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Chapter 108 - Sabrina
🕑 Added 2025-02-08 14:41:16 +0000 UTCChapter 108 - Sabrina
Without Sird’s leadership, the remaining Rocket Grunts inside Sylph Co. were utterly overwhelmed.
Especially with Sabrina assisting.
Aside from one desperate Rocket Grunt who, in a last-ditch effort, detonated his own Weezing and nearly blew himself up, there were no unexpected incidents.
Asahi’s feelings were complicated as he watched Sabrina meticulously rounding up the Rocket prisoners.
If he didn’t already know she was a Rocket Executive...
If she hadn’t obviously stopped him from chasing Sird...
He might have genuinely believed she was just a dedicated Gym Leader.
And yet, despite having a perfect opportunity to team up with Sird against him, Sabrina hadn’t lifted a finger.
She had let him drive Sird away—only stepping in to stop him from pursuing.
Asahi couldn’t make sense of her intentions.
[What is she playing at?]
—
As they moved through the building, they freed the imprisoned Sylph employees.
Eventually, Asahi also found the missing League investigators.
However, their minds seemed clouded, and they had no recollection of their previous investigations.
A quick scan by Gardevoir revealed the cause:
[Psychic influence.]
Hearing this, Asahi instinctively glanced at Sabrina.
If there was anyone in Saffron City who excelled in psychic abilities, it was her.
Still, there were plenty of Psychic Pokémon out there. This alone wasn’t enough to prove Sabrina was responsible.
He made a mental note of it and relayed the situation to Lance, who arranged for further handling. Finally, they reached the president’s office.
Releasing their Pokémon and preparing for battle, Asahi pushed the door open—
—only to find something completely unexpected.
He had anticipated a hostage situation, perhaps with ten Rocket Grunts guarding the Sylph President. At the very least, he had expected the man to be tied up.
Instead, the Sylph President was sitting comfortably at his desk, unharmed.
And when he saw them—especially Sabrina—he visibly relaxed. "Thank goodness, Sabrina, you’re finally here."
Before Asahi could speak, Sabrina answered first. "As Saffron Gym Leader, I take full responsibility for this failure."
"Nonsense. The Saffron Gym has protected the city for years. This was just an unfortunate incident. No one blames you."
"...???"
Asahi was baffled.
He was the one who drove off Sird.
No wonder the guy got taken hostage. If he thought Rocket Executives were his saviors, of course he’d end up in this mess.
After some polite exchanges, Sabrina finally turned to introduce him.
"President, in truth, Special Agent Asahi was the one who drove off Sird today."
"...."
The Sylph President froze for a moment, realizing he had been thanking the wrong person.
Still, as a seasoned businessman, his facial expressions were masterfully controlled. He smoothly shifted gears, looking at Asahi.
"Special Agent Asahi, you’re quite accomplished for your age… Hmm? That name sounds familiar..."
Midway through his sentence, the President seemed to recall something.
Asahi had a pretty good idea of where he had heard the name before. He simply offered a few keywords:
"Pokéblocks. Devon Corp. Steven Stone."
The moment he heard them, the Sylph President’s eyes flashed with understanding, his expression turning complex.
Sylph and Devon had once been evenly matched in the Pokémon food industry, with Sylph occasionally even gaining the upper hand.
But last month, Devon had suddenly launched a new type of Pokéblock that became an instant sensation, eating up a massive portion of the market.
Even in Kanto and Johto, where Sylph had traditionally held dominance, Devon had made significant inroads.
And the patent holder of that product?
Asahi.
But Asahi wasn’t concerned about the President’s complicated feelings. He smiled and got straight to the point.
"I’m here at Lance’s request to assist Sylph Co. The League has some concerns regarding Rocket’s sudden attack on your company."
"Additionally, the League’s investigation team was captured, and their memories seem to have been tampered with by an unidentified Psychic Pokémon. Their reports are missing as well. Do you have any leads?"
Hearing this, the Sylph President’s expression grew even more conflicted, any traces of relief from earlier disappearing entirely.
After taking a moment to compose his thoughts, he slowly began to explain.
"Team Rocket attacked Sylph Co. to seize control of the company…"
—
By the time Asahi, Green, and Sabrina finally left Sylph Co., the sun was already setting.
League personnel had flooded the building, treating the wounded, securing the captured Rocket Grunts, and searching for any hidden enemies.
Sabrina turned to Asahi with a warm smile—quite different from her usual cold demeanor.
"If you ever wish to challenge the Saffron Gym, you are always welcome."
Contrary to her reputation as an aloof and intimidating Gym Leader, she now seemed surprisingly approachable.
Asahi returned her smile. "Of course! But don’t expect me to go easy on you."
After saying their goodbyes, Asahi had Gardevoir scan their surroundings for eavesdroppers.
Once the coast was clear, he finally relaxed.
Green, puzzled by his caution, asked, "But Asahi, you already drove Team Rocket away. Why are you still being so careful?"
"You mean why I’m still on guard?" Asahi countered.
Green nodded.
"What do you think of Sabrina?" he asked instead of answering.
Green hesitated before replying, "Well… You said she might be suspicious before, but based on today’s events, she seemed like a dedicated Gym Leader to me."
"Did she?" Asahi chuckled. "Then what if I told you that if she hadn’t been here today, I would have already arrested Sird?"
Green’s eyes widened in shock.
"Should we inform Lance?" she asked.
"No rush," Asahi stretched. "I don’t have concrete evidence yet… I’ll deal with her myself when I take the Gym Challenge."
"Right now, the real problem is Sylph Co."
