The Indigo Plateau.
This place was the political center of all Kanto, home to the headquarters of the Kanto Pokémon League, and also the location where the prestigious Indigo Conference was held.
Inside the Elite Four's office, a grim old lady dressed in a purple dress was lounging on a large sofa. In front of her was a cold-blooded Arbok, more than four meters long.
This old woman gently petting the Arbok was none other than Agatha—the third-ranked member of the Kanto Elite Four!
Perhaps due to her specialization in Ghost- and Poison-type Pokémon, Agatha exuded a naturally eerie aura that made people feel extremely uncomfortable. Even without saying a word, her mere presence was enough to make others instinctively wary.
Click.
The office door opened, and a cold, sharp-eyed young woman walked in without hesitation, scanning the room with a glance.
Her beautiful face was adorned with a pair of glasses. Long, thick deep-purple hair fell down her back. She wore a black formal outfit with a pencil skirt that outlined her curvaceous figure.
Ordinarily, one might expect her to look elegant and intellectual, but the chilling aura radiating from her made the atmosphere icy—truly bone-chilling.
She was Lorelei, the first-ranked member of the Elite Four, the Ice Queen.
"Where's Lance?"
Lorelei glanced around the office and saw that only Agatha was present. She frowned slightly and asked her.
"He went out. Heard there was a Dragon sighting. You know how he is—he can never resist the lure of a powerful Dragon."
Agatha popped a piece of jerky into Arbok's mouth, then turned her head to look at Lorelei. "Looks like you're here for something?"
"Someone contacted me. They claim to have a way to lure out one of Team Rocket's key executives."
Lorelei pushed up her glasses and said calmly. When Team Rocket was mentioned, a dark gleam of disgust flickered in her eyes.
Team Rocket—filthy, vile garbage!
"These disgusting rats have been hiding deep lately. It took a lot of effort just to get this lead," she said coldly. Nearly all known Team Rocket bases had already been destroyed by her and Lance. Perhaps that was why Team Rocket's recent operations had become more cautious.
"You're taking action yourself?"
"Of course."
"You know the council's been quite unhappy with us lately. That last incident in Cerulean City… you went a little overboard."
Agatha's aged face wrinkled slightly. She understood Lorelei's temperament well—her coldness extended far beyond her Pokémon. Lorelei's heart was just as icy.
Due to a traumatic childhood experience, Lorelei harbored a deep, visceral hatred for those who harmed Pokémon or the environment.
When she was little, she'd witnessed a poor Seel nearly die from polluted industrial water. The look of sorrow and despair in its dying eyes changed Lorelei forever.
From that day forward, she came to loathe everything Team Rocket stood for—every dark corner of society, every selfish businessman who destroyed nature for profit, and especially those who used innocent Pokémon for horrific experiments.
Her hatred was so deep, it defied words.
Lorelei had zero tolerance. Even though the League forbade killing anyone once they lost the ability to resist, the truth was that Lorelei and Lance had spilled more than a few Team Rocket members' blood.
"To deal with garbage, you must treat it like garbage."
She let out a cold laugh. Her icy voice matched her frigid demeanor. As for the council?
She couldn't care less. If it weren't for the need to maintain the bigger picture, she would've frozen those rotten old council members into sculptures long ago.
All they did was drag their feet and spew nonsense all day—she was sick of it.
"I'm off."
With that, Lorelei turned and left.
"Looks like I should start preparing too."
Agatha's eyes glimmered faintly as she stared at the door that had just closed behind Lorelei. The tension between the Kanto Elite Four and the League's council members had grown more strained than ever.
Lorelei's cold nature, paired with Lance's domineering arrogance, had made them unbearable in the eyes of the council.
Similarly, Lorelei and Lance viewed those council members as obstacles at best—and threats at worst.
The ideological gap between them had become impossible to bridge.
To Lorelei and Lance, evil was to be utterly destroyed, without compromise.
But in the League's eyes, their approach was far too extreme. As Lorelei and Lance grew more fanatical in their crusade, the relationship had reached a breaking point.
"Hmmm... hehehe…"
A creepy murmur echoed through the Elite Four office before settling back into silence.
-------------------------
Seafoam Islands—located in the southwestern sea area of the Kanto region.
The reason they were called the "Seafoam Islands" was because the two islands looked exactly alike, like a pair of twins.
Just like Viridian Forest or Mt. Silver, the Seafoam Islands were also a famous wild area in Kanto. But due to their remote location and the extremely cold environment inside, very few Trainers came here to train.
After all, there were dangerous places everywhere—why come all the way here just to freeze?
At this moment, a group of people was slowly making their way through one of the icy island caves.
"So cold…"
Marnie rubbed her hands and looked at the surrounding icicles. Her expression was flat, but internally, she was grumbling.
What kind of punishment was this?
She should've been wrapped up in a cozy blanket right now, sleeping in. Instead, here she was, freezing to death.
This place was even colder than the Crown Tundra!
"So why did you tag along?"
Lucas noticed Marnie shivering and pulled a coat from his spatial backpack to drape over her, chuckling.
He had asked her twice if she really wanted to come.
"I'm part of Team Rocket too, obviously I have to be part of the mission," Marnie replied stubbornly, tightening the coat.
After all, she knew what this mission was about—tracking down the legendary Articuno.
Of course she wanted to see it with her own eyes.
