Ariel shook his head. His identity as a member of Team Rockets was seamless and impossible to expose. Even if it were, the person sent to test him wouldn't be this Nurse Joy.
Thinking this, although he dismissed his suspicion of Nurse Joy, his heart remained full of wariness.
"What do you mean?"
Ariel's cold voice rang out, devoid of any emotion.
"Are you saying you don't want to be friends with me?"
Nurse Joy was startled by the sudden change in his eyes and tone. The blush on her face instantly faded, leaving her somewhat pale.
She stared blankly at Ariel, completely failing to understand why the atmosphere had suddenly become so stiff.
"No... that's not it, I didn't mean that..." She waved her hands frantically, trying to explain.
But Ariel didn't give her a chance to explain. He took a half-step forward, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped Nurse Joy.
It was an aura honed through countless life-and-death battles, cold and sharp.
"In other words,"
Ariel's gaze locked onto her like a hawk, and he said word by word,
"You want to be my enemy, is that it?"
Boom!
Those words were like a clap of thunder exploding in Nurse Joy's mind.
She was completely stunned, her mind going blank, unable to process what was happening before her eyes.
En... enemy?
She just wanted... to take a step further, to become lovers with him!
How did it turn into wanting to be his enemy?
What happened in between? Which part went wrong?
The surrounding onlookers were also completely petrified.
Their mouths hung open and their eyes were wide, as if they had seen the most unbelievable sight in the world.
"I... I didn't hear wrong, did I? What did he just say?" a Trainer asked, rubbing his ears.
"He seemed to say... Nurse Joy wants to be his enemy?" another Trainer replied stutteringly.
"Holy crap! What kind of logic is that? Faced with Nurse Joy's confession, his first reaction is that she's declaring war on him? This guy must have stayed single until now purely on his own merit!"
"A god! He's absolutely a god! I'm willing to call this the ultimate form of a Steel-straight man!"
In an instant, the gazes directed at Ariel changed from jealousy, envy, and hate to awe, sympathy, and... a little bit of schadenfreude.
Nurse Joy stood there blankly, her eyes quickly filling with moisture. Tears of grievance swirled in her eyes, threatening to fall.
She couldn't figure it out, she really couldn't.
Why did her first brave confession in life turn out like this?
"I hate Mr. Ariel the most!"
After leaving those words, Nurse Joy ran away without looking back.
Ariel glanced at Nurse Joy, who was jogging away in the distance with her shoulders twitching slightly, and then at the group of passersby pointing at him. A flash of doubt crossed his mind.
Could it be... that I misunderstood?
"What a strange woman."
Ariel scratched his head.
He completely failed to understand what Nurse Joy was trying to do... Bidding farewell to that Nurse Joy who had fallen into her own confusion, Ariel didn't stay for a second longer and walked straight out of Mauville City.
The destination of this trip was Meteor Falls, located between Rustboro City and Fortree City.
The terrain there was complex and the environment was harsh, inhabited by a large number of powerful wild Pokémon, making it an excellent place for special training.
More importantly, it was said that Dragon-type Pokémon lived deep within Meteor Falls.
For any Trainer, Dragon-type Pokémon held a fatal attraction... Route 116 was a mandatory path for anyone wanting to go from Mauville City to Meteor Falls.
On both sides were forests so dense that the sky was almost invisible.
The air was humid and sultry, mixed with the fishy scent of soil and the smell of rotting leaves. Various unknown Bug Buzz and bird calls intertwined into a noisy symphony.
The sunlight was cut into countless tiny spots by the layers of tree canopies, scattered sparsely on the moss-covered ground.
"Awooo—!"
A threatening roar broke the silence of the forest.
A robust Mightyena suddenly lunged out from the bushes, blocking Ariel's path.
Its black fur stood on end, baring sharp fangs. A pair of blood-red eyes were locked onto Ariel, and a low growl issued from its throat. It clearly viewed him as an enemy invading its territory.
Ariel's footsteps didn't pause for a moment; he didn't even lift an eyelid.
"Krokorok."
He simply uttered those three syllables.
The Krokorok following by his side understood instantly. It took a step forward, its large body shielding Ariel.
Compared to its previous Sandile form, the evolved Krokorok was more than a size larger. Its limbs were thick and powerful, and its eyes held an innate ferocity and defiance.
"Roar!"
Faced with the Mightyena's provocation, Krokorok's response was more direct and more overbearing.
It suddenly opened its bloody maw and let out a deafening roar.
Sand and stones churned beneath its feet, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped that Mightyena.
The fierce light in the Mightyena's eyes clearly faltered, and its body unconsciously shrank back.
This was suppression born from pure strength.
However, wild nature is hard to tame. After a brief moment of shrinking back, an even stronger ferocity was triggered.
The Mightyena's limbs exerted force, turning it into a bolt of black lightning. It opened its teeth, which shimmered with a cold light, and lunged straight for Krokorok's throat!
"Too slow," Ariel thought to himself.
Krokorok didn't even need his command. Facing the incoming attack, a hint of disdain flashed in its eyes, which were framed by black sockets.
It didn't choose to dodge. Instead, its hind legs bent slightly before suddenly exerting force. Its entire body, like a cannonball fired from a barrel, crashed into the Mightyena!
Bang!
The dull sound of the collision echoed through the forest.
The Mightyena's Sucker Punch seemed so vulnerable in the face of Krokorok's absolute strength.
It was as if it had hit an Iron Defense. With a howl, its body flew backward even faster than it had come, crashing heavily against a thick tree trunk. It slid to the ground, twitched twice, and completely lost consciousness.
An instant kill.
Clean and efficient.
Ariel looked at Krokorok's performance and nodded with satisfaction.
After evolving, Krokorok's strength, speed, and defense had all been improved across the board.
He casually pulled a specially made pokéblock from his pocket and flicked it with his finger, tossing it accurately into Krokorok's open mouth.
Krokorok swallowed it in one gulp, making a satisfied chewing sound.
Just then, the pokédex in his pocket suddenly emitted a "beep beep" notification sound.
Ariel raised an eyebrow, thinking that Team Rockets had assigned another new mission.
He pulled out the pokédex and turned on the screen, but what he saw was an unexpected name.
Steven.
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