Chapter 249 - Win-Win? No, I Win Twice!
Asahi and Matori struck a deal that both sides were satisfied with.
Matori successfully relayed the crucial information about Sird being a Team Galactic spy to Giovanni.
And Asahi obtained the location of Team Rocket's base in Hoenn.
A win-win!
…Except he won twice.
After sending Matori—who still thought she had made a great contribution to Team Rocket—back to her cell, Asahi turned his attention to Pryce.
He debated whether or not to bring Pryce along on this Hoenn expedition…
After some thought, he decided against it.
While the benefits were tempting—Pryce would be a huge asset in a battle against Legendary Pokémon—Asahi still didn't fully trust him.
He figured he'd check out Hoenn first.
Maybe the situation there wasn't that bad after all?
With that in mind, Asahi left the underground facility to make his final preparations before departure.
---
Hoenn Region
In a hidden location, Giovanni sat in silence, staring at the report Matori had sent.
With his intelligence, it wasn't hard for him to deduce what had happened.
But because he figured it out, his blood pressure was rising.
"Asahi…"
Giovanni gritted his teeth.
Beside him, his Persian shrank back, sensing its master's worsening mood.
It didn't know what had happened, but lately, Giovanni's temper had been getting worse.
At that moment, a subordinate knocked and entered the room.
"Boss! Team Magma and Team Aqua are making big moves!"
Hearing this, Giovanni temporarily pushed aside his frustration with Asahi and focused on the more pressing matter.
"Speak!"
"Sir, this is what happened…"
The subordinate gave a concise report.
As Giovanni listened, the previous irritation on his face gradually faded—replaced by a smile.
"Finally…!"
---
Rustboro City
As the headquarters of Devon Corporation, Rustboro City was a bustling commercial hub…
The plane landed.
Dressed as a researcher with non-prescription glasses, Asahi stepped off the plane, hugging Eevee in his arms.
Beside him, Green and Sabrina were dressed as his secretary and assistant.
And behind them… Gary, carrying the luggage.
"Why the hell am I the one carrying the bags?!" Gary grumbled, shifting the weight of the backpack.
"Asahi, you have Gengar! Why don't you just use it?"
Asahi could use Gengar's spatial abilities as a storage solution. But instead, he had deliberately made Gary carry the bags.
Gary had a sneaking suspicion that Asahi was messing with him on purpose.
Hearing Gary's complaints, Asahi turned his head, patted Gary on the shoulder, and whispered,
"Well, I'm playing the role of a researcher. A researcher with two female assistants is fine, but if I had three, people might start getting weird ideas. So I had no choice but to make you the bodyguard… Champion."
"Even so…!"
Gary tried to protest but found himself unable to come up with a counterargument.
In the end, he sighed.
"Fine… Just this once."
Watching Gary give in, Green and Sabrina smirked, suppressing their laughter.
He was completely at Asahi's mercy.
---
At the airport exit, representatives from Devon Corporation were already waiting.
As soon as they spotted Asahi, they hurried forward.
"Mr. Asahi, welcome to Hoenn!"
The man before him was an important corporate partner—the man who had improved the Pokéblock formula, making it a worldwide success.
Asahi greeted them with a smile.
"Hm? Where's Steven?"
He looked around but didn't see Steven Stone.
It wasn't a huge deal, but before arriving, Steven had personally offered to pick him up.
Now that he was nowhere in sight, it was a little odd.
"We sincerely apologize," one of the Devon employees bowed.
"Something urgent came up at the company, and Master Steven is currently handling the aftermath. He asked us to come in his place."
Asahi sighed.
Why did these big corporations love bowing so much?
The Silph Co. representatives at the previous conference did the same thing…
"That's unnecessary. But what exactly happened?"
Had Team Magma and Team Aqua already made their move?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the Devon employee spoke.
"It's the chairman… Chairman Mr. Stone was attacked."
---
Arriving at Devon Corporation's headquarters, Asahi quickly pieced together what had happened.
In short, Chairman Joseph Stone had been attacked by Team Aqua and was now hospitalized.
As a result, Steven—both the heir to the company and the Hoenn Champion—was forced to step up, stabilize the company, and hold a press conference to maintain stock prices.
Asahi had some guesses about why this happened.
And beside him, Gary was already clenching his fists, eager for his first battle as Champion!
But before that, Asahi casually remarked,
"Didn't your first battle as Champion end with you getting wrecked by Agatha?"
"….."
Gary turned to stone.
Amid the casual conversation, their car arrived at Devon Corporation's headquarters.
As soon as Asahi stepped out of the vehicle, he spotted Steven.
"Steven, long time no see!"
Asahi extended his fist.
Steven, who had been preparing for a handshake, hesitated for a moment before chuckling and bumping fists with Asahi.
Then, his gaze shifted to the people behind Asahi.
He recognized both Gary and Green—he had personally handed them their awards during the interregional exchange tournament.
As for the last person…
"This is my assistant," Asahi said, winking at Steven.
Steven instantly understood—Asahi wanted him to keep their true identities under wraps.
No wonder Asahi was dressed like a researcher today… Though, technically, he was one.
Still, Steven had doubts about whether this disguise would actually help keep his identity hidden.
He knew all too well what Asahi had been up to in Kanto and Johto—Team Rocket had suffered so much under him that they were forced to retreat and lay low to recover their strength.
Even if he wasn't exactly infamous, he was at least widely recognized.
As long as Team Magma and Team Aqua weren't completely clueless, they should have heard of him by now…
But since Asahi insisted on it, Steven figured he might as well play along.
That said, the entrance of the building wasn't the place for this conversation.
"Let's talk inside," Steven said before leading the way into the building.
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