Lorelei, one of the Kanto Region's Elite Four, was a master of Ice-type Pokémon.
She was not only powerful but also renowned for her cool head and keen insight.
Besides her position in the Elite Four, she was secretly responsible for intelligence and oversight within the Pokémon League.
On her desk, a report from Celadon City had put her on high alert.
The report indicated that an entertainment venue called the Rainbow Game Corner had recently appeared in Celadon City, and its daily cash flow had already reached an outrageous figure.
More suspiciously, there were faint signs of Team Rocket behind the game corner.
"Team Rocket..."
Lorelei tapped her fingertips lightly against the desk, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
This criminal organization, entrenched in the Kanto Region like a malignant tumor, seemed to have been a little too active lately.
She decided to visit Celadon City herself.
She wanted to see just what secrets lay behind this game corner.
To avoid alerting them, Lorelei did not call on the Pokémon League's resources. Instead, she slipped into Celadon City in secret, posing as an ordinary tourist.
She changed out of her signature outfit and into a simple blue dress, put on a pair of oversized sunglasses, and let her long, ice-blue hair fall loosely around her shoulders.
Now she looked like a stylish city woman with a somewhat chilly air, making it hard to connect her with the renowned Ice-type member of the Elite Four.
Her first and only destination was the Rainbow Game Corner.
At that moment, Ye Li was in the game corner's manager's office, reviewing the latest financial statements.
Looking at those astronomical figures, he had gone from his initial shock to feeling somewhat numb.
What concerned him more now was how to optimize the game corner's operations and prevent anyone from exploiting loopholes in the rules to maliciously claim prizes.
The slot machines' win rate could use another slight adjustment. Lowering it by half a percent wouldn't affect the player experience, and it would take our earnings up another notch.
The lines at the counter for exchanging tokens for Technical Machines have been too long lately. We should add an online reservation system to spread out the crowds.
Also, that Dratini offered as the grand prize has been kept in the glass case for too long and is looking a little listless. We need to have the keeper take it outside for some fresh air. Otherwise, if its condition deteriorates, it'll be less appealing.
Ye Li studied the statements while working through all these details in his head.
After checking the accounts, he got up to make his routine rounds of the game corner.
Just as he passed a pinball machine area, he suddenly stopped.
He noticed a woman standing in a corner whose bearing was completely at odds with the noisy surroundings.
She wore a blue dress and sunglasses that obscured her face, but the coldness and detachment that seemed to seep from her very bones made her stand out sharply among the frenzied gamblers.
Unlike the others, she was not absorbed in the games. Instead, she was quietly observing everything around her.
Her gaze swept over the game corner's layout, the positions of the security staff, and the locations of the surveillance cameras.
That gaze belonged less to a gambler out for entertainment than to a commander surveying a battlefield.
Alarm bells rang in Ye Li's mind.
Although he had never met this woman, he had played the games and watched the anime in his previous life.
That signature long, ice-blue hair, that icy demeanor that kept everyone at arm's length...
A name flashed through his mind like lightning.
Lorelei!
Lorelei, one of Kanto's Elite Four!
Holy shit! What's she doing here?
Ye Li felt his heart skip a beat.
Has the Pokémon League already set its sights on us? Is she here for a preliminary investigation?
Now we're in serious trouble!
Cold sweat instantly soaked Ye Li's back.
He forced himself to calm down and walked past the woman as though nothing was wrong, but towering waves were already surging through his mind.
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