Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 56: "Good, You've Got Spirit!"

"Congratulations on winning the championship!" Asahi said as he approached Green.

Green looked at him with a curious expression, clearly surprised to see him presenting the awards.

"Wait, you didn't join the tournament because you were busy doing this?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"No, this wasn't planned," Asahi replied with a resigned smile.

Originally, Steven was supposed to give the speech, Lance was tasked with presenting the awards, and Asahi had intended to sit back and relax, wrapping up this informal tournament.

But halfway through, Lance received a call.

Apparently, Team Rocket activity had been spotted on the outskirts of Celadon City, prompting Lance to leave in a hurry.

And so, the task of handing out the awards had fallen to Asahi.

After presenting the trophy to Green, Asahi moved to Gary. "Congratulations, Gary."

He handed the second-place trophy to Gary, who accepted it with a sullen expression. It was clear he was still brooding over his narrow loss.

Remembering Professor Oak's request to look out for Gary, Asahi decided to offer some words of encouragement.

"Winning and losing are part of life," he said. "No one wins all the time. I'm sure Professor Oak wouldn't want to see you so down over one loss."

"Uh… you know my grandpa?" Gary asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course. Let me introduce myself—I'm Asahi, a researcher and lecturer at Celadon University. Professor Oak asked me to look after you," Asahi said, patting him on the shoulder.

Gary nodded in understanding, about to thank him, when Asahi added,

"Actually, there's no need to dwell on Metronome. If Green's luck hadn't been so bad earlier, with Clefable missing so many moves, you probably would've lost before it even came to that."

Gary: "..."

If you don't know how to comfort someone, just don't say anything.

Gary felt the sting of Asahi's brutally honest comment like a sharp knife to the heart, and his blood pressure visibly rose.

---

Back in the VIP room, Steven pulled out the prizes for the top competitors, placing two boxes in front of Green and Gary.

Green opened hers to reveal a beautifully packaged set of evolutionary stones.

There were ten in total, covering all known types of evolution stones.

Gary opened his box to find his prize—a set of seven evolutionary stones. His set was missing the Dawn Stone, Dusk Stone, and Shiny Stone that were included in Green's.

Classic Steven-style prizes, Asahi thought.

This set of evolution stones had a market value of at least two to three million. For Steven to casually offer such valuable items as prizes… the man truly embodied the power of wealth.

But that wasn't all.

After Green and Gary accepted their stones, Steven placed three Poké Balls on the table.

At their puzzled expressions, Steven opened the Poké Balls to reveal three Pokémon: a Mudkip, a Torchic, and a Treecko.

"These are the starter Pokémon of the Hoenn region," Steven explained. "You're both excellent trainers, so I'd like to entrust one of them to each of you. Please, choose one."

Providing Hoenn starters to Kanto trainers was part of the exchange program's goal.

Steven first turned to Green as the champion.

Mudkip sat quietly, gently swaying its head fin as it looked at Green with hopeful eyes.

Torchic waddled over on its tiny legs, fluffy and adorable, hopping excitedly at Green's feet.

Treecko, meanwhile, leaned coolly against the wall, a twig in its mouth, exuding an air of aloofness.

Green's gaze shifted between the three Pokémon before settling on the bouncy Torchic in front of her.

"I'll choose… Torchic!" she said, picking up its Poké Ball.

Hearing this, Torchic chirped happily, jumping for joy.

"Torchic? I thought you'd go for Mudkip," Asahi remarked.

"Don't you think she's adorable?" Green said, stroking Torchic's fluffy head.

Clearly, Torchic didn't fall into the category of bird Pokémon that triggered her phobia.

"I'll name you Chi-Chi!" Green announced, her usual flair for simple nicknames shining through.

Mudkip, seeing that Green hadn't chosen it, drooped its head fin in disappointment. But it quickly looked toward Gary with renewed hope.

Gary, however, barely hesitated before picking the similarly cool and stylish Treecko.

"Treecko, let's work together from now on!"

Treecko leaped up, completing a slick high-five with Gary.

With Torchic and Treecko chosen, only Mudkip remained.

Its head fin drooped again, and its once-hopeful eyes dimmed as disappointment set in.

Asahi, watching the dejected Mudkip, couldn't help but feel sympathetic.

For a starter Pokémon, the worst fate was being left unchosen. Watching its peers set off on adventures with trainers while it waited alone in its Poké Ball was heartbreaking.

He could tell Mudkip wasn't lacking in potential—on the contrary, any Pokémon chosen by Steven would be exceptional. It had simply been unlucky.

Steven, understanding Mudkip's plight, turned to Asahi with a meaningful look.

"…?"

Asahi met Steven's gaze, confused, until Steven said,

"I heard from Lance that you haven't filled your team of six yet..."

Before Steven could finish, Asahi understood.

Taking in a Mudkip? Not a bad idea.

Mega Swampert, after all, was a powerhouse in rainy weather.

Asahi glanced at Mudkip, and the little Pokémon looked back at him with hopeful eyes, though its previous disappointment lingered.

"This Mudkip doesn't look very spirited," Asahi said, pretending to frown. "It doesn't seem cut out to be my Pokémon."

Hearing this, Mudkip immediately straightened its posture, its eyes burning with determination.

"Mud!"

"Too quiet. I can't hear you!"

"MUD!!!" Mudkip shouted with all its might, desperate to prove itself.

"Alright, full of energy!"

Seeing Mudkip regain its spirit, Asahi nodded in satisfaction.

Under Mudkip's expectant gaze, Asahi patted its head.

"Well then, from now on, you're my Pokémon!"