The sky stretched wide and blue, with only a few stray clouds drifting lazily across it. Below, waves rolled gently onto the beach, where countless women in bikinis were laughing and playing in the surf—a dazzling sight that could make anyone stop and stare.
"To think we'd meet in a place like this... So much for that 'cool and distant Elite Four' image I had in mind."
Wearing only beach shorts and a T-shirt, Nozomi strolled casually along the sand.
Tomorrow would mark the final day before Team Rocket's operation. The reason he was here instead of monitoring the Rocket hideout near the harbor was simple—Agatha had sent him a message. He was to meet with Lorelei, who had just arrived in Vermilion City.
Scanning the crowded beach, Nozomi searched for any sign of her.
Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Who?"
Alert, Nozomi's hand immediately brushed against the Poké Ball that held his Metagross.
"Heh, interesting little boy."
"???"
The voice made him turn sharply. Standing before him was a red-haired woman wearing sunglasses and a bikini, smiling faintly.
In her arms, she carried a Pikachu plushie, and in her other hand, a glass filled with some unknown tropical drink. She looked every bit the picture of a carefree tourist enjoying her vacation in Vermilion City.
But Nozomi recognized her instantly.
"Lorelei of the Elite Four?"
He had seen her photo before—there was no mistaking her.
"Sharp eyes. You must be Nozomi," Lorelei said cheerfully, clearly pleased by his reaction. She took another sip of her drink and added playfully, "You're even more handsome than the rumors said."
Nozomi's mouth twitched. "...That's me."
Judging from her relaxed posture and amused tone, Lorelei didn't look like someone preparing for an anti–Team Rocket operation. She looked more like someone on holiday.
"Then I've got the right person. When I got the intel from old Granny Agatha, I was shocked. The Nozomi everyone in the League has been gossiping about lately turned out to be such a good-looking young man."
Her words left Nozomi speechless.
"Is this woman really Lorelei?"
The Lorelei he had pictured was cool, distant, and elegant—an untouchable Ice-type master. Even if she weren't cold, she should at least act normal. But this? This was... absurd.
Was he sure he hadn't mistaken her for someone else who just looked like Lorelei?
He studied her carefully—no, her appearance was spot-on. The ice crystal hairpin securing her red hair matched exactly what Agatha's intel described.
Then he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks and caught the unmistakable scent of alcohol.
"Lorelei... are you drunk?" Nozomi asked uncertainly.
He wasn't mistaken. The smell of alcohol was definitely coming from her breath.
"Drunk? Hmmm, I might have had a little at lunch," Lorelei said after a moment of thought.
Still hugging her Pikachu plushie, she looked adorably innocent—nothing like one of the Kanto League's top trainers.
"..."
A little? Really?
And before work, too? The idea made Nozomi's scalp tingle.
"Anyway, please come with me, Lorelei," he said quickly.
Before discussing anything important, it was best to let her sober up. In this condition, if they ran into Team Rocket, forget about relying on her strength—he'd be lucky if she didn't drag him down with her.
With that, Nozomi led Lorelei toward the hotel.
Lorelei followed behind him, still looking dazed and half-asleep. She seemed so out of it that Nozomi couldn't help but wonder if anyone could just walk up and kidnap the famous Ice-type Elite without a fight.
Meanwhile, not long after the two of them left—
Two oddly dressed figures appeared at the spot where Nozomi had been standing.
They stood out immediately. Despite it being midsummer—and the beach full of people in T-shirts and bikinis—these two were wearing long trench coats.
The pair scanned their surroundings carefully.
"Are you sure the intel was right? Nozomi's not here!" a woman's voice said irritably.
"Our people just reported seeing him. There's no way they were mistaken," replied the man beside her.
Their conversation made it clear—they were after Nozomi.
"Looks like he's moved. He might've sensed something. Seems our target isn't easy to deal with," the woman muttered.
"Of course not. If he were, we wouldn't have lost so many operatives trying to deal with him."
"So what now? Keep chasing him?"
"Forget it. Let's finish the mission Giovanni assigned first. We'll deal with Nozomi later."
