NahinS77
patreon
Chapter 184: Asahi Fans the Flames!
🕑 Added 2025-02-25 11:14:41 +0000 UTCChapter 184: Asahi Fans the Flames!
The inspector, still a bit dazed, looked at Pryce with newfound admiration.
"Thank you so much, Pryce! I would’ve been finished if not for your help!"
If what Asahi said was true, Pryce had saved his life.
The old Gym Leader waved off the praise with a humble smile. "It was nothing."
Asahi, however, shifted gears. "By the way — why did Team Rocket capture you?"
The inspector let out a bitter chuckle. "I was just researching Slowpoke by the well when Lambda showed up…"
He’d simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
While waiting to rendezvous with Asahi, he saw Rocket grunts trying to capture Slowpoke. Thinking he could handle it, he attempted to arrest them — only to realize, too late, that Lambda himself was there, disguised as a regular grunt.
Normally, a lower-level Rocket officer would handle Slowpoke-catching duties — so why was an Executive like Lambda there in the first place?
That didn’t add up.
Asahi's eyes gleamed at the new angle — an opportunity to stir the pot.
Feigning hesitation, Asahi said slowly, "Actually… I might have heard something about that. Not sure if it’s true, though."
Both Pryce and the inspector immediately locked onto him, waiting for more.
Especially Pryce — with the Masked Army currently clashing with Team Rocket, any intel about Rocket's movements was valuable.
"I can’t confirm this," Asahi added, keeping up the act. "But… rumor has it the Masked Army kidnapped Giovanni’s long-lost son. That’s why Team Rocket's been going all out lately — they’re scouring Johto, hunting for the Masked Army."
He paused dramatically. "Lambda might’ve been searching for them when he showed up near Slowpoke Well. The inspector just… got unlucky."
The inspector frowned, clearly skeptical. "Giovanni’s son? Kidnapped by the Masked Army? That sounds… far-fetched."
It was hard to imagine the son of Team Rocket’s infamous boss being kidnapped so easily.
Had to be fake news.
Pryce, however, remained composed on the surface — but inwardly, his mind spun.
Because he had, in fact, once captured Giovanni’s son — Silver.
Now, Pryce finally understood why Team Rocket had been harassing him.
If Silver were still in his grasp, he could have used the boy to bargain with Giovanni…
But Silver had escaped long ago.
And now Rocket was at war with him — undoubtedly still searching for their boss’s missing son.
Conflict was inevitable.
[This is bad,] Pryce thought grimly.
Realizing a full-blown clash with Team Rocket was looming, Pryce hurriedly made an excuse to leave.
He needed to return to his gym and prepare for the inevitable retaliation.
Watching him go, Asahi smirked.
He knew exactly why Pryce left so suddenly.
After all — this wasn’t about helping Pryce.
It was about adding fuel to the fire.
The battle between the Masked Army and Team Rocket wasn’t intense enough yet — Asahi needed to fan the flames even higher.
When the inspector opened his mouth to speak, Asahi — now certain Pryce was gone — handed him a Poké Ball.
With a small smile, he said, "Here — your Arcanine."
The inspector's eyes widened. "Wait… you’re—?"
"Shh." Asahi pressed a finger to his lips. "Let’s keep this between us."
Realizing that Asahi had risked tracking him down and saving him, the inspector felt a surge of gratitude. It also explained how Asahi knew so much about Team Rocket’s movements.
Without hesitation, the inspector handed Asahi a contact card. "My codename is 'Hoothoot.' If you ever need anything, just contact me directly!"
Hoothoot…
Hearing the codename, Asahi couldn’t help but think it oddly fit the chaotic vibe of the Kanto branch.
He pocketed the card with a nod. Though he still wasn’t fully sold on the Johto division of the International Police, having someone trustworthy like this inspector might come in handy.
"Take care of the captured Rocket members — I’ll deal with the Slowpoke."
With that, Asahi activated his Viridian Forest powers, calming the caged Slowpoke…
Though, to be fair, they didn’t really need calming — they just stared blankly as usual.
The captured Slowpoke didn’t seem to realize their situation at all. Even while locked in cages, they maintained their usual blank, carefree expressions.
Seeing this, Asahi sighed.
[No wonder people keep targeting you guys…]
Shaking his head, he began leading the Slowpoke back toward the well. To prevent them from being so easily caught again, he released his own Slowpoke and instructed it to give the others a "safety lesson" — hoping they'd at least learn to be a bit more cautious in the future.
Meanwhile, Asahi was chatting with Mewtwo through telepathy.
[That Swinub was strong,] Mewtwo noted.
Ever since mastering Mega Evolution, Mewtwo had been feeling pretty confident. But after witnessing Pryce's Swinub in action, it realized it had been a bit too full of itself.
If even a Swinub could pose a threat, then this world was far more dangerous than it had imagined.
"You don’t need to worry about that," Asahi reassured it. "That Swinub is a special case — not every Swinub is like Pryce’s."
Not every Swinub could be Pryce’s Swinub…
Though Asahi comforted Mewtwo, he couldn’t deny the truth — this world was dangerous.
It was full of maniacs trying to destroy reality itself.
Honestly, compared to those lunatics, Giovanni, who only sought to expand his influence, and Pryce, who just wanted to travel through time to save his Pokémon, seemed almost… reasonable.
Being an International Police officer tasked with maintaining world peace was a tough job.
Sighing, Asahi said to Mewtwo and Gardevoir, "Let’s go — we’ll return the Slowpoke to the well first, then find Silver."
Hearing this, Asahi’s Slowpoke let out a relieved sigh, eager to get back home and lounge in its cozy spot.
But before it could celebrate, Asahi suddenly turned to it with a devilish grin.
"I’ve already set up a training plan for you — Gengar will be supervising."
As his words fell, a pair of glowing red eyes slowly emerged from the shadow beneath Slowpoke's feet, accompanied by a low, eerie laugh.
"Slow…"
In that instant, Slowpoke wished it could return to the wild.
---
