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Chapter 158 - Reward Selection: The Guran Meteorite?
🕑 Added 2025-02-19 09:18:03 +0000 UTCChapter 158 - Reward Selection: The Guran Meteorite?
[Please choose your reward.]
1. Secrets of the Earth (Giovanni’s Signed Collector’s Edition)
2. Guran Meteorite Fragment
3. Mewtwo Cells (Implantable)
Looking at the options, Asahi hesitated.
The first one, Secrets of the Earth, was a book he had read in its public version. While a signed collector’s edition might have value for Giovanni’s fans, Asahi immediately dismissed it as an option.
The second and third choices, however…
The Mewtwo Cell Implant had appeared before. It allowed for a psychic connection with Mewtwo, which could be useful for capturing it.
But the downside was obvious—it looked awful. If he implanted it, Gardevoir would probably start disliking him.
As for the Guran Meteorite Fragment…
If he remembered correctly, Deoxys had fallen to Earth along with the Guran Meteorite.
If this were a complete meteorite containing both Deoxys Forme One and Forme Two, Asahi would pick it without hesitation. But just a fragment…
[System, you’re getting sneaky. This is basically the Pokémon world's version of a gamble.]
If he got Deoxys from it, it’d be a jackpot.
But if he didn’t, it’d be a complete loss.
One cut to paradise, one cut to hell… Well, maybe not hell, but at least a wasted reward.
Feeling conflicted, Asahi decided to put the decision on hold. Since he was still in Team Rocket’s base, even if he got the meteorite, he wouldn’t be able to use it right away.
Sabrina, seeing Asahi suddenly deep in thought, had no idea what was on his mind.
As long as he wasn’t causing trouble, though, she didn’t care.
She handed him a Team Rocket Squad Leader uniform, a communicator, and an access card.
Entering the locker room, Asahi changed into the officer’s uniform.
Looking into the mirror, he admired his sharp appearance.
[As expected of me!]
Sabrina: […]
The Team Rocket clerk who had handled his promotion then said, “Sir, as a Squad Leader, you are entitled to select a Pokémon from the organization’s storage. Please follow me.”
Hearing this, Asahi raised an eyebrow.
[GardevoirIsNumberOne: Team Rocket gives Pokémon to its officers?]
He hadn’t expected that merely infiltrating Team Rocket would also get him a free Pokémon. Not that he had high expectations for what they’d offer.
Sabrina sighed as she saw him adding yet another nickname in their telepathic chat.
[PsychicMaster: Of course. If there weren’t at least this level of benefits, why would people stay loyal to Team Rocket? You don’t actually think Team Rocket’s cohesion is solely due to Giovanni’s lofty ideals, do you?]
[GardevoirIsNumberOne: I feel like you’re implying something.]
Sabrina turned away, pretending she hadn’t said anything. Then she told the employee, “No need, I’ll take him there myself.”
“Yes, Lady Sabrina!”
Asahi scoffed at her reluctance to admit the truth but followed her anyway.
---
To reward officers and outstanding members, Team Rocket maintained a dedicated Pokémon breeding facility.
Sitting on a couch, Asahi browsed through a tablet displaying Pokémon details and found himself surprised.
He had assumed that Team Rocket’s Pokémon, if not outright stolen, would at least be obtained through illegal means. His plan was to pick one at random and release it after the mission.
However, what he saw was different from his expectations.
Each Pokémon was listed with detailed information, including origin, parentage, nature, and moves.
Most were hatched from eggs, while a few were caught in the wild—those were all high-quality Pokémon. There were barely any that had been stolen.
Thinking it over, Asahi realized why.
Team Rocket officers were the organization's backbone. Unlike grunts, they couldn’t just be given random Pokémon.
At their level, a trainer’s bond with their Pokémon could determine victory or defeat. So, using Pokémon they had personally raised made perfect sense.
“Have you picked one?” Sabrina urged.
It wasn’t that she was impatient—she just wanted to get out of there. Several passing Team Rocket members had been staring at them with curiosity.
She had always been seen as cold and distant within Team Rocket. She had never been this close to another person before.
If this continued, rumors would spread by tomorrow that she and someone were dating.
Though she had already betrayed Team Rocket, that didn’t mean she didn’t care about her reputation.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lady Sabrina—"
Asahi finally made his choice.
A teleportation device activated, and a Poké Ball appeared before him.
Sabrina glanced over curiously.
Asahi didn’t keep her in suspense—he opened the Poké Ball right away.
A Pokémon covered in fluffy yellow fur, with a deep blue body and a glowing orb on its tail, emerged before them.
“Baaah!”
A Mareep—Asahi’s chosen Electric-type Pokémon.
He hadn’t forgotten that he had an Electric-type Plate sitting unused in his bag.
“Maa?”
Mareep studied its new trainer.
Asahi grinned and scooped it up. “Stick with me, and I promise you’ll live the good life!”
“Let’s build an empire and reach new heights together!”
Sabrina covered her face. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Asahi seemed to be getting more and more unhinged since arriving on New Island.
Back when he was with the League, at least he exercised some restraint.
Was it the International Police identity that had been holding him back all along?
Mareep, feeling the warmth from Asahi, hesitated for a moment.
Then, happily rubbing its fluffy wool against his face, it let out a cheerful:
“Baaah~!”
