Chapter 325: You’re a Little Too Extreme

Chapter 325: You're a Little Too Extreme

Volo: "...Okay, you need to calm down."

"What? You scared?" Asahi teased.

This wasn't about fear...

Volo thought Asahi was just a little too extreme.

Going to war with the Galaxy Team would only blow his cover. It didn't fit his carefully hidden plans at all...

Just as Volo was mentally running through exit strategies, Asahi suddenly grinned. "I was just joking. You really think I'd try to overthrow the Galaxy Team? We don't even have enough manpower to beat Cyllene."

"..."

Volo's emotions were going through a rollercoaster.

This guy's brain has to be broken, he thought. Who jokes about stuff like this?!

"So what do you actually want?"

Volo had already made up his mind: if Asahi tried messing with him again, he'd drop the act and take him out—even if it meant revealing his power.

Then he saw Asahi's smile.

"Have you ever heard of the 'True Almighty Sinnoh'?"

"Not the fake Almighty Sinnoh that the Diamond and Pearl Clans worship—but the real one."

Hearing that, Volo's eyes lit up. He snapped his head up, staring at Asahi with undisguised excitement.

"You… you're one of the People of the Rift too?!"

Asahi's expression shifted from fake confusion to surprised delight. "Also? Don't tell me you—"

"That's right! I'm one of the Riftfolk as well!" Volo declared proudly.

The moment he said it, Asahi grabbed his arm tightly. "Brother! We're long-lost family!"

Watching this from the side, Zinnia used Gardevoir's telepathy to say to Gary, "How long do you think it'll take before he realizes the truth?"

Gary, with the calm of someone who's seen it all, replied, "He's the type who'd thank Asahi for the con while handing over his wallet."

....

"The one true Almighty Sinnoh… is called Arceus."

"Dialga and Palkia, whom the Diamond and Pearl Clans worship, were actually created by Arceus. One rules time, the other rules space."

"To meet Arceus, you must collect all the scattered Plates across Hisui. Only by uniting them and playing the 'Rift Flute' passed down by the People of the Rift can the door to Arceus's realm be opened!"

Asahi spoke fluently and with authority.

Listening to him, Volo's doubts vanished. There was no way a normal person could know so much about Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia.

Only a fellow Riftfolk could know this much.

But he still had one lingering question…

"How did you and your friend fall out of the space-time rift?"

Asahi sighed. "That's a long story."

"Let's just say I was betrayed by Dialga and Palkia…"

Gary and Zinnia both facepalmed inwardly.

You're the one bullying Dialga and Palkia, not the other way around.

But Volo actually believed it. Seeing Asahi's pained expression, he immediately imagined a tragic backstory.

"You'll get your revenge one day," he consoled.

Asahi nodded with determination. "Right—but right now, what matters is proving to Hisui that Arceus is the true Almighty Sinnoh!"

"You mean…"

"The Plates. I plan to collect them all. I hope you can help me track them down," Asahi said, finally laying his cards on the table.

Volo paused for a moment, then nodded. "The Plates, huh? Got it. I'll help you search."

Once Volo left—

Gary leaned close to Asahi and asked, "So you are using him to find the Plates?"

He knew what the Plates were—Gardevoir wouldn't let go of hers like it was a teddy bear.

"Of course," Asahi replied, stretching. "We're foreigners here. If we want to get things done, we need locals who know the land."

"You trust him?"

"Not one bit. But I'm a pragmatist. Doesn't matter if he's trustworthy—as long as he's useful. Now enough talk. Help me make those energy cubes. Cyllene's probably already getting impatient."

Gary: "...So I was dragged here to be your labor."

...

The Next Day, Galactic Team Headquarters

Asahi gestured for Gardevoir to set down a large crate.

"Captain Kamado, your custom-made Pokéblocks are ready."

"So fast?"

Kamado hadn't expected Asahi's efficiency to be this high.

"Oh, it's nothing," Asahi replied modestly with a wave of his hand. "I had help from a friend."

Hearing this, Kamado looked behind Asahi—where Gary Oak now stood in a Team Rocket Origin uniform.

"This is the boy named Gary? He's one of you guys too? A member of Team Rocket Origins?"

