Chapter 220
Casually recording Kiki's reaction as her screen went black, Asahi smiled in satisfaction and closed the stream.
Putting his phone away, he suddenly noticed Sabrina standing behind him — he wasn't sure when she got there.
At this moment, Sabrina's face bore an expression of "I've discovered your secret."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Asahi asked.
Sabrina smiled faintly and pointed at the phone in Asahi's hand. "Aren't you worried I'll tell Green about this?"
"Secretly tipping a female streamer and even recording the reaction… If Green found out, I bet her expression would be very interesting."
"Unless you don't want me to—"
"Go ahead and tell her." Asahi looked completely unfazed.
Sabrina's smile froze — his reaction was nothing like she expected.
According to the "script" in her head, shouldn't Asahi be flustered after being caught, bow to her demands, and let her hold this over him?
Why wasn't he playing along?
Noticing Sabrina's confusion, Asahi clicked his tongue. "Did you really think you could blackmail me with this?"
Sabrina puffed out her chest confidently. "Isn't that obvious?"
"No matter how much you puff your chest, it's not getting any bigger." Asahi sighed, then added, "Think about it — I fed you special Pokéblocks right in front of Green. Do you really think tipping a streamer is a big deal?"
The mention of the special Pokéblocks made Sabrina freeze, her face instantly flushing red — all the way to the tips of her ears.
Without another word, she fled the scene, nearly tripping in her haste.
Watching her retreat, Asahi smirked smugly. "Seriously? That's your plan to outsmart me?"
Sabrina was a long way from catching him off guard.
"What plan?" Green suddenly appeared, leaning in. "Why did Sabrina run off like that? I called her, but she didn't even hear me."
"No idea. Maybe she drank too much juice and needed the bathroom…" Asahi smoothly changed the subject. "Anyway, how's the mission report coming along?"
The mention of the report made Green groan. "Can we not talk about that right now…?"
The Johto mission report was way more complicated than the New Island incident — she felt like she was losing hair just trying to piece it all together.
"Just scribble something down… No one really reads those reports anyway," Asahi said casually.
Green shook her head — there was no way she'd submit a half-baked report to HQ.
…
Asahi didn't linger in Johto for long.
After handing over all follow-up tasks to Bruno, he took Green, the others, and Pryce back to Kanto.
Since there were too many people this time, Asahi didn't fly on Salamence — instead, they traveled by car.
When they arrived, Asahi turned to Silver and Ethan. "Silver, show Ethan around the base — pick out a room for him and give him the tour."
Green headed back to her room to continue her report.
Sabrina left for her gym to handle some matters.
That left Asahi alone, escorting Pryce into the underground cells.
—
In the prison…
Midori was reading a newspaper — her only connection to the outside world these days.
Unfortunately, the two ever-watchful Indeedee assigned to guard her were well-trained and on high alert, only giving her outdated newspapers so she couldn't gather any recent intel on Team Rocket.
She was just reading about the upcoming Indigo Conference when the basement door creaked open.
Through the bars, Midori saw Asahi walk in with Mewtwo by his side, using telekinesis to float an old man behind him.
She instantly recognized him — Pryce, the Mahogany Town Gym Leader from Johto.
Having been locked up for so long, Midori was already in a foul mood. Seeing this, she couldn't help but sneer: "What, the Kanto branch is arresting their own Gym Leaders now?"
She expected Asahi to be shocked or confused.
Instead, he stopped and gave her a weird look.
Feeling unsettled by his gaze, Midori scowled. "Did I say something wrong?"
As Team Rocket's secretary, she was certain Pryce wasn't one of their own — so she boldly assumed Asahi had made a mistake.
"Oh, you said something very wrong." Asahi pointed at Pryce. "In case you didn't know, this man is none other than the infamous leader of the Masked Army — the Masked Man himself! Just a few days ago, he easily defeated your boss, Giovanni."
"...What?"
Midori blinked in shock. Pryce was the leader of the Masked Army? And he defeated Giovanni?
"Then… what about the boss…?" A horrifying thought crept into her mind.
If someone stronger than Giovanni had been captured, then what happened to him…?
Seeing her flustered expression, Asahi chuckled darkly, offering no explanation about Giovanni's fate — he let Midori's imagination run wild.
And he didn't stop there. As he locked Pryce into a cell, Asahi said with a smirk, "Honestly, we couldn't have done it without you. Feeding Giovanni the wrong information was key — it lured him right into the trap with Pryce."
"You've been a huge help to the League. Ever thought about switching sides?" he teased.
"Not a chance!" Midori snapped.
Asahi shrugged, indifferent, and left the cell — leaving Midori in distress and Pryce still unconscious.
…
Back in the living room, Asahi found Ethan already getting along with the Pokémon at the manor.
Right now, Ethan was playing poker with Marshtomp and Slowpoke.
