head home."
Just as Chen Mo was about to head toward the supermarket, he noticed quite a few people running in the same direction in small groups.
"What's going on—don't tell me the supermarket's having a sale? Half-price chips or something?"
Thinking that if it really was a big promotion, he absolutely couldn't miss it, Chen Mo sped up as well.
But then—
When he saw rows of familiar police cars, Chen Mo froze.
"Hey, man, what happened here?"
Despite the long police cordon, there were still plenty of onlookers. Chen Mo casually asked someone nearby and quickly learned the whole story.
"A robbery? But if the jewelry store was robbed, why did they end up at the supermarket?"
Chen Mo voiced his confusion.
The passerby suddenly laughed and pointed in a direction.
Following his gaze, Chen Mo saw—above a road sign partially hidden by trees—a motorcycle hanging awkwardly on top of it.
"…What?"
"The two idiot robbers are really good at riding," the passerby said, barely holding back his laughter. "One wrong move and they drove the bike straight up there."
Chen Mo looked at the man who was failing to suppress his grin, then at the motorcycle, utterly baffled.
Just how careless do you have to be…?
While Chen Mo was still trying to imagine the scene, the supermarket's front doors were suddenly pushed open.
Two helmeted figures walked out. One of them—a man in a denim jacket—was holding a shotgun, aiming it at a young male hostage in front of him.
The police, already with guns raised, immediately became even more alert.
"All of you cops listen up!" the robber shouted arrogantly.
"I want two motorcycles right now. Move fast. If I don't make it out alive, neither does this hostage!"
Facing the wildly aggressive criminal, the leading middle-aged officer frowned.
"Agree to his demands. On the condition that he releases the other people inside the supermarket first."
The negotiation went smoothly.
The robber raised another condition: hostages would be released, but no more than two at a time.
As he spoke, he sent his accomplice back inside to select the first group to be released.
Standing among the crowd, Chen Mo stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.
The distance between him and the robber was no more than forty meters—
right within Pichu's maximum Thunder Shock range.
If Pichu were to fire off an electric attack to save the hostage, the distance was workable.
From earlier tests, Chen Mo knew that Pichu needed about two seconds to charge up before using Thunder Shock, and roughly another two seconds for the attack to reach the target.
Since there was no need to use the full stone-shattering output, Pichu could charge inside the backpack beforehand—saving at least one second.
And since Chen Mo was hidden in the crowd, the remaining time wouldn't be enough for the robber to react and fire.
It could work.
"But I still need to ask Pichu first."
Chen Mo wasn't trying to be a hero. His thinking was simple:
if Pichu could contribute in this incident and draw public attention, it might help change society's rigid prejudice against Pokémon—against spirits.
And even if the effect was limited, at the very least, Pichu would be able to stay openly by his side in Anping City, instead of hiding in a backpack every time they went out.
"Have you thought it through, Pichu? What I just explained isn't completely without risk. If you don't want to do it, we'll leave. I'm sure the officers will resolve this eventually."
"Pichu pichu."
"You want to do it? Alright. As your Trainer, I'll cooperate with you."
"Pichu!"
After reaching an agreement, the human and Pokémon quietly merged back into the crowd.
"Sorry—excuse me."
"Why are you pushing? Too short to see from the back!?"
"Stop shoving, are you sick or something?"
The minor disturbance in the crowd didn't catch the attention of either the robbers or the police.
Or rather—neither side had the spare attention to care. Their eyes were locked on the two hostages who had just walked out of the supermarket.
They appeared to be a father and son.
Perhaps because it was their first time experiencing something like this, both looked extremely tense as they slowly walked toward the police under everyone's gaze.
One second.
Two seconds…
The two hostages passed between the two robbers.
Rooster Head watched as Big Head—disguised as the boy's father—walked past him with his head lowered. Behind the helmet, his eyes filled with resolve.
He knew Big Head wasn't smart. With his abilities alone, there was no way he could fully escape relying on that flimsy disguise.
Once the next group of hostages was freed, Big Head would almost certainly be exposed.
There had to be an opportunity—
chaos, confusion—something that would let Big Head escape in the turmoil.
Once he made up his mind, Rooster Head hesitated no longer.
He suddenly turned his gun toward the man beside him—the helmeted "accomplice," who was actually another hostage.
Sorry.
If you have grievances, come find me in hell.
The change was too sudden.
No one had expected the robber to suddenly aim his gun at his own "partner."
An internal conflict—now of all times!?
Just as everyone thought the unarmed "robber" was about to die—
A voice rang out.
"Pichu, use Thunder Shock!"
In the very next instant—
Countless people witnessed it with their own eyes.
Brilliant lightning tore through the air, leaving behind a dazzling streak of radiance—
a sight that would be etched into their memories for the rest of their lives.
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