"Krokorok, dig."
Ariel's second command followed immediately.
A Team E member in front of him was about to command his Arbok to step forward, only to see Ariel's Krokorok already burrowing into the ground.
The corridor floor was made of composite material, but under Krokorok's claws, it was as fragile as a cracker.
With a "crack," Krokorok disappeared beneath the floor, leaving only a small pit behind.
The next moment, the floor beneath a Magma Team member's feet suddenly exploded. Dirt flew as Krokorok opened its large mouth and bit his leg!
"Ah—!"
A scream pierced through the corridor.
The member was instantly dragged down. His Mightyena turned back to help, but from beneath another floor tile, Krokorok's tail whipped out like a steel lash, slamming hard into the Mightyena's jaw!
The Dig skill was used by Ariel as a terrifying underground assassination.
On the surface, Weavile's Ice Shard continued to harass and control.
Underground, Krokorok launched lethal strikes unpredictably.
Even though the Magma Team clearly had more than double their numbers, their numerical advantage vanished in this fragmented battlefield and narrow corridor.
They were nearly broken, tormented by Koffing, the darkness, attacks that could emerge from beneath their feet at any time, and the Ice Shards flying through the air.
Team Rockets' squad tactics were like a red-hot scalpel, precisely cutting through the Magma Team's chaotic formation and steadily whittling away their forces.
A young member of Team E watched everything unfolding before him, his Adam's apple bobbing.
He had seen bloody scenes, but he had never seen such... efficient killing.
This didn't look like a clash between two organizations; it was more like a meticulously choreographed play, and their commander, "Ruth," was the director holding the script.
Just then, at the end of the corridor, a Magma Team signalman hid around a corner, desperately pressing an emergency communication device.
The device made no sound, but a faint signal light was flashing.
"Boss! That guy is calling for backup!"
The young member growled in a low voice, raising his hand to release his pokémon. "My Golbat can use Supersonic..."
"Don't move."
Ariel's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting him.
The young member froze, looking at Ariel in confusion. Letting the enemy call for help? That didn't make sense!
Ariel's gaze didn't even leave the battlefield ahead; he merely caught the signalman in his peripheral vision, his voice terrifyingly calm.
"Let him send it."
"What?"
The young member thought he had misheard.
"A silent alarm will only tell the people upstairs that we are here."
No emotion could be heard in Ariel's voice.
"But an interrupted alarm, or a Golbat's Supersonic, would tell them exactly where we are on the first floor."
He turned his head, looking at the member whose expression was stiff with shock.
"Our mission is to retrieve the database on the top floor of the research institute. For now, let Team C and Team D cause as much chaos as they want on the first floor. Let the main force upstairs think we're pinned down here."
The corner of Ariel's mouth curled into an almost invisible arc, looking exceptionally grim under the red lights.
"Let them focus all their attention on the wrong place. That way, we can quietly... go to the rooftop for a cup of tea."
The young member opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
He looked at Ariel's face, flickering in the light and shadow, and a chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
It turned out that from the very beginning, the feints by Team C and Team D, along with the entire chaos on the first floor, were merely idle moves on a much larger chessboard.
Even the enemy's call for backup had been factored into his calculations, becoming bait to lead them into a wrong judgment.
At this moment, he truly understood the meaning of the codename 'Ruth'.
It was a bone-chilling coldness that treated everything as pawns and manipulated people's hearts at will.
He lowered his head and said respectfully:
"Yes, Commander."
There was no longer the slightest doubt.
Ariel ignored him, turning his gaze back to the front. The resistance in the corridor was growing weaker. Weavile's Ice Shard had stopped, and it was now using its sharp claws to elegantly finish off the last few struggling opponents.
In the air, the smells of blood, sulfur, and gas mixed together, creating a nauseating odor.
Ariel stepped forward, treading over a still-warm corpse, his leather shoes making a "crunching" sound.
"Clean up. Team E, head to the second floor."
Behind him, the young member watched his back, his eyes filled with nothing but fanatical admiration.
As Ariel advanced.
Creak—
Ariel kicked open the heavy alloy door, denting and deforming it as it slammed against the wall with a dull thud.
The moment the door opened, a scorching Heat Wave rushed toward him.
It wasn't ordinary heating, but a terrifying high temperature mixed with the smell of molten metal.
The rainwater on Ariel didn't even have time to drip off before it evaporated completely with a "hissing" sound, dissipating into the air as wisps of white smoke.
The top floor of the research institute was the weather control center and also the database for the entire base.
Countless server racks were arranged neatly, their indicator lights flickering faintly, forming a cold steel jungle.
But now, the core of this jungle was occupied by a massive heat source.
A burly middle-aged man sat boldly on the surface of a central control console, his feet resting casually, the advanced floor beneath him sinking slightly under his weight.
He didn't look at the kicked-open door, merely looking down to toy with the two Poké Balls in his hands, his thumb stroking the cool metal switches on the spheres.
The surrounding air shimmered slightly due to the high temperature, making his burly figure appear somewhat blurred, as if one were staring at a burning flame.
It wasn't until Ariel stepped into the room that he slowly raised his head.
It was a weather-beaten face; beneath two thick eyebrows, a pair of eyes burned with lava-like violence.
"Do the rats of Team Rockets only know how to sneak in when things are vulnerable?"
When Ariel's gaze met Tabitha's, a long-buried memory was instantly awakened.
Mt. Chimney, boiling lava, desperate hostages... it was him!