Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 97: Let Me Reintroduce Myself

"Of course, I'm here for the gym assessment."

Hearing Asahi confirm it, Brock was even more moved.

"You really didn't have to make a special trip. The information you gave me before was already plenty."

Asahi looked confused. "What are you talking about? Of course, I had to come… I'm the gym assessment officer for this round."

The sudden revelation left everyone stunned.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Brock, Ash, and Gary all gaped in shock.

Asahi was the gym assessment officer?

That wasn't a joke, was it?

From what Misty had mentioned, when Cerulean Gym was assessed, the examiner had arrived with a full team of auditors. But Asahi…

Seeing that he was only accompanied by Green, they all assumed he was joking.

Noticing their skeptical expressions, Asahi sighed.

He reached into his pocket and took out the plain glasses he had worn at Cerulean Gym, put them on, and slicked back his hair. At the same time, he activated the Pressure ability he had drawn previously.

A formless aura filled the room. The previously friendly and approachable Asahi now exuded an intimidating presence that weighed heavily on everyone.

Then, he took out the identification card Lance had sent him and displayed it.

With a serious expression, Asahi announced:

"Allow me to reintroduce myself—Asahi, Gym Assessment Officer of the Pokémon League."

"!?"

Brock, Gary, and Ash were all stunned by Asahi's overwhelming presence, their eyes fixed on the official League ID in his hand.

This wasn't a joke?

Asahi was really a Gym Assessment Officer?

Gary was in complete disbelief.

The last time he saw Asahi, the guy had just been a professor at Rainbow University. Sure, he had easily defeated him in battle, but that only meant he was strong.

How did he suddenly become an official League examiner?

Brock opened his mouth, but he had no idea how to put his feelings into words.

Just a short while ago, he had been asking Asahi about the gym assessment process.

Now, it turned out that he had walked right into the hands of the examiner himself.

Suddenly, Brock felt like the future of Pewter Gym was looking a little bleak…

Only Ash, after seeing Asahi's ID, remained confused. He couldn't understand why Brock and Gary were reacting so strongly.

"If Asahi is the examiner, isn't that a good thing?"

Since they were all friends, wouldn't that make the assessment easier?

Hearing Ash's comment, Gary covered his face and explained, "Ash, you idiot. A gym assessment is a serious matter…"

Brock also snapped out of his daze and nodded in agreement.

As a Gym Leader, he understood this better than anyone.

This particular assessment was different from the usual routine checkups. In the past, as long as a gym was still operating normally, the League would often turn a blind eye to minor issues.

But this time, the evaluation was part of the fallout from Lieutenant Surge's exposure as a member of Team Rocket.

It was clear that the Pokémon League was determined to reform Kanto's gyms.

Under such circumstances, asking Asahi to go easy would only cause trouble for him. Besides, Asahi had already given Brock plenty of information in advance.

With this in mind, Brock took a deep breath and said to Asahi:

"I understand, Asahi. I'm ready. Let's begin the assessment!"

"Good!" Asahi was very pleased with Brock's attitude.

Kanto needed more Gym Leaders like him!

If Brock's ambition weren't to become a Pokémon Breeder, Asahi would have seriously considered recruiting him into the International Police.

…

Pewter Gym Battle Arena

Forrest stood as the referee, his posture straight and rigid. He couldn't understand how his brother's friend had suddenly become a Gym Assessment Officer.

"This match is the official assessment battle for Pewter Gym. It will follow the standard 3v3 battle format…"

Announcing the rules was just a formality. Both Asahi and Brock were experienced trainers who were already familiar with all the regulations.

Once Green had set up the cameras to record the battle, Asahi looked at Brock.

"As the assessment officer, I'll be sending out my Pokémon first, as per protocol."

With that, he released Swampert, who stood there looking calm and composed, almost as if it were in a sage-like state.

Since Brock was his opponent, he couldn't afford to be as reckless as he had been with the Cerulean Sisters.

Swampert's level was slightly lower, but it had a significant type advantage, making it the perfect choice for assessing Pewter Gym.

"Swampert, huh…"

Since this was a gym assessment, Brock didn't use the Pokémon he typically reserved for battling rookie trainers.

"Go, Graveler!"

A flash of white light revealed a sturdy, powerful-looking Graveler on the battlefield.

Asahi observed Brock's Graveler. While it wasn't on the same level as the Pokémon used by Lt. Surge, it was still quite formidable.

[This is the kind of strength a Gym Leader should have.]

He sighed as he recalled the Pokémon at Cerulean Gym.

If they had this level of power, he wouldn't have needed to issue a restructuring order to them.

While these thoughts ran through his mind, Asahi didn't waste any time.

"Swampert, use Water Pulse!"

Since Brock's Pokémon had the level advantage, there was no need for Asahi to test the waters. He went straight for the offensive.

A burst of water shot from Swampert's mouth, heading straight for Graveler.

Graveler reacted swiftly—faster than even the wild ones Asahi had encountered on Mt. Moon.

It rolled to the side, dodging Swampert's attack, then used the rough, rocky terrain to gain traction and accelerate as it charged toward Swampert.

"Brock, you got this! You have to win!"

"Pika Pika!"

On the sidelines, Pikachu and Ash were cheering enthusiastically for Brock.

Meanwhile, Gary rubbed his face in frustration.

He felt like being around Ash was lowering his class.

If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have felt bad about paying off Ash's debts and bringing him to Pewter City.

His girlfriends were still waiting for him back in Blueport, after all.

But at least Ash wasn't just shouting the whole time. After cheering for a bit, he turned to Gary and asked, "Gary, who do you think will win—Brock or Asahi?"

"Asahi." Gary answered without hesitation.

"That was fast. Why are you so sure?" Ash asked, puzzled.

The battle had just begun, yet Gary was already confident in the outcome?

Was he just messing with him?

Should I tell him that my Nidoking almost developed a psychological trauma after fighting Asahi's Elite Four-tier Eevee?

Gary thought to himself but instead flipped his hair dramatically and said, "Because Asahi is a trainer I acknowledge as strong!"

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