The forest was tranquil, with only the rustling sound of wind passing through the treetops, like the breathing of the earth.
Dense branches and leaves cut the sunlight into countless tiny specks of light, scattered loosely across the humus soil.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of damp soil mixed with vegetation, occasionally broken by the chirping of unknown birds that pierced the serenity.
Ariel stood in a relatively open grassy area in the forest, eyes closed, his Psychic energy acting like an invisible net, enveloping the massive Gyarados in front of him.
"Roar!"
A roar that shook the mountains and forests, not born of anger, but a venting of power.
The body of Gyarados changed rapidly within the brilliant light; its originally slender body became thick and stocky, its back arched, muscles knotted, and dorsal fins stood up menacingly.
Its massive body almost filled the clearing, and the fierce aura stirred up the fallen leaves on the ground, forming a small whirlwind.
Mega Gyarados!
Fine beads of sweat seeped from Ariel's forehead; maintaining this connection consumed a huge amount of his Psychic energy.
He could clearly perceive the violent, near-boiling energy within Gyarados, and could also feel the Psychic energy in his mind being drawn away bit by bit, like a dam opening its gates, rushing out.
This was the benefit brought by Psychic training.
A week ago, he wouldn't even have been able to clearly sense the flow of this energy, and could only rely on brute force to forcibly maintain it.
But now, he could guide it, organize it, and even conserve it.
Time passed second by second.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen minutes.
Twenty minutes.
The light dissipated, and Mega Gyarados quickly returned to its original form. It shook its head with some fatigue, let out a low hiss, and affectionately rubbed its head against Ariel's shoulder.
Ariel let out a long sigh of relief, his body swayed slightly, but a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
Twenty minutes.
This was the limit in a stationary state.
If it were high-intensity combat, energy consumption would increase exponentially, and the time would likely be shortened to ten minutes or even less.
But even so, it was enough.
Ten minutes was enough to change the outcome of an evenly matched battle.
At the very least, he wouldn't be like before, fainting directly due to excessive Psychic energy depletion.
Psychic and Mega Evolution, the two could indeed complement each other.
He was just about to return Gyarados to its Poké Ball to let it rest when his space ring emitted a slight vibration.
Ariel reached out and wiped it, and a palm-sized black metal cube appeared in his palm.
He tapped his fingertip lightly, and a beam of light projected from the cube, constructing a clear holographic image in mid-air.
The woman in the image was dressed in a Team Rocket Executive uniform, her long purple hair meticulously coiled behind her head, and her eyes beneath gold-rimmed glasses revealed a sense of shrewdness and indifference.
Ariana.
"Ariel,"
Her voice had no temperature at all, sounding like it was machine-synthesized,
"I have verified your intelligence; it is very valuable."
"It is my honor to serve the organization."
Ariel lowered his eyes, keeping his posture very low.
In a place like Team Rockets, when facing superiors, humility was always the best protective color.
"Hmm."
Ariana seemed very satisfied with his attitude, her gaze behind the lenses sweeping over him, but the topic suddenly shifted,
"The intelligence regarding Mega Evolution is of great importance. To prevent omissions and deviations during the transmission of intelligence, I have already integrated your findings and reported them directly to Boss Giovanni in my name."
The wind in the forest seemed to stagnate at this moment.
Ariel's fingertips lightly brushed over the cold metal casing of the communicator, and an imperceptible chill spread from his fingertips to the bottom of his heart.
His face remained as calm as ever, not even blinking an eyelid, as if what Ariana was discussing was just a trivial matter of no importance.
Integrated?
That sounds really nice.
Isn't this blatant embezzlement of credit?
Almost all the intelligence regarding Mega Evolution, the ite, the Key Stone, the evolution method—weren't they all provided by Ariel?
The merits and prestige within the organization, the high evaluation from Boss Giovanni—these invisible yet crucial assets had now become Ariana's possession.
Ariel could even imagine how Ariana would use this intelligence at the Executive meeting to secure more resources and a greater say for herself.
And he, Ariel, the true provider of this intelligence, wouldn't even be mentioned by name.
Anger was like a seed buried deep underground, ready to break through the soil in an instant.
But he forcibly suppressed it, not even revealing the slightest tremor of its roots.
Getting angry here?
That is a stupid thing that only children would do.
Now that the matter was settled, any dissatisfaction or questioning would only bring him labels like "ignorant" or "lacking the bigger picture," and might even be regarded by Ariana as a Taunt, thereby inviting even harsher suppression.
He raised his head, his face even squeezing out a hint of appropriate respect and sincerity:
"Lord Ariana is far-sighted. Only by having you report it personally can the value of this intelligence be maximized. My mission is to discover value for the organization; as for who gets the credit, it is not important."
These words were airtight, both demonstrating his loyalty and flattering the other party.
Sure enough, the tight line at the corner of Ariana's mouth in the holographic image seemed to soften just a little.
"You are very smart, Ariel. I like dealing with smart people."
She was noncommittal, as if Ariel's reaction had long been in her expectations,
"The organization will not mistreat any meritorious official. Although the reporting process has been simplified, I will make up for the rewards you deserve privately."
Privately make up for it.
Ariel sneered in his heart.
The merits at the organizational level had turned into her personal bestowal.
One in, one out, the nature of it had completely changed.
The former was deserved honor, the latter was the charity of a superior.
"Of course, rewards alone are not enough."
Ariana paused, throwing out the real bait,
"Boss Giovanni attaches great importance to Mega Evolution. The organization has decided to show the world the muscle of our Team Rockets. This first public appearance is crucial."
Her gaze pierced through the image, as if she could look directly into Ariel's heart.
"This time, the debut of the Mega Evolution Pokémon in the Hoenn region will be commanded by you."
Ariel's heart shrank suddenly.
This was not a reward; this was a hot potato.
The debut must only succeed; failure is not allowed.
If they won, the greatest credit would go to Boss Giovanni's capable leadership and Ariana's keen eye for talent;
If they lost, all the responsibility and blame would be borne by him, the commander at the front.
What a move to kill two birds with one stone.
It both appeased a "smart person" whose credit had been stolen with a hollow title, and found a perfect scapegoat.
"This is the organization's trust in me, and it is also Lord Ariana's promotion of me!"
Ariel's voice carried a touch of flattered excitement, performed just right,
"I will never let you down!"
"Very good."
Ariana seemed very satisfied and did not say another word before the image was cut off cleanly.
The dim blue light disappeared, and the black metal cube returned to silence, lying quietly in Ariel's palm, feeling cold to the touch.
The surroundings returned to their previous tranquility; the wind, the birds, everything was as usual.
The respect and excitement on Ariel's face disappeared without a trace like a receding tide, leaving only calmness.
He lowered his head, looking at the communicator in his hand, and after a long while, the corners of his lips twitched silently.
Mutual utilization.
This is the Key Stone of Team Rockets.
Ariana used him, and he could likewise use this stage that Ariana had given him.
The credit was stolen; he noted down this account.
But complaining about others was meaningless. Grasping everything he could right now, and driving himself like a nail deeper into the massive machine of Team Rockets, was the top priority.
The commander of the debut, huh...
It sounds like a pretty good position.
Ariel put away the communicator and looked up at the sky, which was fragmented by branches and leaves.
Sunlight spilled through the gaps, casting light and shadow on his face, just like his current state of mind.
Since he had been given a stage, he would have to put on a great show.
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