Asahi's mouth twitched — of all the Pokémon to pick as opponents, Ethan really knew how to choose.
Sinking into the sofa, Eevee — out of sheer habit — leapt onto Asahi's lap.
Taking a glass of juice from Gardevoir, Asahi began sorting through his latest spoils.
First off — the Pokémon.
He pulled out two Poké Balls from his bag.
One was an ordinary Poké Ball containing Lapras Glacier, the one Pryce had entrusted to him from the Time Tunnel.
Through the semi-transparent shell, Asahi could see the Lapras curled up inside, looking utterly dejected.
The other was the GS Ball…
"Uh…"
Inside the GS Ball, Celebi was glaring at him — fuming with rage.
Asahi was confused.
Sure, he hadn't checked on Celebi since the victory party — but come on, he did save it from Pryce.
Did ignoring it for a few days really warrant this much anger?
Scratching his head, Asahi decided there had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
He opened the GS Ball to talk things out.
Pop!
A flash of white light — and Celebi appeared in the living room, still furious.
Just as Asahi was about to speak, he noticed something on Celebi's head…
The smooth, onion-shaped crest now had a glaring bump on it.
"Uh…"
Asahi blinked, realizing why Celebi was so angry.
But hey — that wasn't his fault!
He might have thrown the GS Ball a bit harder than necessary… and maybe used a tiny bit of Aura power…
Who knew Celebi was that fragile?
Seeing Celebi still fuming, Asahi resorted to his tried-and-true method.
With one hand, he pulled out a special Pokéblock from his pocket — and with the other, he activated his Viridian aura.
Sensing the forest's essence radiating from Asahi — and the soothing aura of familiarity — Celebi's anger wavered.
It didn't resist as Asahi used his power to heal the bump on its head.
Then, he handed over the Pokéblock.
Celebi hesitated, glancing between Asahi and the fragrant treat — then cautiously took a bite.
The complex blend of berries burst across its taste buds — a perfect balance of flavors.
Delicious.
Celebi's eyes lit up, and just as it was about to speak—
"Bi~!"
Suddenly, Celebi's body flushed with heat — an unfamiliar sensation rushing through it.
It had never felt anything like this before.
From the staircase, Mewtwo — who had been silently watching — took a step back.
Then, pulling out a communicator, it sent a message to Mew.
"Mom, if you don't come home soon… there might not be a place for you here anymore!"
…
Once Celebi calmed down, it still looked irritated — but its hostility toward Asahi had eased.
Instead, it began to explain its request.
Asahi listened — and the more he heard, the more his expression twisted.
"…You want me to hand over Pryce so you can take him back through the Time Tunnel?"
"Bi~!" Celebi nodded firmly.
Its serious expression — combined with that onion-shaped head — was oddly adorable. Asahi couldn't resist patting it.
"Bi~!" Celebi flailed in protest.
"Calm down… I understand what you're saying," Asahi replied. "But can I ask why? Pryce wasn't easy to catch — and you're technically my Pokémon now. You can't just show up and demand I hand him over."
Celebi hesitated before explaining: it had appeared in that time period after witnessing a future disaster. In that timeline, it had rescued Pryce from the Time Tunnel — and with his help, they had prevented the catastrophe.
Hearing this, Asahi raised an eyebrow.
"Wait… that's literally the plot of the Pokémon Adventures manga," he muttered.
So technically… he should let Celebi take Pryce back.
But then Asahi noticed something off.
"Hey… did you see me in that future?" he asked.
Celebi blinked in confusion.
"In the future you saw — I wasn't there, was I? If I had been, you wouldn't have ended up caught by me…" Asahi stroked his chin.
If Celebi's vision was from the "true" future, then his unexpected presence shouldn't have altered the outcome.
So why hadn't Celebi seen him at all?
Something didn't add up.
Asahi speculated that it might have something to do with him being a transmigrator and the existence of the system.
After all, his system could even rip the Plates off Arceus and give them to him as rewards.
Thinking of this, Asahi became even more confident: "The timeline you saw is just one possible future. My presence proves the future has already changed. The future you saw might not be the real future, and the Pryce you saw in that future might not be the same Pryce standing here now."
Celebi was almost dizzy from Asahi's logic. It took a moment to process what he had said, and once it did, it fell into deep thought.
It seemed… Asahi had a point.
As a Pokémon that traveled through time, Celebi understood better than anyone that the future was never set in stone — it was a web of endless possibilities.
But Asahi was so strong — strong enough to defeat Pryce. So why hadn't Celebi foreseen his existence?
Curious, Celebi hovered close to Asahi, sniffing him lightly.
In an instant, it sensed a mix of strange and familiar things:
— The power of Viridian Forest.
— The Aura.
— The scent of Ho-Oh.
— The lingering aura of Lugia.
— And even the essence of Mew.
Finally… it even caught a whiff of its own scent.
