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Chapter 200: The Attack on Elder 'who!?'
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 10:13:43 +0000 UTCChapter 200: The Attack on Elder 'who!?'
Asahi noticed Mewtwo’s odd look.
But he assumed it was just surprise at his transformation and didn’t think too much of it.
He activated his Aura to assess his new state after receiving Celebi’s Blessing.
… No change.
Aside from the faint natural aura, he felt no new powers at all.
No time travel. No time stop. Nothing.
He felt scammed.
But then, when he took out the GS Ball…
A faint glow appeared on its surface.
Seeing this, Asahi raised an eyebrow.
The GS Ball glowing was most likely due to its reaction to the presence of temporal energy nearby.
This indirectly confirmed that Celebi’s blessing indeed carried the power of time.
However, Asahi still had no clue how to use or harness this power. Perhaps he would only understand it fully after encountering Celebi in the future.
Since there was nothing he could figure out for now, Asahi stuffed the GS Ball back into his backpack. He glanced at the Gardevoir clinging to him, a smile appearing in his eyes.
Even if Celebi’s blessing had no other effects, it still seemed worth it.
Sensing Asahi’s gaze, Gardevoir maintained a calm exterior, but the faint blush on the tips of her ears betrayed her inner emotions.
Asahi chuckled at the sight and was just about to tease her when his phone notification chimed.
It was a message from Professor Blaine.
[Researching a meteorite containing unknown DNA? This is indeed one of my areas of expertise… However, such research carries significant uncertainties, and I can’t guarantee any concrete results.]
Asahi didn’t mind. He hadn’t pinned too many hopes on it anyway.
[No problem. I’ve left the meteorite at home. Drop by and pick it up when you have time.]
After replying, Asahi looked back at Gardevoir, only to find that at some point, she had quietly moved away. Now, she was sitting there with a book in hand, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Feeling a bit regretful, Asahi reached for the Eevee in his arms and began playfully squishing it.
“Eevee!?”
Eevee looked utterly confused.
—
Asahi only received Steven’s reply early the next morning.
According to Steven, the conflict between Team Magma and Team Aqua in the Hoenn region had been intensifying, keeping him busy dealing with the chaos caused by their clashes.
As for the research data on the Gran Meteorite from the Mossdeep Space Center that Asahi had inquired about, Steven didn’t have it on hand at the moment. However, he promised to ask about it in a couple of days.
After sending a quick “Thanks,” Asahi disdainfully picked up Eevee, who had drooled all over his pajamas, and tossed it into its own little bed.
When Asahi finished washing up and stepped out of his room, he ran into an anxious-looking Green.
“What’s wrong? Why are you in such a rush?” Asahi asked in confusion.
It was still early in the morning—why was she so flustered?
Green took a deep breath after seeing Asahi and then said, “Asahi, I just received some bad news. The intelligence came from the League… Giovanni led Team Rocket in an attack on the Mahogany Gym last night!”
Green looked at Asahi, believing this to be another blatant provocation by Team Rocket against the League.
However, Asahi’s expression wasn’t one of shock or anger as she had expected. Instead, he looked a bit… puzzled.
“You’re saying Giovanni attacked… the Mahogany Gym?” Asahi repeated to confirm.
Green was confused by his reaction. “That’s right… Here, the League sent over photos from the scene.”
As she spoke, she picked up her tablet and showed Asahi the images.
From the pictures, the Mahogany Gym looked as if it had been ravaged by Mewtwo on New Island.
Half of the gym had been completely destroyed, while the remaining half was encased in ice. The ground was riddled with bottomless cracks, clear evidence of an intense battle.
“That fight must’ve been brutal. So, what’s the result? Is Giovanni alright?” Asahi asked.
“…You’re asking about… Giovanni?”
Green was stunned for a moment before realizing that Asahi was inquiring about Giovanni’s condition.
She was utterly baffled.
They were supposed to be on the League’s side, not Team Rocket’s! Shouldn’t Asahi be asking if Pryce was okay?
Did he stay up too late last night? Was he still not fully awake?
“Don’t joke around, Asahi…” Green said, but after seeing the seriousness on his face, she hesitated. “Wait… You’re serious?”
Asahi nodded.
Seeing this, Green sighed helplessly. “According to the intelligence, despite Pryce’s desperate resistance, Giovanni managed to destroy most of the Mahogany Gym before leading Team Rocket in a retreat.”
“Pryce was gravely injured. According to his own account, he was no match for Giovanni at all, so it’s safe to assume that Giovanni walked away unscathed.”
During the battle at New Island, Green had witnessed Giovanni’s strength from the sidelines.
Now, with Pryce heavily injured while Giovanni remained unharmed, this result aligned with Green’s understanding of their power levels.
However…
Asahi: “Really? I don’t believe it.”
Ha! Pryce losing to a heavily injured Giovanni? And getting seriously wounded in the process?
That was the best joke he’d heard this year—second only to the one about Shelgon being unable to eat after evolving.
Pryce’s “own account”… Asahi wouldn’t trust that for a second.
Green didn’t understand why Asahi was so convinced that something must have happened to Giovanni.
But she still analyzed the situation seriously. “Could it be that Team Rocket discovered our plan to unite Johto’s Gym Leaders against them and the Masked Army, so they decided to strike first?”
That was the most logical explanation Green could come up with that morning for Team Rocket’s attack on the Mahogany Gym.
Otherwise, if this was just about Asahi and Pryce working together to drive away Lambda last time, it wouldn’t be enough of a reason for the still-recovering Giovanni to personally take action—and in such a high-profile manner.
While Green was still following conventional logic in her analysis, Asahi spoke up:
“Green, have you ever considered the possibility that Pryce is actually the leader of the Masked Army? That Giovanni realized this and attacked the Mahogany Gym because of it?”
“After all, both Pryce and the Masked Man are Ice-type Pokémon specialists.”
Green was taken aback. “...No way!”
She had researched Pryce’s background. By all accounts, he was described as a humble, kind-hearted old man with a great reputation in the League.
This attack on the Mahogany Gym had caused an uproar in Johto, with many people petitioning the League to launch a full-scale crackdown on Team Rocket.
Hearing Green’s reaction, Asahi simply asked, “A kind-hearted old man?”
—
