Chapter 186
Silver's gaze snapped to Sabrina, surprise flickering in his eyes.
He hadn't expected that — Sabrina, once a Rocket Executive?
Sabrina: "..."
Why was it always her being used as the example? Wasn't Blaine also a former Rocket member?
At that moment, one of Silver's Poké Balls suddenly popped open.
Weavile emerged, grabbing onto Silver's pant leg, trying to comfort him.
Meeting Weavile's concerned eyes, Silver took a deep breath, slowly pulling himself together.
"I'll do whatever it takes to destroy Giovanni's evil empire," Silver declared, his voice steady.
In that moment, he chose his path — standing firmly on the side of justice, even if it meant standing against his own father.
He would bring Giovanni to justice!
He would correct the wrongs his father had committed — arrest him with his own hands!
Green watched as Silver seemed to swing from one extreme to another, opening her mouth to say something, but ultimately hesitated.
Asahi gently patted Green's hand, signaling her not to worry too much.
"There's no need to rush when it comes to dealing with Team Rocket," Asahi said calmly. "Our current enemies aren't just Team Rocket — there's also the Masked Army. Right now, those two are at war with each other."
He looked at Silver. "When I have time, I'll take you to learn more about your father."
Silver nodded, but from his expression, it was clear his intent wasn't to reconnect — it was to understand his enemy.
Sabrina silently observed the exchange, feeling a bit of sympathy for Giovanni's son now caught in Asahi's web.
She couldn't help but wonder — when Giovanni eventually found out about this, what kind of expression would he have?
At that moment, Indeedee approached, tilting its head curiously at Silver.
"Indeed~!"
"Dinner's ready? Then let's eat first," Asahi said.
No doubt Salamence was already waiting impatiently in the cafeteria.
---
Team Rocket's Fuchsia City Base
On the battlefield, a Beedrill buzzed furiously through the air, moving like a blur. Its twin needles were pressed firmly against a Persian's throat.
Giovanni, his arm still wrapped in bandages, calmly recalled Beedrill into its Poké Ball.
On the other side, Executive Sird bowed slightly. "Congratulations on your recovery, Boss."
Giovanni clenched his injured hand into a fist and shook his head. "I'm far from recovered."
"What's the situation in Johto?" he asked — his focus clearly on one thing above all.
His son, Silver.
Sird replied, "We've been unable to infiltrate the Masked Army… but Lambda sent a report."
"He encountered Pryce, the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town, while capturing Slowpoke… In the end, only Lambda escaped."
Sird hesitated for a moment, then added, "According to Lambda… he suspects Pryce has ties to the Masked Army's leader, since both specialize in Ice-type Pokémon."
Giovanni's first reaction was disbelief — assuming Lambda was making excuses for his failure.
After all, Lambda had already failed once before.
And Pryce was from the same generation as Professor Oak — a friend of Oak, Agatha, and the others. It wasn't exactly shocking that he could defeat Lambda.
But as Giovanni thought it over, he realized it couldn't be dismissed entirely.
Not because of any solid evidence…
But simply because, as a former Gym Leader himself, Giovanni understood that appearances could be deceiving.
"Pryce needs to be tested."
Team Rocket didn't need concrete proof to act — suspicion was enough.
"And what about Ariana's whereabouts?" Giovanni asked next.
As his trusted secretary, Ariana was too valuable to be left in enemy hands.
No matter the cost, Giovanni intended to get her back.
"There's no record of Ariana being imprisoned by the League," Sird reported. "However, the lower-ranking Rocket members who could be bailed out have all been released."
Finally, some good news. Giovanni's expression relaxed ever so slightly.
Even though securing their release had cost a fortune, without the financial burden of the Mewtwo project, Team Rocket wasn't strapped for cash — even after losing significant territory.
"What should we do with the freed members?" Sird asked.
Many of Team Rocket's Kanto bases had been destroyed recently, making it difficult to accommodate so many operatives.
But both the Sevii Islands and Johto were still short on manpower.
Kanto was too chaotic for now — but stabilizing Johto was essential. Whether for expanding their influence or tracking down Silver's whereabouts, they had to eliminate the Masked Army.
Giovanni made his decision. "Send them to Johto."
Sird bowed deeply. "Understood, Boss."
---
Back at Asahi's base, he twirled a shimmering Rainbow Wing between his fingers, playfully teasing the Eevee in his lap.
Eevee lunged at the glowing feather, but Asahi swiftly pulled it away, causing Eevee to miss by a hair. It tumbled face-first into the couch.
Asahi smirked, clearly enjoying himself, but Eevee lay still — this time, refusing to get up.
It crossed its little paws and turned its head away, ears flicking in annoyance.
"Vee!"
Clearly, it was giving Asahi the cold shoulder.
Asahi tried to stroke Eevee's tail, but it flicked his hand away.
Earlier, Asahi had made a bet with Eevee — if it could catch the Rainbow Wing, he'd spend money to buy a special "Captain" skin for Trevenant in its favorite online game.
Now that Eevee had failed… it was sulking.
Shaking his head, Asahi sighed.
Nearby, Gardevoir rolled her eyes.
[You've been teasing Eevee with that feather all morning — anyone would be fed up.]
"Alright, alright," Asahi relented. "I'll recharge your account so you can buy the Captain skin for Trevenant, okay?"
At his words, Eevee's ears instantly perked up.
"Vee?"
It shot Asahi a skeptical look at first, still smarting from being tricked.
But when Asahi pulled out his phone, Eevee's suspicion melted into pure excitement.
Bouncing back into Asahi's lap, it rubbed its fluffy face against him, tail wagging happily.
Gardevoir facepalmed.
[Seriously? It's that easy to please you?]
After appeasing Eevee, Asahi turned his focus to the manual Kurt had given him for crafting the GS Ball.
Following the instructions, he plucked the soft, radiant down from the Rainbow Wing — the same item he'd chosen over the Crimson and Indigo Orbs.
With practiced precision, he spun the down into thread using a complicated technique, then carefully wove it into the half-finished GS Ball's capture net.
Finally, with the last stitch completed—
Shing!
A brilliant light flared from the GS Ball, illuminating the entire living room.
Even Green and Sabrina, who had been chatting nearby, stopped mid-conversation and looked over.
At the same time, Asahi's Aura flared — sensing a strange ripple radiating from the GS Ball.
It was like something had responded to the ball's completion.
"...Kurt didn't mention it would cause such a scene," Asahi muttered, frowning.
And what was that ripple just now?
Could it be linked to time itself? After all, this was a Poké Ball meant to capture Celebi — a Pokémon tied to time.
Just as Asahi was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a tug on his pant leg.
Looking down, he saw a fluffy Mareep staring intently — not at him, but at the glowing GS Ball in his hand.
"Hm? Did you sense that wave too?" Asahi asked.
Mareep tilted its head.
"Reep?"