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Chapter 202
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 10:15:20 +0000 UTCChapter 202
Lance doubted that.
Whether it was Koga, Lt. Surge, or Giovanni, Asahi always seemed to gather evidence after taking action.
But in the end, time proved that Asahi's judgments were correct.
As for the matter with Pryce...
Lance thought about it for a moment and realized that leaving it to Asahi was the safest choice.
Even if he were in Asahi’s position, he couldn’t think of a better plan.
"If you need my help, just say the word."
Hearing this, Asahi’s eyes lit up. This was exactly why he had called Lance. "There are actually a few things I’ll need your help with..."
Lance: "..."
He knew Asahi wasn’t calling just to inform him of the news.
"What do you need?" Lance asked.
"First, I need you to put in a word with the League. Pryce has considerable influence in Johto, so we need to prevent his connections from interfering with my actions."
"No problem!" Lance agreed instantly.
He might not be able to convince the League Council that Pryce was the leader of the Masked Army, but after Asahi took action, he could at least keep the council from getting in Asahi’s way.
"The second thing is manpower. I can’t rely solely on my own people to deal with Pryce. Even with Johto’s Gym Leaders on our side, we still need to be wary of Team Rocket interfering..."
Lance naturally understood this concern.
"I’ll have all of my inspectors in Johto stand by, ready for your command," he said.
"With your support, I’m relieved."
They also discussed the details of Giovanni and Pryce’s battle, but since it had happened at night, there wasn’t much recorded footage.
Previously, Lance had believed that Pryce had been seriously injured by Giovanni.
But now, after learning about Pryce’s possible true identity, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
In the end, he simply urged Asahi to be careful.
By the time Asahi finished the call, the sky had already darkened.
Glancing at the clock, he realized it was already dinnertime.
Another day had flown by.
"Sigh... I swear, I’m working harder for the League than anyone else."
Asahi let out a dramatic sigh. He felt like he was drifting further and further away from his original dream of a carefree life. Instead, he was being dragged down the path of overachievement.
Hearing this, Sabrina, for once, didn’t retort.
No matter how much she usually teased Asahi, his accomplishments spoke for themselves.
When it came to dedication, Asahi was undoubtedly the hardest-working person in the entire Kanto League.
After all, who else had dealt such devastating blows to Team Rocket in just a few months?
However, just as Sabrina started to admire Asahi’s work ethic, he turned to her with a smirk.
"Sabrina, aren’t you forgetting something?"
Her body stiffened.
Whatever appreciation she had for Asahi vanished instantly, replaced by pure frustration.
Clenching her fists, she swore she would definitely teach him a lesson.
—
The Next Day
Asahi walked out of his room, supporting his waist.
It was all Sabrina’s fault.
What was supposed to be a simple back massage turned into her using Psychic powers halfway through, leaving him sore all over when he woke up.
Even Gardevoir, who used to secretly heal him at night with Life Dew, had recently stopped for some reason.
Life was tough.
When Asahi arrived at the living room, Silver, Green, and Sabrina were already seated.
Seeing Asahi walk out while holding his waist, Sabrina smirked.
"So? Still want me to give you a back massage?"
Asahi snorted at her smug look.
Fine. Let her enjoy her victory for now.
Once the Masked Army was dealt with, he’d have his revenge.
At that moment, Green spoke up.
"Asahi... When are we leaving?"
After learning that Pryce was likely the Masked Man, she was eager to settle the score.
"No rush."
Asahi took a bite of the sandwich that Indeedee handed him and started thinking about which Pokémon to bring to Johto.
Since the opponent was Pryce, quality mattered more than quantity. Bringing weaker Pokémon would only put them at risk.
After some thought, Asahi stepped outside and released all of his Pokémon.
"Gardevoir, Eevee, Mewtwo, Salamence, Dragonair, Lugia’s offspring, Swampert, and Gengar—you’re coming with me to Johto. The rest of you, stay home and watch the place."
This was his strongest lineup at the moment.
As for Swampert and Gengar, which seemed like odd choices—
Swampert was included because it was on the verge of evolving, and Asahi wanted it to fight a few battles to trigger its evolution into a Mega Swampert.
As for Gengar... Well, it could hide in his shadow and, thanks to its stomach functioning like a Dimensional Storage, act as a mobile backpack.
The Pokémon that were chosen cheered in excitement, while the ones left behind looked dejected.
Especially Gyarados.
Even though Asahi had technically forced it onto his team back then, it had long since become attached to him.
It considered itself strong, yet Asahi was about to embark on something major and didn’t pick it. That stung.
Asahi took time to reassure them all.
With so many Pokémon now, it was impossible to bring everyone on every mission. It was just an unfortunate reality.
But there was one exception among the disappointed Pokémon—Slowpoke.
Upon realizing it didn’t have to leave the house and fight, Slowpoke let out a sigh of relief, looking positively ecstatic.
No battling. No scary Gengar to train under.
This meant it could finally enjoy a life of eating, sleeping, and repeat!
Just as Slowpoke was basking in its dream of a carefree life, Asahi’s voice rang out.
"Oh, by the way, Slowpoke, I’ve made you a new training regimen. Make sure to follow it—Indeedee and the others will be keeping a close eye on you."
Slowpoke froze in place.
When it finally snapped out of its shock and tried to give Asahi a sad puppy eyes look, hoping he’d reconsider—
Asahi was already gone.
Leaving it alone… under the watchful gaze of two very strict Meowscarada.
Not good.
Not good at all.
—
Johto Region – New Bark Town
This was Asahi’s second time coming to Johto.
Last time, he had only been here to commission a custom GS Ball and had accidentally run into Pryce.
But this time, he was here with the goal of completely wiping out the Masked Army.
