Chapter 287: As Expected of Me!
Even after being severely weakened twice, Asahi never underestimated Team Rocket—
Or rather, he never underestimated Giovanni.
In the original timeline, Team Rocket had been disbanded multiple times. Yet every time Giovanni called, his loyal followers would emerge from the shadows, ready to rally behind him once more.
This incredible charisma was what made Giovanni and Team Rocket so dangerous.
Lance nodded as he listened to Asahi's analysis—he understood this all too well.
At the same time, Lance had a realization.
"So when you messaged Giovanni just now, you weren't just taunting him—you were actually attacking his reputation? Trying to shake his resolve?"
"Exactly. If Giovanni loses his will to fight, Team Rocket will collapse on its own."
"I misjudged you before, Asahi!"
Lance looked ashamed. He had thought Asahi was just messing around for fun, but now he saw the deeper strategy behind it.
Asahi was always working to strike down evil!
"…Emmm…"
Meanwhile, Asahi rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
Wait, was that really my plan?
The realization dawned on him—then disappeared just as quickly.
Putting on a humble expression, he nodded.
Yes, of course, that was my plan.
As expected of me!
The Eevee in his arms didn't understand what had just happened, but it mimicked his confident expression.
"Bui~!"
—
Seven Island – Team Rocket Base
Ever since Sird's identity had been exposed, Giovanni had been stationed at Seven Island.
This had once been Sird's territory. Giovanni was staying here both to stabilize the local Team Rocket division and to weed out any remaining Sird loyalists within the organization.
Athena knocked and entered the office.
"Boss, Asahi has returned to Kanto. Our contacts in the League saw him enter the headquarters."
Even though Team Rocket had lost many spies within the League, the ones that remained were highly skilled. They were more than capable of gathering intelligence.
However, what surprised Athena was that Giovanni showed no reaction. His expression remained completely calm.
"I see."
"…?"
Athena was puzzled.
Lately, every time Asahi's name was mentioned, Giovanni would fly into a rage. But now, he looked strangely composed.
She didn't know that Giovanni had already received Asahi's text message earlier.
Since the boss wasn't concerned, Athena moved on to the next report.
"Orca has completed the restructuring of the Seven Island division. All personnel with suspected ties to Sird have been isolated and are awaiting investigation."
Giovanni nodded.
Orca was reliable.
As for whether there were still Sird loyalists hiding within Team Rocket…
Giovanni wanted to believe in his subordinates. Sird was an exception, not the norm.
But just in case, the investigations would continue—not only to uncover any hidden threats but also to suppress internal rumors and prevent unnecessary paranoia.
"What's the status of the Deoxys Project?"
"The initial preparations are nearly complete. According to the research team, there are no significant technical hurdles."
"Speed up the process."
Giovanni gave his order calmly, then turned his chair around.
Athena bowed slightly before leaving the office.
Now, only Giovanni and his Persian remained.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
"Asahi…"
The calm act had only been for Athena's sake.
Deep down, Giovanni was still seething.
—
Back at the League headquarters, Asahi returned to his office—only to find Slowbro being chased around by Pelipper.
Slowbro was covering its head with its tiny paws, while Pelipper kept finding openings to peck it mercilessly.
Slowbro's eyes were filled with tears.
Asahi turned to Sabrina, who was casually watching the scene unfold.
"What happened?"
Everything had been fine when he left. How had things turned into this mess in just the short time he was gone?
Sabrina glanced at him and thought for a moment before answering, "Probably the fries."
"Fries…?"
"Slowbro stole Pelipper's fries."
Asahi: "…"
Well, that explained everything.
If Slowbro had dared to steal Pelipper's fries, then getting pecked was completely deserved.
Ignoring Slowbro's pleading gaze, Asahi turned to Sabrina.
"By the way, where is everyone else?"
Not only was Gary missing, but Green, Zinnia, and Courtney were also nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, them?"
Sabrina pointed toward the training grounds.
—
At the training grounds, an intense battle was underway.
Courtney commanded her Ninetales, which unleashed a Flamethrower toward Zinnia's Salamence.
Zinnia's face lit up with excitement. "Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"
"Rooar!"
A blast of green energy shot out from Salamence's mouth, colliding with the Flamethrower.
Boom!
The moment the two attacks clashed, an explosion erupted.
Zinnia wasted no time.
"Salamence, Twister!"
Whoosh!
A powerful whirlwind swept toward the smoke cloud at the center of the battlefield.
But just then, Ninetales leaped through the smoke, braving the winds.
Its tail flicked gracefully, releasing a ghostly green Will-O-Wisp toward Salamence.
Salamence had just unleashed Twister and had no time to dodge. The ghostly flames struck true, inflicting Burn status.
Seeing her Pokémon wince in pain, Zinnia panicked.
"Salamence, snap out of it!"
But some things couldn't be rushed.
Courtney smirked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Ninetales, Attract."
Ninetales' eyes gleamed with a captivating light as it swayed its tails hypnotically.
Salamence froze, entranced.
Zinnia's heart dropped. "Salamence, wake up!"
Too late.
Courtney raised her hand.
"Ninetales, Fire Blast!"
Nine beige-colored tails danced in the air as Ninetales mercilessly opened its mouth and spewed out a burst of flames.
The flames rapidly expanded mid-air.
A fiery kanji character for "big" engulfed Salamence.
Only now did Salamence snap back to its senses. In its panic, it tried to counter with Dragon Pulse.
But the pain from its burn caused it to flinch.
The next second, the massive fire blast swallowed Salamence whole.
The battle was now firmly in Courtney and Ninetales' hands.
---
Five minutes later...
With a final, struggling effort, Salamence collapsed.
On the battlefield, Ninetales, though bearing a few new scars, stood tall with its head raised—elegant as ever.
"Salamence is unable to battle! Ninetales wins!"
---