Chapter 316-317

Chapter 316-317

Gary left. He left with a newfound determination to become stronger.

In his own words, he was embarking on a spiritual training journey—to heal his soul that had been utterly shattered by Asahi's torment.

Asahi, however, had his doubts.

He knew Gary too well. That guy wasn't going on some spiritual retreat—he was just heading off to brag to Ash about his experiences.

Still, Asahi had to admit… life was a lot less fun without Gary around.

With that thought, he reached out and messed up Eevee's neatly groomed fur.

"Bui! Bui!" Eevee cried angrily, but Asahi just closed his eyes and pretended nothing had happened.

Eevee glared at him. After a few more complaints and realizing Asahi was ignoring it, it leapt onto his face like a Facehugger from Alien.

Caught off guard, Asahi's entire face was suddenly covered by Eevee's fluffy body.

This was rebellion! This tiny Eevee dared to challenge its trainer!?

"Mmff! Eevee, let go!"

"Bui!"

"Good Eevee, come down now!"

"Bui!"

"MEW! Help me! Eevee's gone crazy!"

—

Not far away, Yellow watched their playful struggle.

"Asahi and Eevee have such a close bond!" she said with admiration.

Zinnia, however, glanced over and scoffed. "He's just bullying Eevee again… Forget him, let's move on to Rule #13 of caring for the Lord of Dragons!"

"This is secret knowledge, passed down by us Draconids through ancient texts and my own personal experience. It took me months to put this together!"

"If Lord Rayquaza didn't like you, I wouldn't even be sharing this…"

Yellow nodded seriously, treasuring this rare opportunity to learn.

Seeing Yellow's earnest expression, Zinnia was quite satisfied.

Honestly, between the two of them—both possessing unique abilities—Yellow was far cuter than Asahi!

Meanwhile, Rayquaza, lounging nearby with its eyes closed, lazily stretched its body.

Such peace… No need to return to Sky Pillar just yet.

At that moment, Mew finally arrived after hearing Asahi's cries for help.

But upon seeing the scene, instead of helping, it pulled out a phone and started taking pictures.

In the end, Mew was no help at all.

Eevee only let go when it was finally done playing.

"Sigh… You've changed, Eevee," Asahi sighed.

"Bui~"

Eevee snuggled against Asahi's leg, whimpering as if apologizing—completely forgetting who had started this whole mess.

Watching Asahi gaslight Eevee, Mew's eyes widened in amazement.

Wait… you can do that?!

—

Carrying Eevee, Asahi walked toward the manor's pool.

Lapras and Slowbro were playing in the water, while a now-overweight Gyarados was lazily floating around, taking a midday nap. Wingull was scheming ways to steal some fries.

Seeing Asahi approach, Slowbro immediately waddled over and stood up straight.

Wingull circled around him, hoping to snatch some food.

Only Lapras—Iceflow—watched Asahi warily.

Asahi gestured for Iceflow to come closer. It hesitated but eventually approached, though its tension was obvious.

"How's life here? Are you getting used to it?" Asahi asked, patting Iceflow's head.

With everything that had been going on lately, he had been too busy to properly check in with Iceflow.

"Wuu~"

Feeling Asahi's warmth, Iceflow finally relaxed and let out a soft, melodious cry.

Its voice was beautiful, carrying an almost purifying serenity.

But Asahi wasn't just here to chat.

Professor Rowan had asked him to take care of Iceflow, and if possible, save its parents.

At first, Asahi had only had Celebi, which made him unsure.

Celebi was the Forest Guardian, but for temporal affairs, Dialga was the true expert.

Now that he had Dialga… it was time to try.

He threw Dialga's Poké Ball.

A groggy Dialga blinked, confused as to why it was summoned.

"What do you need?"

Asahi pointed at Iceflow.

"This kid's parents died in an accident. Can you save them?"

Dialga immediately understood.

He wanted it to retrieve Iceflow's parents from the past.

Technically, this was against the rules—tampering with the timeline would destabilize things and increase the workload for its past self.

But… since Asahi was the one asking…

Dialga's Adamant Orb glowed, and a blue rift appeared in the air.

Dialga leaned halfway inside for about ten seconds.

When it emerged, two confused Lapras were with it.

"Wuu~!"

Iceflow's eyes widened before rushing forward and hugging the two Lapras, its expression filled with pure joy.

The two Lapras froze for a moment—then, recognizing their child's familiar scent, they realized the truth…

The three Lapras embraced each other.

