Yule's answer was only one word.
"Fine."
Her voice was crisp, like two pieces of jade gently colliding, without a hint of emotion.
Without any extra nonsense, the agreement was reached.
Next was the phase of clearing the battlefield, or rather, the phase of dividing the spoils.
For an organization like Team Rockets that walked in the gray zone, every bit of resource had to be squeezed for its final value.
The corpses of three Gym Leader Level Pokémon were themselves a significant fortune.
Yule's movements were professional, even so skilled that it made one's heart turn cold.
She took out an exquisite alloy dagger from the tool bag at her waist; the blade popped out silently.
She walked toward the already cold Skarmory and precisely sliced along the base of its metallic wings.
There was not a moment of hesitation.
"Skarmory's flight feathers are excellent material for making lightweight armor; I'll take them."
She stated this as if she were picking out goods at a vegetable market, rather than carving up a fierce Pokémon that had just tried to kill them.
Ariel shrugged and didn't express any opposition.
He didn't have much interest in Skarmory.
His gaze fell upon that massive Tangrowth.
This thing's vitality was extremely tenacious; even though it had stopped breathing, those thick vines still carried a trace of eerie activity when touched.
"This one's mine."
Ariel said.
Tangrowth's vines, after special processing, could be made into special whips that were both tough and elastic; more importantly, its body contained vigorous vitality, which was a great supplement for his Pokémon.
Yule glanced over and nodded, giving her consent.
Finally, only the most troublesome Aggron remained.
This big fellow's corpse was like a small mountain of steel; the metal purity of its shell was extremely high, making it worth a fortune whether sold on the black market or melted down as raw material for internal equipment.
"How do we split this?"
Ariel asked.
Yule walked to Aggron's head and tapped the hard head armor with the hilt of her dagger, producing a crisp "clang clang" sound.
"The shell is mine, the stuff inside is yours."
Her method of distribution was simple and crude, yet unexpectedly fair.
The most valuable part of an Aggron was this suit of metal armor, while the flesh, bones, and energy core inside, though also valuable, were much more troublesome to process.
Ariel smiled.
This woman was quite interesting.
She had the overbearing nature of Archer's subordinates, yet also a kind of aloofness that disdained taking petty advantages.
"Deal."
The two spoke no more and began to process their respective harvests.
For a time, the cave was filled only with the harsh friction of the alloy knife cutting metal and the dull sounds of Ariel directing Gyarados to tear the vines with brute force.
When both had finished processing everything, Ariel directly ordered Gyarados to use Rain Dance.
"Gyarados, Rain Dance!"
As Gyarados used Rain Dance, the scent of battle in the air was washed away completely.
The original blood also followed the water flow, trickling into the crevices of the deep rocks.
Inside the cave, most of the original bloody aura dissipated, and even the air became much fresher.
Just as they had put all the valuable materials into their respective space rings and were preparing to clean up the remains completely—
A series of very light, yet highly rhythmic footsteps echoed faintly from the entrance of the cave.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound echoed in the empty cave, terrifyingly clear.
It wasn't like the messy gait of wild Pokémon, nor like the stumbling of ordinary explorers.
The footsteps were calm and unhurried, with the interval and force of each step being nearly identical, as if the person coming wasn't exploring a dangerous cavern on a remote island, but was strolling in their own backyard.
Yule's movements in processing the remains instantly froze; she didn't even turn around, but with her back to Ariel, she uttered two words in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Someone's here."
Without needing her reminder, Ariel's muscles had already tensed up in an instant.
He abruptly looked up toward the cave entrance, which was illuminated white by the moonlight.
A tall and slender figure, backlit, slowly stepped inside.
The first thing that caught his eye was a waterfall of long golden hair cascading down; even in the dim cave, those strands still looked like flowing gold, so dazzling they could not be ignored.
The newcomer wore a well-fitted black trench coat, her steps elegant and her temperament extraordinary.
