Over the next few days, the atmosphere inside the Team Rockets base was as oppressive as a sodden rag.
Ariel did not leave, not even a single step.
He was like a ghost that had used Ingrain on this spot, spending most of his time in the metal corridor leading to the prison cell.
The communicator in his hand buzzed every few hours, and Ariana's cold, beautiful face would appear on the screen, along with a line of text so brief it carried no emotion.
Urging him to submit the results of his mission.
Ariel brushed it off every time with lies like "the target is still being tamed."
He knew this delaying tactic wouldn't last long; Ariana's patience was limited.
The Mega Evolution Pokémon loaned by Team Rockets, along with their key stones and Mega Stones, all had to be returned intact.
The spoils captured using these Pokémon were also theoretically supposed to be handed over.
Of course, rules are rigid, but people are flexible.
It was an unspoken rule that the person in charge of an operation could skim off a few harmless Pokémon to bolster their own team.
Ariel was also quite generous, letting members of Team Evil each pick one that caught their eye; as long as they weren't too rare, Ariana wouldn't ask questions.
But a Pseudo-Legendary was a different story.
An adult Tyranitar was not a spoil of war that could be covered by unspoken rules.
This was a strategic resource sufficient to make even an Executive green with envy.
Ariel knew clearly that he couldn't keep the big one.
But he was determined to have the one that hadn't been born yet.
Ariana only knew he had caught a Tyranitar, but she didn't know that hidden inside this Tyranitar's belly was an even bigger surprise.
"The energy readings are very stable, perhaps even too stable."
Yuki stood behind him, her lenses reflecting the eerie green light from the control panel.
"Its body has been ready for a long time; it could give birth to its offspring at any moment. But its spirit is forcibly suppressing this instinct."
She paused, then added:
"It doesn't want its child to be born here."
Ariel grunted, his gaze never leaving the direction of the prison cell.
He understood.
If it were him, locked in such a tin can, he would never want his child's first sight to be cold alloy walls and a group of ill-intentioned humans.
If they were in Jade Valley, that Larvitar egg would have already hatched.
Here, that unborn little life was being protected by its mother in the most resolute way possible, preferring to stay trapped in her belly rather than be born into a cage.
Tricky.
This Larvitar was of great significance to him.
Rock and Ground-type, and the evolved Tyranitar is Rock and Dark; it was a Pseudo-Legendary that perfectly fit his team.
With it, if he wanted to build a Sandstorm team in the future...
With a Tyranitar, plus his Krookodile, everything would be like a fish in water.
Imagine his Krookodile and a Mega Tyranitar kicking up a sky-covering Sandstorm at the same time—the mere thought of that scene made his blood boil.
He had already left the spot for his seventh Pokémon open for it.
But if this Tyranitar would rather die than submit and chose to just keep dragging it out, or if both mother and child died, then all his plans would vanish into thin air.
The duck in his hand would just fly away.
"Buzz—"
His wrist communicator vibrated for the third time, and the familiar avatar appeared on the screen again, along with a brief, cold line of text:
"Final deadline: tomorrow at noon."
No unnecessary chatter, just an ultimatum.
Ariel turned off the communicator, expressionless.
Time was up.
He took a deep breath, the cold scent of metal and disinfectant filling his lungs, calming his chaotic thoughts.
He had to do something.
Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, unhurried and steady.
Ariel's shadow was elongated by the overhead lights, finally stopping at the end of the corridor.
This was a massive, independent prison cell.
There were no iron bars, no solid walls; the entire space was constructed from an invisible magnetic field.
This was cutting-edge technology specifically used by Team Rockets to imprison powerful Ground and Rock-type Pokémon. Magnetic levitation could not only restrict their movements but also leave their pride-and-joy strength with nowhere to vent.
An exceptionally robust Tyranitar was suspended in the center of the cell, its limbs off the ground, like a meteorite trapped in amber.
It was frantically using its body to Tackle that invisible energy barrier.
"Bang!"
The dull sound of the Tackle was like a battering ram striking a city gate.
"Bang!"
Every Tackle was without reservation, as if it wanted to grind its own bones and this cage into dust together.
Visible ripples spread through the air, and the metal walls of the entire base were vibrating slightly.
Its eyes were a pure, crimson red, and what surged within them was not anger, but something deeper—a despair that would destroy everything.
Ariel just watched silently, saying nothing.
He knew that this Tyranitar was seeking death.
Only after the Tyranitar had Tackled again and was panting with exhaustion did he speak slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly penetrating the hum of the magnetic field.
"You hate me, don't you."
It wasn't a question; it was a statement.
The Tyranitar's movements stalled, its scarlet pupils suddenly Locked-On to him, and it let out a low growl from its throat—the most primitive warning of a beast.
"Roar—"
Its rage turned into a tangible sound wave, striking the energy barrier and causing the magnetic field of the entire cell to flicker unstably.
Ariel ignored this and continued:
"I caught you, brought you from your home to this hellhole, and locked you here. You must want to tear me to pieces."
"Roar!"
The Tyranitar became even more violent, starting to Tackle even more fiercely, using all its strength each time, as if Ariel's words were a whip lashing against it.
"I understand how you feel."
Ariel's voice remained steady.
"Because I am the one who caught you. I know better than anyone that you cannot escape. With your strength, you will never be able to break this cage."
Every word was like a precise scalpel, slicing open the Tyranitar's bloody wounds and then sprinkling a handful of salt on them.
"So I understand your anger, your despair."
The Tyranitar's Tackling stopped.
It stared fixedly at Ariel, its crimson eyes full of violence and… a hint of confusion.
It didn't understand why this human who had imprisoned it here would say these things.
This was Taunt.
It must be.
It was the victor showing off and toying with the loser.
"Roar!"
A new round of frantic Tackling began, more violent than any time before.
Ariel watched it, watched that determination to be shattered jade rather than intact tile, his expression unchanging.
This was the effect he wanted: first push its emotions to the extreme, letting its reason be completely drowned by anger.
Then, give it the only hope it could not refuse.
He waited until the Tyranitar's movements became sluggish again due to exhaustion before unhurriedly throwing out the next sentence.
"But, your child can escape."
"Bang!"
This was the Tyranitar's last Tackle.
Afterward, the entire prison cell fell into a deathly silence.
The massive body that had been frantically Tackling the energy barrier froze.
Those crimson pupils, burning with destruction and rage, showed violent fluctuations for the first time.
Looking at the vigilance and hatred in the Tyranitar's eyes, Ariel had no extra expression on his face. He just nodded calmly, as if confirming some guess.
He took two steps forward, his leather boots stepping on the slippery ground, making a slight "tap, tap" sound, which was exceptionally clear in this deathly silent environment.
"That's right, you cannot escape."
Ariel's voice was not loud, but it easily pierced through the cage and entered the Tyranitar's ears.
"The people above only know that I caught a Tyranitar. But they don't know that inside this Tyranitar's belly, there is still an unborn child."
As his voice fell, the Tyranitar's massive body trembled imperceptibly. The fire in its eyes flickered, and a hint of complex emotion mixed into its hatred.
But it didn't believe him.
The human before it was the culprit who had abducted it from its home and locked it in this sunless cage. Every word he said could be a new trap.
Ariel detected its thoughts.
The art of psychological warfare is all about progressive layers, striking a fatal blow.
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