Chapter 254 – Team Rocket's Base
"Asahi… are you sure you just want to recruit informants?" Gary felt uneasy under Asahi's smile.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Asahi casually opened the website. "Of course, didn't I just tell you? I really just want to recruit a couple of people."
His tone was perfectly natural—no flaws at all.
Except for the fact that the corners of his mouth were curving higher and higher…
Wait, wait… Asahi, your grin is practically twisting your face!
Gary suddenly had the sinking realization that he had just handed Asahi something very dangerous.
Fortunately, when he had vented about Asahi on the forum, he had used an anonymous username—one completely unrelated to his real identity.
There was no way Asahi could track it back to him…
Or so he hoped.
Just as Gary was reassuring himself, Asahi had already clicked into the forum's main page.
Browsing through the cluttered forum posts, Asahi searched for the keyword "Master Gary".
'No results found.'
Asahi raised an eyebrow.
Oh? Has Gary gotten smarter?
He tried another keyword—"Ash Ketchum".
'No results found.'
Huh…!
Asahi turned to look at Gary. This time, he was genuinely impressed.
Gary had no idea why Asahi was looking at him like that, but judging by Asahi's expression, it was clear he hadn't found anything.
Immediately, Gary felt as if all his fatigue had vanished—his back no longer ached, his legs no longer hurt.
He felt completely refreshed!
He puffed out his chest with a smug expression.
But Asahi wasn't in a hurry. He simply rubbed his chin thoughtfully and quickly thought of another keyword.
Search: "Champion."
Whoosh.
The search results flooded the page.
Aside from a few posts complaining about how Devon Corporation used Steven, its heir and Pokémon Champion, to conspire with the Hoenn Pokémon Association to bring down New Mauville Company, and another post from a user named "Office Worker" ranting about how Paldea's Top Champion Geeta was constantly overworking her subordinates…
The majority of the posts came from a user named "Everyone's a Champion, Right?".
Glancing at the results, Asahi smirked and clicked on this user's profile.
Then, he read aloud the pinned post:
"Oops, I accidentally became a Champion. Can someone teach me how to act cool with style?"
Gary's smug grin instantly froze.
"My boss wants to take me on a business trip to Hoenn without asking for my opinion. How do I shut him down and leave him speechless?"
A bitter expression crept onto Gary's face.
Asahi continued reading:
"Does anyone else have a boss who constantly sets traps for them? Mine does it in the most creative ways. Any tips on how to turn the tables? PS: My boss has a lot of girlfriends…?"
As he read, Asahi tilted his head and looked at Gary.
By now, it wasn't just Asahi staring at him—Blue, Sabrina, and even Gardevoir had all turned their gazes on him…
"So… Everyone's a Champion, Right?" Asahi asked, his smile deep yet unreadable.
To Gary, Asahi's current expression was downright terrifying.
"Should I keep reading?" Asahi asked with a cheerful smile.
"No! Stop! Please, just stop!" Gary's face was ashen.
What does it feel like to get caught badmouthing your boss online?
Gary now felt like the most qualified person to answer that question.
He was a living case study.
"Honestly, if you hadn't admitted it yourself… I wouldn't have guessed you were so active online," Asahi said, shaking his head in mock admiration.
"Haha… yeah, that's me," Gary laughed awkwardly.
Slap!
Asahi casually draped an arm over Gary's shoulder.
"Relax, there's no need to be so tense! I'm not some demon. Do you really think I'd punish you over something this trivial?"
Was Asahi the type of person to seek revenge just because someone vented about him online?
Hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared in Gary's heart. "Really?"
Even though he had fallen for Asahi's tricks countless times, he couldn't help but wonder—what if Asahi was actually telling the truth this time?
"Of course! When have I ever lied to you?" Asahi declared.
"If you really don't believe me…" Asahi held up three fingers. "Three tasks. If you complete them properly, I'll forget all about your little forum posts. Deal?"
"Think of it as a training exercise!"
Gary's eyes lit up. "Really?!"
Compared to Asahi's obviously suspicious earlier words, this seemed far more credible.
Three tasks…
Even if they were tough, he was Gary Oak, a Champion!
He could just grit his teeth and push through!
