Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 296 — Platinum's Starter Pokémon

Although Asahi didn't have high expectations for this research seminar, he didn't show it on his face.

After all, the Sinnoh League meant well. They were just putting their efforts in... the wrong direction.

There was no point in raining on their parade. At worst, he could always drop a few hints to Professor Oak and Professor Rowan at a crucial moment to nudge them back on track.

After the seminar talk wrapped up, Asahi's attention shifted to Professor Rowan's other research.

Among the exhibits were ancient Pokémon fossils they had excavated, and various murals discovered in ruins, all of which greatly expanded Asahi's horizons.

Once the tour ended, it was time for the actual seminar to begin.

At first, Professors Rowan and Oak discussed the differences between Sinnoh and Kanto's native Pokémon species...

But the moment Asahi chimed in and mentioned some of the events from the Hoenn conflict, the entire discussion quickly veered toward the origins of legendary Pokémon battles, focusing on Groudon and Kyogre.

Before long, they were completely sidetracked and dived headfirst into theories about super-ancient civilizations.

Seeing how the topic was drifting further and further away, and with both professors looking like they could go on about this for an entire day, Asahi decisively grabbed Koga and slipped out of Rowan's lab.

He wasn't about to get dragged into an endless academic debate.

Better to make a clean getaway...

---

True to its reputation, Sandgem Town was a peaceful little seaside town, with sandy beaches stretching southward to meet the open ocean.

Walking along the shore, feeling the salty sea breeze brush past, Asahi suddenly spoke up, "Giovanni said he'll be arriving soon."

"Huh?"

Koga froze, confusion written all over his face.

"Wait... didn't he tell you?" Asahi blinked in surprise.

"???"

Koga was thoroughly baffled. What in the world was going on?

Asahi, who had been watching Koga closely, saw that his reaction wasn't faked, and finally smiled. "Relax. I was just checking if you still have ties to Team Rocket."

Koga fell silent.

Boss, you're going to give someone a heart attack playing like this.

That look Asahi just gave him had almost convinced him that Asahi was secretly a member of Team Rocket.

If he hadn't really severed ties with Team Rocket, he might have fallen for the bluff.

Come to think of it, how many Rocket spies had Asahi flushed out with this little trick?

Speaking of which—

"Sird... what's going on with her?" Koga asked. "Giovanni didn't capture her? With Giovanni's strength, that shouldn't be possible."

Back at Indigo Plateau, Asahi had already told Koga that Sird was a spy from Team Galactic. Naturally, Koga also knew that Asahi had passed this information directly to Giovanni.

With solid intel, Giovanni should have easily dealt with Sird. But the fact that he didn't... felt completely unlike the Giovanni Koga knew.

To Koga, Giovanni might not have been omnipotent, but he was always the type to plan everything perfectly and stay two steps ahead.

Before Asahi came into the picture, there wasn't a single thing that could hinder Giovanni.

But now? Asahi had succeeded where no one else could.

Koga turned to Asahi, who just rolled his eyes. "What do I look like? A surveillance camera planted on Giovanni's face? How would I know why he failed to catch Sird?"

"But one thing's for sure."

Asahi rubbed his chin.

"And that is?" Koga asked.

"Giovanni definitely fought her."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He blocked me after I messaged him about it," Asahi said casually.

Koga stared as Asahi proudly showed him his phone, displaying the 'Honor Badge' of being personally blocked by Giovanni.

Was... was this something to be proud of?

Wait, on second thought...

Being personally blocked by Giovanni was probably worth bragging about.

Although, poor Giovanni.

His spy escaped, and now he was getting mocked by Asahi on top of it.

Truly tragic...

Koga couldn't help but feel a tinge of sympathy for his former boss.

Asahi, however, paid no attention to Koga's complicated expression and smoothly changed the topic. "So, how's the situation here in Sinnoh?"

When it came to Sinnoh, Koga's expression instantly turned serious. "...Our enemies aren't just Team Galactic. They've also hired Pokémon Hunters."

Asahi listened attentively and quickly gained a general understanding of the situation.

While he had been away in Hoenn, the Sinnoh League and Team Galactic had repeatedly clashed over Lake Verity, Lake Valor, and Lake Acuity.

