Chapter 237: Team Rocket Is Truly Impressive
"So, the truth can only be one thing!" Asahi looked up, his expression serious. "The culprit is Team Rocket."
Lance and his investigators froze in shock.
"Team Rocket?"
Asahi's conclusion caught everyone off guard — especially the investigator who had been attacked.
How did an incident clearly linked to Team Galactic suddenly connect to Team Rocket?
But Lance seemed deep in thought.
Of course…
"Someone who can infiltrate the heavily guarded Indigo Plateau, knows the area's layout, and escapes every camera's view after committing the crime… it has to be Team Rocket," Lance said.
It wasn't that he underestimated Team Galactic — but the reality was, Team Galactic, based in Sinnoh, simply didn't have the capability to pull off something like this in Kanto.
Only Team Rocket — which had previously planted countless spies within the League — could have managed such a feat.
Even though they had purged some of Team Rocket's infiltrators thanks to the list Asahi provided, the organization's reach still ran deep within the League.
Now, only one question remained…
"Why would Team Rocket impersonate Team Galactic?" Lance wondered. "Are they trying to stir conflict between the Kanto League and Team Galactic to shift the heat off themselves?"
What else could it be?
To Asahi, the answer was obvious — this was the work of Sird, Team Galactic's mole within Team Rocket.
What puzzled Asahi, however, was why Sird, despite being from Team Galactic, would deliberately expose their identity.
Was she… growing attached to Team Rocket? Planning to betray Team Galactic?
Asahi couldn't figure it out yet.
But one thing was clear: this kind of blatant provocation against the League wouldn't go unanswered.
Under Lance's curious gaze, Asahi called out his trusty Gengar — the mobile storage unit — and retrieved a tablet from its mouth.
Opening his email, Asahi quickly typed a message and hit send.
[Giovanni, are you aware that your men disguised themselves as Team Galactic and attacked the League? — Asahi]
Lance, watching the entire exchange, was stunned.
"Wait… Giovanni?" Lance asked, incredulous.
Since when did Asahi have direct contact with Giovanni?
Not that Lance doubted Asahi's loyalty — if Asahi wasn't trustworthy, there would be no one left in the League to rely on.
Hearing Lance's question, Asahi raised a brow. "Didn't I tell you? Back when I got Giovanni's contact info from Team Rocket's secretary, Matori, I tricked Team Rocket and the Masked Army into fighting each other."
"…"
Lance remembered the incident — but still, emailing Giovanni so bluntly? Giovanni was the boss of Team Rocket, after all. There was no way he'd actually—
A notification chimed on Asahi's tablet.
[Don't insult my Team Rocket by comparing us to a second-rate group like Team Galactic. — Giovanni]
Lance: "?"
His mind blanked.
Seeing Giovanni respond almost instantly, Lance was utterly floored.
…
Hoenn Region
Having recently arrived at a hidden Team Rocket base in Hoenn, Giovanni tapped "send" on his reply.
Frowning at Asahi's accusatory email, Giovanni's mood soured.
On one hand, he was annoyed by Asahi's confrontational tone.
Yes, he had lost to Asahi twice — but Asahi hadn't captured him. Even if Asahi had his son under surveillance, that didn't give him the right to talk down to him!
On the other hand, Giovanni was troubled by the content of the message.
Despite being in Hoenn, Giovanni kept close tabs on Kanto's affairs — from Cynthia's visit for alliance talks to the hijacking incident. He even knew about Kanto's plan to release Koga and have him atone by fighting Team Galactic.
In Giovanni's eyes, the League fighting Team Galactic worked in Team Rocket's favor — it lessened the pressure on them.
Why, then, would he order his men to impersonate Team Galactic and attack the Indigo Plateau?
So, Giovanni sent his irritated reply to Asahi.
Moments later, Asahi's next email arrived:
[Looks like your grip on Team Rocket is slipping, Giovanni. A rogue subordinate acting independently isn't a great look, is it? (smile) — Asahi]
[Heh. Don't worry about Team Rocket — we're still stronger than your League. — Giovanni]
Annoyed by Asahi countless times before, Giovanni couldn't help but add a touch of Asahi's signature snark to his own response.
But Asahi wasn't one to lose in a battle of sarcasm.
