Orange Archipelago, Mandarin Island…

There were many perks to being an Elite Four member. For starters, there was the great fame and renown you would attain as a professional Pokémon trainer, as well as the ample monetary income you received from the Pokémon League, enough to buy yourself a summer house in a tropical paradise such as Mandarin Island. Of course, all of that was worthless unless you had someone to share it with.

Lorelei took off her glasses to feel the warm sea breeze in her face, and closed her eyes to listen to the waves. There was nothing she enjoyed more than to go with the flow.

"What's on your mind, ice nymph?" a voice whispered to her ear, making her smile.

"Not much," she said, feeling a pair of strong arms embracing her. "Just listening to the wind and the waves. Can you hear them, Frey?"

"Yeah. This place is a lot like back home, isn't it?"

Lorelei nodded. Having been born and raised in the Sevii Islands, this place reminded her of her childhood home. In fact she had been considering to settle down here permanently one day, maybe when she decided to step down as an Elite Four member, but for the time being, it worked nicely as a getaway place to spend her free time, as well as enjoy it with her significant other while they were both on a break from their usual activities.

"So, what time does the lecture start?" Frey asked.

"At 9:00 am, but my part starts at about 10:30," said Lorelei. "There will be a break for lunch at 11:30 and the exhibition battles start at 1:00 pm."

"That's what I'm looking forward to see." Frey grinned as he held her closer. "I haven't seen you battle in quite a while, I want to check out how strong you've become."

"You do know that we could just have a friendly battle right here and now, don't you?"

"We could, yeah. But with the trashing you gave me in our last match, I'd rather not take my chances."

Lorelei turned around and gave him a flirty smile. That last match had been, like, four years ago, when they both competed for the Elite Four spot, and they hadn't battled each other since then. And she wouldn't call it a 'trashing': she had to work out for her victory, and only managed to win because she got one lucky hit in the end, when her Lapras and Frey's Charizard were on their last legs.

In the end, though, despite having lost, Frey's performance impressed the then-Elite Four member Lance Wataru enough to approach Lorelei after she was officially inducted and get them both in touch. That was how Frey had gotten his current job, and while he was pretty satisfied with it, sometimes it made them regret not being able to spend as much time together as they would have liked. The two had huge responsibilities to take care of.

"After the conference, shall we go for a walk at the beach?" Frey asked.

"I'd love to," said Lorelei, giving him a peck on the lips. "There are still a few things I need to sort out tomorrow, not to mention getting you a good seat. And I could use some time to write a bit of my new novel."

"Take your sweet time."

Letting go of Frey, Lorelei went back into the house. Another thing she liked about these sparse breaks was to be able to spare some time to enjoy her two secret hobbies, of which only a few people (Frey included) knew about.

The first was her penchant for collecting Pokémon stuffed dolls. Her collection started with a Lapras plushy she received on her eight birthday. Once there were too many at her house in Floe Island, she began keeping them here as well, and the latest addition had been a Dratini doll Frey kindly bought for her before coming here.

The second was writing. She often would write articles for magazines such as Pokémon Pal, Pokémon Graph, and Aha! Pokémon Journal, as well as some light novels based on her early adventures as a Pokémon trainer, all under the pseudonym 'Prima'. It was kind of funny, given that she had found many fans of both her personas, unaware that they were one and the same. So far nobody had been able to piece the clues together.

In any case, all she wanted was to enjoy this little breather as much as possible. Once Lorelei was done with the lecture, she and Frey would be able to spend the rest of the week at their leisure, forgetting about the work and the rest for the world to be nothing more than lovers.

Meanwhile, somewhere else…

"Yes, I understand. I'll inform the others."

The cap-wearing blonde switched off her phone, and looked around to make sure nobody was watching. She then dialed a number and waited for a response. It took a while, but they finally answered.

"Yes?"

"Domino speaking. I'm afraid the operation has been cancelled."

"What? No way!"

"You've heard me. The boss himself has ordered that we return to HQ as soon as possible. Plus, he thinks it'll be too dangerous to attack with an Elite Four around."

"Aw, shucks, and here I thought we'd get some fun."

"Orders are orders," said the blonde. "A helicopter will pick us up tomorrow, so be ready for it. Domino out."

As she clicked her phone, Domino glanced around again, and began to make her way back to her hotel. That wasn't her real name, but most everyone had gotten used to call her that, and she actually preferred it to being called '009' or 'Black Tulip', as she was also known within Team Rocket's ranks.

Domino had been sent here leading a Team Rocket force to oversee and attack a lecture scheduled for the next day, a seminar about a Pokémon evolution to which several important scientists and researchers would be attending. However, as she went snooping around town undercover, she overheard some interesting rumors about a surprise guest coming for the lecture. Further research revealed that Elite Four member Lorelei had a summer house in Mandarin Island and she had been spotted recently around town. Putting two and two together, the Rocket agent didn't take long to figure out who might the surprise guest be. After informing Giovanni about this, the Rocket leader decided to call off the operation, and Domino agreed. After all, it would be foolish to try and take an Elite Four member, especially given that her grunts were still greenhorns.

As she passed in front of a dark alley, she suddenly sensed something, and quickly ducked to dodge an outstretched muscular arm trying to grab hold of her neck. She immediately rolled forward and turned around to see the one responsible.

"Why, hello there, babe," said a gruff male voice, and then a giant muscular man stepped out of the shadows. "I see you've got pretty sharp reflexes."

"A girl needs to take care of herself," said Domino, smirking. The man inched closer.

"Look, gorgeous, we can do this the easy way, or my way. Give me everything you have, money, jewelry, and that fancy phone of yours, and I'll let you walk away. Of course, I'd be willing to accept other forms of payment."

"I have a better idea. Why don't you just walk away peacefully and I won't have to hurt you?" said Domino.

"Alright, my way it is."

The man tried to jump over her, but Domino gave him a backflip kick to the chin, easily landing back to deliver a three-kick combo to the stomach, face and chest, causing him to stagger back. Made even more painful by the fact she had reinforced her boots' soles just for that purpose. After this, she quickly pulled out of her jacket a black tulip that she extended into a staff, and when the guy charged at her again, she simply pointed it forward and sent out an electric discharge. After leaving him stunned, she quickly got behind him and hit him on the back of the neck to knock him out.

"Never mess with the Black Tulip, darling," she said before putting away her tulip and resuming her walk.