Watching this touching scene, Dialga yawned and returned to its Poké Ball.

Maintaining the timeline?

Tsk, let my past self handle that mess.

—

In the underground prison…

An intense argument was taking place.

The participants? Cyrus, Maxie, Archie, and Matori.

Maxie: "Team Magma's vision is the best! Awakening Groudon to expand the landmass will allow humanity to flourish!"

Archie: "Hah! The sea is the cradle of life! Awakening Kyogre and expanding the oceans will create a better world!"

Cyrus: "Fools. Everything must be destroyed so I can create a new world!"

Matori: "With Giovanni in charge, Team Rocket deserves to rule this world."

The jailed villains passionately debated who should rule the world.

In a way… it was kind of hilarious.

Then, suddenly—

The prison door swung open.

Asahi stepped inside, raising an eyebrow at their heated argument.

"Oh? Having fun?"

Instantly, the room fell silent.

Maxie, Archie, and Cyrus all shut up.

They had all lost to Asahi before.

Only Matori dared to speak.

"Giovanni will come rescue me!"

The moment she said that, Sird burst into laughter.

"Hah! Are you sure Giovanni even dares to come here?"

After what she had witnessed at Sky Pillar, she knew exactly what would happen.

If Giovanni did come…

There was already an empty cell waiting just for him.

Midori glared at Sird, wishing she could sew that mouth of hers shut.

But reality was cruel—Sird had once been one of the Three Beasts. Whether it was commanding Pokémon or her own combat prowess, she was far superior to Midori, a mere administrative officer.

So all Midori could do was think about it.

Asahi watched the scene unfold but paid them no mind.

He walked straight to Pryce's cell.

Through the bars, Pryce looked at Asahi with a puzzled expression. Asahi said nothing, merely handing him a photograph.

Pryce looked down at it and saw two Lapras and a baby Lapras, all beaming with happiness.

"This is…" Pryce stared blankly at the image. After carefully examining it, he fell silent for a long time before finally looking up at Asahi. "Thank you."

At this moment, Pryce's expression showed relief, comfort, and liberation…

He understood everything now. The heavy stone that had weighed on his heart for decades had finally been lifted.

Asahi sighed inwardly—he really was too soft-hearted. He couldn't bear to see a tragedy unfold.

Saying nothing more, he turned and left the underground prison.

As Asahi departed, the people inside the basement grew restless again, ready to launch into another debate.

But just then, Pryce's eyes turned sharp.

"Silence."

The noisy prison instantly fell quiet.

Even Cyrus, after sensing the chilling aura emanating from Pryce, chose to remain silent.

—

Indigo Plateau

In his office, Lance was seated behind his desk, reviewing a document.

It was a witness report.

Someone had claimed to see signs of Team Rocket activity near the Sevii Islands.

Since Asahi had previously mentioned Giovanni and Deoxys to him, Lance took this matter very seriously.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the office door.

Busy with work as he prepared to assume the role of Johto Champion, Lance didn't even look up as he continued reading. "Come in."

Before he finished speaking, the office door swung open.

A familiar voice rang out. "Huh? Lance, you're still working?"

Lance looked up and saw Asahi standing there, looking at him strangely.

"…"

If you don't have anything useful to say, you could just stay quiet.

Lance had been keeping up with Asahi's recent activities through his social media posts.

A mission in Sinnoh had earned him an airship, and he even threw a party.

Compared to Asahi, Lance felt like his own life as the soon-to-be Johto Champion was downright miserable.

But at least the hard work was temporary—once he officially became Champion, better days were ahead!

With that thought, Lance asked, "Shouldn't you be preparing for the World Championship? Why are you here?"

Asahi plopped down on the couch and poured himself a glass of water.

"Can't I just stop by for a chat? How's the formation of the Johto League going?"

Setting up the Johto League wasn't too difficult in terms of ordinary staff. The existing personnel could be rearranged to fit the needs.

The real challenge lay in selecting the Elite Four to serve under Lance as Champion.

Lance: "…"

Did Asahi have to poke at his sore spot?

So far, he had only confirmed Bruno and Koga.

As for Will and Karen, while Lance personally had no issues with them, the League's executive council was putting up considerable resistance.

The council believed that having Koga—a former member of Team Rocket—was already enough. If Will and Karen were added, it would mean that out of the entire Johto Elite Four, only Bruno had a clean record as a traditional League-affiliated Trainer.

That wouldn't look good.

This issue was giving Lance a headache.