With that thought, he clenched his fists. "What's the first task?"
Asahi checked his phone's navigation, then released a Slowpoke from its Poké Ball. The Pokémon looked around in confusion, question marks practically floating above its head.
"Slowpoke?"
Gary looked at the Pokémon, puzzled. What was Asahi planning? Was Slowpoke going to give him a riddle?
Asahi smiled. "Your first task is to capture thirty different wild Hoenn Pokémon before we reach Team Rocket's base—while carrying Slowpoke on your back."
"How's that? Pretty easy, right?"
Gary glanced at Slowpoke, then waved dismissively. "Piece of cake!"
He beckoned to Slowpoke.
Slowpoke blinked its dull eyes. When it realized someone was willing to carry it, sparing it from walking, it broke into a delighted smile.
But the moment Gary actually lifted Slowpoke onto his back, his expression changed.
Struggling under the weight, Gary turned to Asahi with difficulty. "Asahi… how much does your Slowpoke weigh?"
"How much? Around 200 pounds, I think… It's a bit heavier than normal Slowpoke," Asahi said with a sigh. "I've been trying to put it on a diet, but it keeps slacking off…"
Gary was at a loss for words.
He could only swallow his complaints and endure.
Fortunately, his background as the Super Rookie of Kanto gave him the physical endurance to bear it.
And so, the Pilgrimage Team of Four set off on their journey.
---
Southwest of Mauville City – Steel Valley
Due to the presence of numerous aggressive Steel-type wild Pokémon, this area was almost completely uninhabited. Even Pokémon of other types were rarely seen.
"Why would Team Rocket choose a place like this for their base?" Green asked Sabrina.
After all, Sabrina was the only former Team Rocket executive present.
Sabrina shrugged. "Base locations were always handled by Midori. I'd guess it's for secrecy."
Asahi offered another explanation: "It's actually pretty straightforward. Like Sabrina said, this isn't Team Rocket's territory, so they had to keep a low profile."
"The other reason? They were broke."
"Broke?" Green and Sabrina were both surprised.
Especially Sabrina—she had been a Team Rocket executive, yet she never knew about this.
Asahi chuckled. "Surprised? The Mewtwo Project drained most of Team Rocket's liquid funds. For a remote outpost like Hoenn's division—which wasn't generating profit—choosing a cheap, isolated location makes perfect sense."
"Yeah, Midori told me that herself."
Hearing that, neither Green nor Sabrina had any more doubts. When it came to Team Rocket's finances, no one was more authoritative than Midori, the Executive Secretary.
"Alright, time to get to work. I can already hear our new base welcoming us."
Asahi pulled out a map from Gengar's mouth.
The exact location of Team Rocket's base was marked on it.
He then turned to Gary, who was lying exhausted on a boulder, refusing to move.
"Gary, hang in there! We're almost there!"
"Victory is just ahead! You wouldn't want to give up now, would you?"
In response, Gary let out a weak groan.
But despite his complaints, he still pushed himself up and followed Asahi.
---
Team Rocket Base – Steel Valley
The Team Rocket members stationed here were all outcasts within the organization—marginal figures assigned to Hoenn as expendable pioneers.
But everything changed two weeks ago.
Giovanni himself had arrived in Hoenn, personally setting up in the Steel Valley base. It was rumored he had come to execute a 'grand plan!'
This news had electrified the entire base.
For the once-forgotten Rocket grunts, Giovanni's arrival was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
With Team Rocket's high-ranking executives suffering heavy losses, if they performed well, they might even climb the ranks to become the new core leadership!
Fueled by ambition, the entire base was in high spirits.
Even the guards monitoring the security cameras were distracted by their daydreams of promotion.
"Oi, Ono, did something just float across the screen? Was that a… Slowpoke?"
The sudden voice of his coworker snapped Ono out of his nap.
Annoyed, he grumbled, "What Slowpoke? You're seeing things. This is Steel Valley—home of Steel-types!"
His coworker laughed. "Yeah, you're right… Man, I miss eating grilled Slowpoke tails back in Kanto…"
At that moment—
The security feed showed four figures at the base's entrance.
One man, two women… and one weird guy with a Slowpoke riding on his back.
"…What the hell?"