Commentator: "Miss Lorelei has chosen to forfeit. The winner of this match is Ash. Please give him a warm round of applause."
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
As the commentator finished speaking, the audience burst into applause, celebrating the intense and exciting battle. Ash accepted the cheers calmly, clearly satisfied with the outcome.
With his match concluded, the battle in Arena B had also come to an end. The victor was Diantha, one of the Elite Four from the Kalos region in this setting, while Chie Aoyama was unfortunately eliminated. Had she faced Lorelei instead, she might have stood a better chance.
With the quarterfinals over, the day's matches came to an end. The finals were scheduled for the next morning. Chie Aoyama and Ethan chose to stay rather than leave, seemingly intending to speak with Ash afterward.
However, Ash had no interest in that.
First, he was not familiar with Ethan. Second, the distance between the Kalos region and Kanto made any meaningful connection unlikely. As for Chie Aoyama, Ash was currently at odds with the Johto League, so he doubted she had anything beneficial to say. If anything, it was better to avoid unnecessary conflict.
"Sabrina, Lorelei and I agreed to meet at the bar downstairs to discuss the medicine. Do you want to come?" After taking a shower and getting dressed, Ash spoke to Sabrina, who was watching TV.
"I'll pass. That kind of noisy environment doesn't suit me. Just don't drink too much."
Seeing her refusal, Ash didn't insist. After all, this meeting was only about the Rare Candy matter.
When he arrived at the hotel bar, he quickly spotted Lorelei already seated at the counter, a glass in hand.
"Hey. Drinking this much? Be careful, or someone might take advantage of you." Ash walked over, took the glass from her hand, and shot a cold glance at a few men nearby who had been eyeing her.
"Hm? I'm not your woman. Why do you care?" Lorelei replied, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly a bit tipsy.
"You're one of the Kanto Elite Four. If something happens, wouldn't that just be embarrassing?" Ash responded casually, then called over a bartender and requested a private room.
"Let's talk inside. It's too noisy here. The deal about the Rare Candy is already settled anyway. Once it's done, we split it evenly. There's nothing else to discuss."
After helping Lorelei into the private room, Ash sat down on the sofa while she leaned lazily against the opposite side.
"You really don't understand how to enjoy yourself," Lorelei said with a faint, teasing smile. She slipped off her high heels and stretched her long legs across the sofa, her posture relaxed as she leaned slightly toward him. "Do you always have to talk business? Can't we talk about something… more personal?"
"Hey… what are you doing?" Ash frowned slightly. The situation was undeniably tempting, and Lorelei's current state only made it more dangerous.
Since his experiences in the Naruto world, Ash no longer felt awkward about such situations. Still, this felt… unexpected.
"Ash… don't you think I'm beautiful?" Lorelei raised her hand, her slender fingers lightly brushing against his chest before slowly trailing downward.
"You're not just drunk, are you?" Ash looked at her flushed face but made no move to stop her. After all, he wasn't exactly at a disadvantage here, and this world didn't bind people to a single partner.
The main reason Ash had refused Lorelei before was because, at the time, he only had a fiancée, Cynthia, and his relationship with Sabrina had not yet reached that stage.
But now, things were different.
Everything that needed to happen had already happened, and Ash no longer had any reservations holding him back.