Chapter 213: Giovanni: Damn it, Asahi!
Just as Asahi was thinking about how to politely change the subject, the small Lugia tilted its head.
Then, from beneath its feathers, it pulled out a specially made Pokéblock.
Seeing this, Asahi was a bit curious.
Since when did small Lugia develop a habit of hiding food?
But at this moment, the Pokéblock unexpectedly helped Asahi out of his predicament.
Lugia sniffed the Pokéblock and immediately recognized that it carried the same scent as the small Lugia.
Suddenly, it understood. So that's where the smell was coming from... food?
As for why the scent was so strong on the small Lugia—perhaps it had simply eaten too much of it over time.
Lugia convinced itself with this reasoning.
After all, it didn't want to suspect Asahi, the one who had saved it, of anything nefarious.
Internally, Asahi gave a silent thumbs-up to small Lugia for the assist. To prevent Lugia from asking any more awkward questions, he quickly changed the topic.
"What do you plan to do next, Lugia? Are you going to seek revenge on Pryce?"
If Lugia intended to go after Pryce, Asahi felt he needed to either dissuade it or at least evacuate the surrounding population in advance.
After all, the sheer destructive power Lugia had displayed earlier was terrifying.
If it wanted to, it could easily destroy an entire city.
But Asahi was clearly overthinking it. Upon hearing his question, Lugia calmly shook its head. "You don't need to worry. I won't be consumed by hatred."
Hearing this, Asahi couldn't help but admire its perspective. What a noble mindset… as expected of Lugia.
Being outmatched and calling it "not being consumed by hatred"—only Lugia could put it so eloquently.
Ho-Oh, you should really take notes from Lugia...
After confirming that Lugia wouldn't be making any drastic moves, Asahi said, "Let me help heal your frozen wing first..."
He signaled to Mewtwo.
Mewtwo transformed its massive psychic spoon into a chisel and carefully chipped away at the ice encasing Lugia's wing.
Then, Asahi pulled out a bottle of freeze-heal spray from his backpack—one he hadn't used in a long time—and applied it thoroughly.
Lugia tentatively flapped its wing and found that it was mobile again.
Its eyes reflected gratitude.
Lugia had initially planned to give Asahi a Silver Wing as a token of thanks, but after glancing at the countless feathers floating on the sea and the small Lugia beside Asahi, it hesitated.
With small Lugia around, Asahi probably already had plenty of Silver Wings.
Giving him one now felt... unworthy.
After a brief moment of thought, Lugia's body radiated a silver light.
The glowing energy enveloped the small Lugia.
Upon receiving this energy, the small Lugia visibly grew in size—like it had just consumed an entire box of special Pokéblocks.
"Human, take good care of it!"
After saying this, Lugia took one last deep look at the small Lugia, then spread its wings—gathering up the scattered feathers from the sea—and dove into the ocean, disappearing into the depths.
It seemed Lugia truly valued the feathers it shed.
A trainer who receives Ho-Oh's Rainbow Wing is called the "Rainbow Warrior."
If Lugia ever decides to establish a "Silver Warrior" in the future, at least it won't need to pluck feathers from itself for a long time.
With Lugia gone, the battlefield of the recent clash now only held Asahi, his Pokémon, and a massive iceberg.
Asahi recalled his Pokémon, picked up the shivering Eevee—now covered in frost—and mounted Salamence, flying back toward Olivine City.
What Asahi didn't notice, however, was that not long after he left, a massive whirlpool suddenly formed where the iceberg had been.
The swirling currents pulled the entire iceberg down.
With the increasing suction force, the ice shattered and sank, vanishing beneath the waves.
The sea returned to normal.
Clearly, Lugia's heart wasn't as calm as it had appeared.
---
Olivine City
Once the storm had subsided, the citywide alarm was lifted, and people began emerging from their shelters.
Although the storm hadn't lasted long, its impact was severe.
As soon as Asahi landed, he received a call from Lance.
"Asahi, a storm just struck Olivine City. Are you on the scene?" Lance's voice came through the receiver.
Asahi: ".....Why is your first instinct always that I'm involved?"
Why did every major disaster seem to be linked to him?
…Though, to be fair, this time, he was actually there.
Lance had initially thought he might have misjudged, but hearing Asahi's response, he was speechless. So you are at the scene…
My instincts were right after all.