"As for Will and Karen… I could talk to the council for you," Asahi offered.

In Asahi's eyes, Pryce's former subordinates weren't really a problem.

After all, now that Pryce had let go of his resentment thanks to the Lapras, he no longer had any reason to commit crimes. Without him, Will and Karen wouldn't be an issue either.

Lance's spirits lifted at those words.

With Asahi's current reputation, if he spoke up, the council's resistance would weaken significantly.

"Thanks," Lance said sincerely.

"It's nothing… By the way, has there been any news on Team Rocket?" Asahi asked.

Giovanni, that 'old friend,' really lacked a sense of honor.

Asahi had personally helped capture Sird and even sent Giovanni a photo as proof—yet Giovanni had responded by blacklisting him.

The fact that he had put in the effort and gotten nothing in return left Asahi feeling quite frustrated.

He suspected that Giovanni had successfully created Deoxys—otherwise, he wouldn't be acting so boldly.

So, he had come to Lance to see if there was any new intel on Team Rocket, hoping to stir up some trouble for them.

Lance looked surprised. "How did you know I just got some intel on them…?"

As he spoke, he handed the document to Asahi.

Taking it, Asahi quickly scanned the contents, his face showing an I knew it expression.

Team Rocket had resumed activities in the Sevii Islands, with their presence spotted across multiple locations.

On the surface, it didn't seem unusual, but for someone familiar with Giovanni's methods, this was enough to reveal certain things.

"I'll take care of it," Asahi said.

He was going to give Giovanni a little surprise.

Lance had no objections—after all, this meant less work for him.

"Oh, right. Lorelei happens to be heading back to the Sevii Islands. Why don't you go with her?" Lance suggested.

"She hasn't left yet? Then sure, I'll go with her."

With that, Asahi picked up the phone and dialed Lorelei's number.

—

When Asahi saw Lorelei again, her attire had changed from when they last met in Sinnoh.

She had swapped her practical black trousers for a form-fitting pencil skirt, paired with high heels—a look befitting a corporate professional.

Lorelei found it odd that Asahi wanted to accompany her to the Sevii Islands…

But when she heard that Team Rocket was making a comeback in her hometown, all that mattered to her was eliminating them.

As for how to do it… wasn't there a Team Rocket specialist standing right in front of her?

When it came to dealing with Team Rocket, there probably wasn't anyone in all of Kanto more experienced than Asahi.

Lorelei turned to him with expectant eyes.

Noticing her gaze, Asahi raised a finger. "I have a plan…"

—

Sevii Islands

Disguised as an ordinary tourist, Asahi set foot on the Sevii Islands.

Though it was his first time here, it didn't change his determination to wipe out Team Rocket's influence from the region.

"Asahi, is she really trustworthy?"

Lorelei spoke while glancing at Sird, who stood nearby, gazing at the island with a nostalgic expression.

Asahi's plan involved using Sird, a former Team Rocket executive, as their inside informant.

But having battled Sird for years, Lorelei knew just how cunning she was, and she had her doubts.

As if sensing Lorelei's gaze, Sird turned and waved with a friendly smile.

Lorelei remained unconvinced.

"We don't have a better option. No one in the League knows Team Rocket's Sevii operations better than Sird. Besides, she's willing to cooperate to reduce her sentence," Asahi explained.

Of course, his real reason for bringing Sird along wasn't just to use her knowledge.

More than anything, he wanted to see Giovanni's reaction when he laid eyes on her.

Just then, Sird approached and chuckled. "It's natural for Elite Four Lorelei to distrust me. But you should at least believe in Giovanni's hatred for me… He'd love nothing more than to see me dead."

As she spoke, Sird gave a meaningful glance toward a certain spot.

Lorelei, who had been keeping an eye on Sird, followed her gaze—and spotted a suspicious sailor lurking in the shadows.

"Jynx, immobilize him!"

Lorelei swiftly commanded, and Jynx sent a pink energy blast at the man.

Hit by the attack, the sailor instantly collapsed into unconsciousness, his face twisted in fear.

Sird strolled over, retrieved a communicator and an 'R' badge from his pocket, and smirked.

"Team Rocket's Sevii infiltration squad… They used to be under my command. After I left, that fool Chakra must've taken over."

Just as she finished speaking, an enraged voice crackled through the communicator.

"Sird, you traitor! How dare you show your face here?!"

Hearing this, Sird glanced at Asahi and Lorelei, as if saying—See? I was right!