[Wow! Team Rocket is so impressive! By the way, I have intel about a spy from Team Galactic inside your organization… Interested, Giovanni? (curious) — Asahi]
Giovanni clenched his fists.
Damn it…
Giovanni's fist tightened.
He was furious!
But after a brief moment of hesitation, he resisted the urge to smash his tablet — Team Rocket's recent reconstruction required funding, and as the boss, he had to cut costs where he could.
After calming himself slightly, Giovanni composed a response:
[…Don't bother with such a weak attempt to sow discord. — Giovanni]
[Oh? Not interested, Giovanni? Alright then, let's just pretend I never sent this email… (shrug) — Asahi]
And with that, Asahi stopped responding.
Giovanni: "…"
The anger he'd just suppressed flared up again.
Was Asahi really going to leave him hanging like this?
As irritating as Asahi was, Giovanni couldn't shake the feeling that the man wouldn't make baseless claims.
What if… there really was a Team Galactic spy within Team Rocket?
Though he didn't want to believe it, Giovanni couldn't ignore the possibility.
Frowning deeply, he grabbed a communicator and sent out a series of messages, reaching out to his contacts still embedded in the League.
Soon, the reports came flooding in — from the investigator's official statement to the League's preliminary findings and all the security footage available.
Giovanni carefully reviewed the video of the "Team Galactic member" battling the League investigator.
Although the person in the footage did their best to hide their identity, and to the untrained eye seemed like a member of Team Galactic…
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but as Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni couldn't shake the feeling that the suspect carried a certain… familiarity.
There was a trace of Team Rocket's presence.
Could it be… just as Asahi had said — one of his own men going rogue?
If so… who was it?
Giovanni's mind raced as the faces of the remaining Team Rocket executives flashed before him. He fell into deep thought…
…
Lance had watched the entire exchange between Asahi and Giovanni unfold.
His eye twitched involuntarily. "...Is this how you always talk to Giovanni?"
He had expected Asahi's communication with Giovanni to be either a stern confrontation or some subtle negotiation of interests—but he had never imagined this style of conversation.
Asahi looked at him oddly. "Of course. He's the boss of Team Rocket—what, am I supposed to talk to him nicely, like we're having a heart-to-heart?"
Lance: "…"
Despite being on opposing sides, Lance couldn't help but put himself in Giovanni's shoes for a moment. If he were Giovanni… he'd probably have high blood pressure by now.
But his fleeting sympathy for Giovanni quickly evaporated.
"What about that spy from Team Galactic in Team Rocket you mentioned earlier?" Lance asked.
If what Asahi said was true, this was a huge lead.
Used correctly, it could be a repeat of what happened in Johto—another devastating blow to Team Rocket!
"Oh, I have a lead, of course," Asahi replied casually. "But the details? Let's just say… you get the idea." He shot Lance a knowing look.
Lance understood immediately.
Even without the spy's exact identity, if the intel was real, Asahi would squeeze it for every ounce of value before revealing anything.
In this regard, Lance had complete faith in Asahi's methods.
With the conversation about spies at a standstill, the two shifted their focus back to the case at hand.
Since the suspect had already fled, all they could do now was tighten security and deploy more guards.
Asahi also vowed to provide even stricter protection for Cynthia.
As for whether Team Galactic would dare to cause more trouble…
Asahi was confident that after his little "reminder" to Giovanni, the criminal mastermind would be watching closely. Unless Sird had completely lost her mind, she wouldn't dare stir up more chaos at the Indigo Plateau.
…
At the Preliminary Match Arena
Asahi and Cynthia sat in the spectator stands, watching as Gary and Ash stepped onto the battlefield.
"You seem quite invested in that subordinate of yours," Cynthia noted, glancing at Gary.
The last time Asahi brought her to watch a match, it was Gary's battle. Now, here they were again—for another of Gary's matches.
Hearing Cynthia's comment, Asahi didn't deny it. Instead, he sighed dramatically. "Of course! Gary is my personal protégé. I've poured my heart and soul into training him…"
He then went on to recount Gary's journey: from his debut match under Green's guidance in Pallet Town, to the trials set up in Saffron and Celadon City, and all the "training" Gary had endured since.
"…"
Cynthia was silent for a moment.
Was this… training?
Even she, as a child, hadn't experienced that level of pressure.
—