Chapter 270
Steven choked on his drink.
The entire meeting fell silent, staring at Asahi.
Asahi: "…"
"Persuade Me in Five Minutes"
Damn screensaver. He was definitely changing it later!
With a calm expression, Asahi took out the remote and turned off the screen.
Then, he continued, "Anyway, my point is that while dealing with Team Magma and Team Aqua, we also need to be wary of Team Rocket's involvement."
Steven had finally regained his composure. "Ahem… Asahi is right. We can't ignore the possibility of Team Rocket infiltrating Hoenn. The last thing we want is to take down Team Magma and Team Aqua, only to have Team Rocket rise in their place…"
Many Gym Leaders nodded in agreement.
With that settled, Steven began formally discussing their strategy against Team Magma and Team Aqua.
However, due to the Hoenn League's limited intel, aside from a few known hideouts, most of the search for their movements would have to rely on Gym Leaders monitoring their own cities.
They also needed contingency plans—just in case.
If Team Magma and Team Aqua did manage to awaken Groudon and Kyogre, they had to ensure civilian safety.
At that moment, Asahi received a message on his phone.
> [Toga]: Sorry, my phone broke during the attack, so I just saw your message. Asahi, you were right. Fortunately, the tracker was installed on Abyssal One just as you instructed. Please, you have to stop them!
Finally, some good news.
Steven was just about to assign roles for the operation when Asahi cut in.
"Steven, I just received critical intel."
"What is it?"
Asahi turned his screen back on. After another brief flash of the Team Rocket logo (which he quickly ignored), he connected his phone to the display.
Steven's eyes narrowed at the blinking red dot on the map. "That's…"
"I spoke with Toga, the chief designer at Kusunoki Shipyard. Since I suspected Team Magma would target Abyssal One, I had him install a special tracking device on the submarine. This is its current location."
Asahi adjusted the camera so everyone could see the screen clearly.
Then, the group collectively gasped.
"Slateport City?!"
All eyes turned to Steven.
Because the headquarters of the Hoenn Pokémon Association was located in Slateport City—right where Steven was at this very moment.
Even Steven hadn't expected Team Magma and Team Aqua to be this brazen.
Hiding their stolen submarine right under the Pokémon Association's nose?
That was an open insult to the Hoenn League!
Steven's expression hardened. "Leave this to me."
Originally, Asahi had planned to handle it himself, but Steven was closer—and he had personally requested the task.
"I'll send you the coordinates."
After a few more brief discussions, Steven hastily ended the meeting.
The remaining Gym Leaders coordinated with each other before logging off.
Only two people stayed behind—Wattson and Norman.
Wattson wanted to personally thank Asahi for helping him clear out Team Aqua's presence in Rustboro City, which had significantly reduced his workload.
Norman, on the other hand, had once been assigned by the Pokémon Association to track Rayquaza. Now that he knew Asahi had actually caught it, he wanted to meet him properly.
Norman intended to form a connection, and Asahi naturally wouldn't refuse.
He still had a strong impression of Norman's Slaking.
"I heard you're originally from Johto, Norman? I spent some time there myself…"
---
The conversation was enjoyable, and by the end, Norman even invited Asahi to visit his Petalburg Gym whenever he had the chance.
After exiting the video call, Asahi glanced at the time and realized it was already nearly noon.
With a sigh about how quickly time had passed, he got up to check what was on the menu for lunch.
But just as he opened the door, he nearly bumped into Sabrina.
"Something wrong?" Asahi asked.
For the past few days, she had been obsessed with her novels and wouldn't come looking for him unless it was important.
Sabrina smirked slightly. "The woman you abandoned has come knocking again."
Asahi: "???"
Hey, be careful with your words! That's defamation!
When had he ever abandoned a woman?!
Wait…
"You're not talking about Zinnia, are you?" He asked, his expression darkening.
Sabrina gave him a duh look. "Who else would it be?"
"That wasn't 'abandoning'—that was 'expelling.' No, wait—damn it, you're messing with me! That was 'releasing' her!" Asahi corrected.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Sabrina said with complete indifference.
"…Whatever, believe what you want."
Asahi couldn't be bothered to argue and headed toward the entrance.
He had to see what Zinnia was up to this time.
---
When Asahi arrived at the front gate, he saw Gary already there, watching the security monitor that displayed the entrance.
A quick glance at the screen confirmed it—Zinnia.
Somehow, she had found the base's disguised entrance.
She stood outside the gate, looking utterly pitiful, like an abandoned Goomy.
Her miserable act amused Asahi.
He had never seen a former captive voluntarily return and beg to be let in.
"Has she said anything?" Asahi asked.
Gary didn't even look away from the screen. "She says she wants to join us."
"Not happening." Asahi refused immediately. "The International Police doesn't need unstable elements."
She had definitely been eyeing his Rayquaza. No way was he letting her in.
Gary, unfazed, continued, "She says she has something to offer."
"Something to offer?"
As Asahi spoke, Zinnia suddenly pulled open her coat, revealing dozens of shimmering gemstones hanging inside.
Asahi's eyes narrowed. "Those are…?"
Gary's voice trembled with excitement. "She says they're Mega Stones! And she's willing to hand them all over if we let her in!"
Mega Evolution.
Gary still vividly remembered how jealous he had been when Asahi first used it.
More importantly—this was a battle system that Ash had never even touched!
If he could get his hands on some Mega Stones, he'd be able to show off big time once he returned to Kanto!
Just imagining it made Gary so thrilled he could barely contain himself.
"Let her in, Asahi! This is a great boost to our strength!" He urged.
Asahi: "…"
Yeah, sure. For the sake of the organization, huh?
---