"His file is completely blank? He's only been registered for a day?"
Outside the Vermilion City Gym, a red-haired woman in rimless glasses and a purple business suit held a tablet.
She pushed her glasses up her nose, her gaze turning cold. She was Lorelei, the Ice-type master of Kanto's Elite Four.
"Looks like I'll have to go myself." Lorelei handed the tablet to the secretary behind her. "Cancel this afternoon's League meeting."
"But, Master Lorelei, it's an important meeting about Team Rocket..."
"Nothing is more important than a monster with an unknown background." Lorelei turned, her heels clicking sharply against the ground.
Meanwhile, Lin Hao was crouching outside the Vermilion City Gym with an ice pop in his hand. "Why's the door locked?" he asked indistinctly, biting into it.
"Gym Leader Lt. Surge went out to sea for special training today. The Gym is closed." May stood beside him, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"How unprofessional." Lin Hao took another bite of his ice pop. "And I went out of my way to walk here."
"Didn't you say you wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep?!"
"I'll sleep after getting the badge. Saves me another trip tomorrow." Lin Hao stood up. "Forget it. Since he's not here, let's head back to Pallet Town."
He had just turned around when sharp footsteps rang out through the empty street. Click, click, click.
A sudden chill descended. Despite the midsummer heat, the temperature plunged to freezing in an instant.
Lin Hao stopped and shivered. "Why did it suddenly get so cold?" He couldn't help rubbing his arms.
May turned to look and held her breath. "Holy shit!" She nearly bit her tongue. "M-Master Lorelei?!"
The newcomer was indeed Lorelei. She adjusted her glasses, fixing her icy gaze on Lin Hao.
"You're the rookie who burned a cargo hold's iron door into glass?" Lorelei asked in a flat voice.
"You've got the wrong person." Lin Hao took another bite of his ice pop without batting an eye. "I'm just an ordinary passerby."
Beside him, May frantically tugged at his clothes. "Are you insane?! This is Master Lorelei of Kanto's Elite Four! At least think about who you're lying to!" she hissed.
Ignoring May's reaction, Lorelei walked straight up to Lin Hao, stopping less than half a meter away.
Cold radiated from her body, freezing the ice pop in Lin Hao's hand into a solid brick.
"I don't need you to admit it." Lorelei took a Poké Ball bearing an ice-and-snow emblem from her waist. "I'm here to give a rookie a little guidance as a senior trainer."
"No guidance needed." Lin Hao took half a step back. "I'm already strong enough. I don't need to improve."
"That's not up to you." Lorelei threw the Poké Ball. "Go, Lapras!"
"Wooo!" With an ethereal cry, an enormous Lapras landed heavily on the street.
A thick layer of white frost formed across the pavement, and the surrounding temperature dropped straight below zero.
Inside System Space, Groudon let out an angry roar. "ROAR! (It's freezing! I want to go out and cook that giant sea turtle with lava!)"
Ho-Oh hopped furiously. "How dare she make Master cold! Let me out! I'll burn her bald with Sacred Fire!"
Quiet, all of you. It's cold, Lin Hao grumbled inwardly. Outside, he exhaled a cloud of white mist.
"Lady, this is pretty rude." Lin Hao shoved his hands into his pockets. "Letting a Pokémon out in the middle of the street like that-what if you wreck the flowers and plants?"
"Withstand one attack from me." Lorelei's gaze flashed. "If you can take it, I'll let you go. If you can't, you'll come back to the League with me for questioning."
"Fine." Lin Hao sighed helplessly and reached for the Poké Ball at his waist. "Being forced to work is exhausting."
Lin Hao pressed the button. "Charizard, come out and warm things up."
White light flashed. A dark-red Charizard flapped its broad wings and landed on the frost-covered ground.
"ROAR!" With that furious dragon's cry, the blue-white flame on Charizard's tail shot high into the air.
Terrifying heat erupted! Hissss! All the white frost that had covered the ground evaporated into white steam within a second.
Mist engulfed the entire street in the blink of an eye, and the temperature rocketed from below freezing to over thirty degrees.
"It's so hot!" May hurriedly took off her jacket, sweat pouring down her face.
Lorelei frowned. She pushed up her glasses, her pupils narrowing slightly.
"This Charizard's flame temperature... can actually match my Lapras?" Lorelei gritted her teeth. "Lapras, Ice Beam!"
"Wooo!" Lapras opened its mouth, firing an ice-blue beam as thick as a bowl straight at Charizard.
The water vapor within the thick ice-blue beam condensed directly into icy spikes. Its power was astonishing-this was a signature attack from an Elite Four member's ace Pokémon!
"Pika!" Pikachu cried nervously from Lin Hao's shoulder, but Lin Hao couldn't even be bothered to dodge.
"Charizard, Fire Blast." Lin Hao waved a hand casually.
"ROAR!" Charizard opened its massive jaws, unleashing an enormous blue-white flame shaped like the character 大!
BOOM! Ice Beam and Fire Blast slammed into each other in the middle of the street.
There was no evenly matched stalemate, only an overwhelming rout. The blue-white flames became a savage beast, swallowing the blue light head-on.
"What?!" Lorelei cried out involuntarily as the flames pushed back Ice Beam, burning their way right up to Lapras.
"Lapras, quick! Use Hydro Pump to defend!" Lorelei ordered urgently, but it was already too late. The scorching wave of heat melted the ice surrounding Lapras.
Although the flames didn't hit directly, the terrifying heat still sent Lapras flying.
BAM! Lapras's enormous body crashed into the Gym wall as the steam in the air grew thicker and thicker.
That entire street in Vermilion City had become one giant sauna.
Everyone was drenched in sweat. Silence fell as Lorelei stared blankly at her panting Lapras. May had gone completely numb.
Looking at the ice pop that had melted into sugary water in his hand, Lin Hao sighed. He aimed his Poké Ball at Charizard. "Return."
Red light flashed, and Charizard returned to the ball. The temperature went back to normal.
Lin Hao walked up to Lorelei. "Lady, are you done testing me?" He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You call this giving a rookie guidance? I nearly roasted to death."
Lorelei steadied herself, forcibly suppressing her shock. She recalled Lapras and adjusted her glasses again.
"You won." Lorelei stared at Lin Hao. "Who exactly are you?"
"I'm just an ordinary delivery guy." Lin Hao spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face.
"Ordinary?" Lorelei sneered. "An ordinary person's Charizard can overpower my Lapras?"
"It's usually pretty hotheaded. I fed it a lot of chili peppers." Lin Hao brushed her off with a casual excuse.
Lorelei stared at him. "The Kanto League's pond isn't big enough to hold a dragon like you." She turned away. "I'll report everything accurately. You'd better not do anything out of line."
With that, Lorelei strode away on her heels, her retreat looking somewhat less than composed.
May walked over to Lin Hao, watching Lorelei leave. "You actually fought off an Elite Four member?"
"She was the one who wanted to fight. What's that got to do with me?" Lin Hao tossed the remaining wooden stick into a trash can.
"Just how much strength are you hiding?!"
"I told you, I'm really weak." Lin Hao stretched with a huge yawn, then turned and walked away. "Come on. Back to Pallet Town."
"Why?" May hurried after him. "We haven't gotten the Vermilion City badge yet!"
"I'm exhausted. Let's go back and sleep."
Before you continue