The fashion show came to an end.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Haunter strutted out the gym doors, perfectly content.
"Haun~ter (′▽｀)ノ♪"
This… this is the pinnacle of my life!
"Haunter, where do you think you're going!"
Caleb's voice called out from behind.
In that instant, Haunter felt a chill shoot down its spine.
It stiffly turned its head… and was met with Caleb's soul-piercing stare.
Danger!
Before Haunter could flee, Caleb snatched it by the collar and started spinning both fists against its forehead.
SPINNING JUSTICE FISTS!
"Next time you wander off again, I'm putting you on sale as dried Magikarp jerky!"
"Haunter (??益??)"
Spare me, master! I swear there won't be a next time!
"There better not be!"
Caleb resumed the beatdown.
Off to the side, Jynx watched Haunter's sorry state and covered her mouth, giggling.
So this guy's actually afraid of his Trainer? Hilarious.
Just then, Caleb noticed the wine-red-haired woman standing beside Jynx.
From the looks of it, she had clearly been the one keeping Haunter in check the whole time.
"Ah… really sorry about all this. My Haunter must've caused you a lot of trouble..."
Caleb spoke while lifting his head to properly thank her.
But the moment his gaze met hers—
"Caleb?"
The woman called out his name in surprise.
Caleb froze. She looked familiar… but he couldn't place her.
"You are...?" he asked in confusion.
She smiled, then reached up and gently peeled a small black beauty mark off her cheek.
In that instant, Caleb felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Because standing before him was none other than Lorelei, the Ice-type Elite Four member of the Kanto region!
Just by removing a single mole… she'd become completely unrecognizable!?
Caleb was stunned into speechlessness.
If you asked what the difference was between Lorelei before and now—
Well… it was just the mole.
But that mole… was cursed!
Caleb came to a conclusion:
This mole is OP.
Elsewhere, Cynthia and the others had also noticed the now-revealed Lorelei.
Flint, being as reliable as ever, pointed and shouted, "Hey! Isn't that the ice-type lady from Kanto!?"
Thankfully, Lorelei quickly slapped the mole back on her face.
If not, they might've had a repeat of the chaos back at Solaceon City Airport.
The nearby crowd heard Flint's outburst and turned to look, but only saw a curvy, elegant woman. After a few admiring glances, they moved on.
Caleb and the others all shot Flint a glare for nearly exposing her.
Noticing their curiosity, Lorelei tapped her mole and explained:
"This is a new invention from the Kanto League. It emits a unique signal frequency. Without changing your appearance, it prevents others from recognizing you."
"But it doesn't work on high-level Psychic-types or those who know moves like Foresight."
True to the Pokémon world's fashion:
Black Tech is always strong.
Caleb marveled silently. "The power of technology is terrifying..."
Upon hearing about the mole, Cynthia stepped forward eagerly.
"I must have one too."
Lorelei glanced at the blonde woman wearing sunglasses and a mask.
"You're… Cynthia, right?"
"The Kanto League plans to distribute these to other regions within a few days."
Cynthia beamed.
Being a Champion had its downsides—especially being mobbed by fans whenever she went out. And if she had it bad, her friend Diantha, the movie star, had it even worse. Even full disguises wouldn't help against crazed fans.
They often had to buy out the entire street just to go shopping in peace.
But with this mole… finally, some normalcy.
Even Caleb felt tempted. Something told him this mole would come in handy someday.
"You know… staring at a lady's face that long isn't polite," Lorelei said with a grin.
A lady, huh…
That snapped Caleb out of his daze—he suddenly remembered…
He'd once referred to Lorelei as "Auntie Lorelei" in a group chat.
Totally by accident. He'd just typed too fast, accidentally blurting out his inner thoughts.
He'd never meant to tease her about her age!
But Lorelei clearly hadn't forgotten.
She'd been waiting for this day.
Smiling sweetly, Lorelei pulled out a small ice figurine.
"Caleb, look. What's this?"
Caleb's eyes widened.
That tiny sculpture—it had his face carved into it.
"Ice Doll!" he gasped.
Lorelei's signature move!
"Well, at least you know what it is," she said, her grin widening.
Then, she pulled out a lipstick tube from her chest.
"Guess what I'm gonna do next."
"Come on, sis, there's no need for this. I'm just a humble little Gym Leader. You don't have to bring out the same move you used on Red..."
Caleb backed away nervously.
In the Special manga, Lorelei had once used this exact trick to freeze Red solid—causing him permanent injury and forcing him to step down from the Viridian Gym.
And now she's using it on me?
I'm not Red! This is overkill!
"If you want to vent, how about a fair match instead? Equal level battle?" Caleb offered desperately.
Lorelei simply chuckled and ignored him. She tucked the lipstick away, tossed the ice doll to her Jynx, and said—
"Time to say goodbye to the world."
"Jynx, Lovely Kiss."
"Jyyyynx~"
Jynx cooed sweetly, then puckered her luscious red lips…
…and gently kissed the ice doll with Caleb's face on it.
"No! Wait—no, no, nooo—"
Caleb's limbs went limp. His vision blurred, like someone had smacked him in the head with a baseball bat.
Lovely Kiss—a Normal-type status move. A sudden terrifying smooch that puts the opponent to sleep.
Jynx's exclusive move.
In fact, she's the only Pokémon that can learn both Lovely Kiss and Sweet Kiss.
Its only flaw? A pitifully low accuracy.
But not with Lorelei's Ice Doll.
Ice Doll—Lorelei's personal technique.
Using a tiny ice sculpture as a conduit, it allows moves to hit their real-life target through the doll—guaranteeing 100% accuracy.
Moreover, if Lorelei applies lipstick to a certain part of the doll, that body part of the real person gets frozen solid.
In the manga, she used this to trap Sabrina and Blue.
Of course, the move has drawbacks—each doll must be pre-prepared in advance, and she can only use it twice a day at most.
Still, with that one kiss, Caleb crumpled to the ground.
Just before he blacked out, he saw Haunter panicking, flying toward him in a rush.
Aw, man… Haunter, you do care about me after all...
Haunter, tearfully, pulled out a handful of spirit money from its mouth...
Damn it!
Guess I was too soft on you earlier...
But now... I don't... have... the strength... to... hit... you...
Caleb's eyes gently closed, drifting into a dreamless slumber.