…Its own scent?
Celebi was stunned.
It racked its brain, trying to remember when it had ever met Asahi.
But no matter how hard it thought, it couldn't recall ever giving Asahi its blessing.
Seeing Celebi clutch its head, lost in thought, Asahi knew it had picked up on the Celebi's Blessing that the system had granted him.
Of course, there was no way Celebi could guess the truth — that Asahi had a system handing out legendary Pokémon's abilities like candy.
"If you can't figure it out, don't bother thinking about it," Asahi said.
"All you need to know is that the future has already changed.
"So Pryce stays with me."
Celebi hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
Honestly, even if it disagreed, there wasn't much it could do — after all, it had been captured by Asahi too.
It came to take Pryce away… but ended up getting caught itself.
Slumping onto the sofa, Celebi nibbled on a berry, looking utterly dejected.
Life was hard. Celebi sighed.
…
With Celebi's issue settled, Asahi shifted his focus back to the system.
Now that he knew the system could hide his presence from future timelines — to the point that even Celebi hadn't foreseen him — his anticipation grew.
Opening the system, the first notification was still the one from capturing Celebi:
[You tricked Pryce with a fake GS Ball, causing him to miss his chance with Celebi. Then, swooping in like a hawk, you knocked Celebi unconscious with the GS Ball and successfully captured it. You have earned the title: "Critical Hit! Celebi Sunk!"]
[Please choose your reward:]
1. Crimson Orb
2. Indigo Orb
3. Verdant Orb
"…."
Staring at the rewards, Asahi fell silent.
The Crimson Orb and Indigo Orb had popped up before — rewards tied to Groudon and Kyogre, no surprise there.
The new Verdant Orb wasn't as familiar to him, but from the name alone, it clearly had something to do with Rayquaza.
Seriously, was the system picking a fight with the Hoenn weather trio or something? What did they ever do to deserve this?
But a reward was a reward — no way was he passing it up.
Originally, Asahi had planned to grab the Crimson Orb again if those two orbs showed up. Even if Groudon couldn't fly, Asahi was more than willing to help it beat down Kyogre.
But now… there was a Verdant Orb.
His loyalty shifted instantly.
Who was Groudon? Didn't know him. Never heard of him.
He'd always been a Rayquaza fanboy through and through!
[System, I choose the Verdant Orb!]
Shing!
A radiant green orb materialized in Asahi's hand.
Celebi, who had been wrestling with a Pecha Berry, flinched as it suddenly sensed Rayquaza's aura. Startled, it spun around — only to realize the aura was coming from the Verdant Orb in Asahi's palm.
Sighing in relief, Celebi's gaze turned curious — wondering how Asahi had gotten his hands on something like that.
Asahi, unfazed by Celebi's curiosity, casually stowed the Verdant Orb in his bag.
Then, his attention shifted to the next system notification:
[You used cunning tactics to deceive Giovanni, forcing him to drain Pryce's strength. Then, using Mega-evolved Mewtwo and Gardevoir, you defeated a weakened Pryce! You have earned the title: "Come Scam, Come Ambush!"]
Asahi: "…"
Was it really "ambushing" when it was for justice?
Sighing, Asahi muttered, "I suffer so much slander… all for the sake of justice."
Shaking off the injustice, he checked the new rewards:
1. Icicle Plate
2. Silver Mask
3. Aurorus (Elite-level)
Though the title irritated him, the rewards were a pleasant surprise.
These were way better than the last batch.
The Aurorus was adorable, but Asahi stuck to his principles — unless there was absolutely nothing better, he wouldn't waste a reward choice on a Pokémon he could potentially catch himself.
That left the Icicle Plate and the Silver Mask.
The Silver Mask was probably Pryce's signature mask.
Would it come with an ice clone technique too?
If so, that would be a solid choice — Asahi had been eyeing Pryce's ice clone ability for a while.
But that was just speculation. There was no guarantee the mask wasn't just… a mask.
Plus, Pryce was still locked up downstairs — Asahi could just "ask" him about the ice clone technique later.
So…
[System, I choose the Icicle Plate.]
Shing!
A flash of light, and a bone-chilling plate — looking like it was carved from pure ice — appeared in Asahi's hand.
As he ran his fingers over the Plate, an odd thought struck him.
…He didn't have any Ice-type Pokémon, did he?
Wait — no, there was one.
Looking down, Asahi eyed the Poké Ball containing the Lapras Pryce had entrusted to him.
Perfect timing.
Beside him, Celebi was utterly dumbfounded.
It glanced at Asahi, then at the Icicle Plate in his hand.
Frantically gesturing with its little arms, Celebi tried — and failed — to figure out how Asahi had just produced a Plate belonging to Arceus out of nowhere.
And more importantly — wasn't Asahi worried about Arceus coming after him?
He was waving that Plate around like it was a souvenir!