"You're really all-in, huh? Here, put this on."
Lucas chuckled again and handed a coat to Sabrina as well.
Even though Sabrina was dressed more warmly than Marnie, her body was still stiff from the cold—it was clearly getting to her.
"…Thanks," Sabrina muttered after a brief pause. Now was not the time to be prideful.
She had read up on the Seafoam Islands and knew it would be cold, but she'd underestimated it, thinking her strong constitution would be enough.
But she was wrong. The "bone-chilling cold" marked on the map guide was no exaggeration.
The group continued deeper into the cave. The Seafoam Islands truly were a haven for Ice-type Pokémon. Along the way, they encountered many of them.
Fortunately, the wild Pokémon were gentle and didn't attack, so the group made it through without trouble.
Eventually, they reached a wide chamber. Perched atop a massive ice pillar, a majestic, icy-blue bird was resting.
It wore a crest of three deep blue feathers atop its head. Its icy-blue plumage was beautiful, and its tail feathers were long and elegant.
It was the legendary Pokémon—Articuno!
"Doesn't look that impressive," Marnie said as she blinked, staring at Articuno. It was flashy, sure, but it didn't quite meet her expectations.
"Coo~!"
Articuno, clearly alert, opened its eyes and let out a sharp cry as it took flight, warning the intruders.
"Very perceptive—it can tell we're not here with good intentions."
Lucas raised an eyebrow as he assessed the Articuno.
Legendary Pokémon truly had uncanny senses. They could distinguish between friend and foe with ease.
"Set up the barrier. Don't let it escape."
Sabrina calmly gave the order. She then summoned her Alakazam and Mr. Mime.
The Team Rocket members quickly set up machines. Streams of electromagnetic force extended, forming an electric wall that sealed the exit.
There would be no escape for Articuno.
"Coo!"
Its eyes went cold. With another cry, Articuno flapped its wings fiercely—
Blizzard!
A fierce snowstorm, laced with biting cold, swept across the cave.
Wild Articuno has initiated an attack!
"Hm?"
Lucas took a step back to avoid the blast, letting the Rocket grunts take the brunt of the Blizzard. He raised an eyebrow.
One of his Poké Balls was rattling.
"You want to join the fight?"
He chuckled as he pulled out the ball. It wobbled again, as if in response.
"Psychic. Thunderbolt," Sabrina ordered.
Alakazam raised its spoons. Deep blue light filled its eyes as psychic energy surged outward.
Mr. Mime, looking like a toy, began to glow with electric sparks.
Articuno, now airborne, was wrapped in a layer of blue light—Alakazam's Psychic attack.
But Articuno struggled fiercely—it couldn't be fully restrained.
Mr. Mime's Thunderbolt completed its charge and fired a massive bolt of electricity.
"Coo!"
Articuno broke free from the Psychic grip and unleashed a freezing beam from its beak.
Ice Beam!
The two attacks collided in midair and exploded violently.
The first wave failed, but Sabrina remained calm. After all, this was a legendary Pokémon—even if wild, it couldn't be underestimated.
No problem. She had plenty of potions and time. Sooner or later, this Articuno would tire out.
"Looks kinda strong," Marnie commented.
"Strong? It's a legendary. Even if it doesn't train, just the passage of time could raise it to Elite Four level."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. In his view, if a legendary hadn't reached Champion-level, it was basically a waste of potential.
He couldn't help but look down on these lazy legendaries.
Oh—Ultra Beasts didn't count, of course. The official classification considered them legendary too.
"Just look at this one. It lives in an Ice-type paradise, but it's not even Champion-level yet?"
"Pathetic."
Lucas was utterly unimpressed. How did these things even earn the title "legendary"?
Then again, it made sense. With no predators, natural talent, and long lifespans, they could slack off for centuries.
Why work hard when being lazy was enough?
Marnie: "…"
Sabrina: "…"
Team Rocket grunts: "…"
Sabrina couldn't help but feel personally attacked. Lucas was clearly calling Articuno weak—but she still hadn't managed to capture it.
Wasn't that just an indirect way of calling her weak?
Her expression froze slightly. She couldn't even come up with a rebuttal.
"Don't compare it to yourself."
Marnie facepalmed. "Champion-level is your baseline?! Some of us haven't even hit Elite Four!"
"Enough shaking. You go handle it."
With a sigh, Lucas finally tossed the rattling Poké Ball.
"Screee!"
A loud, sharp cry echoed as a black-and-red giant bird landed opposite Articuno, eyes locked with icy determination.
The Galarian Moltres had arrived!
"Coo???"
Articuno looked utterly baffled. Its bird head tilted in confusion.
Moltres? Wait… dyed feathers?
It could sense the aura of a Moltres, but something was… off.
"Screee!" Galarian Moltres raised its neck proudly, overflowing with arrogance.
I am invincible! Articuno? Trash!
"Coo coo?" Articuno was still confused.
"Scree scree!"
"Coo coo coo coo—!"
Yeah… roughly translated:
Articuno: "What kind of bird are you?"
Galarian Moltres: "I'm Moltres, you idiot!"
Articuno: "Are you Moltres' cousin or something?"
Galarian Moltres: "I AM Moltres, dammit!"
Articuno: "What bird are you, really?"
Galarian Moltres: "I'm your dad!!"
Yep. That was the extent of their heartwarming little chat.
(End of Chapter)