---
In the end, Sabrina left, saying she needed to investigate Team Rocket’s internal affairs (and also because she couldn’t take Asahi anymore).
Asahi strongly condemned her for abandoning her superior.
Without a guide, he wandered the Team Rocket base gathering intel. Aside from a few restricted areas, he had explored almost everything.
With his natural charisma, he quickly bonded with the Team Rocket members he encountered.
“This New Island base is even bigger than I expected…”
Seated in the cafeteria, Asahi stuffed food into his mouth.
“Mew… Nyuu~!”
Disguised as a Sneasel, Mew nibbled on its meal, nodding.
Asahi swallowed a bite of spicy cake and rated the cafeteria an 8/10.
Just then, Green arrived, sitting across from him with a tray.
Using Mew’s telepathy, they opened a private chat.
[GardevoirIsNumberOne: How’s Professor Blaine’s situation?]
Asahi fed Mareep a Pecha Berry salad as he asked.
Green, keeping a neutral expression, replied:
[…Giovanni hasn’t paid any attention to him. His former colleagues visited, though. According to what he gathered, Mewtwo’s creation will be completed tomorrow.]
Asahi’s eyes gleamed. [One day earlier than expected… No wonder everyone here is so on edge.]
As Mewtwo’s birth approached, no matter how confident Giovanni appeared, for the ordinary Team Rocket trainers, an uncontrollable, immensely powerful Pokémon was a great source of anxiety. Their tense state of mind was understandable.
While they talked, Mareep had already finished the Pecha Berry salad and now had its eyes on the Cheri Berry cake on the table.
Without hesitation, Asahi handed the cake to Mareep.
Using Team Rocket’s resources to feed his own Pokémon—he felt no guilt about it at all.
However, Mareep’s presence caught Green’s curiosity.
If she remembered correctly, Asahi didn’t have a Mareep before.
Seeing her inquisitive gaze, Asahi smirked and deliberately said loudly, “This Mareep was a reward for my promotion. Praise Boss Giovanni!”
His voice carried over to the nearby tables, drawing envious and jealous looks.
Mareep itself wasn’t anything special, but being recognized by Giovanni and promoted was every Team Rocket member’s dream.
Green: “…..”
Before coming here, Sabrina had warned her that Asahi was letting loose. She hadn’t believed it at first, but now she saw it firsthand.
Meeting Green’s strange look, Asahi said telepathically:
[Don’t believe a word Sabrina says. I’m just infiltrating the enemy ranks.]
Green remained neutral toward Asahi’s statement.
[What’s my next move? I managed to swipe an access card from one of the researchers who visited Professor Blaine. It leads to the area where Mewtwo is located.]
Hearing this, Mew, who was still disguised as a Sneasel and enjoying shaved ice, perked up and turned toward Asahi.
[Mew?]
Did this mean they could now enter the core zone and see Mewtwo?
[Green, nice work!]
Asahi hadn’t expected such a surprise, but there was still a problem.
[The core zone… it’s too heavily guarded.]
Based on what he had observed that day, the area where Mewtwo was held was under 24/7 surveillance, and Giovanni himself was keeping a close eye on it.
Seeing Mew’s face fall with disappointment, Asahi changed his tone.
[But it’s not impossible.]
Immediately, Green and Mew focused all their attention on him.
Asahi smirked.
[Here’s the plan…]
---
[…I disagree!]
Inside her temporary resting quarters, Sabrina rejected Asahi’s plan the moment she heard it.
[Your disguise skills are impressive, but Giovanni is constantly monitoring Mewtwo. If he senses anything off about you, he will act immediately.]
Right now, sneaking into the core zone was too risky. The best time to act would be the moment Mewtwo awakened, when everyone’s attention was focused elsewhere.
Acting then would greatly reduce the chances of getting caught.
Hearing this, Asahi shook his head.
[I have a special tool designed specifically for Mewtwo. It needs to be set up in advance. If we wait until then, it’ll be too late.]
[As for the risk… like you said, that only applies if Giovanni notices something wrong with me. As long as I don’t slip up, it won’t be a problem, right? I always handle things carefully. Don’t you trust my abilities?]
[…It’s because it’s you that I don’t feel at ease.]
Recalling all of Asahi’s antics since arriving on New Island, Sabrina felt exhausted just thinking about it.
Even Green hesitated after hearing her reasoning.
Asahi felt deeply wounded by their lack of trust.
However, since Asahi was the one calling the shots in Team Rocket’s Kanto division, he vetoed Sabrina’s objection with a single vote.
Seeing her glaring at him, Asahi still took a moment to reassure her.
"Relax, I never take risks without confidence. Green can vouch for that."
At this, Sabrina sighed.
She was already on Asahi’s metaphorical pirate ship—what else could she do but sail with him into the storm?
[If anything unexpected happens, message me immediately. I’ll create a diversion with my psychic powers to buy you time to escape.]
[Don’t worry! Mew is with me.]
Asahi patted Mew, still disguised as a Sneasel.
Green, watching, suddenly asked curiously:
[By the way, Asahi, I never asked—why did you disguise Mew as a Sneasel?]
She asked because Silver also had a Sneasel.
Hearing this, Asahi coughed.
[Uh, well…]
He couldn't really tell the truth.
[We have more important things to do.]
---
Asahi had always been a man of action. The moment he made a decision, he moved immediately.
