Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 69: Lance, I Think You're Underestimating the Problem

Green tilted her head. "Why not?"

Ever since Asahi started messing around with that Plate, he had been acting strangely secretive.

Asahi stuffed the Lightning Plate back into his bag and firmly shook his head.

Even if he wasn't using it right now, he refused to let Eevee evolve into Jolteon.

A spiky fur coat? How was he supposed to pet it after that?

Absolutely out of the question.

Scooping up Eevee into his arms, Asahi looked toward the darkening sky. "What do you feel like eating tonight? Vermilion City gets a lot of imported delicacies—you won't be disappointed."

At the mention of food, Green's eyes sparkled as she recalled the Alcremie pudding from Celadon University—before Jigglypuff ate it.

---

Celebrating with a "Work Expense" Feast

By the time they left "Slowpoke's Haven," a high-end restaurant, it was already midnight.

"Vui~"

Eevee lay belly-up in Asahi's arms, legs sprawled and stomach round with food, looking utterly content.

Green, too, looked completely satisfied.

"That was amazing, but way too expensive!" she said.

She still remembered the ridiculously long bill.

Asahi, however, remained calm and composed. "Relax. It's reimbursable."

Normally, a meal like this wouldn't qualify for work expenses.

But…

Hadn't he just taken down Lt. Surge?

Right before leaving, Asahi submitted the bill to Lance—labeled as "Victory Celebration Expense."

That should be fine, right?

Asahi looked forward to it.

After all, he had already taken down Lt. Surge, his mission was complete, and now he just wanted to sit back and enjoy the show.

"If there's anyone else affected, it would be the new trainers challenging the gym..."

"New trainers? Are they protesting to the League because the Vermilion Gym is shut down, and they can't get their badge?" Green asked.

"No, it's quite the opposite. The internet is celebrating." Asahi grinned as he pulled out his phone and opened a webpage.

Green glanced at the screen—it was filled with posts from trainers whose Pokémon had been seriously injured by Lt. Surge. They were now exposing him, venting their anger. Surge had never expected that the trainers he once mocked and humiliated would be the ones cheering for his downfall.

All the posts could be summed up in one sentence:

"Lt. Surge got what he deserved. Pop the champagne!"

Unexpected News from Lance

When Asahi returned to his hotel, he finally received a response from Lance.

But instead of a text message, Lance called him directly.

"Sorry, I was too busy earlier and just saw your message. About Togepi… It's really hard to find in the wild. It doesn't seem to have any fixed habitat, and even the League's breeding center doesn't have any."

"The League's breeding center doesn't have it?" Asahi was surprised.

The League's breeding center was the most comprehensive Pokémon reserve in Kanto. Almost every species from the region could be found there.

Even Dragonite was available—though adopting one required an insane amount of time and effort. Unless someone had a Dragon Core to speed up the process, like Asahi, training a Dratini could take years, discouraging most trainers.

But even such a well-stocked center had no Togepi.

"Does that mean I'll have to catch one myself…?" Asahi felt this was going to be tricky.

With his current luck, finding a Togepi in the wild might be next to impossible.

Just as Asahi was pondering his next steps, Lance spoke up:

"Actually, there's another way!"

"Oh?"

"Even though the League's breeding center doesn't have Togepi, there are several trainers who own its evolved forms. I can ask around and see if any of them have a Togepi egg."

Hearing this, Asahi was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected such a turnaround, but this was definitely a better option than searching aimlessly.

"That'd be great. Thanks, Lance."

Lance chuckled. "No problem. It's a small favor."

Fire Team Rocket, But Miss

"By the way, after I left, has Team Rocket made any moves?" Asahi asked.

With the losses they had suffered—two bases destroyed, a key executive captured—Asahi was sure that Giovanni wouldn't take this lying down.

However, Lance's response completely caught him off guard.

"Team Rocket hasn't reacted yet."

"...What?"

Giovanni, staying silent after such a huge setback? No retaliation?