Both sides had suffered losses, but with the help of reinforcements like Lorelei and Koga, the League had gained the upper hand, capturing a good number of Galactic grunts.

If this trend had continued, Team Galactic might have collapsed entirely.

However, the balance shifted last week when Sird, accompanied by Darkrai, destroyed the Sinnoh Branch of the International Police.

Darkrai's terrifying power left the League shaken.

And without the intelligence network and combat strength of the International Police, the League began to falter.

Koga raised his head, eyes sharp. "Asahi, what's your plan?"

He had complete confidence in Asahi.

After all, this was the man who had beaten Giovanni.

In Koga's eyes, as long as Asahi made his move, everything would turn around.

Feeling Koga's trust, Asahi glanced at a Floatzel splashing in the sea. "We'll start from the outside... dismantle Team Galactic by taking out the Pokémon Hunters first."

He hadn't forgotten the last time Hunter J's subordinates stirred up trouble on his turf.

He'd said back then that once he got to Sinnoh, there wouldn't be any sweet juice left for Hunter J — only a bitter lesson.

Koga, noticing Asahi's expression, silently pronounced Hunter J's death sentence in his heart.

Of all the people to offend, she just had to choose Asahi. Unlucky.

---

Koga didn't stay long in Sandgem Town.

This was a critical time in the fight against Team Galactic. Even making time to pick up Asahi had been difficult for him.

According to Koga, he and Lorelei were currently sweeping Team Galactic members near Hearthome City. They'd meet again when Asahi arrived there.

---

The Next Day

After spending the night at a hotel run by the Berlitz family, Asahi had just come downstairs for breakfast when he spotted Professor Berlitz in the lobby, standing next to Platinum Berlitz, who was now dressed in full travel gear.

Platinum had recovered completely after a night's rest.

Born into a prestigious family, with parents who were both accomplished Pokémon Professors, Platinum had been well raised.

Just standing there, she naturally gave off an air of nobility.

"You two are...?"

"We've made our decision," Professor Berlitz said, glancing at Platinum before turning to Asahi.

Asahi shifted his gaze to Platinum.

"I apologize for the trouble, Asahi-sir..." Platinum said softly.

"It's nothing... Oh, and don't call me 'Asahi-sir.' Just Asahi is fine."

Platinum was only a few years younger than him. Being called 'sir' made him feel awkward.

Platinum tilted her head curiously.

Professor Berlitz, standing to the side: "?"

Why hadn't Asahi ever said something like that to him?

Still, since he had already entrusted his daughter to Asahi, such trivial matters no longer mattered.

"In any case, I'm counting on you."

Bowing deeply, Professor Berlitz gave Platinum one last look before leaving the hotel.

He had already delayed countless schedules because of Platinum. Now that she was in Asahi's care, he could finally return to his work with peace of mind.

As Platinum watched her father leave, she couldn't help but feel a mix of anxiety and excitement.

This was the first time she would travel alone.

On the surface, however, she still maintained the poise of a proper young lady.

Just as she was about to ask when they would set off—

Asahi grabbed a box from the side.

"Since this is your first journey, Professor Berlitz asked me to prepare something. I got these starters from Professor Rowan just for you. Platinum, pick one."

Yesterday, after Koga left, Asahi had specifically contacted Professor Rowan to obtain three starter Pokémon.

He opened the Poké Balls, revealing three Pokémon before Platinum.

A lively Chimchar, a slow but steady Turtwig, and a proud-looking Piplup.

Platinum's eyes wandered between them.

Without hesitation, her gaze settled on Piplup, and she reached out.

"Piplup~!"

Upon being chosen, Piplup's previously proud face blossomed with joy as it eagerly jumped into Platinum's arms.

Asahi chuckled. "I knew it. This Piplup suits you perfectly."

According to Professor Rowan, this particular Piplup was notoriously proud and had a strong sense of self-respect — it matched Platinum's personality to a T.

Asahi wasn't surprised by her choice at all.

He then recalled the other two Pokémon.

"Asahi... Are we setting off now?" Platinum asked.

"No rush. First, breakfast. Rule number one of traveling — never hit the road on an empty stomach."

