The sun set in the west, and dusk began to fall!
As everyone elsewhere was clocking out for the day, the League's bigwigs were still locked in a meeting inside the Headquarters Conference Room.
Roars echoed nonstop from within the Conference Room—it sounded like things were getting seriously heated inside.
And they were. The League's top brass were at serious odds, and the entire debate centered on one person and his Dragonite: Silas.
Ever since Silas had shown off his Dragonite's power that afternoon, news had raced to the League Headquarters, sparking both joy and anxiety among the council.
The happy ones? All those who had chosen to side with the Oak family from the start. The stronger Silas was, the more profit they'd stand to gain in the future!
The worried looks? Those came from the families who'd always been at odds with the Oaks. With Silas's rise, they stood to lose more and more power in the League, and could eventually be replaced altogether by rival clans hungrily watching for the chance.
After all, Silas was still so young. If he were already in his forties or fifties, at least his tenure as Champion would only last ten or twenty years. For those opposed to Oak, they'd just grit their teeth and suffer through it. But now? Silas was only ten. If he made Champion this year, the next fifty or sixty years would see these families pushed down, and even the strongest old guard couldn't outwait that! They had to do something about Silas's potential—he couldn't be allowed to keep growing unchecked!
Inside the Conference Room.
An old man was pounding the table in outrage: "Silas is only ten—a child with power this extreme? Who can honestly trust that? If he ever went off the rails, who could stop him? I say he needs to hand over Charizard, Tyranitar, and Dragonite so the League can hold on to them. Once he's older—when he's proven mature—then the League can give them back. That's what's safest for everyone—our organization and the whole world!"
"Utter nonsense," came a voice from the Blackthorn family patriarch, a longtime Oak ally. He jabbed a finger at the first speaker, "By that logic, you're all washed up. Your family's past its prime—you don't deserve to be trusted with the Kanto guardian even a minute longer, or to keep reaping the League's benefits. Maybe you should resign from the Indigo League yourselves. Why not just turn over your own guardian deity?"
"You—" the first old man gaped, completely thrown, then shouted in frustration, "What do you mean by that—?"
"Oh, cut it!" Valerius—the Blackthorn elder—rolled his eyes. "Everyone here's got too much time on their hands. Here we are, finally seeing a Kanto-born Champion rising up, and instead of supporting and protecting him, you morons just want to tear him down for your own petty gains. And you still have the gall to say you want Kanto to get stronger—stronger my ass!"
"Exactly!" With Valerius taking the lead, several others immediately chimed in, "Youth means potential. And let's not forget, Silas is the next head of the Oak family. To say he'd turn traitor, turn his back on the League—that's just slapping a 'rebel' label on the Oak family for no reason! The Oak family has poured generations of service into the Indigo League, and everyone here knows it. What's really going on with your Hiyoshi clan, huh?"
"The Hiyoshi clan?" Another member jumped in, piling on, "Wasn't it the Hiyoshi's blunder a couple years back that caused our classified intel to leak to other regions? They kept promising compensation, but after all this time, where is it?"
"You, you all—" With so many voices attacking him, the Hiyoshi clan leader's face flushed bright red.
"All right, that's enough." The elderly man in the center, the League's Grand Elder, Akiyama Naru, spoke up, breaking up the verbal brawl. "Let's not pick on Clan Head Hiyoshi here. He's just looking out for Indigo League's interests. No point ganging up on him—right?"
"He's the one talking nonsense," Valerius said coldly.
"Fair enough," Akiyama Naru nodded, not denying it, "The proposal from Clan Head Hiyoshi is a bit much, but it's not totally without reason. Silas truly is too young. Sure, that's a good thing in a way… but we all know youth has its drawbacks, don't we?"
"Oh?" Professor Oak, who'd just arrived in a rush and stayed silent until now, finally spoke up, locking eyes with Akiyama Naru. "What exactly are you proposing?"
"It's simple." Akiyama Naru narrowed his eyes at Professor Oak. "Silas is still a child. So I think the League should assign someone to travel with him—make sure he stays on a good path. It's not that I don't trust him, but the power he has already exceeds what the League can safely allow. We need to be cautious. Surely you can agree to that?"
"This…"
Professor Oak looked caught.
More than half the League was pro-Oak family, but that was just half—the rest were either neutral or opposed. If he refused everything, the opposition would be all over it.
"I can." Just as Professor Oak hesitated, an elderly voice answered for him—Agatha herself, who said in her eerie tone, "This is as it should be. But the chaperone should be one of the Elite Four—specifically, Lorelei. I think everyone can get on board with that, right?"
"That's acceptable," Professor Oak nodded instantly.
"Lorelei, huh..."
Akiyama Naru looked troubled. He hadn't expected Agatha's intervention, but under her chilling stare he could only nod, resigned, "Fine..."
Three days later.
A helicopter descended from the sky, landing on the rooftop of Acapulco Hospital.
Silas was already waiting up there. When he saw the beautiful woman step out of the helicopter, even he was caught off guard.
She was simply stunning. Flawless features, deep blue eyes, understated yet mysterious violet hair, and standing at least 5'7". Her curves were outlined perfectly by a form-fitting black dress, every movement radiating pure queenly presence.
