Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 52: Where's Your Girlfriend?

Ishida Yasuo stood frozen in disbelief.

He had assumed that the person Asahi wanted him to convince was perhaps a researcher who had collaborated with him on the energy cube formula, or perhaps the sponsor behind the research.

But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that person would be Lance!

Before he could regain his composure, Lance had already approached, glancing at the stunned Ishida Yasuo before turning to Asahi with a questioning look.

"And this is...?"

By this point, Ishida Yasuo had also come back to his senses. Without waiting for Asahi to introduce him, Ishida's sharp gaze locked onto Lance, and he spoke up with great enthusiasm.

"Good day, Champion Lance. My name is Ishida Yasuo, head of the Pokémon Food Development Department at Silph Co."

Ah, just hearing the title was enough for Lance to immediately understand Ishida's intentions.

He wasn't unaware of the situation. It was clear that Ishida had caught wind of the energy cube formula Asahi possessed and was now here to try and outmaneuver Devon Corp.

However, Lance was slightly puzzled. Even if Ishida wanted to cut in, shouldn't he be talking directly to Asahi? Why involve him?

Ishida Yasuo continued, "Asahi mentioned that if I want him to reconsider working with Devon Corp., I need to first convince you, Champion Lance."

"…?"

Now Lance fully understood: Asahi was just trying to pass the responsibility onto him.

Lance felt a headache coming on. Silph Co. was a massive conglomerate in Kanto, spanning various industries. As Kanto's Champion, outright rejecting them could strain relationships.

After some thought, Lance carefully replied, "This collaboration is ultimately between Asahi and Devon Corp. It's not really my place to intervene. How about this—Steven is here as well. Why don't you try discussing it with him?"

"..." Ishida Yasuo froze, his expression stiffening.

Talk to Steven? Negotiate directly with the heir of Devon Corp.?

What was there to discuss? He'd likely get chased out by Metagross before the conversation even started!

Realizing that a deal was impossible, Ishida sighed and decided not to push further.

"My apologies for troubling you," he said, bowing deeply with his assistant to Lance and Asahi before leaving.

Once Ishida was out of sight, Asahi let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, they're gone. I've already turned them down twice, but they just wouldn't give up. Really persistent."

"What kind of offer did Silph Co. make?" Lance asked curiously.

"Not much, just a 20% premium over Devon's deal," Asahi replied casually, taking a sip of his coffee. The bitter taste made him frown, and he promptly added two more sugar cubes.

"Then why didn't you agree to their terms?" Lance was shocked.

He'd initially thought that Silph Co.'s offer might have been too low, and Asahi, out of respect for Silph Co.'s stature, had passed the matter to him to handle the rejection.

But a 20% premium? That was a very generous offer by any standard!

Wait… could it be because of me?

Lance suddenly remembered that this deal had been facilitated by him and that the other party was Steven, his close friend.

It was entirely possible that Asahi had declined Silph Co.'s better offer just to save face for him.

Thinking this, Lance felt like he owed Asahi a huge favor.

Unaware that Lance had interpreted things this way, Asahi simply scratched his head at Lance's confusion. He couldn't exactly tell him that his refusal was because he knew from the plot that Silph Co. was about to face disaster at the hands of Team Rocket.

So, Asahi came up with a plausible excuse:

"Didn't the reports mention that the destruction of the Kanto branch was tied to Silph Shipping's Eat Howler vessel? I suspect they're connected to Team Rocket, so I turned them down."

This explanation not only justified why he refused Silph Co., but it also subtly hinted at a possible link between Team Rocket and Silph Co., planting a seed in Lance's mind in case Team Rocket did strike Silph Co. later.

Asahi silently applauded his own cleverness.

However, Lance found this reasoning unconvincing.

Sure, the Eat Howler ship was part of Silph Shipping, but that was just one subsidiary among many. Even if there were ties between Silph Co. and Team Rocket, it wouldn't stop them from profiting from a deal!

To Lance, this explanation was clearly just a cover. The real reason was that Asahi wanted to save face for him.

"There's no need to explain. I understand," Lance said, patting Asahi's shoulder with a touched expression and silently resolving to repay this favor.

"...?"

Understand what exactly?

Seeing Lance's reaction, Asahi had a nagging feeling that they weren't on the same page.

But this was a minor issue.

Looking around to ensure no one was paying attention, Asahi pulled out a key and tossed it to Lance. "Those three grunts are all yours now. Oh, and… I've only been feeding them a few energy cubes these past few days, so they might be a bit weak."

He didn't have the time or patience to properly feed three Team Rocket members. Tossing them a couple of energy cubes daily was already a testament to his kindness.

Lance's expression turned serious. "Understood. I'll handle it. I've already contacted Bruno, and once we confirm their intel, the two of us will strike together and teach Team Rocket a lesson they won't forget."

Asahi nodded approvingly. With two Champions working together, the odds were solid.

Team Rocket's Rainbow Base was no Rainbow Rocket HQ.

This time, Team Rocket was definitely in for a beating.

With the Team Rocket matter settled, Lance relaxed a bit.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he asked curiously, "By the way, where's your girlfriend?"

"Girlfri—oh, you mean Green?" Asahi instinctively began to deny it but quickly caught himself.

Shaking his head, he corrected Lance, "Don't misunderstand. Green and I are just friends… for now. She went to register for the friendly tournament."

Hearing Asahi's explanation, Lance chuckled, clearly unconvinced. Still, he chose not to press the matter and shifted the topic to the tournament.

"This time, the champion's prize was personally sponsored by Steven. Knowing his taste, it's bound to be something impressive."

Asahi nodded in agreement.

As the heir to Devon Corp., Steven was undoubtedly the wealthiest among all the Champions.

He could casually give away a Beldum, and even the Bagon that Asahi received from Lance had originally come from Steven.

Compared to Steven's resources, Asahi's earnings from the Rainbow Game Corner made him look like a mere novice in the world of wealth.

After some light conversation about League news, Lance's communicator buzzed.

Glancing at it, a smile spread across his face as he stood up. "Let's go. Steven's here!"

***

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