Still, business came first. "What exactly happened in Olivine City?"
Lance had been in a meeting when he suddenly received an emergency weather alert from the Johto League. Even stranger, the storm had appeared and then disappeared in an unnaturally short period.
Given that the storm's center had been the Whirl Islands, Lance immediately thought of Lugia.
"Nothing much, just Pryce trying to capture Lugia. I stopped him," Asahi replied casually.
Lance had mentally prepared himself for something shocking, but even so, hearing Asahi's words stunned him.
That one short sentence contained way too much information.
Pryce… trying to capture Lugia?
Was Pryce really that strong?
Did this mean Pryce really was the leader of the Masked Army, just as Asahi had suspected?
And more importantly—Asahi defeated Pryce?
Did that mean Asahi was even stronger?
One question after another flooded Lance's mind, leaving him unsure of where to even begin.
Asahi could guess what Lance was thinking based on his silence, so he quickly summarized the events.
He then added, "If you need video evidence, I can send it to you."
Before the battle with Pryce, Asahi had activated a recording device. Now, Pryce's identity as the Masked Man was undeniable.
Since this involved a Gym Leader, Lance naturally needed proof.
Before long, he received the footage.
Watching Pryce and his Swinub-Delibird duo effortlessly overpower Lugia, Lance fell silent.
He had just realized something disturbing…
Based on what Pryce displayed in the video, Lance himself might not even be a match for him.
Lance couldn't understand it.
If Pryce, a Gym Leader, was this strong, why hadn't he aimed to become the Johto Champion instead of forming some Masked Army?
Still, Lance had been through enough of Asahi's surprises that his mental resilience had strengthened.
"I'll report this to the League Council. Bruno is in Johto—I'll have him assist you. Be careful."
This information alone was enough to keep the League Council in meetings for days.
Lance hurriedly ended the call.
Afterward, Asahi also sent the footage to Interpol as a status update—along with a subtle request for recognition.
He then messaged "Kurt" to warn him about Pryce and advised him to take his granddaughter and lay low.
Finally, he extracted the part of the footage showing Pryce battling Lugia and sent it to Giovanni.
[Pryce has obtained the Silver Wing. —Asahi]
Hopefully, the great Giovanni would take this opportunity to strike at Pryce in Ilex Forest.
Honestly, Asahi felt like he was being incredibly generous—hand-delivering Giovanni a chance for revenge.
With everything settled, Asahi adjusted his coat, hugged the still-frozen Eevee, and walked toward Asagi Gym.
Green had just messaged him—she and Jasmine were waiting there.
---
Team Rocket Base
Giovanni read Asahi's message and nearly laughed in exasperation.
Was this guy even trying to hide the fact that he was using Team Rocket as a tool?
Giovanni had been the leader of Team Rocket for many years and had encountered plenty of so-called righteous League trainers.
But none were as shameless as Asahi.
His forces had already suffered heavy losses in the ongoing war against the Masked Army, and his mood was far from pleasant.
Now, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Unable to hold back, Giovanni sent a reply.
[If you want to deal with Pryce, do it yourself. —Giovanni]
Originally, he had only wanted to vent his frustration, but he hadn't expected an immediate response from Asahi.
[Pryce didn't kidnap my son. —Asahi]
Damnit!, Asahi!
Giovanni clenched his fists, and even someone as composed as him couldn't suppress his irritation anymore.
At that moment, he truly wished he could send a Porygon through the internet to punch Asahi in the face.
Fortunately, a report from his subordinates brought him back to his senses.
"Boss Giovanni, we've found the information you requested. It seems the item requiring Ho-Oh's feather is a legendary Poké Ball said to 'capture time.'"
The Team Rocket grunt handed him a file.
Team Rocket's database was second only to the League's. Given enough time, they could find records of almost anything.
"A Poké Ball that captures time?" Giovanni raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!"
The grunt passed him the file.
If Midori had still been around, she would have summarized the key points instead of just handing him the documents.
That thought crossed Giovanni's mind as he skimmed the contents.
["A Poké Ball that captures time… Ho-Oh's and Lugia's feathers… Azalea Town's Kurt… Ilex Forest…"]
Seeing all these connections, Giovanni pieced it together.
