[T/N: Twinleaf island changed to seafoam Islands]
"Not sure who's leading this mission… Seafoam Islands, huh? Maybe Lorelei?"
Though it was uncommon, Silas didn't think too much of it.
Confidential operations were understandable.
And as for who would lead the team—he could guess.
Born on the Sevii Islands and rumored to have ties with Articuno, Lorelei was the obvious choice.
After all, when Legendary Pokémon were involved, they wouldn't send just anyone to handle it.
Silas yawned, rolled over, and lay down on the bed.
Click.
The room's light was turned off by Blaziken, who had done so on its own initiative.
"Sleep, everyone. Don't train tonight—save your energy for tomorrow," he said, eyes closed.
Pidgeot rolled over, clearly pretending it had already been asleep.
Blaziken, who had been meditating on Aura, and Gigalith, who had been attuning to its Sand Force ability, both stopped what they were doing, nodded, and returned to their resting spots.
"Tokki~ Tokki~"
Togetic hummed a cheerful tune as it fluttered down from above the bed, settling in to sleep.
Beside it, a Servine was coiled up comfortably.
On the nightstand, a Luxury Ball rested quietly.
Inside, a pink Pokémon could be seen fast asleep—it was a Flaaffy.
Unlike the others, Flaaffy preferred to stay inside its Luxury Ball. Even at night, it didn't like to come out.
As it often said, "This Poké Ball feels tailor-made for me! Why would I ever leave?"
That was simply Flaaffy's little quirk.
"According to our intelligence agents, Team Rocket seems to have set their sights on the Legendary birds.
Apparently, there's some kind of experiment involving their genetic material.
But due to secrecy and fragmented intel, the details are unclear."
Wearing gold-rimmed glasses,Lorelei, her red hair glowing under the cabin lights, leaned back in her seat and chatted with Bruno.
Her blue outer coat layered over a crimson inner top made for a strange color match—but on her, it was strikingly stylish.
The "Legendary Birds" she referred to were Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno.
"They're planning to go after the Sacred Flame?" Bruno frowned.
He immediately thought of the upcoming Sacred Flame Relay.
The torch used in the Indigo Plateau Conference opening ceremony came from Moltres's flames—part of its own body, and therefore containing its genes.
"Not necessarily. That old man already has one, doesn't he? That's why he rushed me over to take command this time."
Lorelei raised her left hand, studying her crimson nails.
These aren't working for me… Maybe after this mission, I'll switch to pink.
Bruno was silent for a moment. "What about Lt. Surge in Vermilion City?"
"No issues. Security forces are already in position.
With old man Kyo and Surge's combined strength, even if something unexpected happens, they'll be able to hold out until we arrive.
Worst-case scenario, we just Teleport there, side effects or not."
Lorelei took out a small kit from her purse and started filing her nails.
Even with advanced technology, the trip from here to the Seafoam Islands would still take some time.
While the two Elite Four members chatted casually, a group of younger trainers seated behind them were whispering among themselves.
"Whoa, I didn't expect both Lorelei and Bruno to be here!"
One young man whispered excitedly to the handsome boy beside him.
It was Yezo and Silas.
"I thought only Lorelei would show up," Silas murmured back.
As junior members and League operatives, they naturally treated the Elite Four with great respect.
You never know—if things went south, one of them might end up saving your life.
"Man, I could understand if I didn't know, but you're Granny Agatha's grandson! How are you this out of the loop?"
Silas teased Yezo instinctively.
Yezo rolled his eyes. "How could I possibly know this stuff ahead of time? Grandma would never tell me this kind of classified mission detail."
Then his eyes lit up mischievously.
"Hey… what if Team Rocket actually succeeded?" he whispered.
"Of course not. If they had—" Silas began to retort, but—
"It's unlikely," interrupted a lively girl who had been energetic since boarding the ship. "From what Lorelei said, Team Rocket failed because of Seafoam Island's extreme temperatures.
That's why there was such a commotion. Otherwise, the League might've stayed in the dark even longer."
The girl looked remarkably like Lorelei—same red hair, same air of confidence.
"Shh! Aya, you're way too blunt," Yezo hissed, nearly covering her mouth.
