Chapter 30: Green’s True Identity

Chapter 30: Green's True Identity

After finishing the research on the Psychic Plate, Asahi finally turned his attention to Green.

She was sitting on the sidelines, feeding her Pokémon.

Asahi walked over, prompting Green to grow visibly nervous.

Surprisingly, instead of interrogating her, Asahi pulled out a box of energy cubes and handed it to her.

Seeing Green's confused expression, Asahi smiled and said, "Cheap Pokémon food won't help your Pokémon grow properly. Try this instead."

Green didn't understand what he was up to, but seeing the hopeful eyes of her Pokémon, she hesitantly accepted the energy cubes and shared them.

Watching her Pokémon happily munch away, Green's tension eased slightly.

"What do you want from me?" she eventually asked.

She didn't believe in unprovoked kindness.

Asahi casually sat next to her but didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he said, "A few days ago, after I caught you stealing Squirtle from Professor Oak's lab, I looked into you."

Green's ears perked up at this.

"During my investigation, I tried looking up your information in the Alliance database. Strangely, there was no record of you at all."

"No insurance records, no school enrollment history, not even a social media account."

"Your first official appearance was at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. Before that, it's as if you appeared in Kanto out of thin air."

Hearing this, Green tensed but didn't speak.

Noticing her silence, Asahi chuckled and continued, "But here's where things get interesting. While searching your name, I found a kidnapping case from twelve years ago in Pallet Town."

"A girl named Green went missing during the incident."

"And coincidentally, if she hadn't disappeared, her age would match the one you registered at the Pokémon Center. Same name, same age, and even similar hair color..."

"Who are you?" Green couldn't hold back any longer.

She had initially assumed Asahi was just an assistant or friend of Professor Oak's who had coincidentally run into her in Cerulean City. But now, that assumption was completely overturned.

Someone who could access the Alliance database and piece together her background like this wasn't just some ordinary assistant.

"Who I am isn't important for now," Asahi replied. "But now that you've heard all this, don't you have something you'd like to say?"

His statements weren't baseless guesses. He had indeed used his authority to access the Alliance database.

From his recent experiences, Asahi had come to understand that the world he was in wasn't just based on a single Pokémon game, anime, or manga. Instead, it was a fusion of various Pokémon universes.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Blue had been kidnapped by Masked Man as a child and forced to join the Masked Army. It took her five years to escape before she stole Squirtle and became a trainer.

But in this world, those five years had stretched into twelve. This was a significant difference, and Asahi wanted to understand what had changed.

Green pursed her lips. "Since you already know, why are you even asking me?"

"These are just my deductions. I need to hear it directly from you to confirm," Asahi said, casually teasing her Clefairy as he spoke.

Green hesitated for a long moment before finally admitting, "Yes, I'm the girl who went missing twelve years ago."

"Then why didn't you say anything earlier, like when we talked to Professor Oak?"

"What would've been the point? After all... I did steal Squirtle," Green said, stroking her Wartortle's smooth head. Her voice was tinged with melancholy.

"Wartortle~!"

Wartortle chirped comfortingly, trying to cheer up its trainer.

Watching her downcast expression, Asahi didn't fully buy it. Green was far too skilled at acting pitiable to gain sympathy.

Still, he offered some words of comfort:

"Don't say that. If you hadn't been kidnapped, and if you'd grown up in Pallet Town like any other kid, Professor Oak would've happily given you a starter Pokémon when you came of age."

Asahi's words were well-meaning, but they backfired spectacularly.

Green had stolen Squirtle because she longed for a normal trainer's journey, where she could receive her first Pokémon and set off on an adventure like everyone else.

But according to Asahi, what she had risked everything to obtain through theft could've been hers for free under normal circumstances. Was there anything more heartbreaking than that?

Green was visibly shaken. Her expression turned even more dejected—this time, it wasn't an act.

After a long moment, Green finally asked, "Who are you, really?"

"That's a secret for now," Asahi said, smiling. "Maybe you'll find out in the future, but for now, just know that I'm on your side."

He wasn't just saying this for show. Not only was Asahi officially aligned with the "good guys" as an international police officer, but he also had the moral high ground—endorsed by none other than Mew itself.

That was a divine seal of approval.

Green didn't respond, leaving her thoughts a mystery.

Asahi decided to shift gears. "I'm more curious about your past. Twelve years missing, and now you're suddenly back in Kanto. What happened during that time?"

He hoped to gather intel about the Masked Army and determine if it differed from its depiction in the manga.

But Green remained silent.

Through telepathy, Gardevoir informed Asahi that she could sense hesitation and inner conflict in Blue.

"Not enough trust yet, huh?"

Asahi sighed internally.

Given her traumatic history with the Masked Army, it made sense that Green wasn't ready to open up to someone she barely knew.

Patience would be key.

"That's fine," Asahi said with a reassuring smile. "We'll leave it at that for now."