"So that's what this is about…"
At last, he understood Pryce's true goal.
"Pryce is after Celebi?"
Giovanni looked at the crude, almost Mew-like illustration of Celebi in the document, his gaze deep in thought.
The power of time was incredibly mysterious… It was indeed a plausible motive.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Giovanni issued his orders.
"Tell Apollo and Athena to shift their search to Ilex Forest… Locate Celebi's shrine."
"Also, inform Lambda and the other two to bring their teams and follow me to Azalea Town!"
If Pryce wanted the Poké Ball that could capture time…
Then Giovanni would simply take the crafting blueprints from Kurt first.
Want the recipe?
Fine!
Hand over Silver first, and we'll talk!
The grunt straightened up and saluted. "Understood, Boss Giovanni!"
---
While Giovanni and Pryce both made their way to Azalea Town, Asahi arrived in Goldenrod City with Green and Ami.
As the largest city in Johto, Goldenrod held a position similar to Saffron City in Kanto.
Asahi landed in front of a hotel.
Sabrina was already waiting at the entrance. When she saw Jasmine following alongside Asahi, she gave him a knowing look.
"Asahi, you roped in another one?"
Jasmine, who had just been about to greet Sabrina, looked confused.
"What do you mean by 'roped in another one'…? This is Jasmine, the Gym Leader of Olivine City," Asahi explained helplessly.
Sabrina always assumed the worst about him.
Then he introduced Sabrina to Jasmine. "This is Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City."
Sabrina didn't refute Asahi's words but still greeted Ami politely.
Then she turned to Asahi. "The conference room is set up. Is Pryce really as strong as he looked in the video?"
She had watched the footage Asahi sent. While she knew Asahi wouldn't lie to her, Pryce's sheer power in the video seemed almost absurd.
It felt… unreal.
"It's real. And to be honest, Pryce's true strength is probably even greater," Asahi replied.
Their earlier battle had seemed intense, but in reality, it was just a standard exchange. Pryce's main focus had been securing the Silver Wing and preparing for his next move to capture Celebi—he hadn't fought Asahi with full force.
If it had been a life-or-death battle, even swapping Mega Gardevoir for Mega Mewtwo wouldn't have guaranteed Asahi's survival.
That was precisely why he was gathering so many Gym Leaders and dragging Giovanni into this—to take down Pryce together.
Hearing Asahi's assessment, Sabrina wasn't sure how to respond.
"Whitney has been contacted. She's at the radio station recording a broadcast… Ethan and Silver arrived before you. They went to the station," Sabrina informed him.
Asahi didn't even need to think about it—this was definitely Ethan's idea.
That guy was a hardcore fan of DJ Mary, so there was no way he'd pass up the chance to meet her.
"Let them be… It's not time to act yet."
Right now, Asahi's job was to wait until all the Gym Leaders were in place—and to watch what kind of trouble Giovanni would cause Pryce after being provoked.
In simple terms, his plan was to sit back and enjoy the show first.
So…
"Get me a room. I'm exhausted."
---
Azalea Town – Kurt's Residence
Kurt had already received Asahi's message earlier, advising him to leave the crafting blueprints for the "GS Ball" at home and take his granddaughter to safety.
But Kurt hadn't listened.
He had only sent his granddaughter away with an International Police officer disguised as a Noctowl.
He himself remained at his home.
Kurt was filled with questions.
As a close friend of Pryce's in their younger years, he couldn't understand how Pryce had changed so drastically.
He desperately wanted to hear it from Pryce himself.
To ask him to turn back.
Seated on the tatami mat facing the entrance, Kurt closed his eyes and waited.
Then, a noise came from the yard.
"You're here…" Kurt opened his eyes.
He was just about to question Pryce—
But what he saw in front of him was completely different from what he had imagined.
Because standing there wasn't Pryce.
It wasn't even the Masked Man in disguise.
It was…
A squad of Team Rocket members.
Kurt's face showed pure shock as the Rocket grunts stepped aside.
Giovanni strode in, flanked by Oka, Lambda.
With a warm smile, Giovanni said, "Mr. Kurt, it seems you were expecting someone? Since you're here waiting for us, why don't you hand over the blueprints for the 'Poké Ball that captures time'?"
Kurt: "....."
I wasn't waiting for you…!
---