"Mew!"

Mew chimed in from Asahi's shoulder, wholeheartedly agreeing.

---

For Platinum, everything that had happened recently had been far more thrilling than the mundane life she had lived for over a decade.

She had been attacked by the legendary nightmare god during an outing, falling into a deep nightmare.

Upon awakening, she witnessed two mythical Pokémon — Mew and Celebi — creatures most people would never see in their lifetime.

Now, she was about to embark on a journey alongside the trainer of those very Pokémon.

Sitting at the breakfast table, Platinum gracefully sipped hot milk while secretly glancing at Asahi's Pokémon.

Celebi, radiating a natural and soothing aura, was the Pokémon that had saved her. Its gentle demeanor and the fragrance of grass and wood were comforting.

Mew, on the other hand, was busy stuffing little cakes into its mouth... Apparently, even mythical Pokémon enjoyed human food.

The Eevee beside them wagged its fluffy tail. Platinum thought it looked irresistibly soft — it must feel wonderful to hug.

And finally, there was the dazzling shiny Gardevoir.

Platinum, who had always been the one envied by others, found herself jealous of Asahi's bond with his Pokémon.

At that moment—

"Piplup~!"

Piplup called out.

Platinum lowered her head and saw Piplup standing on tiptoes, struggling to hand her a small cake.

Seeing its effort, Platinum gently smiled and took the cake, patting Piplup on the head. "Thank you."

"Piplup!"

Piplup proudly puffed out its chest.

Across the table, Asahi chuckled at their interaction before lowering his head to check the messages from Green.

Although the Sinnoh branch of the International Police had been almost completely wiped out by Team Galactic, leaving only Looker alive...

Compared to the useless Kanto branch, the Sinnoh agents were surprisingly capable.

For example, they had left behind a vast amount of data on Team Galactic. Their base locations were just the basics.

The Sinnoh branch even had detailed records on the Pokémon and battle styles of Team Galactic's executives — and had even planted several spies within the organization.

Now that's what you call intelligence work.

Compared to them, Asahi's former colleagues might as well have been Galactic grunts themselves.

If only his former colleagues had even half the ability of Sinnoh's branch, Asahi wouldn't have had to ship them all back to headquarters to stare at water coolers.

Scanning through the data in front of him, Asahi quickly got a general grasp of Team Galactic's current situation, and a rough plan started taking shape in his mind.

[Gardevoir Best Girl]: Thanks for the hard work. I'll bring you a gift next time.

[Gary]: (^▽^)

He opened up the group chat again, checking whether Gary was still slacking off in the chat instead of training, and casually shot Cynthia a message to let her know he had arrived in Sinnoh.

Through the headquarters' internal channels, Asahi had also gotten Looker's contact information.

[Gardevoir Best Girl]: Hey hey hey, Looker, you there?

It seemed like the phone wasn't by his side. After a while, Asahi finally got a reply.

[Looker]: ? Who is this...

At that moment, far away in Veilstone City, Looker, who was preparing to infiltrate a Team Galactic base in disguise to rescue his captured colleagues, stared blankly at the secure phone issued by headquarters.

Looker was genuinely puzzled. With all of his colleagues in the local branch kidnapped by Team Galactic, who else, other than headquarters, could be contacting him through this line?

[Gardevoir Best Girl]: Kanto Branch, Asahi!

Looker was stunned for a second when he saw the message.

Asahi?

The same Asahi who broke the International Police's promotion speed record, who took down the infamous Team Rocket Boss Giovanni in Kanto, who destroyed both Team Magma and Team Aqua in Hoenn, and single-handedly forced two ancient Pokémon capable of destroying the entire region back into slumber?

Just as that thought flashed through Looker's mind, Asahi sent another message:

[Gardevoir Best Girl]: I'm in Sinnoh right now. Do you have time to meet? There are some things that headquarters' database isn't clear on — I'd like to ask you in person.

The moment he saw this message, Looker sprang to his feet.

This was backup!

With Asahi's help, there was a real chance to save his captured colleagues!

Thinking of that, even the well-trained Looker couldn't help but get excited.

[Looker]: Where should we meet?