"After battling you, I can't help but feel… old," Blaine sighed heavily.
During the match, his reflexes had clearly fallen behind—not his Pokémon's fault, but his own. If his reactions had been sharper, perhaps Ninetales wouldn't have taken so many direct hits.
Maybe the outcome could've even changed.
But Blaine wasn't one to make excuses. A loss was a loss.
"You win."
He had imagined defeat would sting, but now that it had actually happened, he found it oddly acceptable.
"Here's your Badge."
With a flick of his wrist, Blaine tossed the crimson Volcano Badge toward Nozomi.
Nozomi reached out and caught it midair.
The badge, shaped like a flickering flame, was still hot from the arena's heat, searing against his palm.
"Thanks for the battle," Nozomi said with a small smile, pinning the badge proudly to his chest.
The second-to-last one. Only the Viridian Gym Badge remained.
But that last badge might prove tricky. Ever since Giovanni and Team Rocket withdrew from Kanto, Nozomi wasn't even sure if the Viridian Gym was still active.
[Congratulations, Host! You've obtained the Volcano Badge. Reward: Bronze Lottery Ticket ×1]
The system notification echoed quietly in his mind.
It seemed that as his strength grew, the rewards for defeating Gym Leaders had begun to decrease. He could already foresee the day when a Gym victory might yield no reward at all.
After bidding Blaine farewell, Nozomi left the Cinnabar hot spring inn.
He planned to stop by the resort he had rented earlier to pack his things and depart from Cinnabar Island.
Whether or not the Viridian Gym was still open, he needed that final badge. Once all eight were secured, he could finally enter the Indigo League.
But just as he was walking down the road, the communicator at his waist began to buzz.
"Huh? Who's calling me now?"
Nozomi frowned in confusion and tapped the receiver.
"Where are you, Nozomi?" came a tense voice—Lorelei's, sharp and hurried.
"I'm on Cinnabar Island. Why, what's wrong?"
Nozomi's brows furrowed. Lorelei never sounded this distressed unless something serious had happened.
"Good! Can you get to the Seafoam Islands right now? There's a situation I can't handle alone—I need your help!"
Even through the communicator, he could hear shrill bird cries and distant explosions echoing behind her.
"The Seafoam Islands? Got it!"
From her tone alone, Nozomi knew it was something major. Lorelei was not someone who panicked easily.
And that cry… connecting it with what he knew—that Articuno inhabited the Seafoam Islands—Nozomi immediately guessed what this was about.
He didn't even bother going back for his luggage. He had paid enough to rent the hot spring inn for a month anyway; his belongings would be safe there.
Nozomi released Dragonite.
The enormous dragon's sudden appearance drew gasps and stares from everyone on the street.
"Dragonite!""It's a Dragonite!""It looks so strong!"
Dragonite's sheer presence sent a wave of excitement through the crowd.
Nozomi ignored them, leaping nimbly onto Dragonite's back and patting its scaled head. "Dragonite, that way—fly to the Seafoam Islands!"
"Rooaaar!"
With a mighty roar, Dragonite spread its wings and launched skyward, soaring into the clouds toward Lorelei's location.
Meanwhile, on the Seafoam Islands, chaos reigned.
"Pokémon hunters!"
Lorelei's voice trembled with fury as she glared at the silver-haired woman before her.
The battlefield was a mess—Pokémon Hunters, League Inspectors, and a rampaging Articuno were locked in a violent three-way clash.
The hunters' main target was Articuno, but they constantly attacked the League's Pokémon as well, preventing anyone from protecting the legendary bird.
The League Inspectors fought desperately to repel the hunters and minimize harm to Articuno.
But Articuno itself was in a state of frenzy, its ice-blue wings whipping up snowstorms as it unleashed indiscriminate attacks, harming both hunters and League forces alike.
Lorelei herself was dueling the woman commanding the hunters—her silver-gray hair glinting under the ice-blue light. Lorelei recognized her immediately.
Hunter J.
One of the most infamous Pokémon hunters in the world, Hunter J operated primarily in the Sinnoh region. Her name alone sent chills through both the League and the black market.
She had led countless raids against protected sanctuaries, captured rare Pokémon in droves, and even ambushed powerful trainers who owned valuable Pokémon.
On the League's international wanted list, her bounty topped the charts. Cunning, ruthless, and efficient—no one had ever managed to capture her.
"Damn it!" Lorelei hissed.
Her Jynx barely managed to block the fiery breath of Hunter J's Salamence.
She had come here in response to a report of unusual activity on the Seafoam Islands—an Articuno sighting, possibly enraged. But upon arrival, she found an entire poaching squad led by Hunter J herself attempting to capture the legendary bird.
Under normal circumstances, Lorelei could have handled J. But she had come unprepared, bringing only her Jynx and Lapras, leaving Dewgong and Cloyster back home.
Hunter J, on the other hand, had four Pokémon in play: Salamence, Ariados, Drapion, and Xatu.
Lorelei was badly outnumbered. Despite her strength, she was being steadily pushed back.