Chapter 113: Awakening

Just as Nana rejected Shigen and the latter stood there looking conflicted, Heiji jumped out!

"That won't do! You'll end up hurting this innocent young lady... Besides, even for the sake of revenge, you shouldn't use a method that callously takes the lives of others!" Heiji declared righteously.

"What? When did you..." The balding Arihiro was shocked to see Heiji, and then he realized the implication... taking the lives of others?

Arihiro turned his head toward Shigen in anger, and sure enough, Shigen wore the expression of someone whose plans had gone awry.

"Revenge? Who are you trying to get revenge for?" Arihiro caught on; Shigen had no intention of activating the mechanism, or rather, he intended to activate a lethal trap!

The reason he invited that woman to activate the mechanism with him must have been to avoid involving her. That meant... the person he wanted to kill was him?

"Mr. Masakiyo, who was murdered thirteen years ago—he was your grandfather, wasn't he?" Heiji asked directly.

"Masakiyo? So, you are..." The balding Arihiro glared at Shigen with a grim expression.

"That's right. My grandfather, a lover of ninja culture, was murdered back then by those blinded by greed!" Shigen said, his voice filled with grief and indignation.

It all started thirteen years ago.

At that time, Shigen’s grandfather, Masakiyo, along with the balding Arihiro, the late Hyuga, the injured and unconscious Uzumaki, and one other person who did not show up, had been studying Konoha's historical records together and discovered clues to the Uchiha treasure.

However, because Masakiyo, the organizer of the research, suddenly decided to hand over the clues to the treasure to the Quartz League, the other four killed him out of dissatisfaction.

Shigen was now seeking revenge. Using the internet, he organized a "Konoha Culture Tour" on the surface, while secretly hinting that he possessed clues to the Uchiha treasure.

He used a photo of "a corner of his grandfather's research notes taken before his death" as his group avatar. Those drawn in by this, except for the completely oblivious Sarutobi, were all the "culprits" from that year.

Shigen had already killed one of them, then took on his identity to join the tour group, waiting for an opportunity to eliminate the other three.

Hyuga, who had previously died at the Hokage Rock, had been misled by Shigen into triggering a trap on the monument.

Following that, as Am had noted, he had faked the suicide of the middle-aged Ms. Uzumaki. However, because Kasumi had witnessed the event, Ms. Uzumaki did not die but fell into an "unexplained coma."

Now, he had intended to feign an accidental activation of the mechanism here to kill Arihiro, the most troublesome of the lot.

Because of Nana's age, she clearly didn't look like an accomplice to Arihiro and the others, which was why he had tried to invite her to stand with him in the "safe zone" for activation.

"Mr. Arihiro, Mr. Shigen, please both of you surrender!"

As Heiji spoke, he released his Pokémon—a Bisharp, an Armaldo, and a Sirfetch'd!

At first glance, their types were different, but observing their characteristics revealed that Heiji belonged to a specific breed of trainer. While most trainers focus on one or several types, some specialize in a "category" of Pokémon—like "canine trainers" or "sharp-toothed trainers."

And Heiji... he was a "blade-type" trainer; all the Pokémon he trained possessed "cutting weapons."

"Heh, kid, do you really know who you're dealing with?" Arihiro sneered.

Indeed, among those who killed Masakiyo, Arihiro was "special." He hadn't just committed that one murder; he was the leader of a Pokémon poacher syndicate that had been on the run for years!

Although slightly nervous, Heiji said, "You can only use two Pokémon right now, can't you?"

Arihiro was getting on in years and wasn't a professional trainer. While his strength was at a professional level, the mental strain of forcing Pokémon to commit evil acts was immense, and he could only control three Poké Balls.

Furthermore, his Excadrill, which had deceived Officer Jenny, was still being held in custody. To avoid exposure, Arihiro hadn't dared to swap that slot back.

"Oh? Trying to overwhelm me with numbers?" Arihiro scoffed. At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from all around.

A mob of thugs, far more numerous than imagined, surrounded them, each accompanied by a few Pokémon.

Heiji suddenly felt he might have been careless.

Just then, Nana spoke up: "Whatever your business is, can you get lost and solve it elsewhere?"

"You..." Arihiro was about to threaten Nana, intending to tell her she was the one who should leave, but...

Before Nana even moved, a Pokémon appeared beside her. For a Psychic-type trainer, this was a basic skill, yet highly practical in combat—using telekinesis to open a Poké Ball!

The Pokémon that appeared beside Nana looked at first glance like a woman wearing a pale blue wizard's hat and a pink gown. However, a closer look revealed that it had no arms, and from its hat extended a long tentacle, the tip of which featured a hand-like claw!

Hatterene.

A Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon with a base stat total of 510, and a "vicious" temperament that stood in stark contrast to its noble appearance.

Before the League era, when human understanding of Pokémon was limited, Hatterene was once considered a forest witch that would tear anyone who dared trespass into her territory to shreds!

Although it had since been proven that Hatterene were not that violent, they remained a symbol of the contradiction between appearance and nature, much like how people still fear Ghost-type Pokémon. Even among the "difficult" Psychic types, Hatterene belonged to the "most difficult" category.

"Keep them quiet," Nana ordered simply.

"Hatt-hatt!" Hatterene bowed slightly, as if accepting the command with elegance.

Hatterene released powerful psychic waves in all directions. Anyone or any Pokémon caught in the radius felt a splitting headache—Hatterene's psychic waves caused immense pain to other living beings, which was likely one of the reasons for the many terrifying legends surrounding it.

Nana looked around, then whispered to herself: "It seems I'm about to be found out; I need to hurry."

As she spoke, Nana reached out to touch the stone slab in front of her.

"Wait... that..." Shigen, clutching his head in pain, seemed to want to offer a warning.

"It cannot be opened with a Pokémon's psychic power, or it will trigger a backlash," Nana said, stating the taboo of the mechanism before he could warn her.

Then, Nana's long hair began to flutter without wind, and her eyes turned blood-red. The stone slab in front of her began to tremble.

As Nana pushed her psychic power to its limit, three tomoe-shaped patterns gradually "pushed their way out" of her crimson irises.

Influenced by Nana's psychic energy, the stone slab that had been filled with the "tomoe" marks split into three sections, moving in different directions to reveal a passage!

Before anyone could descend, the passage suddenly erupted with light, and a surge of flames rushed out from within!

Seeing the torrent of fire, one might have thought Nana had accidentally triggered a lethal trap, but the way she leaned into the flames proved that everything was still within her expectations—at least for now.