"But I did get word from Johto. It seems like Team Rocket is focused on tracking down a group called the 'Masked Army' over there," Lance added.

Hearing this, Asahi immediately understood.

It wasn't that Team Rocket wasn't taking action—they were just putting all their resources into chasing the fake enemy he had thrown their way.

Team Rocket vs. Masked Army.

Giovanni vs. Pryce.

Asahi couldn't wait to see the look on Giovanni's face when he realized that his own son had been kidnapped by Pryce.

Just thinking about it made Asahi feel pure joy.

Lance found Asahi's sudden excitement a bit odd, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he continued:

"When your vacation is over, I might need your help with something."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Dealing with Lt. Surge is turning out to be even more complicated than I expected. It's going to take a while. And since he was part of Team Rocket, the League Council has decided to conduct a full Gym Leader evaluation..."

"You mean..." Asahi had a feeling where this was going.

Lance nodded. "That's right. I want you to help me evaluate the Kanto Gym Leaders."

"...."

Asahi hadn't expected Lance to seriously assign him the task of evaluating all of Kanto's Gym Leaders.

Was there even a need for an evaluation?

One look at them, and the problems were obvious.

Seeing Asahi's expression, Lance assumed he was worried about being too harsh.

"I understand your concerns," Lance said reassuringly. "I know Kanto's Gym situation isn't ideal, but given the circumstances, you don't have to be too strict. As long as things seem relatively stable, it's fine."

Asahi: "....I'm afraid you don't know how bad it really is."

A Golden Opportunity

In the end, Asahi agreed to take on the task.

The reason?

This gave him a perfect excuse to approach Blaine and potentially learn more about Mewtwo.

Not to mention, Sabrina (Saffron Gym) and Koga (Fuchsia Gym) were both Team Rocket executives.

This could be his chance to expose them.

All in all, it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

With that decision made, Asahi put his phone away and stretched lazily.

After an all-nighter to capture Lt. Surge, and only a short nap during the day, his body was still exhausted.

But from experience...

"One good night's sleep will fix everything!"

With that thought, Asahi climbed into bed, ready to recharge.

An Uninvited Guest

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a sudden pressure on his chest made it hard to breathe.

Opening his eyes, he found Eevee standing on his chest, clutching a pillow, staring at him.

"...."

No wonder he felt like he was being crushed.

Even though Eevee only weighed about 13 pounds, having it press down on his chest wasn't comfortable at all.

"Come on, Eevee, I made you a bed already," Asahi sighed, picking it up.

Eevee didn't like staying inside its Poké Ball, so Asahi had prepared a cozy spot for it on the living room couch.

"Vee~!"

Eevee ignored him, tossing its pillow aside and looking up with big, pleading eyes.

"You're saying you're scared and want to sleep with me?"

"Vee!"

Eevee nodded frantically, tail wagging.

Asahi: "...."

You're a damn almost Champion-level Pokémon, what could you possibly be afraid of? Ghost-types?

Though exasperated, Asahi knew fear wasn't always tied to strength.

Watching Eevee drag its blanket next to his pillow, curl up into a small ball, and blink at him expectantly, Asahi sighed.

"Fine, you win."

He reached out, gently stroking Eevee's head. With the little fox happily curled up beside him, Asahi finally closed his eyes.

A Strange Morning

The night was calm. Moonlight reflected off the sea, casting a soft glow into the room.

Asahi and Eevee slept soundly.

The Poké Balls on his nightstand trembled slightly—before settling back into stillness.

The next morning...

Sipping his Moomoo Milk, Asahi couldn't shake off a strange feeling.

Something felt off.

He didn't feel as refreshed as he usually did after sleeping.

"...Weird. Did I overwork myself?"

This had never happened before. Normally, a night's sleep was enough to fully restore his energy.

But today, he still felt a little drained.

Since it was just mild fatigue, Asahi brushed it off, assuming it was due to yesterday's exhaustion.

He completely missed the subtle, knowing look on Gardevoir's face.

At the same time, Green arrived with Happiny.

"So, what's on the agenda today?"