As a trainer, Ryan possessed excellent physical fitness. Facing the manager's obstruction, he simply pushed the manager aside with a flick of his arm.
Then he walked straight up to Nebby.
He looked at Nebby with burning eyes—if there weren't so many people around, he would have wanted to forcibly take it away right then and there.
Fortunately, although his greed was strong, he still had a bit of rationality left.
Nebby also looked curiously at this human. Thanks to Julian, it held a favorable impression of humans.
Nebby's reaction made Ryan even more confident, convincing him that the other party had clearly taken notice of him.
"Hello, I'm Ryan."
Ryan said with a smile.
Nebby nodded and let out a few soft cries. Since Julian had taught it to be a polite child, it returned the greeting.
Nebby's response further boosted Ryan's confidence, making him believe it was definitely drawn to him.
He stretched out his hand, placing it in front of Nebby, trying hard to contain his excitement as he slowly said, "Nebby, you—"
And the next moment, he let out a sharp cry of pain.
Celebi, holding a chicken bone, had stabbed it straight into Ryan's palm.
Blood immediately gushed out from Ryan's hand, and the intense pain made him cry out in agony.
Among the surrounding customers, a few had vaguely guessed Ryan's intention when they saw his actions, but they found it hard to believe, as such behavior seemed utterly irrational.
Trying to steal from Champion Walker—it was practically seeking death.
But now, seeing Celebi's reaction, their pupils widened slightly, and they looked at Ryan as though they were looking at a dead man.
Could this guy really have been trying to poach from Champion Walker?
Celebi had always given them the impression of being cute, clever, greedy, and generally good-natured unless provoked too far.
But now, they actually saw Celebi stab through someone's palm with a bone.
This violent and bloody scene stunned quite a few people.
Some of the blood even splattered onto Celebi's face, adding a hint of ferocity to its originally cute, chubby cheeks.
Under the intense pain, Ryan instantly snapped back to clarity, and his rationality finally returned, overtaking the greed that had clouded his mind.
"Ahh—Ryan!"
A startled cry broke the silence in the store.
A girl in white hurried over to Ryan. Seeing his palm pierced by a chicken bone and even pinned to the table, her heart twisted in pain.
"Celebi, what are you doing?!"
Bella glared angrily at Celebi, who was still holding the exposed half of the chicken bone in its hand.
"Alice is my aunt. Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson on behalf of Julian!"
Looking at Ryan's pale face, Bella's anger flared up. She raised her palm and was about to strike Celebi.
Smack!
Before her raised hand could land, her own face was fiercely slapped by Jirachi, sending her flying backward.
Bella crashed heavily to the ground, the intense pain nearly making her black out.
"Should we just kill them both?"
Celebi turned to Jirachi and asked.
Julian was usually very easygoing. Even if someone offended him, as long as the matter wasn't serious or didn't touch his bottom line, he would likely forgive them.
But if you truly crossed Julian, then sorry—not only would you be dead, but your whole family might pay the price too.
He could be merciful when mercy was due, and ruthless when ruthlessness was called for.
Having been with Julian for so long, Celebi had naturally been influenced by him. So, it was only natural to think of directly finishing off the other party.
Originally, Celebi hadn't even considered this, but now that this woman dared to strike it, the situation had changed.
"But this woman said she has ties to Julian," Jirachi pointed at Bella, who was struggling to stand up from the ground.
Her once delicate face was now swollen, and several of her teeth had been knocked out by Jirachi. Burning with rage, she looked like a vengeful ghost.
Alice was the second daughter of the Hill family. After marrying Henry, the Hill family's status had skyrocketed.
Although the Hill family patriarch often warned the younger generation to stay humble and not take advantage of the Walker family's influence to bully others.
But as Julian's power grew, a few Hill family members couldn't help but reveal their true colors, unable to resist stirring up trouble.
Bella was the daughter of Alice's elder sister, making Alice her second aunt.
Her temperament had always been unruly, and she was prone to causing trouble. If not for the strict control of the Hill family patriarch, she might have already landed herself in serious trouble.
Later, she met Ryan, and her behavior improved somewhat.
Seeing that Ryan was also a talented young man and had a firm hold on his daughter, the Hill family patriarch agreed to let them be together.
Now, with Ryan's hand crippled by Celebi and she herself being slapped by Jirachi, the rage in her heart was instantly ignited.
She actually released a Pokémon right there in the store.
A Vileplume at the early-stage Elite-level.
Given Bella's age, unless she was a genius, this early-stage Elite was likely a guardian Pokémon given to her by her family.
"Vileplume, kill them!"
Bella snarled, pointing at Jirachi, Celebi, and the utterly confused Nebby.
The surrounding customers immediately turned pale. If a fight broke out, Celebi and the others would certainly survive, but they themselves would probably die in the crossfire.
Ryan shouted, "Bella, don't be rash!"
Inside, he was cursing wildly. Celebi and Jirachi were both at the Pseudo-Champion level! On the trainer's official website, Julian's profile was very detailed.
The strength levels of Jirachi and Celebi were clearly listed.
'This brainless woman!'
Ryan's face was deathly pale—not from blood loss, but from sheer terror.
If they made a move, they were absolutely dead.
And this was a public place—even the government would not let them off.
But it was clear that Bella had lost all reason and wasn't listening at all.
Seeing Vileplume about to strike, Ryan shut his eyes in despair, filled with regret over his own greed.
"Meta~"
A calm voice interrupted Vileplume's attack.
A silver Metagross appeared in the store.
With its arrival, the atmosphere in the store immediately went still.
Even the frenzied Bella, upon seeing Metagross, instinctively shut her mouth, which had been hanging open.
At the same time, her eyes widened in realization. She remembered what she had done in her moment of madness—even if it hadn't succeeded, she had indeed attempted it.
Thinking of the status Celebi and Jirachi held in Julian's heart, Bella's body trembled uncontrollably.
Though she had a wild temper, it didn't mean she was brainless.
On the contrary, she understood perfectly well who had given the Hill family everything they now possessed.
She was even more aware of the punishment her family would impose on her in order to preserve this heaven-sent fortune.
At best, she would be exiled from the family. At worst, she might even be executed outright.
*****
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