The marks left by the battle, like the claw marks of a wild beast, were deeply etched into every inch of the cave walls.
Wisps of blue smoke still rose from the charred rocks, and the air was filled with a pungent smell, a mixture of ozone and sulfur.
It was the afterglow left by the intersection of Hyper Beam and Fire Blast.
The escape route, pinned down by Stone Edge, looked more like a row of crooked tombstones now, silently recounting the danger from moments ago.
Ariel's chest heaved violently, his lungs like a worn-out bellows, every breath bringing a burning pain.
He didn't look at the woman; instead, he first recalled his nearly exhausted Pokémon one by one back into their balls.
The slight vibration from the Poké Balls seemed to be a response to his concern, as well as a transmission of the exhaustion after surviving a disaster.
After finishing this, he moved his somewhat weak legs and walked step by step toward the simple altar that had half-collapsed.
His goal was clear.
Beside the stone crevices of the altar lay three inconspicuous stones quietly.
They didn't have a dazzling luster, only reflecting a bit of warm color in the faint light cast from the top of the cave.
Ariel reached out, and the moment his fingertips touched the stones, a slightly cool sensation came through.
Without hesitation, he tucked all three mega stones into his bag.
This was the fundamental purpose of his trip.
Behind him, a slight rustle of fabric sounded.
Ariel didn't turn around, but his spirit was tensed to the limit, his back muscles unconsciously contracting, ready to deal with any possible changes at any time.
He held Greninja's Poké Ball in his palm; this was his final trump card and the only reliance he had to dare turn his back on that woman.
"You have a lot of interest in these stones."
A cold female voice came, devoid of any emotion, as if stating an established fact.
Only then did Ariel slowly turn around.
The woman had already taken off her hood.
A cold and exquisite face came into view, her features like they were carefully carved with the sharpest knife, without a single flaw or a trace of warmth.
Her gaze was particularly impressive—a bottomless black, calm yet seemingly able to swallow all light.
Ariel met her gaze but didn't speak.
The more said, the more likely a slip-up.
Especially when facing a stranger who had just saved you but whose strength was unfathomable.
The woman didn't seem to care about his silence either; she just raised her hand, a badge flipping between her fair fingers before stopping in her palm to show Ariel.
It was a completely black badge with Team Rockets' bright red "R" logo in the center. Unlike the badges of ordinary members, the edge of this badge was plated with a striking gold ring.
Ariel's pupils constricted to the limit in that instant.
This mark...
He had once caught a glimpse of it in Lady Ariana's confidential files.
That was a mark that exclusively belonged to the direct subordinates of Team Rockets' highest Executive, "Archer"!
This woman was one of Archer's people!
"I am called Yule."
The woman took back the badge, her voice still flat,
"I am the new successor chosen by Lord Archer."
A single sentence, like a giant boulder crashing into a calm lake.
Ariel's mind went blank for a moment.
Archer's... successor?
He himself was Ariana's successor, and this woman was Archer's successor?
Had that guy Corona been eliminated by Archer?
An "as expected" look surged in Ariel's heart, but more than that, it was a cold vigilance.
Among Team Rockets' Four Great Executives, there was never a harmonious relationship between colleagues, but rather competition and suppression.
Between Ariana and Archer, they were the two absolute cores of the factional struggle.
Theoretically, he and the woman named "Yule" before him were destined to be enemies based on their identities.
Yet she had just saved him.
"I came here to carry out Lord Archer's secret mission."
Yule seemed to see through Ariel's doubts, or rather, she didn't care what he was thinking at all, just explaining to herself,
"The mission objective is related to a legendary Pokémon and has nothing to do with you."
Her implication was clear:
My appearance here is just a coincidence. Helping you was just convenient.
Ariel didn't fully believe her, but he didn't refute her either.
He just listened quietly, his brain working rapidly to analyze the current situation.
This woman was strong, ridiculously strong.
Her Houndoom and Crobat were definitely top-tier Gym Leader Level existences, and might have even touched the threshold of an Elite Four Candidate.
Especially that Crobat; the scene of it cooperating with Weavile to insta-kill Skarmory still left him with lingering fears.
That kind of speed wasn't something that could be achieved through simple breeding or training.
This woman, one could tell at a glance, was an expert who knew how to train and breed Pokémon.
"You,"
Yule's gaze fell on Ariel's pocket, which was bulging with the three mega stones he had just put away,
"As Lady Ariana's successor, collecting these strange stones all over the world—is that her new plan?"
Her tone carried a hint of imperceptible inquiry.
Ariel's heart skipped a beat.
Here it comes, the testing.
He remained calm on the surface, even twitching the corners of his mouth to reveal a slightly mocking smile:
"What? Didn't Lord Archer tell you that curiosity is a redundant emotion in Team Rockets?"
He threw the question right back at her.
There was no ripple in Yule's eyes, as if Ariel's verbal provocation was nothing more than a breeze blowing over a mountain ridge.
"I have long since discarded such things."
She said indifferently,
"It's just that Lady Ariana's style has always been unpredictable. It seems reasonable for her successor to have such an odd hobby."
She actually gave an explanation herself and then stopped questioning.
This decisiveness even surprised Ariel.
This woman was an absolute pragmatist.
In her view, as long as Ariel's behavior didn't affect her mission, it had nothing to do with her.
As for what schemes Ariana had or what Ariel was up to, those were things to consider later, not now.
The cave fell into that eerie silence once again.
Ariel and Yule, the successor of Ariana and the successor of Archer, formed a delicate balance in this island cave that had just experienced a life-and-death battle.
They were colleagues and also future competitors.
At this moment, they were the only two people there, yet it felt more tense than facing three Gym Leader Level Guardians.
Ariel stroked the mega stones in his pocket, feeling the hard and cold texture, his thoughts turning a hundred times.
The appearance of this "Yule" had completely disrupted his plans.
It also made him realize clearly for the first time that, as fellow successors, there seemed to be an insurmountable chasm between him and her.
So...
"Cooperate?"
Ariel suddenly spoke, breaking the suffocating silence.
There was a playful smile on his face, but his gaze was as sharp as a knife, piercing straight at the woman opposite him.
"You pursue your legendary Pokémon, and I'll take my stones. This island doesn't seem that simple; having an extra person is better than having an extra enemy, isn't it?"