Chapter 267 – Uh… Are You Hiring?
Zinnia slowly regained consciousness.
Her thoughts were hazy.
Where… am I?
She blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, struggling to recall what had happened.
Sky Pillar… the League lackey… the Dragon God…
Her last memory was of herself screaming while Rayquaza carried her through the sky.
"....."
How humiliating.
A Draconid warrior, passing out like that—right in front of the Dragon God?
She could never hope to gain its recognition now.
Despair settled over her.
At that moment, the medical room door swung open.
A girl walked in with Chansey, looking mildly surprised.
"You're awake? Given your condition, I thought you'd need more time."
Instinctively, Zinnia reached for her Poké Balls—only to find nothing.
"Who are you?! Where's that League lackey?! Where's the Dragon God?!"
Green started to reply, but a very familiar voice answered from behind her.
"Right here."
Zinnia turned—and saw that damned smug face.
Asahi walked in, waving the Master Ball tauntingly in his hand.
…..
The atmosphere in the infirmary was extremely tense. (At least, in Zinnia's opinion.)
Zinnia was glaring daggers at Asahi, looking as if she wanted to eat him alive. Meanwhile, Asahi paid no mind to the reactions of the sore loser and was instead chatting with Green about what to eat for dinner.
After a few minutes of this standoff, Zinnia realized that not only was Asahi completely unaffected by her glare, but she herself had started getting distracted by the delicious foods he was talking about. Before she knew it, she had secretly swallowed her saliva multiple times.
Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer.
"What exactly do you want?!"
Hearing her outburst, Asahi and Green finally paused their conversation. Asahi turned to her with a puzzled look.
"What do you mean, what do I want? You were the one blocking my way at Sky Pillar and interfering with my work."
Zinnia huffed. "Sky Pillar is the sacred ground of the Draconid people…!"
"Do you have a deed for it?" Asahi cut straight to the point.
Zinnia, who was just about to argue back, suddenly froze.
"Alright, I won't press charges for your obstruction…." Asahi took out Zinnia's Poké Ball and tossed it back to her. "Take your Pokémon and leave."
Since Zinnia hadn't actually done anything too egregious, Asahi had no intention of arresting her. The main reason he had restrained her earlier was simply to prevent her from interfering when he was catching Rayquaza.
Zinnia was momentarily stunned that Asahi was actually letting her go.
But there was still one important matter left.
"What about Lord Rayquaza…?"
"Lord Rayquaza? You mean my Rayquaza." Asahi waved dismissively. "Green, see her out."
---
After leaving the infirmary, Asahi planned to return to his office. However, as he passed the lounge area, he spotted Gary sitting at a computer with a dumb grin on his face.
Curious, Asahi walked up behind him. "What are you laughing at…?"
"It's Ash, that guy…" Gary started to reply but then abruptly realized it was Asahi speaking. In a panic, he fumbled to shut off the computer.
But before he could act, he suddenly found his arm frozen in place. Turning his head, he saw Sabrina standing there, holding a cup of coffee, watching him with an amused smile.
Gary instantly went stiff.
Taking advantage of the moment, Asahi glanced at Gary's computer screen.
The foremost window displayed a chat app.
> [Call Me Champion]: [Video]
[Call Me Champion]: Today, Asahi and I teamed up to defeat Rayquaza. What does it mean to be the Indigo League Champion? (Hands on hips, looking up proudly)
[Ash]: Rayquaza?! That looks super strong!
[Call Me Champion]: Pretty impressive, huh? Asahi was only able to catch Rayquaza thanks to my help in holding off a powerful enemy…
[Ash]: Really? Tell me more…
[Call Me Champion]: So, here's what happened…
"...A powerful enemy, huh?"
Asahi turned to Gary, whose expression was now completely rigid.
Even while being telekinetically restrained by Sabrina, Gary couldn't help but tremble upon hearing Asahi's tone.
"Asahi, let me explain—"
Asahi waved his hand to cut him off. "No need, I understand perfectly… Champion Gary."
> [No, you don't understand at all…]
The calmer Asahi sounded, the more uneasy Gary felt.
Before he could say anything more, Asahi stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Actually, there's an undercover role we need to fill for our upcoming operation against Team Magma… Since you're so 'strong,' the organization has decided—you're the guy for the job! Best of luck, Champion Gary!"
Asahi's face was full of mischief.
"...Noooo!"
Gary still wanted to resist, but Asahi had already turned and walked away, leaving behind only a despair-inducing silhouette.
Of course, before he left, Asahi also made sure to send a copy of Gary's video to his own phone.
He had to admit—Gary had a real talent for cinematography. Maybe a career as a cameraman wouldn't be a bad backup plan.
Meanwhile, feeling pleased with herself, Sabrina took a sip of her coffee, patted the Eevee in her lap, and flipped to the next page of her novel.
---
Having dealt with Gary, Asahi returned to Giovanni's office.
The moment he opened the door, he saw Mew using Giovanni's office as a playground, happily chasing Celebi around the room.
When Asahi went to capture Rayquaza, he had brought both Mew and Celebi along, just in case. However, it turned out that Mewtwo and the Verdant Orb from the system were so effective that Celebi hadn't even needed to take action.
After asking Gardevoir to make him some tea, Asahi shoved aside a Slowbro, picked up the sleeping Eevee curled up on Giovanni's chair, and sat down while checking the system notifications.