The next morning…

The main auditorium where the seminar was to be held was packed. Lorelei had managed to get a front row seat for Frey, and the two arrived rather early before the place became crowded with the attendants. In front of the huge audience there was a large open stage with a glass case near the speaker's podium on the left side. Inside of it there was a rather impressive array of Pokémon Evolution-related items, including Fire, Leaf, Water, Thunder and other Evolutionary Stones, as well as items like Razor Fangs and Claws, King's Rocks, Dragon Scales, Deep Sea Teeth and Scales, and more. On the wall behind the stage there was a large theater screen.

Lorelei was rather relaxed as she waited for the seminar to begin. In her entire career she had learned to deal with her everyday tasks by going with the flow, like water gently flowing through a river. When she was in battle, though, she preferred to become cold and hard as ice, like her Pokémon of choice. That created the perfect balance between kindness and strength that had made her the great trainer she was nowadays. And she planned to make good use of it. After all, this wasn't the first lecture she had attended.

Once the seats were full, the first one to step up to the speaker's pod was none other than the local Pokémon Professor from the Orange Islands. The female scientist tested the microphone and her face appeared in the large screen behind the stage, while her voice resounded across the auditorium.

"Good morning, and welcome to our Pokémon Seminar. I am Professor Philena Ivy, and it's good to see so many of you coming here today." There was a big round of applause while the woman paused to greet everyone. "As you all know, our topic will be Pokémon Evolution. During this seminar we will discuss about how evolution affects a Pokémon physiology, what triggers the process, and more importantly, the question on whether or not you should evolve your Pokémon. We will also go about how to handle evolved Pokémon and different training methods. So without further ado, let me introduce you to our first guest speaker. Let's give a warm welcome to Professor Westwood."

There was another round of applause as an old, balding man with a rather big nose came on stage. After greeting the crowd, the old Professor began lecturing about a particular case in Pokémon evolution; namely, the Slowpoke evolutionary line, one of the rarest cases of the evolution not being permanent, and coming as a result of the merging between two or more Pokémon.

After Westwood, other speakers were William Masaki Sonezaki, affectionately known as "Bill the Poké Maniac", Doctor Quincy T. Quackenpoker, who recently conducted a study about Magikarp migration and evolution in Rind Island, and even some who couldn't attend in person such as Professor Rowan from the Sinnoh region, were able to share their knowledge via videoconference. Lorelei awaited her turn patiently, though inside she was very eager to share her experience and thoughts with the many trainers and attendees of this seminar.

"And now, for our final guest speaker," announced Professor Ivy. "Let me introduce you to one of the finest Pokémon Masters in our current time. Fluid as water and tough as ice, let's all give a warm welcome to Lorelei of the Kanto Elite Four!"

There was a thunderous roar in the entire audience, and the Ice/Water Pokémon Master received a standing ovation. Lorelei got her cue and walked in from the offstage and waved to the masses. After she spotted her boyfriend on the front row, she stopped for a bit to wink and blow a kiss in his direction. Many guys (and girls) who were close by almost fainted at the gesture as Lorelei stepped up to the stage and took to the podium. But Frey knew it had been for him and him alone.

"Thank you, Professor Ivy. I feel honored to participate in this seminar. It is good to be here in Mandarin Island." The red-haired woman talked with a gentle voice, quickly catching the attention of everyone present.

"As we have discussed, there are many methods of Pokémon evolution, and we have talked about the changes some of them undergo after getting through the process. However, just as there are many Pokémon species, each Pokémon is different and special in its own way. As sentient beings, they have their own individual traits, and they grow at different rates, just like all of us."

"So, since the rest of my fellow speakers today have covered the scientific aspect, I will focus more on the emotional and sentimental areas of this matter. As Pokémon trainers, should we evolve or not our Pokémon? Starting now, I will answer any particular question some of you might have about it."

Many hands were raised. Lorelei looked around and picked green-haired girl in her middle teens near the front row.

"My name is Midori Mishima, and I recently became a Pokémon trainer. I adore my Bulbasaur the way he is now, and I don't want him to evolve. Does he really have to do it?"

"Good news, the answer is no, he doesn't have to," said Lorelei. "There are reasons to keep a Pokémon unevolved. While it's true that a Pokémon can become a lot stronger by underdoing evolution, they also learn moves much faster and easier in their lowest evolutionary stages. However, if you are concerned, you can always have them hold an Everstone, and they will keep their current stage even if they have enough experience to evolve."

Midori thanked Lorelei and sat back down. With several hands still raised, the Elite Four trainer picked a second one, a tan-skinned young man with red hair and amber eyes.

"Kent Kurenai. My Charmander used to be very loyal when I first got him, but after he evolved, he became rather arrogant and refused to listen to my orders. He often comes out of his Pokéball on his own, and sometimes he even falls asleep in the middle of a battle. I'm scared that it could get worse if he becomes Charizard. What can I do about it?"

Lorelei took a deep breath. "Some Pokémon might undergo drastic personality shifts after evolving. It's not unheard of Pokémon who feel their new power makes them invincible and let it get over their heads. In cases like this, you as the trainer need to put your foot down and reaffirm your authority. Show them that you care for their wellbeing, but make sure they know you won't tolerate that kind of attitude. A strong Pokémon will always respect a strong trainer."

Kent nodded and sat back down. The third question came from a blue-haired young man, apparently in his twenties.

"Aoshi Mizunari. I know this seminar is more about traditional Pokémon evolution, but I'd like to know if that somehow ties in with Mega Evolution. You see, my Blastoise and I recently came across a Mega Stone, but I still don't have my own Key Stone. What I mean to ask is, should we try that? We've been together for a long time, but I'm afraid that kind of power could change him, and that he turns out not to be the same Pokémon that has been my partner for so long. "

"Interesting question," said Lorelei. "Mega Evolution, while it's just a temporary power boost that can only be achieved in battle, stems from the bonds between a trainer and their Pokémon. If the bond is not strong enough, the Mega Evolution might not work at all, or worse, if it does work, the Pokémon might go berserk with its power and will be unable to control it. So if you ever decide to do it, never forget those bonds you have with your Pokémon."