"You know about him, Captain Kamado? Did Akari tell you? Yup, he's the grandson of one of my elders—and he's joined our Origin branch too," Asahi said, patting Gary's shoulder as he introduced him. "Come on, call him Uncle Kamado."

Gary: "..."

Kamado: "..."

The two of them fell silent at the same time.

"Kidding, just trying to lighten the mood..." Asahi chuckled and opened the crate. "Captain Kamado, check the Pokéblocks. If everything's in order, I'll be on my way."

Hearing that, Kamado snapped back to attention and called toward the door, "Colza, Pesselle, come in."

The door swung open, revealing a man and a woman entering.

The man wore a blue jacket and had an untamed hairstyle—so wild, in fact, that Gary had to admit it was the only one he'd seen more outrageous than his own.

The woman wore a pink, low-cut outfit—light and breezy—yet she was still fanning herself, looking uncomfortably hot.

"Brother Kamado, this is the leader of the newly formed Team Rocket Origins you mentioned?" Colza sized up Asahi. "Nice to meet you. I'm Colza from the Diamond Division."

"Let's cut the pleasantries," said Pesselle. "I'm Pesselle from the Pearl Division! I heard you've developed a Pokémon food called Pokéblocks. Can I take a look?"

Pesselle had her doubts about Asahi.

Ever since arriving in Jubilife Village, she'd been hearing rumors about him—how he'd suddenly appeared, formed a group called "Team Rocket," and publicly demonstrated the effects of his Pokéblocks, catching Captain Kamado's attention.

His actions felt calculated. She couldn't believe something made only from Berries could calm wild Pokémon even more effectively than bait.

"Hello." Asahi greeted them with a flawless smile. "For now, yes, I'm the only leader of Team Rocket. As for the Pokéblocks..." he pointed at the crate, "they're all right here."

Pesselle looked toward Kamado—she wanted to test them for herself.

"Some of these were prepared specifically for your divisions," Kamado added.

Hearing that, Pesselle picked up a Pokéblock, held it to her nose, and took a delicate sniff.

"Hmm... definitely Berry-based. I smell Sitrus and Pecha."

After tasting a bit herself, she released her partner—an Ice-type Eevee evolution: Glaceon—and passed it one of the blocks.

Glaceon sniffed, then devoured it in one gulp. Its normally aloof expression melted into a blissful one, making Pesselle falter in her earlier belief that Kamado had been duped.

"These are standard Pokéblocks I tailored to suit most Pokémon species," Asahi explained. "But with customization based on type and species, the effects improve dramatically."

Seeing Pesselle start to waver, Asahi pulled out a special treat he had prepared for his own Eevee. "How about trying this one?"

Pesselle took the offered Pokéblock and handed it to her Glaceon.

Glaceon's eyes lit up as if it had caught a whiff of heaven. It gobbled the treat down eagerly.

Then—

Glaceon let out a joyful cry, rolled over to expose its belly, and the cold energy radiating from its body flash-froze a patch of carpet beneath it.

Pesselle was stunned. That expression—she'd only ever seen it when Glaceon was truly ecstatic.

Colza shrugged beside her. "Told you Kamado has great instincts. But no—you had to verify it yourself."

Pesselle ignored Colza, turned to Asahi, and bowed slightly. "My apologies, Mr. Asahi."

"Nothing to apologize for. Healthy skepticism is important," Asahi replied calmly.

Kamado, watching all this, was just as surprised. He hadn't expected Asahi to be capable of crafting even more potent Pokéblocks through customization.

Unfortunately, custom work came with a steep cost—but for now, the standard Pokéblocks would suffice.

He allocated a portion of the crate to both Pesselle and Colza.

"With these Pokéblocks, we might finally have a way to calm Kleavor down..." Pesselle said.

Asahi's ears perked up at the mention. Pretending not to know, he asked, "Kleavor?"

"It's the noble of our Pearl Division," Pesselle explained. "We don't know why, but it suddenly entered a berserk state and can't be soothed... I hope these Pokéblocks help."

"Oh? If Haxorus is that important, perhaps I could whip up a batch tailored specifically to its condition?"

"Really? Wouldn't that be too much trouble—?"