Chapter 289
"The basement!"
Hearing Asahi's words, Zinnia instinctively shrank back, her gaze turning tense.
So… after all this time, Asahi was finally going to deal with them?
Asahi noticed her expression and felt a headache coming on. "What the hell are you imagining? We're going to check on the captives."
Did she always think like this?
Was this really how she saw him?
If Zinnia had known his thoughts, with her reckless personality, she would have definitely nodded in agreement.
But she didn't.
So, she remained skeptical.
Courtney, however, simply blew a bubble and smirked playfully. "If it's you, Asahi, I wouldn't mind~"
Asahi suddenly felt Green's gaze on him—casual on the surface, but with a hidden intensity.
His head started aching again.
"...What kind of people have I surrounded myself with?"
---
The basement of the manor was just as neat and tidy as Asahi had left it. Clearly, Indeedee had continued to maintain it and ensure captives were well fed during his absence.
The moment Asahi entered, both Midori and Pryce turned their gazes toward him.
Pryce only seemed mildly curious about Asahi's return, glancing at him briefly before resuming his work, carving a sculpture with a small knife.
Midori, on the other hand, had a lot more on her mind.
Her eyes first lingered on Asahi for a moment before shifting to the women standing behind him, then to the three unconscious captives floating beside Mewtwo.
At first, she only found them familiar. But as a high-ranking executive of Team Rocket and head of the intelligence division, it didn't take her long to recognize their identities.
"This is..."
If she wasn't mistaken, the woman standing behind Asahi was none other than Courtney, a former Team Magma executive.
The woman being carried by Mewtwo's Psychic was Aqua Admin Shelly.
But the two men were even more significant.
"Maxie and Archie..." Midori was utterly shaken.
Could it be that Asahi had wiped out both Team Magma and Team Aqua during his time in Hoenn?
Asahi paid no attention to Midori's reaction.
He locked up the two archrivals in cells on either side of Pryce, then signaled Mewtwo to wake them up.
As Maxie and Archie regained consciousness, they took in their surroundings and then saw Asahi, smiling at them from outside their cells.
"Asahi!"
"You bastard, let me out!"
Their loud yelling startled Pryce, who was in the middle of carving a Lapras sculpture, causing his hand to slip—leaving a deep scratch on the nearly completed work.
Pryce, who had already resigned himself to captivity, immediately frowned.
His expression turned ice-cold, and he slammed his cane against the ground. "Shut up!"
His voice was as chilling as a winter storm.
A shiver ran down Maxie and Archie's spines. For a brief moment, they felt as if their very souls were freezing...
But then they realized it was just an illusion.
Even so…
Neither of them dared to make another sound. They turned instead to glare fiercely at Asahi.
Seeing this, Asahi smirked.
Placing them next to Pryce had been intentional. He had counted on Pryce intimidating these two brainless fools, and it seemed to be working.
Sometimes, it took a villain to tame other villains.
With Pryce here, these two should behave themselves.
Now, only Aqua Admin Shelly was left.
Asahi glanced at her thoughtfully… then opened Midori's cell.
Midori, still processing everything, froze at his actions. Before she could react, Asahi tossed Shelly into her cell.
Realizing what was happening, Midori immediately protested. "Why are you putting her in here with me?"
"Space is tight, so you'll have to share," Asahi said with a shrug.
"There are plenty of empty cells!" Midori accused, feeling targeted.
"Not really," Asahi shook his head. "Those are already reserved."
Maxie, Archie, Lysandre, Cyrus, Giovanni… all future residents, in Asahi's plans.
Even though he hadn't captured them yet, Asahi was already making arrangements.
In his prison, solo cells were a luxury reserved for the leaders of villainous organizations. Midori simply didn't qualify.
Despite her frustration, Midori knew she had no choice.
Instead of arguing, she made a request: "I want a newspaper."
She was desperate to know what was happening outside.
Why had Asahi returned with so many captives?
And what about Giovanni? Had he caught that traitor, Sird?
Asahi saw through her immediately.
But he didn't mind. "I'll get you a newspaper. Also, good news—Giovanni saw your message. A few days ago, he made a move against Sird."
Hearing this, Midori felt relieved.
It made all her suffering feel worthwhile.
She had contributed to Team Rocket, even in captivity!
Giovanni must be pleased.
Asahi watched her immerse herself in this belief and smiled.
He hadn't lied—Giovanni had indeed acted on her message.
But since the message was redundant, Sird had been prepared and managed to escape.
---
Life back at headquarters was relaxing.
With Green handling mission reports, Asahi could sleep in, not worrying about the fate of the world. He spent his days petting Eevee and training Slowbro.
The only disappointment was that Mew and Celebi had run off to play at the World Tree.
Asahi had planned to punish Mew for ruining his reputation last time.
Had he been too obvious?
Rubbing his chin, he wondered if his acting skills had grown rusty, allowing Mew to see through him.
As he was lost in thought, Zinnia scooted up beside him, her expression eager.
"Asahi..."
"Spit it out," Asahi said flatly.
"I want to take care of Rayquaza for another day… Half a day!" She quickly corrected herself, seeing no reaction from Asahi when she said "a day."
Asahi rubbed his chin. Under Zinnia's expectant gaze, he finally nodded. "Fine."