The questions and answers round continued for quite a while. Many of the attendees had brought up very interesting topics, and Lorelei was more than happy to answer to them. Everyone was satisfied with her responses. Frey in particular couldn't help but glance around the audience. Lorelei was quite the orator and she certainly knew how to get people's attention without effort. She was the type of person who could more or less read people and tell what they wanted to hear, and then gave her responses based on that by subtly mixing it with what they needed to hear to get the message across. It was one of the things he loved the most about her.

More importantly, though, Lorelei never strayed from the main focus: the importance of being empathetic to your Pokémon and understanding their feelings. So long as you understood them, there was nothing you couldn't make together. She knew that from her own experiences, following the advice a close friend had given her years ago. To understand them, you need to listen to what they said, not with the ears, but with the heart.

As Lorelei's lecture ended, Professor Ivy once again took the podium. "And now, a special announcement. Lorelei has offered to perform some exhibition battles to demonstrate what we have discussed today. We will take a breather for lunch and we'll go to the local stadium. Those who wish to challenge her, you have the chance now! She's willing to battle anyone!"

The crowd erupted in cries of excitement. After all, it wasn't always that you had the chance to battle an Elite Four member. Considering that many of the attendees were hotshot trainers who might get over their heads over challenging a master, it was also a good way to knock them down a peg or two and give them a lesson on humility, to show them how far they could get with hard work and determination.

And speaking of people getting over their heads, as Lorelei and Frey exited the auditorium together, a group of six people, three males and three females in their late teens to early twenties, had gathered around in a corner, away from everyone's eyes and ears.

"You're nuts, man. You're seriously not thinking about that, are you?" said one of the guys, with purple hair.

"Domino told us not to try anything!" added a girl with ash blond hair.

"You idiots, don't you see this is a great chance?" a second guy asked. "We could go up in the ranks if we succeed!"

"Or end up in jail if we fail!" said another girl. "Seriously, what are you thinking?! It's an Elite Four member we're talking about!"

"Exactly," said the guy who talked about the 'big chance' before. "And this is perfect. If she's going to battle any challengers that come up, all we have to do is wait. All of her Pokémon will be too exhausted and injured to defend themselves. Then we can snatch them! Do you imagine what kind of reward the boss could give us?"

The other five didn't seem convinced, but the apparent leader of the group insisted. "Go gather the rest of the guys. No matter how tough she is, there's no way she can beat us all, let alone if we all gang up on her when her Pokémon are too tired to continue battling."

Unable or unwilling to try and convince him to change his mind, the group finally nodded and left the auditorium. The leader was confident that his plan was flawless, and by the end of the day, he'd score big to win favors with the Team Rocket boss.

At the local stadium…

"Ladies and gentlemen, trainers and Pokémon fans of all ages, welcome to the Mandarin Island Stadium! Today we have prepared a special event for you guys! The one and only, Lorelei of the Kanto Elite Four!"

The stadium was packed, and everyone exploded in a thunderous roar of applause and cheering. The Elite Four trainer walked into her side of the arena as she waved at the crowd, all the while with a smile in her face.

"You're awesome, Lorelei!"

"Show them what you're made of!"

"Lorelei, please marry me!"

That last one caused her to giggle sheepishly. It wasn't the first and definitely wouldn't be the last time someone said something like that. But then again, due to their duties and the fact they preferred to keep their romantic life more private, her relationship with Frey wasn't exactly public knowledge. Only those in her closest circles of friends and coworkers knew about it, and more than once she had to turn down someone asking her out.

As she stepped onto her side of the field, she glanced around, and found Frey amongst the crowd. No matter how many people there were, she could always spot him from afar, and he didn't have to shout or raise his arms for her to do that. Even from that distance, she could tell he was looking forward to see her in action. No matter what he said about her being the better of the two; she would always see him as her mentor, and the one who gave him the push to go forward when she started as a trainer.

"And now, our first challenger is coming up!" the announcer said, as the first of Lorelei's opponents stepped onto the other side of the field. A rather muscular guy dressed in a sailor uniform stepped up to open up the challenge.

"Ahoy, Miss Lorelei!" the man greeted her. "I have to say, you've even more gorgeous in person!"

"Why thank you, mister…"

"Oh, you can call me Ernest, or Ernie, if you prefer. Say, would you accept a dinner tonight if I beat you?"

"I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline," Lorelei replied politely. "I already have plans with someone tonight."

The reaction in the crowd was immediate; many were dismayed that Lorelei was already taken. Even Ernest, or Ernie, the sailor, seemed disappointed to know that, but he took it in stride.

"Ah fine, I had to try. I'll still do my best, though!" He took his Pokéball. "Machamp, go!"

"Machamp!" The four-armed Pokémon flexed his super strong arms, ready to battle.

"Alright, let's get started." Lorelei's expression quickly shifted from relaxed to hard and determined, her blue eyes suddenly taking an icy glare. "Cloyster, let's go!"

"Cloyster!" The bivalve Pokémon opened her shell, awaiting her orders.

"Begin!" The referee lifted his flags, signaling the match to start.

"Cloyster, begin with Blizzard!" Lorelei called.

Cloyster opened her valves wider and a cold air current quickly blew across the field, catching Machamp and Ernie by surprise. The Fighting-type had to actually kneel down and sink two fists on the ground to avoid getting blown away. He tried to move forward, but the Blizzard's force was too much for him.

"Spike Cannon!" Lorelei commanded.

Cloyster ceased her Blizzard and began firing a barrage of spikes at Machamp's face, forcing him to use his remaining arms to shield himself. However, now the Blizzard had ceased, he had a chance to attack.

"Machamp, cover your face and use Dynamic Punch!" Ernie called.

One of the advantages of having four arms was that they came in pretty handy for multitasking in a battle, namely using the lower pair to shield himself from the Spike Cannon, as he readied one of the upper fists with energy to deliver a powerful punch. Once he got into punching distance, he pulled back his fist, ready to strike.

"Protect!" Lorelei called.

Cloyster closed her valves and a protective dome appeared around her, right before Machamp's Dynamic Punch collided against it, nullifying the damage completely and leaving him wide open for a counterattack.

"Clamp!" Everyone noticed that each of Lorelei's commands seemed to become colder one after another, and Cloyster followed suit, jumping on Machamp and trapping him between her valves. Machamp began waving his arms and kicking around trying to break free, but to no avail, and could see Cloyster smiling evilly.