Was it really a good idea to criticize the League here, of all places?
"Relax. It's an old issue anyway," Aya replied breezily. "It's just a structural problem. It's not like we've only been slower than the crime syndicates this one time."
Aya Lorelei acted far older than her age—but her tone was playful, giving off a mix of maturity and youthful energy.
Hazakura, easily distracted, quickly got absorbed in chatting with Aya, the two laughing energetically.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Bruno Soshu. I've heard a lot about you."
A tall, muscular man had approached Silas, extending his hand.
Silas instinctively shook it. "Nice to meet yo—"
Halfway through, he raised an eyebrow, glancing sharply at the man.
Soshu smiled warmly.
Silas got the message—his grin matched the other's—and without a word, subtly increased his grip strength.
Aya poked Yezo, nodding toward the two.
"Ha! A couple of muscleheads," Hazakura muttered under his breath. It was obvious—they were silently competing in a handshake showdown.
Their faces flushed red with effort.
After a long moment, both met eyes, a spark of mutual irritation flashing—then they nodded, silently declaring a truce.
"Hey, what are you two— Wait, no— Stop—mmph—!"
Yezo's defiance shifted from arrogance to panic to despair as he was easily overpowered, unable even to finish his protest.
After a while—
"So it's just the four of us?"
"Seems that way. The rest either departed yesterday or will head out separately."
"Oh, that explains it. Any idea who else is coming?"
Silas and Soshu were now chatting like old friends—boyish camaraderie formed instantly.
Aya crouched beside Yezo, pulling a feather from who-knows-where.
She traced it along his cheek.
"See? You just can't keep that mouth shut, can you?" she said with mock sympathy. "Rest in peace."
Her words dripped with mischievous glee.
Yezo groaned in pain, "You—muscle—"
The moment he spoke, two deadly glares froze him in place.
"I'm just out of shape from too much training. I'll work out when I get back," he corrected himself immediately, sounding like a flustered Psyduck.
"So lively, these kids," Lorelei remarked, listening to the commotion behind her. Even without looking, she could imagine the scene.
Bruno said nothing.
Lorelei sighed, sounding genuinely bored.
"Honestly… are none of the Kanto Elite Four normal?" she muttered.
"Agatha's gloomy and terrifying; Lance is a workaholic and a meddler who can't resist helping people; and you, Bruno—you're as dull as a rock. Talking to you feels like we're on different wavelengths entirely."
If it weren't for their power and reliability as teammates, she'd have asked the League to reassign her long ago.
"You're gonna be single forever, you know that?"
Hearing the cheerful noise behind her, Lorelei suddenly felt years younger—like she was 18 again and teased Bruno to herself.
Bruno blinked, a rare look of confusion crossing his steady face.
He scratched his head awkwardly. We're both thirty-something loners… you've got no right to talk.
And honestly, with your looks and status, how have you stayed single even longer than me?
Bruno sighed inwardly.
Of course, he didn't dare say it out loud—he just grumbled inwardly.
Behind them, the younger Trainers were still gossiping among themselves.
Aside from Silas, the other three were all relatives of the Elite Four members, so the amount of inside information they knew was far beyond ordinary people.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… I didn't expect that."
Silas looked exactly like a Sandslash darting gleefully through a melon field.
He knew a few of the world's hidden secrets—though those mostly involved Pokémon themselves or confidential research.
But this kind of juicy gossip about Gym Leaders and Elite Four relationships? That was completely new to him.
As the conversation continued, it gradually shifted to Silas himself.
"By the way, Silas, I heard you even passed the Level 6 Breeder Certification ahead of schedule? That's amazing."
Soshu, the brawny man beside him, said with genuine admiration. He'd often been called "brain deficient" by his uncle, and truly envied people like Silas who had brains and talent.
"You're incredible too. Winning the P1 Grand Prix is no small feat,"
Silas replied with a grin, returning the compliment.
He wasn't exaggerating.
The P1 Grand Prix might be smaller than the Indigo League Conference, but it was still a competition of very high caliber.
Even his seniors—Chuck, Shinnosuke, and even Bruno of the Elite Four—had all competed in the P1 Grand Prix before and achieved excellent results.
