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Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Do you admit your mistake now?!"
On the beach, a red-haired masked girl held a small hammer, knocking against the ice encasing Liam while questioning him.
"I do, I do!"
"And what exactly did you do wrong?!"
"Uh… I shouldn't have shouted like that earlier!"
Liam looked like he was on the verge of tears as he stared at the masked girl in front of him. In his heart, he had already flipped Giovanni countless middle fingers.
"Hmph, that's not the point! Why did you try to run the moment you saw—no, heard my voice?! Do you really hate seeing me that much?!"
The masked girl raised her hammer high, glaring at Liam as if ready to smash him the moment he admitted it. Beside her, a small white Vulpix bared its teeth and growled.
Liam: "…"
Faced with her question, Liam fell silent. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
Masked Girl: "…"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The atmosphere turned awkward. Seeing Liam remain silent, the light in the girl's eyes dimmed slightly. She said nothing more and continued knocking at the ice.
"…Lorelei, you know I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."
After thinking for a long time, that was all Liam could manage to say as he looked at the familiar girl before him.
"Hmph. That should be enough. Try and break free."
The masked girl—now revealed as Lorelei—glanced at him, then struck off the last chunk of ice connecting his body. She stepped aside and spoke calmly.
"Huh? Oh—okay!"
Crack—crash!
Liam shook his body hard, and the ice shattered like glass, scattering all over the ground.
"Hmph. I'm on a mission right now—under Boss Giovanni's orders. Let me make this clear: don't call me by my name! Use my codename—Ice Blossom!"
Seeing Liam freed, 'Ice Blossom' put away her hammer, still looking displeased.
Liam: "…Ahem. Uh—Lore—Ice Blossom. Thanks for helping me. But… did you come alone?"
He brushed off the remaining ice shards and asked curiously.
"What?! What's wrong with me coming alone? Are you looking down on me?! I'm one of the Kanto Elite Four now! You think I can't handle something like this?!"
Her voice rose instantly, anger flaring again.
"No, no! Of course not—I wouldn't dare!"
Liam waved his hands frantically. There was no way he could admit that.
"One of the Kanto Elite Four? Lo—Ice Blossom, you succeeded in the challenge?"
He still felt awkward using her codename.
"Ugh, seriously… you're hopeless. Forget it, just call me by my name."
Even she seemed to find the codename unnatural. She reached up and removed her mask, revealing an even more beautiful face beneath.
"I succeeded three months ago. Lance did too—he's one of the Elite Four now. Bruno should be challenging soon. Not sure if he'll succeed."
Lorelei casually updated Liam on their old friends.
"Wow… has it already been that long? It feels like no time passed at all. And suddenly, you're all Elite Four…"
Liam sighed with emotion, marveling at how quickly time had flown.
Meanwhile, Lorelei picked up the white Vulpix beside her, gently rubbing its cheek with visible resentment.
"Yeah… in the blink of an eye, you and Delia are already engaged. The wedding probably isn't far off either. And me~? Still all alone~ No one cares about me~ And when I finally meet someone I like, he runs away the moment he hears my voice… Right, Snowy? I'm so pitiful~"
Liam: "…"
"Ahem… I already apologized, can we not bring that up again? …Hmm? This Vulpix hatched from that Pokémon Egg, right? Hehe, it seems really attached to you. Is it called Snowy? That's a nice name—ow—!"
Trying to change the subject, Liam smiled and reached out a finger to tease the white Vulpix—
—and immediately froze as the Vulpix bit down on his finger and refused to let go.
"…."
"Pfft—haha! Good job, Snowy! But we're well-mannered children—we don't bite dirty things. Let go now."
Lorelei couldn't help but laugh, gently patting Snowy's head until it released its bite.
"Ptoo! Ptoo!"
After letting go, the Vulpix even spat a few times, as if it had really tasted something filthy.
Liam: "…"
"Alright, enough messing around. Back to business. Liam, you've been here for a few days now—found anything?"
After laughing, Lorelei's mood improved, and she turned serious.
"Uh…"
Still speechless, Liam simply pointed toward the ocean and explained everything he had discovered over the past few days.
"Huh? It's underwater? Then what do we do—dive down?"
Lorelei frowned slightly, looking at the now dark sea as the full moon rose.
"That's the only option. Should we move tonight? You've traveled a long way—do you want to rest first?"
Liam glanced at her, considering her condition.
"It's fine. I'm not that fragile. The mission comes first. Let's handle it. So—how are we getting down?"
Lorelei waved it off casually.
"We'll use diving suits. There's a rental shop nearby—we can get what we need there."
Liam had already planned this. After speaking, he led Lorelei toward the shop.
At the still-open store, Liam selected two of the best diving suits, bought them outright after choosing the right sizes, and returned with portable oxygen gear to the beach.
Liam didn't mind—he simply stripped off his outer clothes and put on the diving suit.
But things were a bit more complicated on Lorelei's side.
She released her Dewgong, which used Ice Beam to create a large circular ice wall. Inside that icy barrier, she changed into her diving suit.
To be honest, the ice wall created by Ice Beam was somewhat translucent. Although it was already night and an ordinary person wouldn't see clearly—
Liam's eyesight was far beyond normal.
So…
Liam stared fixedly at the moon over the sea, casually stretching his arms and legs as if warming up.