Chapter 190: Lance's Small Shock
"He's Giovanni's son."
For a moment, Lance's brain completely froze.
Giovanni's… son?
He stared at Asahi, his expression one of disbelief, as if Asahi was joking.
But seeing Asahi's completely serious face, a terrifying realization crept into his mind.
"...Is this for real?"
"Of course it is. Do I look like someone who would lie?" Asahi spread his hands.
Why did everyone doubt him?
"..."
Lance's gaze flickered between Asahi and Silver multiple times.
This was even more shocking than when Asahi had called to tell him that Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket.
"How did you…"
Lance couldn't help but ask. He was genuinely curious.
The idea of Giovanni's son joining the International Police was downright absurd.
Although Lance didn't finish his sentence, Asahi understood exactly what he meant.
"You're asking how I got Silver to join?" Asahi patted Silver's shoulder.
"Well, his sister's in my hands—kukuku."
Hearing Asahi's words—
Lance: "…"
Silver: "…"
Lance was already used to Asahi's personality. Silver… well, he should have figured it out back in Azalea Town.
He had simply been fooled by Asahi's more serious demeanor afterward.
Now, he finally understood why Gary's nickname in the group chat was "Beware of Asahi's Constant Scams."
But even if Asahi wasn't being serious, Silver still had to reaffirm his resolve.
"I will destroy that man's evil organization," Silver declared.
Lance was surprised but immediately understood why Silver had joined the International Police.
A young man with a strong sense of justice.
Looking at Silver's determined expression, Lance was suddenly reminded of when Asahi had first joined the International Police.
Same youth. Same righteousness.
…
Hopefully, Silver would match Asahi's abilities in the future—but not his personality.
"Good luck. I have high hopes for you," Lance encouraged him.
He was just about to discuss the preparations for the upcoming Indigo League Tournament with Asahi—
But then, Asahi waved a document at him. "Lance, is this report legit?"
Lance took it, glanced at the contents, and immediately understood.
"Oh, you mean the tax issues in Ston Town…? Yeah, the report is real."
The document detailed a tax investigation into Ston Town—the second-largest Evolution Stone mining site in Kanto, after Mt. Moon.
According to the League's tax department, there were suspicions of tax evasion and smuggling during the mining operations in Ston Town.
The issue had been reported to Lance.
But with him being occupied with Team Rocket and the upcoming Indigo League Tournament, he had set it aside for now.
"Why? Are you interested?" Lance asked.
Asahi rarely brought things up himself.
Asahi didn't deny it and nodded. "I do have some interest in Ston Town."
He still remembered how, back when he was happily slacking off at Indigo Plateau, some guy named "Flareon Is the Best" had ruined his peaceful life.
Of course, Asahi wasn't petty or anything.
"If you're too busy to handle this, leave it to me," Asahi said with a smile.
Lance assumed Asahi was just bored and looking for something to do.
Since it was just a tax issue, he simply handed the document over.
"You should be familiar with the League's audit department. If you need manpower, just go to them."
Asahi nodded.
After chatting a bit more about the tournament, Lance hinted that he wanted Asahi to help share his workload.
At that moment, Asahi grabbed Silver and immediately fled.
Leaving behind a helpless Lance, who had no choice but to continue drowning in paperwork.
Well, that was the price of ambition.
—
After giving Silver a tour of the official Kanto branch headquarters, Asahi once again found himself in the League cafeteria.
Even though he had eaten at countless high-end restaurants, he still thought the League's cafeteria was the best.
…Mainly because it was free.
Salamence was also happily devouring its meal, looking completely satisfied.
"So… we're going to investigate tax fraud now?" Silver asked.
Based on his expectations, joining the International Police meant fighting on the front lines against Team Rocket every day.
But after spending time here, he realized it was actually less intense than when he was investigating the Masked Man in Johto alone.
And now, his first official mission was… a risk-free tax investigation?
Asahi saw through Silver's thoughts and shook his head. "Don't underestimate this job."
Seeing Silver's puzzled look, Asahi explained, "You've only just joined the Kanto branch, so you don't fully understand the situation here."
"According to incomplete statistics, 47% of violent crimes in Kanto over the past ten years have been linked to Team Rocket."
"For economic crimes, the percentage is slightly lower—around 30 to 40%. Especially in cases of smuggling, Team Rocket is highly involved."
Silver was thoughtful. "So, there's a high chance that this tax investigation will lead us to Team Rocket?"
The realization made him eager to move.
Asahi smiled and nodded. "Exactly. That's why we're doing it."
It was definitely not because he was being petty.
"But you got one thing wrong," Asahi added.
Silver blinked. "What?"
"The tax investigation in Ston Town isn't urgent. First, we're going to visit Professor Oak."
Asahi continued, "Getting the GS Ball in Azalea Town went smoothly thanks to Professor Oak's recommendation. It's only right that we visit him to express our gratitude."
Silver nodded in agreement.
With that, the two quickly finished their lunch.
Asahi then dragged a reluctant Salamence—who kept looking back longingly at the cafeteria—toward Pallet Town.
—
Pallet Town
Upon arriving at Professor Oak's Laboratory, Asahi was greeted by an unexpected scene.
Inside the lab, accompanied by Professor Oak's panicked shouts, a herd of Tauros was rampaging through the facility.
The sight was utterly chaotic.
Silver turned to Asahi.
