The Aurorus leader slammed into the snowy slope, throwing up a cloud of powder before finally coming to a stop.
It did not get back up.
Aurorus was Rock/Ice-type, leaving it four times weak to Steel. Taking a STAB-boosted Meteor Mash from Metagross at point-blank range had been more than enough to finish the battle.
Energy fire continued across the grove for a little longer, but the rest of the herd soon went down as well, overwhelmed by the expedition and Ryan's Pokémon.
Fortunately, none of the Aurorus had been killed. They were unconscious, but alive.
Aaron, who had barely needed to participate, looked over at Grant.
"Not bad. I almost forgot you were actually good at this."
Grant immediately looked pleased with himself.
"Please. I was winning Pokémon battles while you were still playing with toys."
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Grant's smile began to fade.
"Want to test that theory?"
Ryan immediately became interested.
"I'd watch that."
Several people nearby turned toward them as well.
"Charizard against Metagross?"
"That would be a hell of a battle."
"Metagross is a pseudo-legendary, but Charizard has the type advantage."
Grant looked around at the sudden enthusiasm and realized his mistake.
He had only wanted to brag a little.
Now everyone was trying to arrange his execution.
Aaron had cleared the ninth floor of the Hidden Dragon Tower. Grant liked his Metagross very much and had no intention of using it to find out firsthand how ridiculous Aaron had become.
He cleared his throat.
"Another time."
Aaron smiled.
"What happened to all that experience?"
"We're in an unexplored secret zone," Grant replied without missing a beat. "There could be stronger Pokémon anywhere nearby. Wasting energy on a spar right now would be stupid."
Ryan considered that and nodded.
"He has a point."
A few members of the Sealine group exchanged suspicious looks.
"Of course he does."
"Definitely not avoiding the battle."
"Absolutely not."
Grant slowly turned toward them.
They immediately became very interested in the Frostfruit trees.
Aaron laughed.
"Good call, Grant. Very responsible."
"Shut up."
Grant pointed toward the grove.
"All right, enough messing around. Start collecting the ripe Frostfruits before something else decides they belong to it."
That was an order nobody objected to.
The expedition spread through the grove and began harvesting the ice-blue fruit. As members of the team that had discovered and secured the resource site, they would receive a share of the less restricted materials once everything was cataloged.
Aaron had no intention of missing his chance either.
"Greninja. Sceptile. Help me out."
"Grenin."
"Scep."
Sceptile formed several Wood Clones, while Greninja produced a swarm of Shadow Clones. Within moments, copies of both Pokémon were moving from tree to tree, gathering Frostfruits far faster than any person could manage.
Aaron opened the System Backpack and started storing his share.
One fruit vanished after another.
He smiled to himself.
Once something went into the System Backpack, even Arceus would have a hard time getting it back out.
Around the grove, the mood gradually relaxed. The Aurorus had been defeated, the Frostfruits were plentiful, and what had begun as a dangerous first expedition was suddenly looking extremely profitable.
That was exactly when something began moving beneath the snow.
No one noticed.
A faint ridge traveled across the white surface, weaving between the trees and slowly closing the distance to the expedition.
Aaron was farther away with Greninja and Sceptile, focused on harvesting. The rest of the group was spread throughout the grove.
Then a scream tore through the forest.
"AAAH!"
Another followed almost immediately.
Aaron spun around.
The relaxed atmosphere vanished in an instant.
Several people had collapsed in the snow.
Their insulated suits had been ripped open by deep slashes, and blood spread rapidly across the white ground beneath them. One was still twitching weakly when Aaron looked over.
Then he stopped moving.
The extreme cold began frosting the blood almost immediately.
Beside the bodies stood a Pokémon.
Its body was pale blue, and its back was covered in long, jagged spikes of ice. Powerful claws protruded from its forelimbs, their tips stained red.
An Alolan Sandslash.
It barely acknowledged the people around it.
Instead, it picked up one of the fallen Frostfruits and bit into it.
Ryan saw the bodies.
His expression changed instantly.
"No!"
His voice tore across the grove.
Every Pokémon and Trainer nearby turned toward the Sandslash.
And in a single moment, the harvest was forgotten.