Come to think of it, that muscle-loving old man Chuck wasn't so weak after all.
"That's right! Two years ago—no, three years ago—I barely made the top eight at the Whirl Cup,"
Aya added casually, dropping her own credentials into the mix.
The Whirl Cup was a competition held once every three years for Trainers who specialize in Water-type Pokémon. It takes place at the Whirl Islands, located on Route 41 near Cianwood City.
According to legend, the Whirl Islands were once a single, massive island. Two nations fought over it, and the guardian of the sea—Lugia—became so disappointed that it unleashed a thunderous bolt, splitting the island into four parts before vanishing beneath the waterfall depths, waiting for the day when true trust between Pokémon and humans would return.
Hosting the Whirl Cup was said to be the people's way of seeking Lugia's forgiveness.
As for why the "Guardian of the Sea" used lightning in that legend, Silas quickly shrugged it off.
If Lugia—being Psychic and Flying type—could still be called the "Sea Guardian," then using a thunderbolt wasn't much of a stretch.
"Kyogre must be weeping in the rain somewhere…"
Silas muttered to himself.
He figured the real reason was simply that Lugia's rival didn't seem as imposing, so the myth made it sound more dramatic.
In truth, Lugia would probably be better described as the God of Rain or God of Weather, since flapping its wings can cause storms that last up to forty days.
Meanwhile, the three Legendary Birds—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres—are said to govern the world's natural weather patterns under Lugia's command.
So the misunderstanding came simply from Lugia's immense power and the fact that it chose to dwell deep beneath the sea.
Back to Aya's achievement—her top-eight finish at the Whirl Cup wasn't any less impressive than Shu's P1 Grand Prix championship.
For one, she was a year younger, and an extra year of training makes a big difference.
And second, the Whirl Cup wasn't like the P1 Grand Prix—it had far fewer restrictions.
If the P1 relied on technique and strategy, the Whirl Cup was all about raw strength.
For her first year traveling through Johto, Aya's performance was exceptional—easily top-tier among her peers.
Yezo looked at the three of them trading compliments, his face twisted in silent agony.
"Don't worry, you're amazing too—you're a top student at the Pokémon Research Academy."
Silas patted him on the shoulder, trying to find something to praise.
Yezo's face darkened as he slapped Silas's hand away.
"Aside from being a Level 6 Breeder, what else have you got to brag about?"
Silas raised an eyebrow and started counting on his fingers.
"Let's see—Outstanding Graduate of the Viridian Pokémon Academy;
Champion of the S.S. Anne Battle Cup;
Temporary Lecturer at your Academy;
Discoverer of a new Eeveelution and the revival of an ancient Fossil Pokémon species;
And, most recently, I've been appointed as an official League Researcher."
The more he listed, the darker Yezo's face became.
"Oh, right," Silas added, "I'm also a B-Rank bounty hunter with a 98% success rate. You're still stuck on your graduation exams, right?"
That last line made Yezo's composure completely collapse.
"You bastard!!"
"Whoa… those two mountains are massive."
Silas stared out the window of the airship in awe.
He swore—he was definitely looking at the mountains, not at Lorelei standing near the glass.
The Seafoam Islands' twin peaks weren't volcanoes, but their elevation easily exceeded two thousand meters.
No one knew how they had suddenly formed out of the vast ocean.
And strangely, there were no other islands nearby.
Even more peculiar—the southern Kanto region was supposed to be warm, even in January.
After all, the Orange Islands are summer all year round.
But these "Twin Mountains" were completely covered in snow, gleaming white under the sunlight.
The peaks reflected dazzling light, and even the lower parts of the island were buried under thick snow.
As the airship descended, flakes of snow drifted gently past the windows.
Inside, however, no one felt any temperature change—the League's ships were, of course, equipped with climate control systems.
"Ground Base, this is B2 Aircraft. Confirming landing coordinates. Beginning descent."
With the pilot's report, the League airship—painted with the red-and-white Poké Ball emblem—slowly touched down on the snowy field below.
Ssshhh
As the hatch opened, the group stepped out in their exploration suits.
....
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