The night deepened, and Sootopolis City sank into tranquility, cradled by water.
Ariel recalled his Pokémon and returned to the guest room arranged by the Gym.
The room's window faced the circular waterway. Moonlight spilled onto the water's surface, and the shimmering light was fractured into countless tiny silver shards, reflecting onto the ceiling and flowing slowly.
He did not go to sleep immediately, his mind still reviewing everything that had happened today.
The promise to Krookodile, the fleeting appearance of Deino's Draco Meteor, and Juan's unfathomable strength.
Each one of these things gave him a deeper understanding of this real world.
Become stronger; he must become stronger faster.
The next morning, a rhythmic knocking sounded at the door.
Ariel opened the door, and the sight of Wallace standing outside made his eyelid twitch involuntarily.
The other person had clearly dressed up with great care.
Wearing a form-fitting white suit with an exquisite blue gemstone brooch pinned to his chest, and his turquoise hair combed meticulously, he looked as elegant as a prince about to perform on stage in the morning sun.
Looking at himself, he was wearing a black outfit designed for easy movement—simple and sharp.
Standing together, the contrast in their styles was far too jarring.
"Are you ready?"
Wallace smiled, his tone light.
"We are here to catch someone."
He couldn't help but remind him.
"Of course, of course."
Wallace replied absentmindedly.
"Isn't your outfit a bit too conspicuous?"
Ariel continued,
"We are here for a covert investigation, not to participate in a Pokémon Contest."
Wallace froze. He looked down at his flawless suit, then glanced at Ariel's black outfit that could blend into any shadow, and coughed awkwardly twice.
"One must maintain elegance at all times; it is the basic quality of a Coordinator."
He argued forcefully,
"You don't understand; this is a tactic. By using me to attract everyone's attention, you can observe better from the shadows. Doesn't that make sense?"
Ariel twitched the corner of his mouth, deciding to give up arguing with this guy who had such a bizarre train of thought.
He had originally thought that Wallace's decision to wait until the next day was a sign of composure and careful planning.
Now it seemed this guy might have just wanted a good night's sleep and enough time to get dressed the next day.
Really... hopeless.
Ariel nodded expressionlessly, closed the door, and walked out of the Water-type Gym side-by-side with him.
The market in Sootopolis City was built on a massive white rock plateau, with the intricate stone paths serving as the natural streets.
Right next to the market was Sootopolis City's signature, a massive lake as clear as a sapphire.
There were even several man-made waterways between the market and the lake.
People traveled between areas by boat or via various arched bridges.
The air was filled with the faint salty tang of seawater and the aromas of various foods, brimming with the vitality of daily life.
"I still don't understand,"
Ariel looked at the lively and peaceful scene before him and asked,
"Why does a Gym Trainer need to personally deal with petty thugs in a market like this? What about Officer Jenny?"
The relaxed expression on Wallace's face faded slightly. He gazed into the distance where the sea met the sky and said softly:
"Recently, Team Aqua's activities in Sootopolis City have become increasingly rampant. All the police forces in the Hoenn region have been mobilized to focus on handling serious incidents related to them."
"Therefore, some of the security issues within the city have to be shared by our Gym."
"Moreover, what we are facing probably isn't as simple as just petty thugs."
"First, the injury to people shows that the perpetrator is a vicious criminal."
"Then, the harm to Pokémon proves that the perpetrator is likely a Trainer; after all, it's very difficult to harm a Pokémon with human strength alone."
"Finally, and most importantly, the apprentices from the Gym have tried to catch them several times but returned empty-handed, which indicates that the perpetrator has counter-surveillance awareness, completely ruling out the possibility of them being ordinary thugs."
"Oh?"
Ariel listened to Wallace's description and became interested.
His reasoning was very logical and not much different from what he had thought.
"Since that's the case, what is our first step?"
Who would have thought that upon hearing Ariel's words, Wallace would suddenly have nothing more to say.
Clearly, he hadn't thought about what to do either...
Looking at Wallace's expression, Ariel mentally defined him: somewhat smart, but not by much.
The crowd was shoulder to shoulder.
Hawking cries.
Sounds of bargaining.
Pokémon cries.
This was an incredibly saturated urban ecosystem.
Wallace walked in front, seemingly trying to ease the awkwardness from a moment ago, and took the initiative to start gathering information.
He stopped in front of a stall selling fragments of Water Stone.
The stall owner was a young girl, currently looking down and stringing blue beads.
"Excuse me."
Wallace leaned in slightly, maintaining a perfect social distance,
"May I ask, have any suspicious individuals appeared in this area recently?"
The girl looked up.
Her gaze crossed the stall and locked onto that face, which had been voted "Hoenn's Most Desirable Date" by major magazines.
Her breathing stopped.
The beads in her hand scattered all over the floor.
The girl didn't hear a word.
She covered her mouth with both hands, her cheeks flushed bright red.
"You... you are Master Wallace?"
Her voice trembled, and her volume was out of control.
Several passersby stopped in their tracks.
Wallace nodded.
"It is I. Regarding my question just now..."
"Oh my god! It really is you!"
The girl vaulted over the stall, clutching a worn notebook in her hand,
"Can you give me an autograph? Please!"
Wallace took the pen and quickly signed his name.
"Suspicious people..."
"What skincare products do you use? Why is your skin so good?"
Only fanaticism remained in the girl's eyes.
Five minutes.
Five whole minutes of ineffective communication.
Wallace tried three different logical approaches to get to the point, but the girl's answers always revolved around his appearance, clothing, and dietary habits.
It ended with a meaningless promise:
"Master Wallace, leave your contact information. If there's any situation, I'll notify you immediately!"
Ariel stood three steps away, watching this farce with cold eyes.
A Gym Trainer personally conducting grassroots investigations was a mismatch of resources to begin with.
And for a long-famous Coordinator, it was even more so.
Wallace didn't realize that his face itself was a huge source of information interference.
In the lower social strata, an overly dazzling appearance would only trigger blind worship or instinctive wariness; it would never yield genuine clues.
Expecting to break the deadlock this way was a total waste of time.
Ariel stepped forward, grabbed Wallace by the wrist, and dragged him away from the fanatical fan.
"Brother Ariel, slow down."
Wallace straightened his pulled sleeve.
Ariel pushed him into a dead-end alley piled with discarded mechanical parts.
The smell of engine oil masked the clamor outside.
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