Chapter 31: "He Should Thank Us"
Chapter 31: "He Should Thank Us"
Asahi's calm response left Green hesitant.
Though she didn't reveal anything this time, he wasn't worried. They would be spending plenty of time together, and he was confident the truth would come out eventually.
"Alright, we've stayed in Cerulean City long enough. Time to head to the next destination."
"Wait, can't we stay a little longer? I finally found a way to make some decent money here!" Green pleaded.
She was starting to act more like her usual self, now that their earlier conversation had eased some of the tension.
"You mean selling bootleg Cerulean Sisters merchandise?" Asahi raised an eyebrow.
"Uh..." Green stuck out her tongue, embarrassed at being caught.
"You'd better give up on that scheme. When I was tracking you, you weren't the only one keeping an eye on you. Some fans who bought your stuff probably noticed something was off by now..."
"What?! But my materials were clearly better than the official ones! Why would they come after me?"
"That's just how it is with fans," Asahi said with a shrug. "They're not buying the product—they're buying their love for their idols."
Pirated versions clearly didn't meet fans' expectations for "love," even if they were produced with greater refinement.
Green pondered for a moment before realizing they couldn't stay in Cerulean City. "Alright, so where are we going next?"
"Hmm..." Asahi thought for a moment. "Celadon City!"
Yesterday, Wataru had messaged him that this time, the exchange event between Kanto and Hoenn would be held at Celadon University, the city's renowned institution.
Although it was a bit early to head there now, Professor Oak had recommended he take up a position as an honorary lecturer at Celadon University some time ago. He still hadn't gone to complete the necessary procedures.
If he went to Celadon City now, after sorting out the paperwork, he might even have time to visit the famous Celadon Game Corner.
"Celadon Game Corner? Team Rocket's secret base? I hope you enjoy the surprise I've prepared for you!" Just the thought of it brought a wide grin to Asahi's face.
...
Celadon City lay southwest of Cerulean City.
On the way, Asahi made sure to use wild trainers along the roadside to train his Dratini and Bagon.
"Bagon, Dragon Breath!"
"Bagon!"
Bagon smiled at the Pidgeotto diving toward it from above, then unleashed a purple-red Dragon Breath straight at its opponent!
"Not good! Pidgeotto, dodge it quickly!"
The opposing trainer panicked at the sight and shouted anxiously.
But even without the trainer's warning, Pidgeotto knew it couldn't take the incoming Dragon Breath head-on.
The problem was whether it could avoid it in time!
Pidgeotto flapped its wings desperately, trying to escape the attack's range, but it was still a split second too slow.
The purple-red Dragon Breath engulfed Pidgeotto, its paralyzing energy taking effect immediately.
Boom!
Pidgeotto plummeted from the sky, completely losing its ability to battle.
"Pidgeotto!"
The trainer hurried over to cradle the fallen Pidgeotto, then dashed off toward the Pokémon Center in tears.
Watching the figure disappear into the distance, Asahi clasped his hands behind his back and sighed. "Another victory. Truly, life is as lonely as snow."
"..."
Green, standing nearby, had witnessed Asahi "bullying" these wild trainers repeatedly over the past few days and had come to see another side of his personality.
For someone so strong, he sure had an odd sense of humor.
Asahi, the target of her inner criticism, wasn't satisfied either.
[Defeating 20 wild trainers in a row hasn't triggered a title. It seems earning titles by defeating random trainers isn't so simple.]
Failing to meet the conditions for triggering a title could only mean it was either a matter of the quality or the quantity of the trainers he'd defeated.
Quality wasn't something he could control—wild trainers varied widely in skill, and Asahi had no way of improving their caliber.
"So, I'll just have to focus on quantity?"
If 20 wasn't enough to unlock a title, he'd aim for 100!
With sheer numbers, he'd eventually see results, just like when he earned the title of Legendary Ranger.
...
Ten days later, on the outskirts of Celadon City, Asahi directed his Dratini to defeat yet another trainer.
"Damn it! You're just bullying people because you have a Dratini! One day, I'll win against you!"
The defeated trainer recalled their Machoke, muttered a threat, and ran off toward the Pokémon Center.
"?"
Asahi tilted his head at the comment.
Accusing him of bullying was understandable—his skill level against these wild trainers was indeed unfair.
But what did they mean by "because you have a Dratini"?
It made it sound like Dratini was some kind of unbeatable Pokémon.
Sure, Dragonite was strong in terms of base stats, but what did that have to do with Dratini?
Still, a defeated trainer wasn't worth his contemplation.
"This was the 99th wild trainer you've beaten. Just one more to hit 100," Green said, sitting on a nearby rock with her Clefairy.
Despite often accusing Asahi of bullying weaker opponents, she had learned a lot from watching his battles these past few days.
"One more to go." Asahi scanned the surroundings for his final target. Soon, he spotted a Bug Catcher standing dazedly with a net in hand.
Three minutes later
Asahi's Dratini stood triumphantly atop the defeated Weedle.
"Weedle is unable to battle. Dratini wins!" Green, acting as the temporary referee, announced.
The Bug Catcher stared blankly at his fallen Weedle, his face full of confusion.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
Even Asahi felt a little awkward seeing the boy's expression. Using his Verdant Force, he healed the Weedle and gave the boy some Pokéblocks, leaving the Bug Catcher stunned—he had expected to lose his allowance, not receive gifts!
As the boy thanked him profusely, Asahi tuned out and focused on the system notification in his head.
[By defeating 100 wild trainers with superior skill, you've unlocked the title: 'The Ultimate Fishpond Fisherman!']
[Please select your reward!]