Agatha leaned on her cane, rubbing her still-aching shoulder as she walked over to Lorelei and Bruno.
Latias's Dragon Pulse had only grazed her—but being slammed into the rock wall like that was no small matter for someone her age.
"Damn it… To think we'd be toyed with by that kind of trick."
Lorelei clenched her fists, her voice trembling with anger.
On the snowy mountain, she had been hunted down by Logan and Cynthia. Only with Bruno's help had she barely escaped with her life. This time, with terrain and numbers on their side, she had believed revenge was within reach.
Yet Logan had refused direct confrontation.
He had simply stalled them.
"I told you we should've killed those two boys first. Then there wouldn't be any reinforcements."
Her voice dropped, laced with killing intent.
"Hehehehe… Even if Lance would never agree to it, I wouldn't either."
Agatha's eerie laughter echoed.
"He's an idealist. He dreams of placing all outstanding Trainers inside the paradise he creates."
Her cold gaze settled on Lorelei.
Lorelei shivered and said no more.
The Kanto Elite Four's true pillars were Lance and Agatha. Lorelei and Bruno were strong enough to be Elite Four in any region—but they would never become commander.
"Calm yourself, Lorelei. You are still too young," Agatha said slowly.
"That boy is conserving his strength for Lance. The little girl who fell into the river has already been delivered to him."
"To save her, he will abandon this battle and head straight for the island's depths."
"And that little Champion?" Agatha pointed at Cynthia.
"She's still fighting through the pain from my Gengar's strike. Who knows how much of her strength she can actually use?"
She continued calmly:
"And the two brats you froze in ice have been thawed for some time. Yes, freezing halted their vital decline—but their bodies and their Pokémon are weakened beyond measure. Even emergency treatment won't restore much combat power."
"They've already lost to you and Bruno before. Why worry?"
From within her garments, Agatha produced three more Poké Balls.
Lorelei slowly steadied herself.
Once she regained her composure and analyzed the situation objectively—
She realized they still held the advantage.
Aside from Bruno's severely injured Hitmonchan, their Pokémon were mostly unharmed—eighty to ninety percent battle-ready.
If Logan left the battlefield—
Then against an injured Cynthia, an intact Sabrina and Green, and two weakened boys—
The three Elite Four members held overwhelming superiority.
Lorelei's agitation stemmed from repeated defeats at Logan's hands and from watching their carefully prepared plan collapse.
In truth—
Agatha had never gone all out.
She had only used Gengar for assassination and Misdreavus for long-range pressure.
Her other Pokémon remained untouched.
A chill crept down Lorelei's spine.
What was Agatha's true objective?
Even Lance didn't seem to know.
From beginning to end—
The old woman had been holding back.
And when Lorelei suggested killing Red and Blue—
Agatha had shown killing intent toward her.
Lorelei could still feel that piercing murderous aura from within Agatha's frail frame.
She glanced down at her own shadow.
Was Gengar hiding there?
What was this old woman truly planning?
Sometimes—
Lorelei felt Agatha stood closer to their enemies than to them.
…
"Red! Blue!"
Riding Latias with Cynthia in his arms, Logan called out to the two boys running from the cavern. Beside them stood Sabrina and Green.
"To think you came all this way to rescue us… guess that's a little embarrassing, huh?"
Red laughed sheepishly, scratching his head. His face was sunken, like a patient recovering from severe illness. He was clearly weak.
Blue looked no better but merely nodded. Being captured twice—by the same person—had dealt a severe blow to his pride.
"No time to talk," Logan said urgently as he gently set Cynthia down.
"Ask Cynthia for details. I have to get to Lance immediately. If I'm late, someone may die."
Cynthia pressed a hand to her abdomen; Gengar's strike still lingered painfully.
"Leave this to us. Go do what you must, Logan," Red said, flipping his cap backward despite his frail state.
Logan nodded to everyone. There wasn't even time to exchange words with Sabrina or Green.
He tapped Latias lightly with his foot.
Understanding instantly, Latias distorted light and vanished into invisibility, soaring toward another cavern entrance.
The three Elite Four members did not intercept him.
They let him go.
"Sinnoh Champion," Blue suddenly spoke.
"If possible, please allow me to take command."
Though shaken in confidence, he was the calmest and most rational among them.
"Please," Cynthia replied gently.
Blue exhaled in relief; he had feared she might insist on leadership.
Regional Champions often carried strong egos.
"I'll be brief. Without Logan—our strongest force—we cannot win."
"Red and I are severely weakened. We can't guarantee how much strength we can use."
"Green isn't battle-specialized."
"Even if you and the Saffron Gym Leader can hold off or defeat Lorelei and Bruno…"
He inhaled deeply.
"In our current state, we are no match for Agatha."
"I've fought her at full strength once. She's on another level entirely."
Cynthia nodded in agreement.
"She injured me using only two Pokémon. She hasn't even deployed the rest."
Blue continued firmly:
"My proposal is simple. We follow Logan's previous strategy—stall them."
"Endure."
"Buy time."
"Until Logan defeats Lance."
"Once Lance falls—we win."
Red and Blue were in terrible shape. Pikachu and Scizor were absent. Their strength was greatly diminished.
The ice that had preserved them had also drained them.
Blue didn't say what would happen if Logan lost.
No one needed to.
But everyone here—
Trusted Logan completely.
"Then we begin."
"Don't think about winning. We can't."
He murmured softly:
"I just hope Agatha doesn't take this too seriously…"
He hated this.
Depending on someone else.
Relinquishing initiative.
Even praying that the enemy would show restraint.
The battlefield splits.
Logan flies toward Lance.
Behind him—
A desperate delaying battle begins.
The true climax approaches.
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