"Aurora Beam, full power," the Elite Four stated in a barely audible tone. Cloyster began glowing in a rainbow light, and fired a powerful energy beam from her horn, hitting Machamp right on the chest. The power was enough to break him free of the Clamp's grip, but Cloyster didn't stop firing after that, and the beam sent him flying backwards, falling at his trainer's feet. He tried to get back up, but finally dropped on his back.

"Machamp is unable to continue! Lorelei's Cloyster wins!" declared the referee.

"No way…" Ernie said, unable to process what had just happened. He hadn't even landed a single hit, and Lorelei had beaten him effortlessly. The Elite Four had relaxed her expression again and gave him a smile, silently congratulating him. The sailor recalled his Pokémon, smiled back and bowed gracefully, accepting his defeat against a clearly superior opponent.

The battles continued one after another. Lorelei's Cloyster barely broke a sweat and managed to defeat over two dozen more opponents, only receiving occasional healing from berries and basic medicines in-between matches. Even those with type advantages, such as those who brought Electric-types like Electabuzz, and other Fighting-types such as Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan or Hitmontop were no match for her. After two hours and over thirty victories in a row, Lorelei finally decided to switch Cloyster out for her starter, her Dewgong. Her current opponent was a young woman, perhaps in her middle twenties, and she looked like the type who spent a lot of time in the mountains, judging by her backpack and climbing gear. She introduced herself as Eileen, and immediately threw her Pokéball.

"Golem, go!"

The sea lion stared down at the Rock-type. To the common observer, despite the type advantage, Lorelei was using a Pokémon who was better fit to fight on water, while Golem, even being slow on his movements, would have less problems to move around the field.

"Golem, use Rollout!"

"Golem!" The Rock Pokémon retracted his head and limbs, and began rolling fast against his opponent. Lorelei had to smile; a Rollout that fast was clearly proof of hard training.

"Dewgong, roll aside!" she called.

"Gong!" Dewgong used one of his flippers to push himself aside right as Golem passed by, avoiding the attack altogether. However, the Rock Pokémon quickly turned around and returned for another try. Dewgong, still with his eyes set on his opponent, dodged the second attack rolling sideways, in the other direction.

Just like before, Golem returned for a third try, and the attack missed again, but this time it passed dangerously closer. Lorelei saw that if Golem kept up picking up speed the next try could finally hit. She had to stop it before that happened.

"Dewgong, Icicle Spear in front of Golem!" Lorelei commanded.

"Dewgong!" Many large ice darts appeared in front of Dewgong, and quickly fired them right on Golem's path. While the Rollout had picked up enough speed to break a few, there were too many and too close for him to continue, and he was forced to stop on his tracks. Golem had to pop back out out his head and limbs to get out, finding his opponent staring down at him.

"Let's see how you like this! Earthquake!" Eileen commanded. Golem got ready to stomp on the ground as hard as possible.

"Aqua Jet!" Lorelei called.

Before Golem could stomp on the field, Dewgong became coated in a water veil and launched himself like a living torpedo, intentionally aiming with his horn to increase the damage, causing Golem to roll backwards. As he got up, he looked to his side and saw that attack had actually cracked his stone armor, much to his and Eileen's shock. When Lorelei called for another Icicle Spear, Eileen countered with Stone Edge at close range, raising rock pillars to try and protect Golem from the icy darts. It worked for a while, but eventually the barrage stopped and Lorelei decided to aim for the final blow.

"Iron Tail!"

Much to everyone's surprise, Dewgong jumped up, and his tail became coated in metallic energy. Eileen attempted to call Golem to use Rollout to escape and turn around for a counterattack, but Dewgong just maintained the Iron Tail and waited for him to come back. Just as he was close enough, he swung his tail in front of him and batted him away, and at Lorelei's command, finished him off with one last barrage of Icicle Spears.

"Golem is unable to continue! Dewgong is the winner!"

Eileen fell to her knees. It wasn't like she expected to defeat Lorelei, but clearly she didn't expect to be trashed like that either. Sighing in resignation, she raised her Pokéball and returned her Golem, accepting her defeat. An Elite Four was something else.

Just like Cloyster before him, Dewgong enjoyed a rather lengthy winning streak. That was no surprise; being her starter, Dewgong was one of Lorelei's strongest and most reliable Pokémon. Though everyone did notice that they liked using Icicle Spear for the final blow. His last opponent, a trainer with an Electrode, refused to be defeated in the same way as the others, and ordered his Pokémon to Self-Destruct. The attack did a number on Dewgong, but didn't knock him out. It had been for nothing, though Dewgong was visibly disappointed for not being able to use his favorite move to end the battle. The trainer left in a huff, and Lorelei shook her head.

"Maybe we shouldn't use that attack that much?" Lorelei wondered. She knew Dewgong loved using it as his finishing move, but sometimes he could get carried away in his excitement.

After returning Dewgong, Lorelei had her first catch take over. Her Lapras, another Pokémon considered to be a better battler on water, proved himself capable enough to handle himself very well on land. After adding over thirty more victories to his streak, the time for the exhibition was running out. Lorelei's final opponent turned out to be a Venusaur. His trainer, a young man with blue hair named Corey, looked rather nervous. He probably was psyching himself up to try and last over five minutes, the record the best trainer had been able to set at that point.

"Let's both do our best, shall we? Lapras, Ice Beam!" the Elite Four started. Lapras fired a freezing ray out of his mouth, heading straight for the Venusaur.

"Bruteroot, use Venoshock to block it!" Corey called.

"Saur!" The Venusaur, nicknamed Bruteroot, aimed the palm tree on his back and fired a stream of green fluid, intercepting the Ice Beam in midair and cancelling both attacks. The frozen fluid fell on top of the field and shattered.

"Tie Lapras with your Vine Whip!" Corey commanded. Bruteroot instantly sent out a barrage of vines, intending to wrap around Lapras before he could escape.

"Double Team," Lorelei called in a chilly voice. Lapras vanished in a blur, and then many after-images appeared all over the field. The vines phased through it, and Corey began looking around, as Bruteroot continued to use his multiple vines in every direction, trying to find the real Lapras. The images dissipated, but it seemed like every time he hit one, two more replaced it. Finally, the real one stopped right behind him and let out a cry.

"Look out behind you!" Corey shouted, but it was too late. Even without Lorelei's command, the Water/Ice-type was readying an Ice Beam at point-blank range, and he could barely turn around and see a white-bluish light coming towards him. Before he realized, he had been half-frozen from the rear.

