Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 96: Isn't This Just Bullying an Honest Guy?

(Odd? You're the one who caused the Pokémon rampage, what's so odd about it?)

[Preventing attacks on passing trainers? You should be grateful if you don't end up attacking them yourself.]

Asahi let out a quiet sigh of relief upon learning that Giovanni wouldn't be traveling with them. The pressure of being around him was simply too much.

Of course, on the surface, he appeared regretful. "Then I'll leave it to you, Leader Giovanni. We'll meet again at the Viridian Gym."

With that, he bid farewell to Giovanni.

For Giovanni, this trip had already served its purpose—he had met Asahi, the league's gym assessment officer.

At the same time, he had also gotten a read on Asahi's strength.

Watching Asahi and Green walk away…

[Gardevoir… isn't much of a threat.]

[However, the fact that Lance personally selected him as a gym assessment officer means he has a close connection with him… I should keep an eye on him.]

With this thought in mind, Giovanni took out his communicator and gave an order. Immediately, a group of black-clad trainers efficiently sealed off the passage and released their Pokémon to begin excavating the collapsed pit.

These Graveler were all assets of Team Rocket—fully recoverable and reusable.

With Rainbow Game Corner, one of Team Rocket's major sources of income, now shut down, even Giovanni had to be more frugal.

[It seems I need to accelerate my plans regarding the Silph Company.]

Deep in thought, Giovanni left Mt. Moon, heading in a direction different from Asahi's.

…

After leaving Mt. Moon and stepping into the bright sunlight, Asahi finally let out a breath of relief.

Green cast a curious glance at him. "You're acting weird today. Is it because of Gym Leader Giovanni? Are you a fan of his or something?"

"A fan?"

Asahi was momentarily stunned by Green's words, then chuckled. "In a way, I suppose…"

Putting aside their opposing positions, Giovanni was undeniably a charismatic figure.

No matter how many times Team Rocket was crushed, as long as Giovanni reappeared, he could rally his forces and rebuild in no time.

But for Asahi, standing on the side of the Pokémon League, Giovanni was nothing short of a massive headache.

[Gardevoir has held the Psychic Plate for a long time now. It's close to reaching Champion-level strength. If I pair that with Mega Evolution… facing Sakaki's Beedrill might not be entirely hopeless.]

After all, Beedrill's Bug/Poison typing was weak to Psychic attacks.

And Psychic-type moves happened to be Gardevoir's specialty while holding the Psychic Plate!

Of course, Gardevoir's Psychic/Fairy typing also made it vulnerable to Poison-type moves…

But surely Giovanni wouldn't have a Toxic Plate, right?

Thinking along these lines, Asahi figured that, roughly speaking, he had a shot at defeating Giovanni.

His mood instantly improved. "Alright, let's head to Pewter Gym!"

…

Compared to the bustling cities of Cerulean, Celadon, and Vermilion, Pewter City, being a mining town, was rather lackluster in its cityscape.

Aside from a science museum, it didn't have any noteworthy attractions.

At the entrance of Pewter Gym, which resembled a massive boulder, Asahi arrived with only Green.

"Aren't we supposed to bring an auditing team?" Green asked.

Asahi waved a hand dismissively. "No need."

That made Green even more curious. "Then why did Cerulean Gym need an auditing team?"

"Because I knew for sure their finances were clean," Asahi said matter-of-factly.

"And Pewter City…?"

"Well, Brock has been working tirelessly for years, with no parents around and nine younger siblings to support. What's wrong with using a bit of League funding for that?"

Green: "…"

That logic was so sound, she couldn't even argue against it.

But why did it feel like he was just covering for Brock because they were friends?

Following Asahi, Green stepped into Pewter Gym.

Unlike the Cerulean Gym, which was teeming with trainers, Pewter Gym only had a few scattered challengers.

Asahi even spotted a young boy acting as a stand-in gym assistant.

With a face that looked almost identical to Brock's, he was undoubtedly one of his younger brothers.

Noticing their arrival, the boy, Forrest, quickly stepped forward. "Are you here to challenge the gym? Please register over here first."

"A rookie trainer? No, I'm here to see your brother," Asahi replied. "I'm his friend."

"Friend?" Forrest looked puzzled.

Two of his brother's friends had already visited earlier, and now two more had shown up?

But seeing that Asahi didn't seem to be lying, Forrest hesitantly led Asahi and Green into the gym.

Pewter Gym's interior was rather spartan. The battlefield had no decorative elements, and the steel beams on the ceiling were exposed, with only a few spotlights providing illumination.

Forget about competing with Cerulean Gym's aquarium—compared to Vermilion Gym, it was worlds apart.

And this was even after Brock frequently ventured to Mt. Moon to gather evolution stones and supplement his income.

"The League really needs to provide more support for hardworking gyms like Pewter Gym."

It made no sense that corrupt and negligent gyms were living comfortably while the diligent ones struggled.

That was just unfair.

He made a mental note to bring this up with Lance when he got back.

Under Forrest's guidance, Asahi and Green finally met Brock.

But to Asahi's surprise, two familiar faces were also in the room.

One was Gary, whom he had only recently parted ways with in Blueport.

The other was a Pokémon he had heard of countless times but had never met before—Pikachu!

Oh, and of course, there was Ash.

Asahi's gaze lingered on Pikachu for a moment before shifting to Ash, who was currently being pinned under Pikachu's foot.

The moment Asahi entered, both Gary and Brock looked utterly shocked.

"Asahi!?" ×2

They spoke in unison, then exchanged glances.

'You know Asahi too?' ×2

Watching the exchange, Ash suddenly felt like an outsider.

Who was Asahi?

Why was he the only one who didn't know him?

Fortunately, Gary was quick to respond. "Asahi, what are you doing here? Weren't you in Blueport?"

"I'm here to see Brock, of course," Asahi said as if it were obvious.

"But what about you guys…? And I assume this is the Pikachu and Ash that Professor Oak mentioned? Nice to meet you, I'm Asahi, and this is my companion, Green."

Asahi shook hands with Pikachu first, then turned to Ash.

Ash had no idea why he was being introduced after his own Pokémon.

But hearing Asahi's words, he breathed a sigh of relief—at least he wasn't a complete outsider.

At that moment, Brock also snapped out of his daze and, feeling touched, said, "Asahi, did you come because of the gym assessment?"

Since he had only recently consulted Asahi about it, he assumed Asahi had come out of concern for a friend.

—