"Yes!"
Watching her celebrate like a kid who had just gotten allowance, Asahi shook his head. He would never understand.
Just then, Gary pushed open the door.
"Asahi, I'm back!"
Having just returned from Pallet Town, Gary looked energetic—something good must have happened.
Had Ash finally returned from the Orange Islands, giving Gary the chance to show off?
As Asahi speculated, Gary spoke up.
"Asahi, my grandpa sent me to bring someone to you. He said they have the same ability as you and might be related to you in some way…"
Asahi instinctively looked over.
Gary pulled someone out from behind him.
Everyone in the room turned to look.
A small child in a yellow outfit and a straw hat nervously stepped forward.
All eyes shifted to Asahi.
In this setting…
The child clutched the hem of their shirt anxiously. "U-um, my name is Yellow..."
---
Yellow.
Asahi recognized her immediately.
He just hadn't expected to meet her under these circumstances.
"You said Professor Oak sent you?" Asahi asked, eyeing Yellow as he turned to Gary.
Based on what Gary had said, Asahi could already guess.
Yellow must have awakened Viridian Power, and Professor Oak had noticed, which was why he sent her here.
Gary was about to explain when Yellow, gathering her courage, spoke first.
"I asked to come," she said firmly. "Professor Oak told me you have the same ability, Asahi. I want to understand this power."
Her expression was determined.
Gary nodded, confirming her words.
To be honest, he hadn't been happy when his grandpa told him to bring a child to Asahi.
Asahi wasn't the most welcoming person.
His first instinct upon meeting someone was to assess their value.
Gary recalled his own painful experience…
What would happen to a kid with special abilities in Asahi's hands?
So, he had subtly tried to talk his grandfather out of it.
But Yellow had been firm in her decision to meet Asahi.
Asahi wasn't aware of Gary's concerns.
Instead, he was intrigued by Yellow's determination.
According to her original path, without meeting Red, she should have been living a carefree life as the "Straw Hat Boy"—well, girl—in Viridian Forest.
"What made you come here?" Asahi asked.
Yellow clenched her fists.
"A group of bad people attacked Viridian Forest and hurt many Pokémon... I want to become stronger so I can protect them!"
Gary added, "It was Team Rocket. I took care of them, but a lot of wild Pokémon were injured."
Asahi pondered this.
Yellow had always been kind, someone who loved healing injured Pokémon.
It seemed this event had deeply affected her.
Seeing Yellow's determined gaze, Asahi asked, "Did your family agree to this?"
If he remembered correctly, Yellow had an uncle.
"My uncle agreed," she said.
Asahi smiled. "Alright, then. From now on, you're my student."
He was still a professor at Rainbow University, despite never having taught a class.
It was about time he fulfilled his duties.
Hearing Asahi accept her, Yellow beamed with excitement.
Gary, on the other hand, was baffled.
This wasn't like the Asahi he knew.
Shouldn't he be setting up a bunch of grueling tests first, pushing her to exhaustion before reluctantly accepting her?
Had Asahi changed?
Testing the waters, Gary asked, "So, Asahi… about those two favors I still owe you—can we call them off?"
Asahi turned to him, his expression shifting into that all-too-familiar, mischievous grin.
"What do you think?"
"In fact, thanks for reminding me—I almost forgot about them."
Gary: "..."
He wanted to slap himself.
Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut?
---
Yellow's arrival brought some liveliness to Asahi's routine.
Aside from his usual laziness, he now had teaching duties.
"Like this—guide the energy within you and channel it into the Pokémon..."
Slowbro, despite being a reluctant training dummy, looked utterly content.
After expending a lot of energy, Yellow yawned sleepily.
Asahi handed her a specially prepared Pokéblock.
Following his instructions, she ate it, and her fatigue quickly faded.
"Alright," Asahi said, "next stage of training."
Asahi led Yellow to the grassy field outside the manor.
In the vast open space, Rayquaza lay coiled, while Zinnia was diligently cleaning its scales.
Seeing Asahi approaching, Zinnia tensed up, afraid he would recall Rayquaza into its Poké Ball.
But when she noticed that Asahi only brought Yellow over without any intention of recalling Rayquaza, she sighed in relief. Her curiosity then shifted to the small girl beside him.
From their interactions so far, she had learned that Yellow possessed a special ability.
"Don't be afraid… Try using Viridian Power to sense Rayquaza's emotions," Asahi instructed, signaling Rayquaza to cooperate.
Using Viridian Power on a Legendary Pokémon and sensing its emotions would also help develop her ability.
As Yellow activated her Viridian Power, Rayquaza's indifferent expression changed to one of curiosity, then softened.
Zinnia felt as though she had uncovered a great secret.
Could this be…
The reason Rayquaza acknowledged Asahi?
Her excitement skyrocketed at the thought. She turned to Yellow, her eyes burning with intensity.
Yellow, startled by her gaze, broke her focus, ending the ability.
Rayquaza shot a confused glance at Yellow before turning its attention to Zinnia.
Then, without hesitation, it let out a breath—
Whoosh!
Zinnia was sent flying.
Even as she landed, feeling both wronged and embarrassed, her conviction only grew stronger.
She was definitely onto something important.
---