His expression was clear:
"Are you sure we didn't go to the wrong place? Is this really the lab of the renowned Professor Oak?"
Asahi nodded, confirming it.
Taking in the situation, Asahi quickly pieced together what had happened.
It had to be Ash.
His Tauros from the Safari Zone must have been transferred here.
Asahi was very familiar with these Tauros.
Back when he was using them at the Pokémon Preserve to bait poachers, they were too strong—so much so that no poachers ever dared take the bait.
So he had to borrow Tauros from Kaiser, the warden of the Safari Zone.
Kaiser had been very reluctant back then.
Well, well, well…
Look at you now, Kaiser. Ash just caught them all in one go.
Although Asahi had many thoughts, only a few seconds had passed in reality.
Faced with the chaotic scene before him, Asahi simply released Gardevoir.
A single glance was all it took for Gardevoir to understand.
She was well known among the Pokémon of the Safari Zone.
Seeing the familiar Tauros, Gardevoir sighed.
She didn't even use a move—
She simply activated telepathic communication.
"Gaaaar~"
Her voice echoed in the minds of all the Tauros.
And in the very next moment—
Silver witnessed something unbelievable.
The rampaging Tauros—every single one—froze in place as if someone had hit the pause button.
Then, as if realizing something terrifying, they all dropped to their knees, trembling.
Silver was utterly shocked.
Just one look?! And all of these Tauros submitted completely?
How strong is Asahi's Gardevoir…?
Asahi chuckled. "No need to be surprised. It's not about Gardevoir's strength—it's just that these Tauros are old acquaintances of mine. Right?"
He reached out and patted one of the Tauros on the head.
The Tauros, still shaking, lowered its head even further—pressing itself against the ground as if it wished it could disappear entirely.
Why?!
Why are the Demon King and the Witch here?!
At that moment, Professor Oak finally managed to stand up.
Seeing Asahi, he was surprised.
Despite being covered in hoofprints, Professor Oak looked completely unscathed and full of energy.
This reminded Asahi of the old "Professor Oak Fails Compilation" videos he had seen in his past life…
Truly, the original Super Rookie.
Brushing off his clothes, Professor Oak let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the help, Asahi! I had no idea when I'd be able to get them under control."
"It was nothing… But, Professor, how did this even happen?" Asahi asked.
"It was Ash… He suddenly transferred a bunch of Poké Balls over. I was eating instant noodles at the time and accidentally hit the activation switch…"
Professor Oak's expression was complicated.
Thankfully, it was all resolved now.
After recalling each Tauros into their Poké Balls, he turned to Asahi. "So, what brings you here?"
Given how much Asahi had been doing lately—shocking the entire League with his achievements—Professor Oak was surprised he had time to visit.
"I came to thank you. Without your recommendation, getting Kurt to craft the GS Ball wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"Haha! That was nothing. Old Kurt always complains that young Trainers don't appreciate handcrafted Poké Balls anymore. He may act grumpy, but deep down, he was probably thrilled."
Asahi hadn't expected that.
But the GS Ball was an exception—it wasn't just any Poké Ball.
Not wanting to dwell on that topic, he got to the real reason for his visit.
Taking out a fragment of the Grand Meteor, Asahi said—
"I'd like you to analyze this meteorite."
Professor Oak took the sealed container holding the Grand Meteor Fragment and examined it closely.
"Does this meteorite have a name?" he asked while observing it.
Asahi didn't hide anything. "It's called the Grand Meteor—a fragment from the meteorite that crashed in Hoenn."
"I'd like you to check if there are any traces of life on it."
Upon hearing the name Grand Meteor, Professor Oak immediately understood.
"Oh, I've heard about this meteorite during academic exchanges with researchers from Hoenn."
"Mossdeep Space Center reported finding signs of life on the Grand Meteor. They're currently investigating whether they can cultivate or even revive whatever might be inside…"
Professor Oak turned to look at Asahi.
Asahi nodded. "That's right. I believe the lifeform on the Grand Meteorite is an undiscovered Pokémon."
Hearing the words "undiscovered Pokémon," Professor Oak immediately became interested. He carried the meteorite to a machine in the corner and placed the entire box containing the meteorite inside.
Within the sealed instrument, a robotic arm carefully opened the box, and Professor Oak activated the scanning function.
The scanning process was quick.
As Professor Oak examined the results on the computer screen, his expression turned somewhat strange.
"Professor Oak, what's the result?" Asahi asked.
"There are no signs of life on this meteorite fragment..." Professor Oak announced.
Asahi was slightly disappointed, though he had expected this outcome.
After all, the fragment he obtained did not contain Deoxys' core crystal.
He had initially hoped there might be something hidden inside the meteorite, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Just as he was processing this thought, Professor Oak spoke again.
"However…"
"What is it?"
Professor Oak printed out the scan results and handed them to Asahi. "According to the scan, I found a DNA sample on this fragment."
"Additionally, the meteorite itself seems rather peculiar."
He pointed to the scan results. "This meteorite appears to have an energy-dissolving property… but we'll need further research to understand it fully."
"These areas aren't exactly my expertise."
Everyone has their own specialty, and it was clear that these two fields were not Professor Oak's.
Asahi nodded, unfazed.
He already had the right people in mind.
For genetic research, Professor Asher could handle it. As for the meteorite itself…
It had been a while since he last contacted Steven.
As the Hoenn Champion, Steven should have access to research data from the Mossdeep Space Center.