Somewhere else—
"Ice Beam."
A cold female voice reached Ariana's ears, and she knew instantly something was wrong. A chill ran through her whole body as a jagged beam of ice ripped toward her—fast, direct, and aimed at her throat.
"Vileplume! Protect!" Ariana barked.
Vileplume lunged in front of her. A green barrier snapped open—Protect, solid and clean. The Ice Beam hammered into it. Frost hissed and crackled across the shield as ice piled up in layers, trying to chew through. Vileplume clenched hard and held the barrier in place, refusing to let it break.
When the beam finally stopped, the Protect barrier shuddered, then broke apart into drifting points of light.
Click. Click. Click.
High heels tapped closer.
Lorelei walked into view, looking at Ariana like she was already done with her.
"Good effort," Lorelei said flatly. "For a rat."
Lorelei pushed her glasses up. Her eyes were calm—too calm. Ariana felt her skin crawl. That wasn't a look you gave a person. It was the look you gave something you'd already decided was dead.
"Lorelei…!" Ariana forced the name out through her teeth.
"You're not running today," Lorelei said, voice empty. "I'll send you off myself."
In front of Lorelei, Lapras opened its mouth. Cold light gathered again.
"Ice Beam."
"Psychic!"
A wave of rainbow-tinted mental force surged forward and met the Ice Beam head-on. The attacks collided, ground against each other for a split second, then detonated with a heavy blast. Wind punched outward in all directions.
Lorelei's expression shifted for the first time.
"Hm?"
She tilted her head slightly and looked toward the source.
A girl with thick, bright blonde hair stood there, composed. Tapu Lele floated in front of her.
Lorelei's eyes narrowed.
"So there's a surprise," she said. "If I remember right… you're Caitlin."
She recognized her immediately. A file from Alola had come in recently.
Then Lorelei's gaze settled on Tapu Lele.
"Tapu Lele," she said, tone colder. "Akala's guardian. Alola really is a disappointment—letting an ancestral Legendary fall into Team Rocket hands."
Lorelei didn't bother asking why Caitlin had joined Team Rocket. To her, the reason didn't matter. Once someone stepped into Team Rocket and put on the uniform, they'd already made their choice.
In Lorelei's eyes, Caitlin wasn't "misguided." She was tainted.
"Letting you walk free just means more disaster later," Lorelei said. "You're young. Spend the rest of your life paying for what you've done."
She opened another Poké Ball. A sturdy Dewgong appeared beside Lapras.
Lorelei's meaning was clear: Caitlin was talented, young, and already positioned high. That made her a future threat. Lorelei wasn't going to allow that.
Caitlin's eyes sharpened. A faint blue light flickered in them. She threw a Poké Ball, and Metagross landed with a heavy impact.
"Ariana, Gladion—you two leave," Caitlin said.
Ariana's expression changed. "Caitlin…"
Was Caitlin planning to stay behind and cover them?
"You can't beat Lorelei," Ariana said quickly. "Staying here is—"
"Too dangerous," Caitlin finished, calm. "That's why you go first. Break through."
"But—"
"Don't worry," Caitlin said. "I'll be fine."
She gave them a small smile. It was steady enough that Ariana fell silent.
Gladion pressed his lips together. Logic won, even if he hated it.
"Be careful," he said, voice heavy.
Strength.
They needed more strength.
Gladion stared at Lorelei—still emotionless—and felt frustration twist in his chest. Next time, he didn't want to be the one retreating while someone else held the line. He didn't want to be dead weight. Not again.
Gladion and Ariana pulled back behind Caitlin.
But Caitlin felt something off.
Lorelei hated Team Rocket. Lorelei didn't "let executives go." And yet Lorelei wasn't moving to stop them.
That made Caitlin uneasy.
Lorelei wouldn't just watch two high-ranking targets walk away.
"Sacrificing yourself to cover their retreat?" Lorelei said, arms crossed, voice cold. "It's pointless."
She paused just long enough to make it land.
"More than one Kanto Elite Four member is here."
Caitlin's mind ran the numbers in an instant. Her expression shifted slightly.
So that was it.
Lorelei didn't need to stop them.
Someone else already was.
Lorelei looked at Caitlin with a trace of surprise. "You're not stupid."
Then her voice hardened again.
"Shame you chose the wrong road."
Caitlin steadied her breathing, then answered evenly. "Everyone has their own road, Lorelei. You're arrogant."
Lorelei didn't deny the first part. She didn't soften either.
"Everyone has a future," Lorelei said. "But Team Rocket? They're filth. Dark maggots that crawl in sewer shadows. Vermin."
There was no mask on her disgust. Lorelei truly hated Team Rocket—no restraint, no effort to hide it.
Caitlin's brow tightened. She didn't understand why Lorelei's hatred ran this hot. Team Rocket was criminal, yes, but Lorelei spoke like they'd taken everything from her. Like they'd wiped out her whole life.
"And vermin don't get to live," Lorelei finished.
The cold coming off her felt heavier than the air itself.
Caitlin exhaled once, slow.
"I see," she said. "Then there's nothing left to talk about."
The blue in Caitlin's eyes flared. Psychic power surged out of her in a hard wave and poured into Metagross and Tapu Lele.
Lorelei's brow furrowed slightly.
A psychic user like Sabrina?
"Lele—!"
Tapu Lele let out a clear, ringing cry. energy burst outward and swept across the area.
Psychic Surge.
Caitlin drew her power back into control and smiled—elegant, calm, and confident.
"Come on, Lorelei," she said. "I want to see how strong you really are—one of the world's strongest Elite Four."
Lorelei snorted. Her gaze stayed icy.
On the other side, with Silvally and Vileplume pushing the front, Gladion and Ariana forced a path through the Officer Jenny line and the police blockade. For a moment, it looked like they'd done it.
Then wind whistled in.
Before either of them could even turn—
Ariana's Vileplume got launched.
It flew sideways and smashed into a building with a heavy crash.
"Vileplume?!" Ariana froze. "What was that?"
Gladion stared, eyes narrowing. "Was that… Hitmonlee's leg?"
He'd only caught a blur—a lightning-fast kick coming from that direction.
A low male voice answered them.
"Two Team Rocket executives," it said. "So Lorelei was right. You were going to run."
A large man stepped out slowly.
Bare chest. Solid frame. A hard, steady face. Long blue-black hair that looked wild, like he didn't care what anyone thought. Loose white pants. Black bands at wrists and ankles.
A Fighting-type partner stood beside him.
Gladion's expression sank.
"Elite Four Bruno."
Ariana's heart dropped.
Bruno.
How were the two of them supposed to fight Bruno?
Her mouth went dry.
Damian… save us.
----
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