Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 49 – Green, Asahi, and Gardevoir

Unlike in the games, the entrance to Team Rocket's base wasn't hidden behind a poster near the front desk.

In fact, there weren't any posters on the walls near the game center's front desk at all.

So, technically speaking, Asahi hadn't found any concrete evidence proving the existence of a Team Rocket base.

But that didn't stop him from sharing the information with Lance—it was just his "reasonable speculation," after all.

"Once I hand over these three captives to you, you might want to try interrogating them."

Under Giovanni's leadership, most of Team Rocket's members were die-hard loyalists, but with prior knowledge of certain intel, it was still possible to glean some truths by observing their microexpressions during questioning.

Hearing Asahi's suggestion, Lance's expression turned serious.

A Team Rocket operation and a Team Rocket base were two completely different matters. The former didn't require Asahi's report; the League already had information on some of Team Rocket's business operations.

The reason they hadn't taken action yet was due to various considerations.

But a base was different. As of now, the League only had one lead regarding a Team Rocket base—a discovery made accidentally by Lorelei on the Sevii Islands.

Because of that lead, Lorelei had been stationed on the Sevii Islands recently, focusing on searching for Team Rocket's base instead of returning to the League.

"This is critical information. When the time comes, I'll personally interrogate them."

Hearing these words from Lance, Asahi finally felt at ease.

Perhaps Lance wasn't necessarily Giovanni's equal, but with proper preparation, taking down a Rocket Team base in Celadon City shouldn't be an issue.

"This should keep Team Rocket too busy to trouble me," Asahi thought to himself.

He had set Lance and the Masked Corps against Team Rocket. If they still had the energy to come after him, Asahi would just accept it.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the video call, Lance seemed troubled by another matter:

"Your contributions this time are enough to warrant another promotion, but it'll take some time for your new credentials to be sent from Interpol Headquarters."

"Do you want to pick up your current credentials now or wait for the new ones to arrive?"

To be honest, this was the first time Lance had encountered such a situation.

"I'm not in a hurry. I'll just wait for the new credentials. As for Green..."

Asahi turned toward Green and said, "Green played a huge role in this mission. The plan to infiltrate the game center as a couple was her idea, and her performance during the operation was outstanding."

"So, I propose we formally induct her into Interpol!"

Asahi had his reasons for recommending Green's promotion.

Based on what he'd learned from the Kanto division, Asahi was certain that all his colleagues who had been captured by Team Rocket were completely unreliable.

To avoid being dragged down by these "deadweight teammates" in the future, Asahi urgently needed allies in the Kanto division.

Although he hadn't known Green for long, their teamwork had been seamless, and she was a "familiar face," so he decided to recommend her formal induction.

Lance considered Asahi's proposal for a moment.

He had reviewed Green's file and knew she had been kidnapped in the past, leaving a 12-year gap in her records. While this wasn't a concern for an informant, joining Interpol formally required a strict review process.

However, rules were rules.

These were special circumstances. The Kanto division was effectively paralyzed and in desperate need of manpower.

As the saying goes, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

Given Asahi's recommendation, Lance decided not to refuse:

"Since you're recommending her, I'll approve it. Of course, the proper procedures still need to be followed. Green, you'll need to complete a three-month probationary period!"

Green, knowing her past involvement with the Masked Corps, hadn't held out much hope.

But when Lance agreed, she looked at Asahi with a gaze full of gratitude.

...

After ending the video call with Lance, Asahi turned around—only to find Green staring intently at him.

Startled, Asahi jumped back. "Why are you looking at me like that? You're creeping me out!"

"You trust me that much... aren't you afraid I'll deceive you? I'm actually very good at lying!" Green teased, running her fingers through her hair, her eyes gleaming with a mysterious light.

"Oh, come on. Why so serious? Didn't we just work as partners? I trust you at least that much!" Asahi waved her off.

If they weren't familiar, Green might have been able to deceive him. But after working together, Asahi found Green very trustworthy and prided himself on his ability to judge people.

Seeing Asahi's response, Green didn't say much more. She quietly committed this trust to memory.

"By the way, now that you're officially part of Interpol, I should tell you about our benefits..." Asahi said, enthusiastically sharing his "expertise."

By the time Asahi finished explaining how to maximize Interpol's benefits, it was already evening.

After a quick dinner at the hotel buffet with Green, who now had a head full of ideas about expense accounts and slacking off, Asahi returned to his room.

He tossed the three Rocket members hypnotized by Gardevoir into the storage room and finally relaxed.

"So tired!"

Collapsing onto his bed, Asahi felt as if his arms no longer belonged to him.

No doubt about it—this was the aftermath of spending an entire day playing slot machines.

Though pulling the lever on a slot machine seemed like a simple motion, repeating it thousands of times was an enormous strain on the body.

He had persevered solely with the belief in making Team Rocket suffer financial losses.

"Time to sleep. I'll be fine tomorrow," Asahi mumbled to himself.

From past experience, Asahi knew that one good night's sleep was enough to recover from almost anything—perhaps a testament to the extraordinary resilience of people in the Pokémon world.

Pulling the blanket over himself, Asahi quickly fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to him, the Poké Ball on his bedside table wobbled slightly after he drifted off.

Pop.

With a soft click, the Poké Ball opened, and Gardevoir emerged, standing quietly by his bedside.

Looking at Asahi's furrowed brows as he lay there, Gardevoir pouted slightly.

Extending her hand, she summoned a shimmering droplet of water in front of her chest. Using her psychic powers, she gently pressed the droplet against Asahi's arm, massaging it into his skin over and over.

The process lasted a full twenty minutes.

Only when Asahi's tense expression finally relaxed did Gardevoir withdraw her psychic energy.

After watching him for a while, Gardevoir smiled in satisfaction. She then lightly pressed the button on the Poké Ball, returning to it with a flash of red light.

The room returned to silence, with only Asahi's soft breathing filling the air.

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