A perfect alibi

Lorelei's footsteps were light. Her high heels made no sound against the carpet.

But every step felt as though it landed on Ye Li's heart.

Ye Li felt his legs weakening. He could even hear his teeth chattering.

Run.

That was the only word left in his mind.

But he couldn't run.

He was the "person in charge" here now. If he ran, the entire defensive line would fall apart.

He could only stand there and watch that figure, like an icy queen, approach him step by step.

"Hello."

Lorelei's voice matched the impression she gave: cool and pleasant, yet tinged with distance.

"This is my first time here, so I don't really know how things work. Could you explain it to me?"

She looked like any ordinary visitor, her face showing just the right amount of curiosity.

But Ye Li knew those ice-blue eyes were quietly scrutinizing every subtle expression on his face.

"O-of course."

Ye Li felt his tongue practically tying itself in knots. He forced out a smile uglier than a grimace and began stammering through the contents of the training manual.

"This is Celadon City's largest comprehensive entertainment center."

"You can exchange cash for game tokens, then play whichever games you like..."

As he spoke, he frantically tried to encourage himself.

Stay calm, Ye Li. You can do this!

Don't look into her eyes. Look at her nose! Yes, just like that!

Treat her like an ordinary customer-a very difficult, very picky customer who might file a complaint against you at any moment!

His introduction was dry and dull, recited straight from the manual without any appeal.

But Lorelei listened attentively, occasionally asking questions.

"Is that the grand prize? It looks very rare."

She pointed at the Dratini in the central display case and asked casually.

Ye Li's heart leaped into his throat.

Here it comes. The probing has begun.

Alarm bells rang inside him. His mind raced as he analyzed which angles she might approach from.

The flow of funds? We have flawless fake accounts. An audit won't scare us.

The staff's backgrounds? Everyone uses a false identity. They can't trace anything back to Team Rocket.

The prizes' origins? That's the biggest problem, especially this Dratini.

"Yes, this is our game corner's mascot, Dratini."

Ye Li answered with forced composure while preparing an explanation in his mind.

"Our boss bought him from a licensed breeder at a high price. All the paperwork is in order."

Lorelei didn't press further. She simply nodded.

From the small bag she carried, she took out a compact device that looked like a makeup mirror and aimed it toward Dratini.

A barely visible blue light swept across the glass display case.

A line of small text appeared on the device: [Target information blocked by high-level encryption. Unable to read origin.]

Lorelei's gaze grew a little colder.

Pokémon sold by licensed breeders all had identifying records in the League's database. There was neither any need nor any possibility of using technology like this to conceal them.

Trying to hide it only gives it away.

This only deepened her suspicions.

Ye Li caught sight of the little device out of the corner of his eye and lavishly praised the technical department in his mind.

Nice work, technical department! That encryption really delivers!

But blocking her isn't enough. I need to give her a way to back down so she won't dare dig any deeper.

A name surfaced in his mind.

Erika, the Celadon Gym Leader.

The young lady who liked perfume and beautiful clothes.

Erika's family is one of Celadon City's biggest financial powerhouses, with businesses throughout Kanto.

If Erika's family owns shares in this game corner, then everything makes sense.

With Erika's family's influence, obtaining a Dratini of unknown origin and using a little technology to erase the traces would be child's play.

Even though Lorelei is an Elite Four member, she can't easily investigate a Gym Leader who's also a high-ranking League figure, especially without solid evidence.

That's what you call using the League's internal connections to create a barrier!

Ye Li mentally applauded his own quick thinking.

Just as he was about to find an opportunity to "casually" let Erika's name slip, Lorelei put away her device and spoke bluntly.

"I'm Lorelei of the Kanto League."

She took an identification booklet from her bag and showed it to Ye Li.

"I now suspect your game corner of illegal operations and smuggling rare Pokémon. I need to inspect your internal accounts."

Here it comes.

The true intent is finally revealed.

Ye Li felt his knees buckle and nearly dropped straight to the floor.

At that critical moment, a composed female voice came from behind him.

"Elite Four Lorelei, what an honor. My apologies for not greeting you sooner."

Matori had appeared behind Ye Li at some point. Wearing a professional smile, she gave Lorelei a slight bow, neither servile nor overbearing.

"Of course you may inspect our accounts."

She calmly took a thick ledger from the subordinate behind her and handed it over.

"These are all our accounts since the game corner opened. Every transaction is clearly recorded."

Then, as though remembering something, she added another remark.

"Oh, that's right. We only handle the operation and management of this game corner. Its actual majority shareholder is Miss Erika."

"Before we opened, Miss Erika specifically instructed us to operate legally and pay our taxes on time. We mustn't tarnish her family's reputation."

Matori's words were seamless.

She had appeared at exactly the right moment, and the ledger she produced was flawless.

Most importantly, she had mentioned Erika.

This proved that Giovanni's side had also thought of using Erika as a shield.

Great minds think alike.

No, the boss had the same idea I did.

Ye Li silently corrected himself.

Lorelei took the ledger and quickly leafed through it.

There really were no problems with the accounts. They were as clean as though they had been scrubbed a hundred times.

And Erika's name made things somewhat difficult for her.

She knew very well that Erika's family had an intricate network of connections within the League. One move could affect everything.

Without conclusive evidence, forcing the investigation further would only blow the matter up. In the end, she might uncover nothing while offending a powerful ally.

Lorelei closed the ledger.

She knew today's visit would yield no results.

The other side had clearly come prepared.

"Since there are no problems with the accounts, we'll leave it here for today."

She returned the ledger to Matori, her tone level.

"However, the League will continue to keep an eye on this place."

With that, she turned to leave.

But as she passed Ye Li, she stopped and gave him a long, searching look.

Her gaze was cold and sharp, as though it would freeze his very soul.

She would remember this young man.

The young man who, when facing her alone at the beginning, had been so nervous he could barely breathe, yet had still managed to hold on without revealing a single flaw.

This game corner concealed far more than she had imagined.