"Right. Have Lt. Surge's people search for his traces. If anyone spots him, they can claim to be from Vermilion Gym. No one will question that."
With that, the two Team Rocket agents turned and walked away. Many beachgoers gave them confused looks as they left, wondering why anyone would wear trench coats in this heat.
Nozomi, of course, had no idea that not long after he left, high-ranking Rocket operatives had come looking for him. At that moment, he was inside the luxurious Vermilion Hotel, right in the heart of Vermilion City.
"Elite Four Lorelei, have you sobered up yet?" Nozomi asked, glancing at her.
He had brought her all the way back from the beach, and now, hearing his question, Lorelei suddenly recalled how ridiculous she must have looked earlier. Her icy composure cracked instantly, and a faint blush crept up her face.
"I'm fine now," she muttered, trying to sound calm.
But inside, she was mortified. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't handle alcohol, so why had she agreed to that glass of red wine at lunch? Because of that one mistake, she had nearly botched her mission—and to make it worse, she'd flirted with her junior.
Just remembering calling Nozomi a "handsome little boy" made her want to sink into the floor. The shame was unbearable.
Nozomi couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
He'd never expected the famously cool and commanding Lorelei to have such an awkward side. Still, he was tactful enough not to tease her about it.
"Ahem... Well then, Elite Four Lorelei—"
"No need to call me 'Elite Four Lorelei.' Just 'Lorelei' is fine," she interrupted.
After what had happened, she didn't have the heart to act high and mighty anymore. Normally, the title "Elite Four" was for maintaining authority and command in public. But now, standing before Nozomi, her dignity as an Elite was in tatters. Continuing to use the title just felt awkward.
Understanding her intent to ease the atmosphere (and probably to make sure he kept quiet about her drunken antics), Nozomi smiled.
"Alright then, Lorelei it is."
"I assume Granny Agatha already briefed you, though perhaps not in full detail. I'll go over the situation in Vermilion again—fill in any missing pieces."
Chapter 79 – LoreleiThe sky stretched wide and blue, with only a few stray clouds drifting lazily across it. Below, waves rolled gently onto the beach, where countless women in bikinis were laughing and playing in the surf—a dazzling sight that could make anyone stop and stare.
"To think we'd meet in a place like this... So much for that 'cool and distant Elite Four' image I had in mind."
Wearing only beach shorts and a T-shirt, Nozomi strolled casually along the sand.
Tomorrow would mark the final day before Team Rocket's operation. The reason he was here instead of monitoring the Rocket hideout near the harbor was simple—Agatha had sent him a message. He was to meet with Lorelei, who had just arrived in Vermilion City.
Scanning the crowded beach, Nozomi searched for any sign of her.
Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Who?"
Alert, Nozomi's hand immediately brushed against the Poké Ball that held his Metagross.
"Heh, interesting little boy."
"???"
The voice made him turn sharply. Standing before him was a red-haired woman wearing sunglasses and a bikini, smiling faintly.
In her arms, she carried a Pikachu plushie, and in her other hand, a glass filled with some unknown tropical drink. She looked every bit the picture of a carefree tourist enjoying her vacation in Vermilion City.
But Nozomi recognized her instantly.
"Lorelei of the Elite Four?"
He had seen her photo before—there was no mistaking her.
"Sharp eyes. You must be Nozomi," Lorelei said cheerfully, clearly pleased by his reaction. She took another sip of her drink and added playfully, "You're even more handsome than the rumors said."
Nozomi's mouth twitched. "...That's me."
Judging from her relaxed posture and amused tone, Lorelei didn't look like someone preparing for an anti–Team Rocket operation. She looked more like someone on holiday.
"Then I've got the right person. When I got the intel from old Granny Agatha, I was shocked. The Nozomi everyone in the League has been gossiping about lately turned out to be such a good-looking young man."
Her words left Nozomi speechless.
"Is this woman really Lorelei?"
The Lorelei he had pictured was cool, distant, and elegant—an untouchable Ice-type master. Even if she weren't cold, she should at least act normal. But this? This was... absurd.
