Elsewhere.
"Ice Beam."
The cold female voice reached Ariana's ears, and a bad feeling shot through her as a chill ran down her spine.
A twisting beam of ice blasted toward her at high speed—
And the target was Ariana herself.
"Vileplume! Protect!" Ariana ordered immediately.
Vileplume hurried in front of her, a green Protect barrier flaring to life, absolute defense snapping into place.
The icy ray slammed into the Protect barrier, the continuous crackling of freezing echoing through the air as layer after layer of frost and ice crystals built up across its surface.
Vileplume gritted its teeth and forced itself to hold, refusing to let the shield collapse.
At last, the Ice Beam ended.
With a sharp crack, the Protect barrier shattered into motes of light and dissipated.
The sound of heels striking the ground approached.
Lorelei walked over, staring impassively at Ariana.
"Not bad for a little rat."
Lorelei pushed her glasses up, those calm, indifferent eyes making Ariana's skin break out in goosebumps.
That wasn't the way one looked at a human being.
It was how you'd look at a corpse.
"Lorelei!!" Ariana squeezed the name out between clenched teeth.
"There's nowhere left for you to run today. I came here personally to see you off."
Lorelei's tone held no warmth at all.
In front of her, Lapras opened its mouth again, icy light beginning to gather.
"Ice Beam."
"Psychic!"
A multicolored psychic wave surged forward to meet Lapras's Ice Beam, the two attacks colliding violently before detonating in midair.
The resulting shockwaves blasted outward, and Lorelei's expression finally shifted—if only slightly.
"Hm?"
Lorelei tilted her head, looking toward the girl with the thick, luxuriously styled golden hair—and the Tapu Lele floating before her.
"Looks like we've got a little surprise. If I'm remembering right, your name is Caitlin, isn't it?"
Lorelei narrowed her eyes.
She recognized the girl quickly; Alola had sent over a file on her.
Her gaze lingered briefly on Tapu Lele.
"Akala Island's island guardian deity, Tapu Lele?
Alola really is disappointing—letting a Legendary Pokémon that's been theirs for generations fall into Team Rocket's hands."
Lorelei gave a cold little laugh.
She didn't bother asking why Caitlin had joined Team Rocket.
What would be the point?
In her mind, once you put on Team Rocket's "uniform," you'd already chosen to sink, beyond saving.
The reasons didn't matter.
Only the outcome did.
And the outcome was that Caitlin had joined Evil Team Rocket—so she was no longer innocent.
"Leaving you alive would just mean more trouble later.
I'll be generous and let you use the rest of your life to regret your choices."
Lorelei opened another Poké Ball.
A plump Dewgong appeared beside Lapras as she spoke in that same flat tone.
A young, talented executive like Caitlin couldn't be allowed to walk away.
Otherwise, in the future, she was guaranteed to become a major threat.
"Miss Ariana, Mr. Gladion, please go on ahead."
Caitlin's expression was deadly serious now, a faint blue psychic glow lighting in her eyes.
She tossed out another Poké Ball, and Metagross landed heavily in front of her.
"Caitlin…"
Ariana's face tightened.
Caitlin was planning to cover their retreat?
"You're not Lorelei's match.
If you stay, it'll be even more dangerous for you. Please break through the line first."
"But…"
"Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to me."
Caitlin gave them a small smile, and that alone was enough to leave Ariana speechless.
"…Be careful."
Gladion pressed his lips into a thin line.
In the end, reason won out, and he spoke to Caitlin in a low voice.
Strength.
They still needed more strength.
Gladion shot a resentful glance at Lorelei's still‑expressionless face.
He had to get stronger—much stronger.
Otherwise, this same helplessness would just return again and again.
His colleague was staying behind to fight, and all he could do was retreat in disgrace—
Not only useless, but a burden.
Gladion was done with that.
Gladion and Ariana both pulled back behind Caitlin, though something immediately struck Caitlin as odd.
Lorelei, who normally had such an extreme attitude toward Team Rocket, made no move to stop them.
That set off alarms in Caitlin's mind.
There was no way Lorelei was just going to let two executives walk off into the sunset.
"A noble sacrifice, is it? Completely pointless."
Lorelei's lips curled into an icy arc as she folded her arms.
"You're not facing just one member of the Kanto Elite Four."
Caitlin was smart—very smart.
She understood instantly, her delicate features shifting.
"You're not stupid.
Shame you chose the wrong path."
Lorelei gave her a brief, slightly surprised look.
"Everyone has their own path to walk, Lorelei. You're way too arrogant."
Caitlin had already steadied her emotions, her voice calm.
"Of course, everyone does have their own future."
Lorelei didn't deny that.
But she stated her own ideology just as clearly.
"Team Rocket are nothing but filthy, crawling maggots that can only slither through the sewers.
They're parasites eating away at this world."
Lorelei's voice was like ice, her hatred for Team Rocket completely undisguised.
She despised them—truly, utterly despised them.
Caitlin's lovely brows furrowed slightly.
She couldn't understand why Lorelei's stance toward Team Rocket had to be this extreme.
Sure, Team Rocket wasn't exactly a legitimate organization.
But from Caitlin's point of view, their methods weren't hateful enough to justify this level of loathing.
It honestly felt like Lorelei was acting as if Team Rocket had slaughtered her entire family…
"And parasites have no right to live."
The chill rolling off Lorelei was almost suffocating.
"I see.
Looks like there really isn't anything left for us to talk about, Lorelei."
Blue light flared in Caitlin's eyes as a vast wave of psychic power exploded outward, flooding into Metagross and Tapu Lele.
A Psychic like Sabrina, huh?
Lorelei's brows drew together.
"Lele, Lele～!"
Tapu Lele cried sharply, psychic energy bursting from its body and sweeping out over the area.
Its Ability—Psychic Surge!
"Come on, Lorelei.
I'd really like to see just how strong one of the so‑called strongest Elite Four actually is."
Caitlin reined her power back in, an elegant, beautiful smile curving her lips.
"Hmph."
Lorelei only snorted coldly, her gaze glacial.
Elsewhere, with Silvally and Vileplume clearing the way, Gladion and Ariana had managed to punch through the cordon of Officer Jennys and other officers.
But before they could even catch their breath, a howling gust of wind slammed toward them.
Before Ariana could react, Vileplume's entire body was suddenly sent flying, smashing into a building with a resounding crash.
"Vileplume?!"
Ariana was stunned.
What the hell was that?!
"Was that… a Hitmonlee's leg?"
Gladion stared into the distance, unsettled.
Out of the corner of his eye, he'd just barely seen it—
A lightning‑fast leg striking out from that direction.
"Two Team Rocket executives.
Looks like Lorelei was right—you would try to run."
A deep male voice spoke.
A heavily muscled man walked toward them, bare‑chested.
His face was stern, his wild black‑blue hair hanging long around his shoulders.
He wore loose white pants, with black bands around his wrists and ankles.
At his side stood a brown‑colored Pokémon.
"Elite Four Bruno!"
Gladion's eyes hardened.
That face was unmistakable—
Kanto Elite Four's Bruno.
"Bruno… seriously…"
Ariana felt her heart drop straight into an ice pit.
How were the two of them supposed to fight Bruno?
Lord Damian, help!
~~~
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