When she completely entered the cave, aided by the faint light emitted by the moss on the walls, Ariel finally saw her face clearly.
In that instant, Ariel felt as if his heart were gripped by an invisible giant hand, and even his breathing stopped for half a second.
Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia.
No, the name more widely known now is... Cynthia!
And at her side, a Garchomp of a size far exceeding the ordinary followed silently, its golden pupils coldly scanning Ariel and Yule with the specific scrutiny of a predator at the top of the food chain.
Gym Leader Level!
And it was definitely an existence that could be called top-tier even among Gym Leader Levels!
Ariel's brain went "buzz," turning blank.
How could it be her?
Why would this woman, who stood at the top of the League's pyramid, appear on this obscure Southern Isolated Island?
His gaze uncontrollably drifted toward the Obsidian Altar behind him.
The answer surfaced in his heart almost instantly.
For this!
Cynthia was not just a future Champion, but also an archaeologist with deep research into myths and ancient ruins.
The special fluctuations emitted by this altar might have been captured by some special equipment of the League long ago.
Damn it!
Ariel cursed inwardly.
He quickly scanned his surroundings.
Traces of battle... Gyarados's Rain Dance had washed away most of it, and the smell of blood had been diluted by the humid air, but the scorch marks and upturned soil from energy blasts on the ground were impossible to hide from an expert's eyes.
The corpses of the three Pokémon were processed cleanly, but the fact that he and Yule, two living people, were standing here was the biggest suspicion in itself!
Two young Trainers?
In the middle of the night, coming to this remote island cave in the middle of nowhere?
And just happening to stand in front of an ancient altar that clearly wasn't ordinary?
Such nonsense might fool Officer Jenny in town, but trying to fool the Champion before him?
It was simply a fantasy!
A cold sweat broke out on Ariel's brow, and his brain worked at an unprecedented speed, trying to concoct a seamless reason within a ten-thousandth of a second.
Archaeology students on a collaborative expedition?
Tourists who luckily drifted here after a shipwreck?
No, none of it would work!
Any lie in the face of absolute strength and keen insight would only lead to a faster death!
He could feel that Yule beside him had also entered a sort of combat-ready state.
Her body seemed relaxed, but Ariel could perceive that her fingers hanging at her side were vibrating slightly at a specific frequency—she was preparing to throw a Poké Ball.
Madwoman!
Ariel cursed again in his mind.
Attacking the future Sinnoh Champion?
With the background of the family behind Cynthia, how could she not have a trump card?
Even Steven, the young master of Devon Corporation, had a Lucario with Elite Four Candidate strength protecting him.
Then what about Cynthia? An Elite Four Level Dragonite?
Ariel didn't think it was impossible.
Moreover, just the Gym Leader Level Garchomp beside Cynthia alone was not an easy fellow to deal with.
If they really made a move rashly...
That wouldn't be seeking death; that would be complaining that they weren't dying fast enough!
He had to stabilize her!
While thinking of a countermeasure, Ariel quietly moved half a step toward Yule, using his body to block the angle from which she might suddenly attack.
The cave fell back into that eerie dead silence.
Water droplets fell from the rock ceiling, hitting the puddles with a "drip-drop" sound, as if knocking on everyone's hearts.
Cynthia's gaze was calm; she first glanced at that ancient Obsidian Altar, a sparkle of a researcher seeing a treasure flashing in her eyes, and then her gaze unhurriedly fell upon Ariel and Yule.
There was no sense of pressure in her eyes, yet it was more heart-palpitating than any scrutinizing gaze.
It was a kind of pure curiosity, and... insight.
As if in her eyes, all your disguises were transparent.
"Good evening, you two."
Cynthia finally spoke, her voice cool and pleasant, with a hint of a scholar's characteristic gentleness,
"So late at night, in a place like this, are you... studying ancient ruins?"
A faint smile played on her face, and the content of her words sounded like small talk, but every word was like a heavy hammer smashing into Ariel's chest.