> [With the aid of Mewtwo's power, you used the Verdant Orb to gain Rayquaza's approval and successfully captured it, unlocking the title 'Sky Sovereign.']
Having gotten used to the system's usual sarcastic remarks, Asahi now found even its normal notifications sounded snarky.
So… was the system being passive-aggressive or not?
He pondered this for a moment but couldn't quite figure it out. Instead, he turned his attention to the rewards.
> [1. Dragon's Blessing TM]
[2. Red Chain]
[3. Draco Plate]
Huh…
For once, Asahi set aside thoughts of the system's attitude. Looking at these three options, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, the system's being generous this time!"
All three were incredibly valuable.
The first reward, the Dragon's Blessing TM, would allow Rayquaza to Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza instantly, dramatically boosting its power.
The second, the Red Chain, was a special artifact capable of controlling Palkia and Dialga.
And the third, the Draco Plate, was self-explanatory.
Staring at these rewards, Asahi found himself in a dilemma.
"Eevee, which one should I pick?" He turned to the Pokémon in his arms.
"Vee?" Eevee tilted its head, confused.
"Right… You're just an Eevee."
At those words, Eevee immediately puffed up its cheeks in indignation.
Asahi quickly apologized and spent a while coaxing it back into a good mood.
Just then, his phone rang.
The caller ID read: Steven Stone.
Earlier, Steven had mentioned helping smooth things over regarding the commotion caused by his battle with Rayquaza. Judging by the timing, it seemed he had handled the issue.
Asahi answered the call.
"Asahi, how are things on your end?" Steven's voice came through.
Asahi patted the Poké Ball containing Rayquaza. "It's done."
"'Done' as in…?"
Was he saying Rayquaza was taken care of? Or that he had taken care of Rayquaza?
Instead of answering directly, Asahi simply sent Steven the video he had just obtained.
There was a long silence on the other end.
Finally, Steven spoke. "…Impressive."
Though only one word, his tone carried a mix of shock, admiration, and deep contemplation.
"Not bad, not bad." Asahi accepted the praise with a humble nod—but not too humble.
After all, if he downplayed it too much after capturing Rayquaza, wouldn't that be treating people like fools?
Steven let out a chuckle, still feeling overwhelmed.
Even back in Kanto, he had known Asahi's potential was immense. But to reach this level so soon… it was beyond his expectations.
After regaining his composure, Steven updated Asahi on the situation with the Pokémon Association.
In short, some members were displeased with Asahi's impulsive capture of Rayquaza, fearing a repeat of past failures where an attempted capture had led to Rayquaza escaping and causing chaos.
Asahi scoffed.
So it was fine for the Association to use technology to catch Rayquaza, but not for him to earn Rayquaza's recognition?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Of course, Steven had already shot down those arguments.
And now that Rayquaza was successfully captured, there was nothing to fear.
As for any lingering complaints?
"They can either talk to my Rayquaza or bring it up with my boss at the International Police."
Steven chuckled knowingly. "With Rayquaza on our side, even if Team Magma or Team Aqua awaken Groudon and Kyogre, we have nothing to worry about."
"…You saying that gives me a bad feeling." Asahi quipped.
And just as he said that, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps and urgent voices on Steven's end of the call.
Asahi: "…?"
No way… Did he just jinx it?
Five minutes later, Steven's voice returned—this time heavy with seriousness.
"I just received word. Team Magma has attacked the Kusunoki Shipyard and stolen the Abyssal One submarine… At the same time, the Mossdeep Space Center was also hit. The perpetrators? Team Rocket. Giovanni himself may have been there. Their execution was flawless—they completed the assault, took control, and withdrew in just thirty minutes. We're still assessing the losses…."
"Asahi… you really called it."
His voice grew quieter, sounding almost defeated.
After all, anyone would feel a little crushed going from good news straight into back-to-back disasters.
Asahi: "…"
I was just making a casual comment!
But reality didn't care about his intentions. What was meant to happen, happened.
"So, what's the plan now?"
Steven quickly refocused. "I'm organizing an online meeting to gather the Elite Four and Hoenn's Gym Leaders to discuss our response."
"When?"
"You Think You're That Strong?"
"Tomorrow… We need at least a day to notify everyone and prepare."
"Count me in. But before that, I plan to head to the Mossdeep Space Center… I want to confirm whether what Giovanni took is what I think it is." Asahi replied.
"Alright! I'll inform the space center to cooperate with you."
After discussing a few more details, Asahi ended the call.
He opened his messaging app and sent a message to Toga, whom he had added as a contact earlier, asking if he had installed the signal transmitter on Abyssal One as instructed. Then, taking the tea that Gardevoir had prepared, Asahi downed it in one go—leaving Gardevoir staring at him in shock.
Next, he sent a message to Sabrina, asking her and Green to keep an eye on things while he was away.
Leaving Slowbro and Eevee in the office, Asahi took Gardevoir with him and called for Mew and Celebi to join him.
Stepping out of his office, he walked to the base's helipad, pondered for a moment, then released Rayquaza. Climbing onto its back, he took off into the sky, heading straight for the Mossdeep Space Center!
Not far away, Zinnia, who had just finished a big meal in the cafeteria and was about to leave with Green, suddenly found her feet rooted to the spot as she watched Rayquaza soar into the sky.
After hesitating for a moment, she turned to Green and asked, "…Does the International Police take new recruits?"
....
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