Was he sure he hadn't mistaken her for someone else who just looked like Lorelei?
He studied her carefully—no, her appearance was spot-on. The ice crystal hairpin securing her red hair matched exactly what Agatha's intel described.
Then he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks and caught the unmistakable scent of alcohol.
"Lorelei... are you drunk?" Nozomi asked uncertainly.
He wasn't mistaken. The smell of alcohol was definitely coming from her breath.
"Drunk? Hmmm, I might have had a little at lunch," Lorelei said after a moment of thought.
Still hugging her Pikachu plushie, she looked adorably innocent—nothing like one of the Kanto League's top trainers.
"..."
A little? Really?
And before work, too? The idea made Nozomi's scalp tingle.
"Anyway, please come with me, Lorelei," he said quickly.
Before discussing anything important, it was best to let her sober up. In this condition, if they ran into Team Rocket, forget about relying on her strength—he'd be lucky if she didn't drag him down with her.
With that, Nozomi led Lorelei toward the hotel.
Lorelei followed behind him, still looking dazed and half-asleep. She seemed so out of it that Nozomi couldn't help but wonder if anyone could just walk up and kidnap the famous Ice-type Elite without a fight.
Meanwhile, not long after the two of them left—
Two oddly dressed figures appeared at the spot where Nozomi had been standing.
They stood out immediately. Despite it being midsummer—and the beach full of people in T-shirts and bikinis—these two were wearing long trench coats.
The pair scanned their surroundings carefully.
"Are you sure the intel was right? Nozomi's not here!" a woman's voice said irritably.
"Our people just reported seeing him. There's no way they were mistaken," replied the man beside her.
Their conversation made it clear—they were after Nozomi.
"Looks like he's moved. He might've sensed something. Seems our target isn't easy to deal with," the woman muttered.
"Of course not. If he were, we wouldn't have lost so many operatives trying to deal with him."
"So what now? Keep chasing him?"
"Forget it. Let's finish the mission Giovanni assigned first. We'll deal with Nozomi later."
"Right. Have Lt. Surge's people search for his traces. If anyone spots him, they can claim to be from Vermilion Gym. No one will question that."
With that, the two Team Rocket agents turned and walked away. Many beachgoers gave them confused looks as they left, wondering why anyone would wear trench coats in this heat.
Nozomi, of course, had no idea that not long after he left, high-ranking Rocket operatives had come looking for him. At that moment, he was inside the luxurious Vermilion Hotel, right in the heart of Vermilion City.
"Elite Four Lorelei, have you sobered up yet?" Nozomi asked, glancing at her.
He had brought her all the way back from the beach, and now, hearing his question, Lorelei suddenly recalled how ridiculous she must have looked earlier. Her icy composure cracked instantly, and a faint blush crept up her face.
"I'm fine now," she muttered, trying to sound calm.
But inside, she was mortified. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't handle alcohol, so why had she agreed to that glass of red wine at lunch? Because of that one mistake, she had nearly botched her mission—and to make it worse, she'd flirted with her junior.
Just remembering calling Nozomi a "handsome little boy" made her want to sink into the floor. The shame was unbearable.
Nozomi couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
He'd never expected the famously cool and commanding Lorelei to have such an awkward side. Still, he was tactful enough not to tease her about it.
"Ahem... Well then, Elite Four Lorelei—"
"No need to call me 'Elite Four Lorelei.' Just 'Lorelei' is fine," she interrupted.
After what had happened, she didn't have the heart to act high and mighty anymore. Normally, the title "Elite Four" was for maintaining authority and command in public. But now, standing before Nozomi, her dignity as an Elite was in tatters. Continuing to use the title just felt awkward.
Understanding her intent to ease the atmosphere (and probably to make sure he kept quiet about her drunken antics), Nozomi smiled.
"Alright then, Lorelei it is."
"I assume Granny Agatha already briefed you, though perhaps not in full detail. I'll go over the situation in Vermilion again—fill in any missing pieces."