"Smart Strike!" Lorelei pressed on. Lapras lowered his head and his horn became coated in metallic energy as he charged towards Bruteroot, hitting him hard enough to break the ice, but giving him quite a pain in the rear. The Venusaur flew forward and fell heavily on the ground, shaking it. Still with his hind legs a bit numb from the Ice Beam, Bruteroot glared at his opponent. Neither he nor his trainer would go down without a fight.

"Earthquake!"

Bruteroot lifted his forelegs and stomped hard on the ground, sending out a powerful seismic wave. Measuring the noise and shaking ground, Lorelei estimated that had been the strongest one she had faced that day, however, she knew that the best way to deal with an Earthquake was not being on the ground when it happened.

"Jump and use Body Slam!"

Lapras jumped just before the Earthquake's wave reached him and prepared to fall on top of Bruteroot with all of his weight. Bruteroot braced himself for the impact, and while he couldn't avoid damage, at least he could shake him off by lifting his head. Lapras fell on his back and felt a little of the Earthquake's aftermath. Corey called for another Venoshock, while Lorelei countered with another Ice Beam to create a barrier on the ground, blocking the fluid. While Lapras tried to roll on his back to get back up, Corey decided to use one final card.

"Let's see if this works! Frenzy Plant!"

"SAUR!" Bruteroot glowed green and lifted his forelegs once again to stomp on the ground, but this time, instead of bringing out a tremor, many roots began emerging from the ground, catching Lorelei and Lapras by surprise.

"Frenzy Plant? Now that's an attack I haven't seen in a long time," the Elite Four mused.

Everyone who had been born and raised in the Sevii Islands knew of the old master, keeper of the secret ultimate moves. They could only be learned by starter Pokémon in their final evolutionary stage, and not many were accepted to learn those secret arts. Frenzy Plant was the Grass-type ultimate move, and indeed, the roots threw Lapras around as they appeared.

"Way to go, Bruteroot!" Corey shouted in excitement.

Lorelei remained cold as ice. "Lapras, Ice Beam."

"Bruteroot, get out of there!" Corey shouted as he saw Lorelei's Pokémon charging up his attack. "What are you waiting for? Get out of there!"

Lorelei shook her head. Apparently, Corey didn't know there was a downside to using that power; after attacking, the Pokémon needed a few instants to recover, due to the amount of energy spent to perform the moves. While still trapped between the roots, Lapras still had it to press on his own attack, while Bruteroot was completely defenseless. After fully charging, Lapras fired off the Ice Beam, and the Venusaur ended up frozen solid and unable to move. The Water/Ice-type continued firing his attack at the nearby roots to break them easily, and landed back on the ground.

"Smart Strike," Lorelei called, in a barely audible tone.

Said and done, Lapras charged at the frozen Bruteroot, ramming him with his horn, and completely shattering the ice block. Bruteroot flew through the air and fell on his back. This time, he didn't even try to get back up, he was too numb to continue.

"Venusaur is unable to battle! Lorelei's Lapras is the winner!"

The crowd erupted in applause once again. Lorelei had beaten all of her opponents without breaking a sweat. As Corey returned his fallen Venusaur, Lorelei approached to congratulate him personally.

"You put up a good fight. And I'm surprised, I hadn't seen one of the Ultimate Moves in a long time," she said as she extended her hand for a friendly shake.

"Thanks." Corey shook her hand. "I… I don't really get it, why didn't Bruteroot move when I told him?"

"The Ultimate Moves are very powerful, but they drain the user of their energy for a few seconds, rendering unable to move and wide open to attack," the Elite Four explained. "It's safer to use them to end a battle, because if your opponent dodges or endures it, you'll be vulnerable."

"I see," Corey nodded. "Anyway, thanks for this great battle, I'm really happy to have been able to fight against you."

"The pleasure was mine." Lorelei smiled.

"And with this, our exhibition battles have ended!" the announcer voiced. "Thank you all for co-mmghhhh!"

The speakers suddenly cut off, and then they switched back on a few seconds later, with a different voice speaking.

"Sorry, folks, we were experiencing technical difficulties here. As our friend here was about to say, we hope we have enjoyed the show, but now it's over. Now, if Miss Lorelei were so kind to hand over her Pokémon? Or else…"

There were some smoke explosions going off in the stands. In the middle of the black clouds, some cries were heard, and everyone glanced in that direction. After the smoke cleared enough, about two dozen people wearing dark uniforms with a red R, their faces obscured by caps and shades, had appeared in the stands, and they were surrounding a small group of spectators. They all were carrying electric batons and Pokéballs in their hands, while their hostages had no choice but to group together to avoid being zapped.

"Stay put, everyone, or you'll get a shock for your trouble," one of them threatened. A man tried to step up, but seeing the sparks in the baton made him flinch, and he complied.

Lorelei was still trying to figure out what to do. She glanced at the other side of the stadium, noticing Frey wasn't in his seat anymore. Knowing him, he probably had sneaked away in the middle of the chaos and would probably try to catch them by surprise. With that in mind, she had to buy him some time.

"Alright. It's pretty obvious that you guys are Team Rocket agents," she said in a calm yet firm voice. "If you wanted to take my Pokémon, you just had to tell me. There's no need to involve innocents in this scheme."

"Oh, really? Well, you can't blame us for wanting to be sure you'd cooperate," the agent in the booth replied. "So, are you going to hand them over or not?"

"I have a better idea," Lorelei countered. "Why don't you come down here and face me?"

"Oh, is that a challenge, Miss Lorelei? Heh, I'd love to take it up… but I'm not risking my physical integrity, sorry."

Meanwhile, with Lorelei trying to taunt the Rocket agent to distract him, Frey had managed to get below the stands. He could see through where the Rockets had their hostages, and pondered on what he should do. He was in position for a sneak attack, since they couldn't see him down there, but he'd have only one shot to surprise them. Taking a deep breath, and making sure he was at a safe distance, he took three Pokéballs.

"Come out now, you guys." The balls burst open to reveal Frey's Charizard, a Feraligatr and a Tyranitar, who looked at him puzzled as he made a gesture for them to keep quiet. "Listen, we've got a hostage situation. Here's what we're going to do…"

This was going to cause some collateral damage, but between that and innocents possibly getting hurt, it was a no-brainer. He'd ask for the bill later.

