Chapter 253 – Gary, Played Like a Fiddle
"The stolen device is gone!" Roxanne said.
Logically speaking, since she and Officer Jenny had been monitoring this Team Aqua group, the stolen device should have been in the warehouse.
But now it was missing…
That could only mean one thing—before they discovered this group, the stolen device had already been moved elsewhere.
Realizing this, Roxanne felt a wave of frustration. She had worked as quickly as possible to locate these Team Aqua members, yet they still managed to escape with the device.
Asahi, however, wasn't particularly surprised.
The whole operation had been way too easy—he hadn't even encountered a single high-ranking Team Aqua member.
An attack on Devon Corporation's president and the theft of a crucial device—why wouldn't Team Aqua send at least one executive?
Even though Asahi always looked down on Team Aqua and Team Magma, they weren't usually this incompetent…
As for the missing device, it was most likely with the executive who should have been here but wasn't.
Still, Asahi played along, feigning regret and offering words of consolation to Roxanne.
Now that all the Team Aqua members had been captured but the device was still missing…
"I'll leave handling these Team Aqua grunts to you and Officer Jenny," Asahi said.
Roxanne was taken aback. "Leave it to… us? Mr. Asahi, do you mean…?"
"Yeah, we still have some things to take care of. We won't be sticking around. Pass a message to Steven for me—just say I'm off to find a place to stay." Asahi smiled.
Roxanne didn't understand why Asahi, who was friends with Devon Corporation's young master, would bother finding his own accommodations instead of just staying with Steven.
Asahi simply smiled and didn't explain.
Instead, he waved at Gary, who was still preoccupied wrestling with a Spheal.
Under the gazes of Roxanne and Officer Jenny, Asahi and his group left the warehouse.
And just like that, the spacious warehouse was left with only the subdued Team Aqua members and the Pokémon that Gary hadn't finished rounding up.
Roxanne and Officer Jenny exchanged glances, then hastily called for reinforcements to transport the criminals.
---
Walking Through the City Disguised as Tourists
Mewtwo, being too conspicuous, had been returned to its Master Ball for now.
Gardevoir curiously looked around. As a Pokémon from Kanto, this was its first time in Hoenn.
It had heard that there were many Gardevoir in Hoenn—maybe it would meet some of its kind…
Meanwhile, Gary casually tossed a Poké Ball, knocking out a Zigzagoon that had been happily munching on a berry.
Then he turned to Asahi. "Are we really not going back to Devon Corporation?"
He sounded a little regretful.
If they had stayed until dinner, he might've scored a fancy meal. He had been curious about what a Devon Corporation banquet would be like…
Asahi withdrew his gaze from Eevee, who was currently chasing a Chimecho around. "Steven's already busy enough. No need to burden him further."
One reason Asahi didn't want to return to Devon was that Steven had his hands full with both League and corporate affairs.
The other reason was that Asahi was operating under the radar this time. If he spent too much time with Steven, even though Team Aqua and Team Magma were useless, there was still a chance they'd catch wind of something.
Gary nodded in understanding.
That made sense—Steven's father had just been hospitalized after an attack. Thinking about mooching a meal at a time like this was a bit inappropriate…
As that thought crossed his mind, Gary absentmindedly threw another Poké Ball, capturing a passing Wurmple.
Sabrina noticed this and asked curiously, "I've been meaning to ask—why are you catching so many wild Pokémon?"
Since leaving the warehouse, Gary had already caught six or seven common Pokémon.
Even though Gary wasn't the strongest, he was still technically a Champion. From what she could see, these Pokémon didn't have any real value.
Hearing this, Gary puffed out his chest. "I'm contributing to the harmonious relationship between humans and Pokémon!"
Sabrina & Green: "???"
Asahi ruthlessly exposed him. "His grandpa told him to catch Hoenn Pokémon for research. He's just filling up the Pokédex."
Sabrina and Green immediately understood—it was an assignment from Professor Oak.
Then Asahi suddenly asked, "By the way, Gary, do you really not remember the website for that employee forum?"
"Of course, I—wait, I don't remember!"
Gary barely stopped himself from blurting it out.
Asahi didn't point out the obvious flaw in his response. Instead, he sighed dramatically.
"That's a shame. I wanted to reach out to some of the former employees of New Mauville. Even though they were laid off, they were once elite professionals who know Hoenn well. If we could recruit some of them as informants, it'd make things much easier for us."
"If this worked out, you'd get credit for it too."
"…Too bad."
He shook his head regretfully.
Gary hesitated.
Wait—so Asahi really had a legitimate reason for asking?
Was he actually hindering their mission by keeping quiet?
Feeling guilty, Gary gritted his teeth. "I'll check my browsing history. Maybe I can find it."
Meanwhile, behind him, Asahi flashed an OK sign at Green and Sabrina.
Green and Sabrina sighed in unison.
Poor Gary…
Asahi had him wrapped around his finger.
***
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