"Long time no see." Lorelei walked up to Silas and smiled. "Who would've thought that grubby little mud-monkey from back then would turn into the rising star the whole League is watching?"
"…"
Silas was left speechless by her words, looking helpless. Five years ago, Lorelei had spent some time at Professor Oak's lab because of her Pokémon. Back then, Silas was obsessed with training Charmander and always came back filthy—Lorelei had teasingly called him the 'mud-monkey' ever since. He could only sigh, "Lorelei, could we maybe leave the past in the past?"
"We could…," Lorelei nodded, then winked, "but in that case, you can't try to get rid of me."
"I wouldn't dare!" Silas' head shook like a bobblehead, his wry grin returning. "You can travel with me for as long as you want, as long as you don't get bored. You know how it is—traveling is fun but most of the time, honestly, it's just boring."
"That's settled then." Lorelei smiled in satisfaction, handing her purse to Silas. "Come on, introduce me to the rest of our travel companions!"
"Sure." Silas agreed with a nod.
...
Inside the hospital room.
When Silas walked in with Lorelei, Giselle and Suzie were in the middle of a conversation.
The moment the two girls spotted Lorelei, shock was written all over their faces. After all, Lorelei was the only female member of the Elite Four—and given how she'd been trouncing Lance for years, she was basically the ultimate idol for most girls in Kanto!
Watching the two girls all but freeze up, Silas spoke matter-of-factly, "Let me introduce you—this is Lorelei. She's joining us as a travel companion from now on."
"What?!"
Suzie kept her cool, but Giselle immediately squealed, her voice a mix of disbelief and excitement. "Miss Lorelei is traveling with us?!"
"Yep." Silas nodded.
Getting confirmation, Giselle dashed right up to Lorelei, her words tumbling out, "Miss Lorelei, hi—my name's Giselle, Giselle. I'm your super—"
Seeing Giselle stammering and flustered, Silas just set Lorelei's bag aside and walked over to Suzie, asking, "Hungry?"
"No," Suzie shook her head, but then, eyeing the starstruck Giselle, she asked curiously, "So why is Miss Lorelei joining us on our journey?"
"A bunch of cranky old geezers made the call," Silas said with a shrug.
Suzie nodded slightly. Ever since she started traveling with Silas, she'd picked up on plenty, so she didn't bother to ask more—not because she couldn't, but because she just didn't care. As long as she could keep traveling with Silas, that was enough for her.
While Suzie and Silas were chatting away idly, Lorelei finished calming Giselle down and came over. The two girls already seemed to be getting along well. Lorelei beamed. "Suzie, it's been ages! I can't believe you ended up as Silas's exclusive Breeder. That's not quite what you told me back then, is it?"
"You two know each other?!" Giselle, who'd apparently already decided to become Lorelei's number one fan, popped out from behind Lorelei, full of surprise.
"Yeah," Lorelei nodded, her tone a little wistful. "When Suzie became a level-six Trainer, I actually tried to recruit her as my exclusive Breeder. But she shot me down—said she wouldn't work for another Trainer until she made level nine."
"Sorry."
Suzie's refined, pretty face showed a trace of apology. "I hadn't met Silas yet back then, so that's why I said what I did. But now, I'm Silas's exclusive Breeder."
"No worries," Lorelei said, super easygoing. She even teased, "You can still come work for me now, you know! I'm still looking for a permanent Breeder."
"Oh, come on—"
Silas couldn't take watching Suzie get poached, so he jumped in, shooting Lorelei a look. "Lorelei, are you trying to steal my team?"
"Steal?" Lorelei rolled her dazzling eyes, giving him a playful sigh. "And who's the real thief here? I found Suzie first, okay? You're the one who snatched her from me!"
"Hmph," Silas snorted, unfazed. "Too bad Suzie chose me instead of you."
"Oh, is that so?" Lorelei arched a sly smile, her tone light but a little dangerous. "Well, you'd better watch out. If Suzie decides I'm the better choice during our travels and wants to tag along with me, don't cry about it, alright?"
"You…" Silas was stunned. Was she seriously trying to poach his teammate right in front of him?
"Um…" Suzie, who hadn't managed to get a word in, finally spoke up, looking straight at Lorelei with unmistakable determination. "I'm sorry, Miss Lorelei, but I've already decided. I'm Silas's exclusive Breeder, so please stop arguing about it."
"I see…" Lorelei put on a disappointed tone and pouted. "But now I'm out of Breeder prospects!"
"I'm really sorry." Suzie apologized earnestly. She added to Lorelei, "I'm sure you'll find someone even better out there."
"All right," Lorelei nodded, then grinned at Suzie. "But you've got to promise me one thing!"
"What's that?" Suzie asked, a little puzzled.
"From now on, call me 'big sis,' not Miss Lorelei!"
"Deal!" Suzie agreed right away, and sweetly called out, "Big sis."
"Good girl~ Giselle, you too—come on!"
"Big sis!"
Impressive.
Watching how Lorelei instantly won over both Suzie and Giselle, Silas couldn't help but admire her people skills. At first, he'd found Lorelei's "poaching" act odd, but now he got it—she was just breaking the ice and making herself a seamless part of the crew.