Meanwhile, Lorelei continued to argue with the lead agent, trying to goad him into coming after her. Surprisingly, the Elite Four member had kept a rather calm attitude all the while, being unfailingly polite and respectful, while the Rocket grunt was getting angrier by the minute. His plan was trying to intimidate her into giving up, but she showed no signs of fear.

"This is getting nowhere! Don't you care for the lives of the hostages?!" the guy yelled.

"Of course I do. I care for everyone's lives, including yours. Really, you don't need to do this."

"If you care about them, then hand over your Pokémon! Or do you want me to take them by force?!"

"You're welcome to try. They are tired after so many battles, after all."

That was only true for the ones she had used for the exhibition matches. She still had the other half of her active team in reserve, but those guys didn't need to know that. Not yet at least.

On the stands, the other Rocket grunts were getting tired of this 'negotiation' going nowhere, questioning whether they should have followed through with this plan. It was supposed to be simple: attack when Lorelei's Pokémon were tired, take some hostages, and force her to comply. What could be the missing step?

And then, a powerful water stream coming from under the stands blasted a few of the grunts, sending them flying towards the arena below. A few of them wondered what could have happened, but then, a dark energy stream came out of the other side, sending a few more towards them. Lastly, a Charizard burst through the middle in a fiery explosion, causing the remaining ones to go into a panic and giving the hostages the chance to escape their grasp, while two more water and dark energy streams continued to attack from below. Once the stands were cleared out of civilians, two pairs of claws, one blue with draconian energy, the other purple-black with spectral energy, broke through the front row seats to reveal a Feraligatr and a Tyranitar, who both opened their jaws to let out a powerful combined Roar attack.

The poor grunts immediately jumped off the stands, if they weren't forcibly thrown into the arena by Charizard before. And speaking of Charizard, at his trainer's command, he quickly flew towards the commentator's booth and broke through the glass with a Flare Blitz attack, catching the lead grunt as he tried to flee. The commentator was bound and gagged, but they'd have to rescue him later. For now, dealing with the criminals was their main priority.

"Let go of me, you freaking lizard!" the grunt yelled, before being unceremoniously dropped on the arena, on top of his comrades.

Once they were all back on his feet, they glanced at Lorelei, who was still standing in the same place. Frey quickly joined her, and his Pokémon stood by his side.

"You surely took your time," said Lorelei with a smile.

"Sorry, I was trying to figure out how minimize the damage," Frey replied sheepishly.

"Who the hell are you?!" the leading grunt demanded. "What, are you her boyfriend or something?!"

"As a matter of fact, he is," Lorelei replied, never losing her smile, and with a hint of pride in her voice as she stated it. "Also, he's the one who taught me how to fight, so trust me when I say you don't want to mess with him."

"Then again, it was already foolish of you to mess with her in the first place," said Frey. "But seeing how things turned out, how about we settle this, here and now? All of you against the two of us."

Lorelei nodded. "I agree. If you're trying to steal my Pokémon, why don't you come and get them? Do you think you could take us both at once?"

The grunts quickly exchanged glances. This seemed too good to be true, but the leader was ready to take the challenge.

"What are you waiting for?! Everyone, bring out your Pokémon!" he ordered.

They took a while to process the order, but they finally brought out their Pokéballs and threw them at once. None of them had full teams, but they made up with their sheer numbers, having rather large amounts of Spearow, Fearow, Raticate, and varied Poison-types, included but not limited to Ekans, Koffing, Grimer, Nidoran and Zubat evolutionary lines.

The Elite Four and her boyfriend nodded at each other as she brought two of her remaining Pokémon. A Jynx and a Mamoswine materialized in front of her, ready to battle alongside Charizard, Feraligatr and Tyranitar.

"CHARGE!" the lead Rocket grunt yelled.

Feraligatr, Tyranitar and Mamoswine charged forward to meet their opponents head on, while Charizard flapped his wings and took to the air to face the Flying-types, spearheaded by a Fearow. Jynx stayed back to act as support and long-range attacker, since she was more specialized on that.

In the initial charge, it looked like the sheer numbers of the Rocket agents' Pokémon would overwhelm them, only to be proved very wrong when, first, Charizard sent the incoming Fearow back with a Fire Blast, catching the nearby Spearow and Zubat in the fiery explosion and blasting them out of the sky in the blink of an eye. The Fearow managed to endure the attack and its trainer called out for a Mirror Move to give Charizard a taste of his own medicine. A ghostly image of Charizard appeared in front of the bird, before launching the fire kanji back at him. Fortunately, Feraligatr intercepted the fire attack with a Hydro Pump, and quickly resumed using Dragon Claw on the nearby attackers. Mamoswine didn't fall behind, as he moved around stomping and trampling anyone in his path, or alternatively striking them with his large tusks, while Tyranitar remained still, acting as a living stone wall as the enemies tried (futilely) to cause him damage.

"What the heck are you doing?! There's only five of them, how can you be losing?!"

Several of the remaining Poison-types began preparing a combined Toxic attack. In normal circumstances, this could have been a good idea, but there was someone they still hadn't accounted for. While Charizard, Feraligatr, Tyranitar and Mamoswine dealt with the attackers on the front, Jynx was focusing her energies to use a powerful Psychic attack, and they didn't notice until the purple aura was surrounding them. They glanced at Jynx, whose eyes were glowing and her hairs spreading out eerily. She raised her hands and violently brought them down, causing the psychic wave to fall on them like a tsunami. In matters of seconds they all lied on the ground out cold.

"No way…"

"What are you waiting for, leader?!" said one of the grunts. "Do something, this was your plan!"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" said the leader.

Unfortunately for them, with each passing second, more and more of their Pokémon ended up falling, either blasted with Charizard's fire from the sky, bitten with an Ice Fang or slashed with a Dragon Claw from Feraligatr, or hit by Mamoswine and Tyranitar's devastating Ancient Power, and whenever they tried to use the Poison-types for support, Jynx intervened using Psychic to keep them at bay. In matter of minutes, all of the Pokémon had fallen and were spread across the field, motionless, much to the grunts' horror and shock, especially the leader's.

"No way… we had these numbers and yet…"

"So, ready to give up now?" Lorelei asked. "This is your final chance."

