But being tasked with a mission without any progress is what makes Ash anxious.
Lorelei shook her head and said, "Not yet. Our investigation into Team Galactic has hit a bottleneck, which is why I'm hosting this performance match so prominently here—to stir things up a bit, hoping Team Galactic will reveal themselves, although the chances of success are slim."
Currently, there's almost no news leaking from Team Galactic; it's impossible to begin an investigation as if they don't exist in the Kanto Region at all. If it weren't for Cynthia's investigation turning up, they'd even doubt whether Team Galactic is still in Kanto.
But according to their previous information, it's impossible for Team Galactic to leave Kanto. One reason is they haven't been discovered, so there's no need to retreat, and the other is their objective hasn't been achieved.
Speaking of Team Galactic's objective, it's naturally the Sea God Lugia. For Lugia, they even went to great lengths to turn Little Lugia into a Dark Attribute Pokemon, but Cynthia intercepted them midway.
Team Galactic must hate Cynthia to the bone, as she ruined their plans and stole their achievements, causing their plans to stall.
Thus, when Cynthia returned again, the likelihood of her encountering targeted traps is quite high. If Cynthia is trapped, then the only Alliance member capable of finding their whereabouts disappears, giving them even less reason to flee.
Therefore, those guys from Team Galactic must still be in the Orange Archipelago!
Lorelei's idea is to use the performance match to let the entire Orange Archipelago know she's arrived. This way, Team Galactic, who are on the archipelago, will likely get the news. Whatever action Team Galactic takes might reveal a flaw.
The fear is if Team Galactic doesn't act at all, then there's really no way to start. The scary part is... the latter is more likely.
Even Lorelei isn't very sure if this performance match will have any effect.
"Miss Lorelei, can the opponent in the performance match be changed to me?" Ash asked astonishingly.
"Change it to you?" Lorelei raised her brow slightly. Even if it's Ash, the effect of the performance match would be similar, and it might make Team Galactic more wary, which in other words, adds no benefit.
Could it be that Ash still wants to conduct a simple Pokemon battle to test his results?
"That's right, change it to me. If it's me... Team Galactic might actively come looking!"
...
"Hello there, spectators! I'm Allen, the host providing full coverage of this Elite performance match! Without further ado, let us grandly invite the star player of this performance match—the Ice Elite, Miss Lorelei!!"
"Woohoo——!!" A tsunami of cheers instantly swept across the arena. Amidst the heated, boiling atmosphere, Lorelei gracefully stepped out from the players' section.
The tailored professional suit outlined her graceful figure, her straight, slender legs gleaming with a fine sheen under the sunlight. Her steps exuded elegance and ease, showing none of lasciviousness—instead reflecting the brisk and valiant bearing unique to strong figures.
Her face, possessing both intelligence and beauty, held a gentle and composed smile. Her burgundy eyes slightly arched as if filled with soft light.
As she lifted her hand to nod in greeting to the audience, her gestures revealed the calm aura of a top-notch Trainer, accompanied with the right level of affinity—instantly pushing the onsite enthusiastic atmosphere to a new peak.
"And next is the opponent of Ice Elite—someone whose name you won't find unfamiliar: this year's Quartz Conference Champion from Pallet Town, contestant Ash!!" Allen's voice echoed through the venue. There was a brief silence among the crowd because they didn't immediately recognize who Ash was.
The original opponent for this performance was already set—a Trainer unknown with even their name unheard of, and the skill seemed just average.
Most who came to watch are mainly here for Lorelei, and weren't concerned about her opponent. It turns out the opponent wasn't the original person scheduled, but rather a contestant named Ash.
"Ash... sounds familiar?"
"Idiot! It's the Kanto Superstar Ash! He won the Quartz Conference after traveling for just half a year and beat an Elite substitute along the way; nearly defeating Elite Lorelei in a performance match!" Those familiar with Ash eagerly revealed his info.
This now made everyone, whether familiar with Ash or not, instantly excited.
"What?! Winning the Quartz Conference after traveling for just half a year?! What kind of monster is this!"
"I remember now, it's that super newbie. How did he end up on Ganju Island and face off with Elite Lorelei?"
"Come to think of it, isn't this battle akin to a rematch between Ash and Elite Lorelei? Ash wouldn't be seeking revenge for his previous defeat, would he?!!"
"Wow, this is going to be explosive! Luckily I got my ticket; those thinking the performance match wasn't worth seeing and didn't snap up tickets must regret it now!"
"..."
The audience's discussions grew louder, and through word of mouth, even those not familiar with Ash gained a fresh understanding of the opponent Lorelei would face.
It turns out the opponent of Lorelei isn't ordinary but a super genius!
Moreover, this super genius once had a performance match with Lorelei. Although phrased as a performance match, it was almost like an Elite official match!
What Lorelei dispatched was a genuinely Elite level Pokemon—a trump card in other regions!
To Lorelei, it might not be the main force, but it certainly proved just how formidable Ash was back then!
Now, several months have passed since then, and who knows how much Ash has progressed—would his famed Charizard appear in this battle?
As the buzzing from the excited crowd grew louder, a young figure finally emerged from another players' section, and with the light shining on the figure, everyone saw clearly who had arrived.
Wearing a red-and-white cap, a simple jacket paired with denim pants, a golden Pikachu stood proudly on his shoulder, and a smile of boundless confidence graced his face.
Ash's appearance turned the surrounding chatter into unparalleled cheering, with everyone shouting for Ash and feeling fortunate to witness this match.
The ticket prices for that performance match at Cerulean Gym were once sky-high! While ninety-nine percent of those present didn't witness that match live, they understood its cost.
Yet now, they've secured a ticket to Ash's match against Lorelei at a more than ordinary price; they couldn't be luckier.
A supposedly plain and mundane performance match instantly turned into one with great suspense and anticipation.
"Miss Lorelei, let's have an all-out battle!" Ash adjusted his cap and shouted towards Lorelei.
"Hm, I'm looking forward to it, looking forward to your strength, Ash." Lorelei lightly nodded her fair chin in response.
Then both contestants took out their Pokeballs, and after the referee announced the rule of two-on-two, they forcefully flung their Pokeballs onto the battlefield!
"Roar!!" The fiery orange dragon flapped its wings and roared towards the sky.
"Spaa~" A blue Pokemon with a shell-like appearance appeared before Lorelei, a water and ice type Cloyster!