The celebration banquet that night was incredibly lively.
As for the "ball game" that Aiden and Lorelei watched afterward...
That was equally intense.
For a mature woman, once she had truly decided on someone, the passion she could unleash far exceeded imagination.
And for the first time, Aiden truly experienced just how dangerous "illegal body contact" could be.
No wonder everyone loved watching ball games.
The legends did not lie.
...
The next morning, when Aiden and Lorelei woke up, Aiden finally understood the appeal of older women.
It was difficult not to become attached.
Now that Team Rocket had been destroyed and the criminal organizations within Kanto had largely been wiped out, peace had finally returned.
Any surviving remnants would not dare show themselves openly.
Leaning lazily against the headboard, Lorelei smiled.
"Now that the war is over, I finally have some vacation time."
"How about coming with me to the Orange Archipelago?"
Aiden naturally had no reason to refuse.
Traveling together with a beauty?
A gentleman should absolutely embrace such opportunities.
On the battlefield—
He had turned the tide of war single-handedly.
His power had decided the outcome of the conflict.
In his career—
He stood above countless others as the Champion of Hoenn.
Even the entire Hoenn League acknowledged his authority.
And in his personal life—
Traveling the world with beautiful companions seemed perfectly reasonable.
The Orange Archipelago was mostly ocean.
Countless islands were scattered across endless seas.
Travel between them required ships or powerful Water-type Pokémon.
Because of its geography, the Orange League had remained relatively isolated from the outside world for many years.
Even after joining the Pokémon League system, relatively few trainers challenged the Orange League.
Most preferred large-scale tournaments rather than attempting to defeat Drake, the Supreme Trainer.
Still—
Aiden had never visited the Orange Archipelago before.
Yet he knew one important fact.
The Legendary Birds resided there.
And not only them.
Lugia also dwelled somewhere within those waters.
Previously, Brandon had provided him with coordinates to a Legendary Pokémon hidden within a volcano near Kanto.
After comparing locations, Aiden discovered it was also somewhere around the Orange Archipelago.
At that point, the Pokémon's identity was practically obvious.
Thus—
After spending several days resting, the two departed from Vermilion City.
Riding atop Lorelei's Lapras, leaning comfortably against one another, they began their romantic ocean voyage.
After all—
Lorelei's hometown was located within the Orange Archipelago.
And bringing Aiden there carried a rather obvious meaning.
Although she never said it directly, the mature Ice Queen clearly had plans of her own.
...
Since it was Aiden's first time visiting the Orange League, Lorelei naturally became his guide.
As they traveled across the endless ocean, Aiden gazed toward the horizon.
"The Legendary Birds and Lugia should all be somewhere around here."
"I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to meet them."
Lorelei smiled.
She already knew Aiden possessed enough Legendary Pokémon to terrify entire regions.
"Actually..."
"I know where Ice Island is."
"When I was younger, I once challenged the Ice God there."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Unfortunately, I lost."
"Badly."
"I nearly died."
"After that, I never went back."
Aiden's eyes immediately brightened.
"You know where Articuno lives?"
Lorelei nodded.
"In that case..."
"Why don't we visit Ice Island first?"
Hearing his suggestion, Lorelei suddenly asked:
"By the way."
"Why are you so obsessed with collecting Legendary Pokémon?"
Aiden thought for a moment before answering honestly.
"Maybe it's just a strange collector's habit."
"After becoming Hoenn's strongest trainer, I started wondering whether I could become the strongest trainer in the entire world."
"And if that's my goal..."
"Then naturally I'd want to collect the rarest Pokémon."
He looked out toward the sea.
"My current dream is simple."
"I want to capture every Legendary Pokémon in existence."
"Maybe it'll take my entire life."
"But that's fine."
After hearing his answer, Lorelei smiled beautifully.
"Then let me help you."
"On this road called dreams."
"Lapras, head northeast."
"Lapras!"
The Pokémon cried cheerfully and immediately increased its speed.
Aiden reached over and poked Lorelei's cheek.
"You're really good at this, aren't you?"
...
Thinking about it carefully—
Although Lance had essentially taken complete control of the Kanto League—
Lorelei was his woman.
Sabrina was effectively part of the Sky Team.
Karen had already been recruited and mentally conditioned into becoming one of Sky Team's executives.
That meant—
The Kanto Vice Champion and one Elite Four member were already on his side.
Add Cynthia from Sinnoh.
Add Hoenn itself.
Without even realizing it, Aiden now possessed enormous influence across three major regions.
Kanto.
Sinnoh.
And Hoenn.
When had things reached this point?
As they continued sailing toward Ice Island, Aiden's attention gradually shifted elsewhere.
To Water-type Pokémon.
After all—
What better place existed for finding powerful Water-types than the endless ocean surrounding the Orange Archipelago?
And if memory served him correctly—
Ash had once encountered several extraordinarily rare Pokémon during his journey here.
The Crystal Onix.
The gigantic Gyarados raised by a Nurse Joy.
And even an island populated entirely by pink Pokémon.
The more he thought about it, the more interested he became.
Eventually, he pulled a fishing rod from his system storage.
Then—
Quite shamelessly—
He lay down with his head resting on Lorelei's lap.
Perfectly comfortable.
Perhaps he might hook some rare Pokémon.
Unfortunately...
Reality was cruel.
Several hours later—
Not a single bite.
Aiden stared blankly at the calm sea.
Complete failure.
A true beginner's experience.
Fishing clearly wasn't his calling.
Perhaps it would be faster to simply find rare Pokémon himself.
...
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