Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 85 – Reporting Team Rocket & Meeting Bill

Asahi: "???"

Back at the Celadon Game Corner, Green had called him her boyfriend.

Now, she suddenly upgraded it to husband?!

That's some serious speedrun.

Still, Asahi decided to play along, feigning shock as he crouched down and pinched Meowth's other cheek.

"You're right! It really does talk!"

"Grr—let go! Let go, nya!"

Meowth struggled free, glaring at them with suspicion and wariness.

Even when it worked for Giovanni, it had never been treated like this!

"But aren't talking Meowth extremely rare?" Green asked innocently.

"They sure are," Asahi agreed.

Jessie and James exchanged glances. Normally, people grabbed the tickets and left immediately.

Who actually cared about Meowth?

Sensing the awkwardness, James quickly tried to steer the conversation back.

"L-Look, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You wouldn't want to miss a free cruise on the S.S. Anne, would you?"

To reinforce his point, he pulled out two actual tickets as proof.

But Green still looked skeptical. "Do shipping companies really give out free tickets like this?"

Asahi added, "If you really work for a shipping company, then what's its name?"

"You're asking too many questions!" Jessie snapped, losing patience.

But James held her back and quickly answered, "We're with Fuchsia Shipping Company! It's a major business in Fuchsia City—we wouldn't lie about this!"

"…Alright, I guess."

Pretending to reluctantly accept, Asahi took the two tickets and walked away with Green.

As they left, James sighed in relief, while Jessie grumbled, "Why'd you stop me? That guy was so annoying…"

James simply reminded her, "We still need to hand out a hundred of these. We've barely given away half."

Meowth, still rubbing its sore face, sighed.

And with that, Team Rocket's scam continued.

---

"Aren't we walking right into a trap?" Green asked.

Even a child could see that scam for what it was. Who actually fell for these tricks?

Asahi grinned.

"Oh, I know it's a trap. But more importantly, I just got some useful intel from them."

He waved the tickets.

"…What intel?"

Instead of answering, Asahi dialed a number and called Lance.

"Hey, Lance?"

"Yeah, it's me—Asahi. Vacation's over."

"You heard from Professor Oak about Lugia? …Yeah, I got lucky. I happen to be pretty good at healing."

"As for your request, I'm on it. I'll start with Cerulean Gym, don't worry—I won't go too hard on them."

"Oh, and one more thing—I found people giving away free tickets to the S.S. Anne at Vermilion Harbor. I think they're connected to Team Rocket."

"Evidence? No hard proof—just a gut feeling. But I'd suggest sending someone to search the ship. If there's anything suspicious, maybe check out Fuchsia Shipping Company too."

"Alright, that's all. Later."

Hanging up, Asahi turned to Green, who looked stunned.

"How did you know they were Team Rocket?"

Asahi smirked.

"Just instinct. I do have a reputation as the 'Rocket Slayer.'"

"…"

Green didn't fully believe that, but chose not to press further.

---

Meanwhile, Team Rocket was still enthusiastically handing out tickets, completely unaware that their scam had already been reported to the League.

At that moment, Asahi and Green arrived at Bill's Lighthouse.

Standing atop a cliff overlooking the sea, the lighthouse had its upper half completely destroyed.

Down below, Bill was directing Machoke and Machamp, moving his research equipment into a truck.

Seeing Asahi and Green approach, Bill looked confused.

"You two are…?"

Asahi introduced himself.

"Name's Asahi. This is Green. Professor Sakuragi should've mentioned us."

Bill's eyes lit up in recognition.

"That's right, Professor Sakuragi mentioned you two would be coming to see me… but I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. I'm still in the middle of packing."

Bill looked a bit embarrassed.

It was clear he wasn't in any position to properly host Asahi and Green at the moment.

But Asahi didn't mind.

"No problem… actually, let us help."

As he spoke, he released Gardevoir.

"Huh…? A Hoenn-region Gardevoir?" Bill was surprised.

Clearly, Professor Sakuragi hadn't shared much information about Asahi.

Asahi simply smiled and mentally communicated with Gardevoir.

The next moment, Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue, and in an instant, all the delicate research equipment that the Machamp and Machoke had been awkwardly carrying was effortlessly lifted into the air with psychic power.

Smoothly, gently, and efficiently, everything floated onto the truck without the slightest impact.

With Gardevoir's assistance, what would have taken half a day was finished in under thirty minutes.