Chapter 251 - Roxanne and Team Aqua
"This is our latest running shoe model… It uses compressed air jets in the sole to enable long-distance jumps and increased running speed," Steven explained.
Sabrina glanced at it, unimpressed. For someone with psychic powers, this was completely useless.
Gary, on the other hand, was very interested. "Is this already available for sale?"
On the surface, he looked normal, but deep down, he was panicking.
Ever since arriving in Hoenn, he couldn't stop thinking about the disasters Asahi had described.
If these shoes could improve his survival chances, then he definitely needed a pair…
Steven paused, then said, "They just launched, so they're hard to find right now. But if you want, I can have a pair sent to you later."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to trouble you…"
Despite his words, the huge grin on Gary's face made his true feelings obvious.
Asahi: "….."
Why did I even bring this guy along…?
With the tour wrapping up, Asahi was about to take his leave when someone suddenly entered Devon Corporation's lobby.
A woman in a sleek black business dress, her hair tied elegantly behind her like a ribbon. But what stood out most were her legs, wrapped in pink tights…
"Mr. Steven, we've found traces of Team Aqua," Roxanne reported quickly.
Steven's expression sharpened.
"You found Team Aqua?"
As the Gym Leader of Fortree City, Roxanne had always maintained a close relationship with Devon Corporation, whose headquarters was located in Rustboro.
After the attack on his father, Steven had entrusted Roxanne with tracking down the attackers.
I didn't expect progress to be this fast.
Roxanne spoke seriously, "I followed the clues and tracked the members of Team Aqua all the way here. I found their temporary base in the outskirts… Officer Jenny is currently monitoring them with a team."
Since she wasn't sure about the situation inside and was concerned that high-ranking members of Team Aqua might be present, she refrained from taking action alone and instead sought Steven's assistance.
With Steven around, she was confident they could wipe out those troublesome Team Aqua members in one fell swoop.
At that moment, Asahi suddenly spoke up, "Why don't you leave this to me? I just arrived in Hoenn, and I'd like to test the waters with Team Aqua."
Both Steven and Roxanne were momentarily stunned.
Steven was only mildly surprised, but Roxanne was outright puzzled.
She had noticed Asahi and his companions before, but seeing Asahi dressed like a researcher, she assumed he was just a Devon Corporation employee and hadn't given it much thought.
But now… things weren't as simple as she had imagined.
Steven said, "Asahi, you're interested? That would lighten my load a bit."
Roxanne was even more shocked.
Steven was just handing the task over to this researcher named Asahi…?
Wasn't that a bit too reckless?
She looked at Asahi, who was holding a cute Eevee in his arms. No matter how she looked at him, he didn't seem like someone with any combat ability.
What if the Team Aqua members escaped…?
Steven noticed Roxanne's doubt but didn't explain. After all, Asahi had asked him to keep his identity confidential.
"I'll leave it to you, Asahi," Steven said.
---
Arriving at the Outskirts of Rustboro City
Asahi met Hoenn's Officer Jenny.
Unlike Brock, he didn't have the talent to tell the difference between the Jennys from different regions…
Roxanne finally snapped out of her daze and explained to Officer Jenny that Asahi and his team were reinforcements sent by Steven.
Although Officer Jenny didn't know Asahi's strength, Steven had placed his trust in him, so she introduced the current situation.
"…That's the gist of it," she concluded.
Asahi nodded after listening, then looked toward a warehouse not far away.
According to Officer Jenny, thermal imaging detected at least fifty Team Aqua Trainers inside the abandoned warehouse. The number of high-ranking members was unknown…
No wonder Roxanne had sought Steven's help.
But now…
"If it's only fifty people, leave it to me," Asahi said.
Hugging Eevee in his arms, he walked alone toward the warehouse.
Roxanne and Officer Jenny exchanged glances, then looked at Green and the others, who remained still.
Was Asahi really going in alone?
Did he seriously intend to fight fifty people by himself?
That was Team Aqua—the same group that had just attacked Mr. Stone!
Roxanne gritted her teeth and was about to follow when Sabrina stopped her.
Sabrina, watching Asahi's back, smirked. "No need to help. He can handle it alone."
From the way Asahi was acting, she already knew what he intended to do.
Gary crossed his arms and nodded. "Trust Asahi."
He watched intently, eager to learn some high-level posturing techniques from Asahi.
Green simply smiled.
Roxanne couldn't understand why Asahi's companions had so much confidence in him.
At that moment, the Team Aqua guards finally noticed Asahi approaching.
"Who goes there!?"
"Stop right there!"
The two Team Aqua members shouted at him.
They didn't attack immediately—just gave a warning—mainly because Asahi looked harmless, holding a small Eevee in his arms.
But when they saw that Asahi was still approaching at a steady pace, they realized something was off. Without hesitation, they threw their Poké Balls.
Out popped two Crawdaunt.
Both raised their pincers, assuming a threatening stance at Asahi.
Yet Asahi kept moving forward.
After repeated warnings went ignored, the two Aqua grunts exchanged glances, and one of them showed a vicious expression.
If he didn't listen, then he'd have to pay the price…
"Crawdaunt, use Bubble Beam!"
As soon as the command was given, the Crawdaunt opened its pincers, unleashing a barrage of shimmering bubbles at Asahi.
The dazzling attack enveloped Asahi entirely. If it landed, any normal person would likely be knocked out immediately.
At that moment…
Asahi smirked slightly, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
His hand released psychic energy, instantly popping all the incoming bubbles.
The next second, in a flash of white light, before anyone could see what had happened—
The Crawdaunt that had launched the attack suddenly had both its pincers severed, dropping to the ground.
An Eevee was now sitting on top of the Crawdaunt, tilting its head as it curiously eyed the other one, its tail swaying lazily.
"That Eevee…?"
Roxanne, watching from afar, was stunned.
So… that Eevee was that strong.
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