"Are you looking for ?"
A voice suddenly ca from behind, startling them all into turning around imdiately.
Less than three ters away stood a middle-aged woman with long wine-red hair, casually watching them. And up until that very mont, not even Sato had noticed a thing.
"Weav…"
Weavile gave a soft cry again, signaling for Sato to look back toward the ice chamber.
"Nine!"
Taking advantage of their brief mont of distraction, a Ninetales suddenly darted out of the chamber, its nine tails swaying freely, and its narrow eyes staring unblinkingly at the group.
"May I ask your na, ma'am? Is that Ninetales your partner?" Joseph was the first to compose himself and stepped forward to ask.
Although the four of them already had so guesses in their minds, none of them had seen Miyamoto before, and the woman wasn't wearing a Team Rocket uniform, so they couldn't be sure.
"You all seem a bit afraid of ~?" The middle-aged woman asked curiously, then waved her hand.
At her gesture, Ninetales bent its hind legs slightly, then leapt straight over their heads, landing gracefully beside the woman.
As Ninetales moved, none of the four dared to twitch a muscle. Their entire bodies were tense, ready to strike back if anything went wrong.
And there was only one reason for that level of caution…
That Ninetales… was Elite Four level!
"A little surprised, that's all. It's our first ti seeing such a powerful and breathtaking Ninetales up close."
Cynthia responded quickly. Whether or not this woman was actually Miyamoto, at least she wasn't showing any hostility for now.
"Tales~"
Ninetales happily shook its tails. Sotis, complints from another woman hit even better.
…Especially when that woman was beautiful too.
"What a sweet-talking young lady~" The woman laughed softly, stroking Ninetales' silky fur. "My na is Miyamoto. I'm a wilderness explorer. And you all are…?"
'It really was her!' x4
Everyone was shocked internally, but even Mark tried hard not to let it show.
"Miss Miyamoto, we're Pokémon Trainers traveling together…"
Joseph stepped forward to introduce them. Though he hesitated, he still gave their real nas so as not to raise suspicion.
Joseph had considered using fake nas, but the risk of slipping up was too high. Who knew how long they might have to deal with Miyamoto?
"…Sato?" Miyamoto suddenly fixed her gaze on him. It was like she'd heard that na before.
"You know , ma'am?" Sato asked casually, but his guard was instantly up. After all, his na was already registered under Team Rocket, it wouldn't be strange if she recognized it.
"Not really." Miyamoto shrugged nonchalantly, then added, "But I do feel like I've heard it sowhere before…"
"I've participated in a few events. Maybe you happened to see my na on a flyer or sothing." Sato replied casually, trying his best to downplay his presence.
"I rember now!" Miyamoto suddenly looked like she'd figured sothing out, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Sato.
Sato's heart beat a little. Just as he braced himself for the possibility of a fight, Miyamoto spoke again.
"Weren't you the one who discovered ga Evolution? Quick! Help check, can my Ninetales ga Evolve?"
"Nineee~" Ninetales wagged its tails and howled cooperatively.
"Uh… I only stumbled upon ga Evolution by chance. I wasn't responsible for the follow-up research or developnt. I'm not sure about Ninetales' case."
Sato carefully chose his words while answering, and to avoid irritating her, he even skipped ntioning the Joy family altogether.
"You really won't take a look…?" Miyamoto seed a little unwilling and asked again, but was t once more with Sato's shake of the head.
'Can Ninetales ga Evolve?' Sato thought to himself, 'That's probably one of those "not in this lifeti" things.'
"Alright, guess I'll drop it then." Miyamoto pouted regretfully, then added, "I haven't asked… there's nothing around here but icy winds and snow. What brings you all here?"
"We're crossing the ice fields to reach Lake Acuity in the far north. We want to see all three of Sinnoh's great lakes."
Since nine out of ten Trainers heading north were headed to Lake Acuity, Sato didn't need to make up a lie, doing so would only raise suspicion.
"That path won't be easy. Good luck to you all." Miyamoto nodded casually. The answer didn't stand out at all.
"Well then, I'm glad we t here. Let's part ways for now. Ninetales!"
After speaking, Miyamoto flipped onto Ninetales' back, clearly preparing to leave.
"Tales~"
But instead of leaving right away, Ninetales took a few steps forward and shoved its face directly into Joseph's.
Sato and the others imdiately tensed up again. Just when it seed the danger had passed, was this flashy fox going to start sothing?
Especially with the way its nose was twitching, clearly trying to sniff sothing out.
'Could it be… Delibird?'
"Is this… what you want?"
Joseph calmly pulled a small box of homade freeze-dried beef strips from his coat pocket, opened it, and held it out in front of Ninetales.
"Nine~ Tales~"
Ninetales cried out in delight and devoured half the box in a single bite.
Then it extended one of its tails, gently brushed the box… and the remaining half vanished too.
"Huh? You made those yourself, didn't you~? Got any more? I'll buy them all!" Miyamoto said enthusiastically, oozing confidence.
"There's no more. These were made for baby Pokémon to chew on. Even in a month, they wouldn't finish the box." Joseph retrieved the empty container and replied with a straight face.
"N-Ninenenene!?"Ninetales snapped its head away with a tsundere cry, thinking, 'W-Who are you calling a baby?'
"Ahem… alright then, how much for that box? I'll pay now." Miyamoto, slightly embarrassed, quickly changed the topic.
"I don't sell what I make myself."
Miyamoto raised an eyebrow and was about to say sothing when Joseph continued, "It's rare for a Ninetales to enjoy it, so let it have it as a treat."
"Tales~"
Ninetales gave a very human-like nod, then extended a tail and gently brushed Joseph's hand before turning around and carrying Miyamoto away at speed.
"ThaaaankyouUUUUuuUU~~~"
From the distance ca a long, echoing thank-you. Watching Ninetales disappear into the distance, Sato and the others stood in silence for a long ti…
Who knew if a Seventales or Eighttales might pop out from sowhere next?
"…Let's keep moving," Sato muttered quietly and started walking ahead. The others didn't say a word and silently followed.
Only after they found a cave, sent Weavile and Glaceon to guard the entrance, and had Gengar scout the underground, did they finally relax a little.
"That woman just now… was she really the second in command of Team Rocket… just below the Leader?"
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150 PS - ExtraChap
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