"Grr… you still have to go through me!" said the leader. "Let's see if you can handle all of these!"

The leading grunt apparently was the only one with a full team, and the only one with a decently impressive one: Magmar, Machamp, Nidoking, Rhydon, Dodrio and Victreebel. Frey and Lorelei had to admit, they looked like they could actually give a fight to their current Pokémon. Magmar shot a Fire Blast against Mamoswine, Victreebel sent out a Leaf Storm towards Feraligatr, Machamp sent out a Focus Blast at Jynx, Nidoking rammed Tyranitar with Mega Horn, and a combined Tri-Attack and Hyper Beam from Dodrio and Rhydon took Charizard out of the air.

"Hah! How do you like that?! Not so tough now?!"

Lorelei and Frey exchanged glances. Indeed, those attacks had been impressive, but it would take more than that to take them out. Not to mention they were still saving the best for last. The Elite Four grabbed her final Pokéball and with the other hand, she held her ponytail's clasp.

"Should I?"

Frey smirked. "Oh, I love when you do that. Let me respond in kind."

As Lorelei pulled her clasp off and let her hair fall down free, Frey grabbed his belt buckle and detached it. Lorelei threw her last Pokéball, revealing an Abomasnow, while Frey's Tyranitar quickly stood before them, next to the newly arrived yeti-like creature.

"So what do you plan to do with that?" the leader grunt asked.

The couple glanced at one another, nodded and then held forward the clasp and belt buckle, revealing their secret weapons. A multi-colored small round stone began to glow on them, as well as in their Pokémon.

"It's time now…," said Lorelei.

"For us to show…," Frey added.

"The power of our bonds. MEGA EVOLUTION!" the two shouted in unison.

In perfect sync, the energy tendrils coming out of their Key Stones connected with the ones from their Pokémon respective Mega Stones, each of them hidden from plain sight. The leading grunt gulped at this sight, since he knew what it meant. A multicolored energy engulfed Abomasnow and Tyranitar, and with a mighty roar, it exploded to reveal their Mega Evolved forms. A burst of energy in the sky caused a few ice shards covered in sand to fall on the field, but they were of no consequence.

"Everyone, charge! Take them out now!" the leading grunt yelled.

Still unsure, the Pokémon charged at the new powered Pokémon, with Dodrio, Magmar and Machamp lunging at Abomasnow, while Nidoking, Rhydon and Victreebel did the same against Tyranitar.

"Abomasnow, Blizzard."

"SNOW!" The yeti glowed in a blue light, and sent out a powerful freezing wind, even stronger than Cloyster's during the exhibition matches. The field actually got covered in an icy layer, and only Magmar didn't end up frozen solid. Not that it would save him of what came next.

"Tyranitar, finish them off with a Hyper Beam at full power," Frey commanded.

"Stop him, Magmar, don't let him attack!" the lead grunt yelled in desperation. "Flare Blitz!"

Magmar flamed on and rushed towards Tyranitar who was still charging up his Hyper Beam. But just as he had gotten into striking distance, Tyranitar opened his maw and fired off a powerful orange energy stream, almost as wide as he was in Mega Form. The attack not only pushed Magmar back to his frozen teammates, but it also exploded in a powerful energy column that shot up towards the sky, blinding everyone close by. Once they got a clear view, the six Pokémon were all scattered on the ground, smoking and surrounded by broken ice shards all over.

"No… freaking way…"

"Do you still want to fight?" Lorelei asked, her voice sending out a chill down all of the grunts' spines.

"Retreat! Everyone pull back now!"

The grunts began to scramble for the nearest exit, but a Teleport flash stopped them before they could get out of the arena. Jynx raised her hands and used Psychic to hold them in place. Even a few who managed to slip away and tried to make a run for it through the other exits found themselves stopped by the other Pokémon, who snarled at them angrily. Lorelei and Frey calmly approached the leading grunt, who was now fighting to keep himself from wetting his pants.

"No point in struggling," said Lorelei. "Give up now and we'll convince the police to be nice with you guys. Otherwise…"

The guy looked around. Abomasnow and Tyranitar snarled at him. They were ready for another go if he still insisted on fighting. Was this the real power of an Elite Four? He really had gone way over his head in thinking he could take down an Elite Four member. Resigned to his fate, he dropped to his knees and raised his hands in surrender. Lorelei and Frey smiled, while the latter pulled out his cellphone to call the cops.

A couple hours later…

With the Rocket grunts all rounded up and arrested, the local Officer Jenny took declarations from all witnesses. Lorelei and Frey stayed behind to answer her questions, given that they solved the crisis. They also took full responsibility for the damage in the stands, promising to pay the repairs.

"We appreciate your cooperation," said Jenny as she saluted them after filling out her report. "Thanks to you both, no civilians were hurt."

"What about the Rocket grunts?" asked Lorelei.

"Some of them just have minor injuries with those attacks, but they're otherwise unharmed," Jenny replied. "From what they've told us, there was someone else in charge of this operation. Someone they call 'Black Tulip'. Seriously, what kind of name is that?"

"Do you mean there might be other Team Rocket members around?" asked Frey.

"That might be the case. We will close the island's sea and aerial exits for the rest of the day to prevent any escapes. If they're still up to something, we have to stop them."

As Jenny left to help in placing the suspects in custody, Lorelei and Frey glanced at each other. It had been quite an eventful day. Dealing with Team Rocket grunts wasn't part of their plans, but it definitely felt nice to fight alongside each other after so long. Just like those times when they were rookies.

"Miss Lorelei!"

A large amount of the attendees of the seminar and the exhibition battle quickly swarmed the couple, but fortunately, the police officers held them off so they stood at respectable distance from the couple.

"Miss Lorelei, is it true?" one of the fans asked. "Is he your boyfriend for real?"

"I'm so envious, man!" said another. "To think you scored such a beautiful woman!"

"This is so unfair, you have no idea how much I want to be you right now!" added the sailor who tried to ask Lorelei out for dinner.

"Everyone, please calm down!" Officer Jenny called out. However, Lorelei approached.

"It's OK, I'm sure they have many questions, and I'll gladly answer them all." Jenny stepped aside and Lorelei and Frey approached the crowd together. "Alright, let's make this in order, just like in the seminar, one at the time."

"How long have you been together?" a girl asked.

"Well, we've known each other since we were children," said Frey, "but… I think we officially started dating on that Christmas party fourteen years ago?"