Realizing his mistake, Chakra immediately cut off communication. The device in Sird's hand crackled, emitted a burnt smell, and self-destructed.

Watching this, Lorelei finally understood what Asahi had meant.

Only Team Rocket truly understood Team Rocket!

If they wanted to completely uproot Team Rocket from the Sevii Islands, they might really need Sird's help.

—

Team Rocket Base

Chakra furiously smashed the equipment in front of him.

That wretched woman! Even though she was nothing more than a stray dog now, she still dared to mock him! Did she not realize that he was the current head of Team Rocket's Sevii division?

After venting his anger, Chakra finally calmed down.

Sird suddenly appearing in the Sevii Islands, accompanied by Lorelei… Did that mean that after Team Galactic's downfall, she had defected to the League?

If that was the case, things could get troublesome.

Giovanni had entrusted him with this critical position, a sign of trust in his abilities.

Given Sird's knowledge of the Sevii branch, she might really uncover something significant.

Pacing around his office, Chakra suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

That woman thought she knew everything about the Sevii branch? Fine. He'd use that knowledge against her—by setting a trap just for her.

Without hesitation, Chakra immediately picked up his communicator and gave orders to his subordinates.

After finishing, he leaned back in his chair, recalling the look on Sird's face when she fell for his trick. A satisfied grin spread across his face.

"Hmph, foolish woman! Let me show you the brilliance of Lord Chakra!"

---

"In my understanding of Chakra, he'll definitely use his little tricks, thinking he can exploit the intel I have to set a trap for me."

In the conference room, Sird spoke calmly.

Lorelei seemed half-convinced, while on the other side, Asahi was playing with the little Lugia.

Little Lugia had just awakened from its slumber, and as it entered another growth phase, its body expanded once again, now taking up nearly half the meeting room.

If it kept growing at this rate, Asahi was genuinely worried about whether he could even keep it at home in the future.

What troubled him even more was that as Lugia grew, the unique five-spice aroma on its body didn't fade. Instead, it became even more intense, to the point where it had seemingly developed an ability to attract Pokémon.

It was as if this trait had been embedded into its DNA.

Am I… am I actually creating a brand-new subspecies? Should this be classified as a Paradox Pokémon or a regional form?

As Asahi pondered this, Lorelei asked, "Since Chakra is setting a trap, what should we do?"

Although she and Sird had been enemies before, in the face of Team Rocket, she chose to temporarily set aside past grievances.

"Follow his lead," Sird replied.

"What?"

"We follow along. Since Chakra wants to set a trap, we'll act like we've fallen for it, lure him out, and take him down in one move."

Lorelei frowned. "But… what if Giovanni shows up?"

Before coming here, Asahi had mentioned that Giovanni was likely in the Sevii Islands as well…

Halfway through speaking, Lorelei suddenly patted her forehead. How foolish of her—Asahi was right here!

Because he had been silent the entire time, she had subconsciously overlooked his presence.

With Asahi's strength, Giovanni would have no choice but to avoid him.

After careful consideration, Lorelei found no major flaws in the plan and agreed with Sird's strategy.

"So, all we need to do now is prepare and wait for Team Rocket to set up their trap?" Lorelei asked.

Hearing this, Asahi paused his playful teasing of little Lugia and said, "Just waiting around for Chakra to come to us is a waste of time. Sird, you should know the locations of Team Rocket's key bases in the Sevii Islands, right? Let's sweep through them one by one and put some real pressure on Team Rocket."

Maybe we can even force Giovanni to show himself!

This last thought remained unspoken.

...

Five Island, also known as Chrono Island.

Despite being called an island, it was actually an archipelago, home to numerous resorts and tourist attractions, visibly thriving with activity.

Asahi followed behind Sird and Lorelei, appearing just like any other League Trainer.

With Sird leading the way, they had already cleared out six Team Rocket bases.

Lorelei was shocked by how many Team Rocket facilities were hidden within the Sevii Islands. Asahi, however, wasn't entirely satisfied.

Most of the bases Sird led them to had already been abandoned.

Only two had a small number of Team Rocket grunts stationed inside.

Of course, this wasn't Sird's fault—Giovanni was just as cautious as ever.

"According to the intel we got from that Rocket grunt earlier, the base on Five Island is still operational… It holds a large supply of resources… But I think it's a trap set by Chakra," Sird said, gazing at the forest ahead.

Lorelei's expression turned serious.

She tightened her grip on her Poké Ball, fully prepared for a battle.

