"I carry my own burdens, just like anyone else," Ash replied calmly to Lorelei's words. After a long day, the soothing warmth of the hot spring slowly eased both his body and mind.
"Straight to the point then—what's your purpose here? I don't believe you came just to see me." Perhaps out of boredom, Ash spoke frankly.
Lorelei chuckled softly. "Hehe… you're surprisingly direct. Most men would be happy just to spend more time with me." Her eyes lingered on him, still puzzled. By all accounts, Ash was only fifteen or sixteen. How could someone so young display such composure?
"You're right," she admitted at last. "Aside from testing your strength, I came here for another reason. I want three Rare Candies."
Since Ash had cut straight to the heart of the matter, there was no point in hiding her true intentions. Concealing it would only make things more tense between them.
Her reasoning was simple: while the gap between ranks couldn't be bridged easily, a Trainer with strong bonds could still guide their Pokémon beyond their level. Lorelei's plan was to first push her partners to Champion tier, then grasp the essence of what it meant to be a Champion through them.
It wasn't an unwise path. In fact, most Champions had reached that stage because their Pokémon broke through first, forcing them to grow into the role. A Dratini that evolves into Dragonite, reaching Champion level, often draws its Trainer along with it. That deep connection, built from years of shared battles, allows a Trainer to recognize both the strengths of their Pokémon and their own shortcomings.
"So that's why you want Rare Candy," Ash muttered. Shaking his head, he rose slightly in the water.
"I'm sorry… I can't agree."
Rare Candy was too precious. Even Ash, who had mastered the refining method, had a success rate of less than fifty percent—and that was with the materials, which themselves were rare and difficult to obtain.
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Lorelei said with a faint smile.
"You don't seriously expect me to believe you've only made five, do you? That sort of story might fool outsiders, but not the great families. Everyone knows a little is always kept back, even if not spoken aloud. It's an unspoken rule. Break it, and everything falls apart."
Though Ash's denial was firm, Lorelei showed no anger, only amusement. She was right: no one who created something so valuable would simply hand it all away.
"Even if that's true," Ash replied evenly, "you won't get any from me. I do have some, but not many. You know better than anyone how valuable they are. They're not something you can buy with Pokédollars."
"I know." Her tone grew quieter.
"That's why I came with something more valuable than money. This isn't only my decision—my father agreed as well. The Glacienne family is willing to trade thirty percent of its yearly profits, combined with my own resources, for just three Rare Candies."
Ash was momentarily stunned. The offer was staggering, but it showed just how far the Glacienne family was willing to go.
As a woman, Lorelei could never permanently inherit the patriarch's seat—it would eventually pass to her younger brother. For now, she held authority only as a custodian until he was ready.
The three Rare Candies she asked for were clear in purpose: one for herself, and the other two for her brother, to push them both toward Champion level. As the families had always decreed: without a Champion-class heir, one could not inherit the patriarch's title.
Agatha, for instance, was only acting head of the Blackstone family after her son's death. Patriarchal succession had always been male-first. Affection for daughters could never outweigh the weight of family interest.
"You'd go that far?" Ash said at last, his expression shifting slightly. "I suppose there must be no shortage of suitors for you. And your family… the Glacienne clan doesn't seem to have the kind of factions that plague others."
The sheer weight of the offer left Ash surprised. From another angle, though, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
His reputation was already unmatched, his Champion strength undeniable, his mastery of medicine and training techniques unrivaled. Whatever family he built in the future would have enough foundation to last for generations.
"You're right," Lorelei admitted, her voice softening.
"But families are built on interests, not sentiment. We aren't like your Oak family or the Draconis family. The Oaks focus on research—no one interferes with them, since that requires both talent and experience. The Draconis family moves in politics, where one secure position can last for a lifetime."
"But business… that's different. Every family dabbles in it, and competition never stops. A single advantage can mean the difference between survival and collapse."
After hearing Ash's words, Lorelei began explaining the current situation of the major families.
She wasn't wrong.
In business, even if a family specialized in one field—say, running restaurants—it didn't mean they wouldn't invest in real estate if the opportunity arose.
Every family tried to branch out whenever profit was possible. That was why business was both the hardest field to survive in and the quickest way to rise in power.
"Even if what you say is true," Ash replied evenly, "I can't simply hand over Rare Candy. I only have six left—that's all. And I can't afford to use them recklessly just to deal with the Pokémon in Kanto."
He paused before continuing. "But… if you can find the materials, I can try refining them for you. The success rate is only about thirty percent, though. No matter how many ingredients you bring me, I'll keep half of the final product."
Seeing Lorelei's expression, Ash hesitated. He couldn't bring himself to flatly refuse her, so he offered this compromise. After all, while the ingredients for Rare Candy weren't impossible to explain, they were still exceedingly rare, and every attempt carried a risk of failure.
...
TN:
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