"That was just our first kiss." Lorelei smiled. "I still had to give you a little push after that."

"Wow, that long?" The girl was quite surprised.

Another stepped up as well. "But it's weird, you've never been seen together."

"Indeed it is." Lorelei nodded. "You see, Frey was my mentor when I was getting started, and we actually traveled together during my first year as a trainer. Not many know about this, of course."

"It's no big deal," said Frey. "I always knew she had the potential to be the stronger of us two, so I always pushed her to surpass me."

"Still, why did you keep your relationship a secret?" the girl from before asked.

"It wasn't meant to be secret, but… I guess it's been a bit of a long-distance relationship," Lorelei explained. "After my first league conference, we went separate ways to experience different regions, challenges and whatnot."

"And how did you keep in touch?" a boy asked.

"By any means possible," said Lorelei. "Sometimes we just used any available bird Pokémon to send postcards and photos of our latest adventures."

"You know how things were, cellphones, Internet and that kind of stuff weren't as accessible as they are now," said Frey. "It wasn't easy, but we managed."

"And we still manage now." The Elite Four smiled lovingly.

The round of questions and answers continued, and the couple gladly answered everything. That is, until they asked about the kind of job that could keep Frey away from Lorelei. All they said on the matter was that it was important and even busier than being an Elite Four member, and since they had plenty of stories to tell about their adventures together, the crowd quickly forgot about it.

A while later, the police finally told them to go home, and the crowd left, having a lot to gossip about now. After all, not every day an Elite Four member's romance was made public. And speaking of that.

"Is it a bit too late for that walk at the beach?" asked Lorelei.

Frey looked at his watch. "I don't think so. We're still in time to watch the sunset. Shall we?"

"Sure." Lorelei grabbed Frey's arm and they both began walking together.

In the meantime, someone else watched as Lorelei and Frey left the vicinity. The blonde shook her head, annoyed that her subordinates had actually disobeyed her and went through with the original plan. No, not even that: they had the sheer stupidity to try and challenge an Elite Four. And that wasn't even considering her boyfriend; that guy was just as strong, if not perhaps stronger than her. Potential Elite Four material, and she was surprised that she hadn't heard of him before.

As much as Domino would love to go and say 'I told you so!', there were more pressing matters right now. Namely, telling the helicopter to alter course and change the meeting point. With that in mind, she pulled out her phone and touched the keypad to insert a special communication password.

"This is Giovanni."

"Sir, I have bad news," the blonde said. "Those idiots went behind my back and tried to attack Lorelei in the stadium, even when I explicitly told them not to."

"Is that so?" Giovanni sounded just mildly surprised. "Well, save for some of the Pokémon they had, it's not that big of a loss. What are you planning to do now, Domino?"

"With the cops all over the place, I'd better wait until things calm down," said Domino. "How long before the helicopter arrives?"

"Two more hours, by my estimation."

"Could you tell them to alter course for Mandarin's northernmost island? I should be able to take a ferry there tomorrow, just to be on the safe side."

"Alright, as you wish. Make sure to return to HQ as soon as possible."

"Yes sir. Domino out."

The blond cut off the call and sighed. Well, if she had to stick around this island one more night, why not enjoy the sights while she was at it?

At sunset…

As promised, the couple had gone to take a nice walk across the beach. They felt that, with everything that happened that day, they deserved it. Since it was off-season, they had it all for themselves, with nobody around to interrupt them.

The two stopped to glance at the setting sun, standing close enough so the waves could wash over their bare feet. It felt quite relaxing, along with the sea breeze blowing over their bodies.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lorelei asked.

"Not as much as you," Frey replied. Lorelei smiled as she glanced at him.

"You're still quite the flatterer," she said. "You've always been."

"I'm just telling the truth," he defended himself. "Still, it feels nice to watch a sunset with you again. When was the last time we did it?"

"Five years ago, I think," Lorelei replied. "When we were getting ready for the Elite Four Challenge."

"I can't believe it's been that long," said Frey. "It feels almost like yesterday since we had our first kiss."

Lorelei smiled. Of course she would never forget that day. Then again, it was Christmas Eve, so the date itself was easy to remember, but that wasn't the point. The two had been attracted to each other for quite a while, yet neither had dared to make the move until then. Being under the mistletoe gave her the perfect chance to give the first step, and it just flowed naturally from there.

The two had shared many special moments before and after that kiss. When she first arrived in Floe Island's Trainer School, she was often made fun of because of her love for reading and her coke bottle glasses. Only Frey, who was one year older, would look past them and tell her he considered her cute. While he would often step up to help her if needed, he also taught her how to defend herself, knowing that he couldn't always be there to protect her. It worked wonders, because as she grew older, she would often do the same for other younger kids.

Then there was Lorelei's first official competition in the Indigo League. Frey had made it to the Top 16 the previous year, and he had one year of experience ahead of her, but she was still capable of giving him a run for his money when they faced each other. In fact, while he managed to (barely) win, her Dewgong launched one last Icicle Spear attack that critically injured his Charizard's right wing, forcing him to sit out in the next round and ultimately costing him the league.

After that, the two decided to go separate ways and travel to different regions to learn new things and catch new Pokémon. Many would say a long-distance relationship wouldn't work, but they always kept in touch by any means possible, even when cellphones and Internet weren't as common, they could still spare the time to send a Pidgey or any other bird Pokémon to send a postcard with a photo of their latest achievements, and they always waited patiently for the day they could reunite.

They would eventually face each other in an official competition. Having each won one League Conference, they had now the chance for a place in the Kanto Elite Four. There was only one open spot, so they had to fight each other for it. It was a long and hard battle, and neither of them wanted to give up. In the end, Frey wasn't upset that he lost; he was too happy that Lorelei had won to feel sorry for himself. He saw it as proof of what he always said: that she was the stronger of the two.

"You know, it's kind of sad this beach is off-season right now," said Frey. "I would have loved to see you in that bikini."

Lorelei gave him a seductive smile. "I brought it with me. I can always wear it at home, just for you."

"I'd love that."

As the sun continued to set, the couple embraced and kissed each other. They always treasured each and every moment they spent together, no matter how short it was. Be it sparring with each other, battling against criminals, or simply being in love, there was nothing they enjoyed more than the other's company, and making more memories together.

FIN.