"Are you looking for me?"

A voice suddenly came from behind, startling them all into turning around immediately.

Less than three meters away stood a middle-aged woman with long wine-red hair, casually watching them. And up until that very moment, 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 moment 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 name, 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 some 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 me~?" 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 time 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. Sometimes, compliments 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 name 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 names so as not to raise suspicion.

Joseph had considered using fake names, 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 name before.

"You know me, ma'am?" Sato asked casually, but his guard was instantly up. After all, his name 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 somewhere before…"

"I've participated in a few events. Maybe you happened to see my name on a flyer or something." Sato replied casually, trying his best to downplay his presence.

"I remember now!" Miyamoto suddenly looked like she'd figured something 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 Mega Evolution? Quick! Help me check, can my Ninetales Mega Evolve?"

"Nineee~" Ninetales wagged its tails and howled cooperatively.

"Uh… I only stumbled upon Mega Evolution by chance. I wasn't responsible for the follow-up research or development. I'm not sure about Ninetales' case."

Sato carefully chose his words while answering, and to avoid irritating her, he even skipped mentioning the Joy family altogether.

"You really won't take a look…?" Miyamoto seemed a little unwilling and asked again, but was met once more with Sato's shake of the head.

'Can Ninetales Mega Evolve?' Sato thought to himself, 'That's probably one of those "not in this lifetime" 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 met 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 immediately tensed up again. Just when it seemed the danger had passed, was this flashy fox going to start something?

Especially with the way its nose was twitching, clearly trying to sniff something out.

'Could it be… Delibird?'

"Is this… what you want?"

Joseph calmly pulled a small box of homemade 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 something 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 came a long, echoing thank-you. Watching Ninetales disappear into the distance, Sato and the others stood in silence for a long time…

Who knew if a Seventales or Eighttales might pop out from somewhere 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