Meanwhile, Asahi was still playing with a Psyduck he had lured in along the way using an energy cube.

The Psyduck, after having its chronic headaches cured by Asahi's Viridian Power, now stuck to him like glue, seemingly having decided to follow him.

"Asahi, that Psyduck…"

Lorelei was worried that the upcoming battle might put the Psyduck in danger.

Asahi smiled and patted Psyduck's head. "Relax, it won't hold us back."

"Quack!"

Psyduck had no idea what Asahi just said, but nodding seemed like the right thing to do!

Lorelei: "…"

Fine. You're strong. Whatever you say goes.

Since Asahi had no trouble taking care of a Psyduck, Lorelei dropped the topic.

The group entered the forest.

The moment they stepped in, Lorelei sensed something off—

It felt as if countless eyes were watching them from the shadows.

She became more vigilant.

Asahi, however, casually activated his Aura ability to scan the area. Then, looking slightly disappointed, he said, "It's nothing. Just a few Team Rocket-trained Hoothoot and Noctowl, along with some surveillance cameras."

He had expected something more impressive, but this was just… underwhelming.

No sooner had he spoken than the forest erupted with a chorus of cries.

"Hoo-hoo!"

"Hoo-hoo!"

A massive flock—nearly a hundred Hoothoot led by several Noctowl—swooped down on them.

Seeing this, Lorelei turned to Asahi. "…These are the 'few' you were talking about?"

The Noctowl and Hoothoot swarmed toward them like a tidal wave.

Since Sird was still technically a criminal and didn't have any Pokémon with her, the responsibility of fighting back fell on Lorelei and Asahi.

Lorelei sent out her Cloyster, using Spike Cannon to shoot down the Hoothoot in the sky.

Meanwhile, Asahi encouraged Psyduck.

"Feel the power in your mind. Believe in yourself—you can do this."

Hearing Asahi's words, Psyduck suddenly opened its eyes wide.

Its usual goofy expression disappeared, replaced by intense focus. A surge of psychic energy burst forth, freezing over a dozen Hoothoot mid-air.

"Quack!?"

Even Psyduck seemed shocked by its own power.

Asahi watched with a smile as Lorelei finished off the remaining Hoothoot.

As expected, every Psyduck had hidden potential.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Psyduck suddenly grabbed its head.

"Quack!"

Oh great… It overused its psychic power, and now its headache was back.

---

Inside the Team Rocket Base

Watching the surveillance feed, Chakra was stunned.

He hadn't expected Sird to show up without any Pokémon!

That meant his earlier assumption was wrong—Sird wasn't defecting to the League. She had been captured by them!

This was the best possible news for him.

Now, all he had to deal with was Lorelei!

As for that other so-called League Trainer? Chakra didn't even consider him a threat.

Laugh now, while you still can.

The Hoothoot swarm was just the appetizer, a mere fraction of the real trap he had prepared.

Once they entered the base, he'd show them what real terror was.

Capturing Sird would be a huge achievement. If he succeeded, he might even become Giovanni's successor—Team Rocket's next leader!

Excited by the thought, Chakra grabbed his communicator.

"Send another squad over! Make it look convincing—lure them inside!"

After issuing the order, he checked his Poké Balls and walked out of his office, his Forretress faithfully following behind.

...

After defeating another squad of Team Rocket grunts, Asahi looked at the hidden building ahead.

"Let's go. No need to keep Chakra waiting."

Without hesitation, he stepped forward, Psyduck at his side.

As soon as Asahi stepped into the area surrounding the building, a warning voice rang out.

"This is private property!"

"Oh? I wasn't aware that Team Rocket had ownership rights over Five Island," Asahi remarked.

As he spoke, Psyduck used Confusion to knock down a Golbat that had attempted to attack.

Then, Asahi witnessed yet another display of Team Rocket's over-the-top theatrics.

"So strong!"

"Unstoppable!"

"Retreat into the base!"

A group of Team Rocket grunts frantically rushed back into the building, even helpfully leaving the door open for them.

Lorelei and Sird exchanged looks, their expressions filled with disbelief at Team Rocket's ridiculous act.

"What now? Do we go in?" Lorelei asked.

Asahi smirked. "Of course. Why not?"

He was still hoping to squeeze some information about Deoxys and Giovanni out of Chakra.

With that, he led the way inside, Psyduck following closely.

Behind him, Lorelei and Sird followed suit. Lorelei looked serious, while Sird, on the other hand, had the demeanor of a tourist revisiting an old haunt.

....

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