"Miss Lorelei, let's go back to the Pokémon Center and hide for a bit."
"What's wrong? Did you run into an enemy?" Lorelei was taken aback by Riku's nervous expression.
"No," Riku replied anxiously.
"Just don't ask. Please—just follow me..."
"Riku!"
But he was a step too late. Just as he turned around, a familiar and pleasant voice rang out behind him.
Turning around awkwardly, Riku forced a smile when he saw May.
"May! What a coincidence. Why are you at the Pokémon Center? Is one of your Pokémon injured?"
"Grandma asked me to come and handle something," May replied, before suddenly noticing the mature, beautiful woman standing beside Riku.
A woman's intuition instantly told her there was something going on between them.
"And this is...?"
"I forgot to introduce you," Riku quickly interjected.
"This is Miss Lorelei, former member of the Elite Four of the Indigo League."
"Lorelei?" May froze, her body shuddering slightly.
She hadn't expected to meet the legendary Elite Four member just by visiting the Pokémon Center.
Then, she suddenly remembered what Riku had mentioned before.
"Why are you with Miss Lorelei?" May asked, her tone slightly suspicious.
"Didn't you say you had a bit of a conflict with her before?"
"It was nothing serious," Riku replied.
"You should take care of your grandmother's matter first—"
"So this is Miss May?"
Just as Riku was preparing to retreat from this awkward situation, Lorelei unexpectedly stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Miss Lorelei knows me?" May was surprised, but she still shook hands politely.
"Not only do I know you, but I'm also very familiar with you," Lorelei said, glancing at the increasingly nervous Riku with a teasing smile.
"Riku talks about you all the time. He always has your name on his lips. It's clear he likes you a lot."
"This... Miss Lorelei, please don't tease me," May replied, clearly flustered. Her earlier wariness melted away in an instant.
Watching her reaction, Riku sighed internally. Old ginger really is spicier.
An innocent girl like May was no match for a seasoned woman like Lorelei.
She didn't even use any schemes—just a single sentence, and May had already forgotten her earlier questions.
"How is it teasing?" Lorelei turned to Riku with a sly smile.
"Riku, didn't you say all that?"
What could Riku do now? He could only play along.
"Yes, yes, I did say that," he admitted with a reluctant nod.
Afterwards, the two women chatted for a while before finally getting down to business.
Putting the romantic tension aside, May was still competent when it came to her tasks. She directly asked about Lorelei and the others' purpose in coming to the Orange Archipelago.
Lorelei answered smoothly and confidently.
True or not, her explanation sounded reasonable—she had no intentions toward the Orange Archipelago and was merely asked to investigate the strange occurrences happening there.
Given the frequent appearances of legendary Pokémon, it made sense that Champion-level trainers would be dispatched to look into it.
But when May heard that Lorelei would be staying in the Orange Archipelago for a while, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Miss Lorelei, where are you staying during this time?"
"I'm staying at Riku's house," Lorelei replied calmly.
"His little island is lovely. I quite like it."
May's expression immediately darkened.
"A single man and a woman under one roof—that's not very appropriate."
"I have extra rooms at my place. How about Miss Lorelei stays with me instead..."
"May, there's no need to be so guarded," Lorelei said with a teasing smile.
"Riku and I are ten years apart in age. I won't steal your little boyfriend."
May flushed again, but she didn't argue.
At this point, Riku couldn't take it anymore.
He feared that if he let them continue, they might start talking about something even more outrageous.
So, using several poor excuses, he finally managed to separate the two.
Once on Lapras's back, Riku let out a sigh of relief.
But he didn't expect Lorelei to still be smiling at him. Only when she saw him looking completely speechless did she finally speak.
"Riku, do you know...Everything I just said to May was a lie."
Riku was stunned. "Miss Lorelei, what do you mean by that?"
"Guess," Lorelei replied with a smirk, tossing out the phrase most hated by men.
Riku almost blurted out, Guess your sister!
But he restrained himself. The person in front of him was a veteran Elite Four member, and they weren't that familiar yet. If they really fought, just one of her Champion-level Pokémon could easily destroy both him and Lapras.
"I don't want to guess," Riku said, shaking his head.
"If Miss Lorelei doesn't want to tell me, then don't.
It's not like I'm dying to know."
"But... I want you to know," Lorelei suddenly leaned forward.
"Actually, I find you quite interesting. If a young blade of grass like you is willing... this old cow wouldn't mind taking a bite."
As she spoke, Lorelei actually reached out toward Riku.
Slap!
Helplessly, Riku smacked her hand away.
"Miss Lorelei, teasing is fine, but let's not joke about feelings, okay?"
"You may have money and power, but I, Riku, am not someone who bows to wealth.
Besides, I have no interest in high-and-mighty women."
"Oh? Still so stubborn?" Lorelei smiled even wider.
"But the harder your bones are, the more I admire you. The more I want to make you mine."
With that, she suddenly licked her lips.
Riku's whole body shuddered.
He was honestly terrified that one night, this ferocious woman might devour him completely.
Thirty is like a wolf...
The ancients weren't wrong.
---Support with power stones