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Ariel pulled on Steven's sleeve and lowered his voice, "Don't you think it's strange?"
"What?" Steven was still immersed in the relief of surviving a disaster and didn't react for a moment.
"Elite Four Phoebe saved people, but those people didn't come back with her."
Ariel's gaze swept across the surroundings. There were only League personnel and the few of them who were survivors; there was no sign of the other exploration team at all.
"If it were you, having just escaped that kind of hell and seeing a League Elite, would you sneak away on your own, or would you follow the main group to seek protection?"
The expression on Steven's face froze.
Yeah, why?
Any Trainer with a sound mind, after experiencing such horror, would cling to an Elite Four Level rescue like a life-saving straw. How could they possibly vanish without a sound?
Unless... they had a guilty conscience and didn't dare to face the League people.
The faces of those Black Fire Exploration Team members instantly flashed through Steven's mind—their greed, their ruthlessness, and everything they had done.
He had previously thought that Banette's wrath had already burned them to ashes, which would have been their deserved retribution.
But what if they survived?
What if they were 'conveniently' saved by Elite Four Phoebe and then slipped away while the Elite was busy dealing with Banette?
"Those animals..."
Steven's teeth gritted together with a clicking sound. The lines on his face that had just relaxed tightened once more, and a surge of rage rushed from his heart straight to his head.
"How could they possibly survive! Under that Banette's hands!"
"Who knows."
Ariel patted his shoulder, his tone flat.
"Perhaps it wasn't their time to die, or perhaps... Elite Four Phoebe acted too quickly and didn't give Banette a chance to settle the score. But the fact that they didn't dare to show their faces says everything."
Steven took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently.
He felt it was unfair for those Trainers who died innocently; the culprits were at large while the innocent suffered tragedy.
"I will report this to the League immediately."
Steven's voice was as cold as ice.
"Even if they run to the ends of the earth, I will hunt them down!"
Just then, a 'putt-putt-putt' sound of a motor approached from a distance as a League Investigator boat pulled up to the sandbar.
An Investigator jumped ashore and reported to the person in charge:
"These are the supplies of the victims and missing persons collected from the outskirts and the foot of Mt. Pyre. Please come over and identify them to see if there are any clues."
The boat was piled with backpacks of all sizes, scattered Poké Balls, and some personal items, looking like a small burial mound that silently spoke of the tragedy's severity.
Everyone's mood grew heavy once again.
Steven also walked over, his gaze slowly scanning the relics, hoping to find some proof to confirm the identities of the victims.
Suddenly, his vision fixed on something.
Underneath a damaged hiking bag, a familiar pouch was pressed down.
A grey velvet pouch, bulging all over—it was exactly the one that had been stolen from him!
Steven's heart skipped a beat. He rushed over in a few quick steps, brushed aside the debris on top, and fished the pouch out.
The weight in his hand was heavy and very familiar.
With trembling hands, he untied the drawstring and opened the mouth of the bag.
In an instant, a warm luster radiated from inside the bag. It was packed full of all the various stones he had carefully collected; not a single one was missing.
Steven let out a long sigh of relief, and his whole body relaxed as if he had found his long-lost child.
He carefully cradled the bag in his arms, gently stroking it with his hand, his face filled with the ecstasy of recovery.
"Ha... really a bunch of stupid thieves who don't know the value of goods."
He muttered in a low voice, the corners of his mouth unable to stop from curling upward.
...
At the same time.
In a patch of primeval forest over ten kilometers away from Mt. Pyre.
Several figures were moving through the bushes in a wretched state. Branches had torn their clothes, and their faces and arms were covered in mud and scratches.
It was precisely the Black Fire Exploration Team that had escaped from Mt. Pyre.
"Ptui! What damn bad luck!"
Layla kicked a tree and complained grumpily,
"Didn't we just kill two old fogies? How did it draw such huge trouble? It almost got all of us killed!"
Only resentment and lingering fear remained on her face.
"Enough, surviving is a blessing."
The leader, Alex, sat on the ground and panted heavily.
He touched his chest, where he could still seemingly feel Banette's cold and malicious gaze; a chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to his head.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Elite Four Phoebe had noticed the commotion here, rushed over, and saved them.
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
Alex suddenly laughed neurotically, his laughter hoarse and frenzied,
"In that situation, we were actually saved by a League Elite! Truly, the heavens do not want me dead! Hahahaha!"
A male team member leaned on his knees and asked breathlessly:
"Boss, why... why didn't we go back to the base on the sandbar? Why run to this godforsaken forest?"
Alex's laughter stopped abruptly. He turned his head and looked at the member like he was an idiot.
"Are you a pig-brain? Go back to the sandbar? We just offended Devon's Crown Prince to death; he probably wants to skin us alive right now! If he finds out we're still alive, do you think he'll let us go? A League wanted poster will probably be plastered all over Hoenn by tomorrow morning!"
The member shrunk his neck after being scolded and didn't dare to speak again.
At this time, Layla leaned in close to Alex and lowered her voice, her eyes flickering:
"Boss, that matter... is it settled?"
At the mention of "that matter," the fear on Alex's face vanished, replaced by a greedy and fanatical expression.
"Settled."
He carefully pulled an empty box from his breast pocket; a trace of scorching aura still lingered on the box.
"That Red Orb, I have personally delivered it into the hands of the Team Magma Executive."
Alex's mouth split into a sinister arc,
"I really didn't expect that what those two old fogies risked their lives to guard would be such a treasure. Ha, they only spoke of the thing's true value right before they died to try and save their lives. Pity, too late!"
Layla's eyes lit up, and her breathing became somewhat rapid:
"Then... does that mean in the future, we can't take jobs under the League's nose like we used to?"
"Take jobs? What kind of bullshit jobs!"
Alex stood up abruptly, slammed the empty box onto the ground, and crushed it with his foot.
"From today on, we are Team Magma's people! That Red Orb is the Tribute we presented to Team Magma! A great gift that no one can refuse!"
His voice was filled with irrepressible excitement, echoing in the silent forest.
"In the future, standing behind us is Team Magma! A behemoth that dares to wrestle with the League! Killing and arson will no longer need to be covered up or done with fear like before!"
"We are the heroes!"
Alex opened his arms as if embracing a brand new, dark future.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Jie jie jie jie..."
Sinister, frenzied laughter rose and fell in the woods, startling a flock of night birds that flapped their wings toward the unknown distance.