Chapter 126 - Silph's Atonement Bonds
"What do I want?" Asahi chuckled at President Silph's question.
"President Silph, don't make it sound like I'm some kind of villain… I'm a respectable League Trainer."
"Besides, that's a question I should be asking you."
"The League's investigation team suffered an incident inside your building."
"I'm curious—what exactly did they uncover that made you willing to take such a huge risk to erase their memories?"
His words shattered President Silph's last shred of denial.
Now, he had a bigger concern—had the League itself discovered the truth?
As if reading his mind, Asahi smiled.
"Are you wondering if the League knows?"
"You can rest easy on that. Right now, I'm the only one who knows. Otherwise, the person knocking on your door today wouldn't be me—it would be Lance and his League prosecutors."
Hearing this, President Silph let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If it was just Asahi who knew…
"President Silph, you're not thinking of something reckless, are you?"
"If you turn back now, I can promise you redemption."
"..."
Once again, having his thoughts laid bare, President Silph's face twitched.
If the office's anti-psychic interference system wasn't running, he might have suspected Asahi was reading his mind.
As for getting rid of Asahi…
The thought had crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
According to Sabrina, Asahi had already defeated Sird.
If even Sird was no match for him, there was no way he could do anything against Asahi.
So, President Silph opted for a more direct approach.
"What's your price to keep this secret?"
Since force wouldn't work, he'd resort to bribery.
Silph Co. had money—if throwing some cash could settle this, all the better.
"Bribing a League agent? That's an additional crime, you know…"
Asahi's eerie tone made President Silph's face stiffen.
Just as he was about to defend himself, Asahi suddenly shifted gears.
"I won't take your money—but there is another way."
President Silph felt like Asahi was going to give him a heart attack with all these sudden twists.
Forcing himself to stay composed, he asked, "What way?"
Asahi didn't answer directly but instead posed a question.
"President Silph, do you know which League department I represent?"
How would I know…?
President Silph made a random guess.
"The Inspection Bureau?"
After all, Gym assessments were somewhat related to regulatory oversight.
"My department… you should be very familiar with it."
Seeing President Silph's blank expression, Asahi smiled and flashed his teeth.
"Two months ago, when your company's Whiscash-class ship exploded, it nearly wiped out our entire division."
"Ah!"
At these words, President Silph could no longer maintain his composure.
"You're… International Police!?"
Now, he finally understood why Asahi had been able to uncover the truth so quickly.
It made sense—because he was with the International Police.
And it also terrified him.
Is he here for revenge?
After all, while Lt. Surge was the one responsible, Silph Co. wasn't exactly innocent in the matter either.
"No need to panic. I never said I was here for revenge."
Asahi's words reassured him slightly, but he wasn't fully convinced.
Their relationship was too precarious.
From what President Silph had gathered through his League connections, the Kanto Division had never fully recovered after its collapse.
If he were Asahi, he certainly wouldn't let Silph Co. off so easily.
Bracing himself for a hefty price, he awaited Asahi's conditions.
Asahi was pleased with his cooperation.
"I already said—I won't take bribes, and I meant it."
"However, Silph Co. colluded with Team Rocket and must atone for its actions."
"You're aware that rebuilding the Kanto Division requires not only effort but funding."
"So…"
Asahi's plan was simple—Silph Co. needed to buy atonement bonds.
After all, they had caused such a mess; shouldn't they contribute some money to support the cause of justice and cleanse their sins?
And who best represented justice?
President Silph, a seasoned businessman, quickly grasped Asahi's intent.
"Silph Co. is willing to donate one billion annually to support the Kanto Division's reconstruction," he said.
Seeing that Asahi's expression remained unchanged, he gritted his teeth and added, "Every year."
Whoa.
Asahi raised an eyebrow.
He had barely even negotiated yet, and President Silph had already thrown down such a massive sum.
One billion per year…
That was double the signing fee Steven had given him.
Even for a giant like Silph Co., this would be a noticeable expense.
But President Silph showed no signs of backing down.
Because to him, this money wasn't just hush money—it was also a way to repair Silph Co.'s relationship with the International Police.
After all, the Kanto Division's collapse had happened aboard their ship.
As for Asahi's other minor requests, President Silph agreed to all of them without hesitation.
"I heard Silph Co. manufactures Master Balls…"
"We never got the chance to thank you properly for saving us from Team Rocket. My secretary will take you to pick some up."
"By the way, our Kanto Division is lacking some research equipment…"
"If Silph Co. sells it, you can take whatever you need!"
"I also heard Silph Co. had dealings with Team Rocket. Don't misunderstand—I'm not investigating you. I just need you to keep those business ties open temporarily and pass all intel on Team Rocket to us."
"…Fine."
President Silph had no objections.
Team Rocket had threatened him before—he didn't owe them any favors.
Would this offend Team Rocket?
Maybe.
But could it really be worse than having Sird personally threaten him?
Even Asahi had to admit—Silph's generosity exceeded his expectations.
In just a few short exchanges, they had struck a deal.
Silph would fund Asahi's "justice" efforts, and Asahi would tactfully not investigate what the League's investigators had uncovered.
Because who knew what other skeletons might be lurking in Silph Co.'s closet?
As for how Silph Co. would handle the League, that was their problem.
…
Asahi left Silph Co. loaded.
Three Master Balls—one for baby Lugia, one for Mewtwo, one as a backup.
Silph's donations and equipment made the already well-funded Kanto Division even richer.
In fact, Asahi now felt he should start hiring more people—otherwise, wouldn't all that money go to waste?
And with the smuggling intel from Silph Co., Asahi could now track Team Rocket's movements more easily.
"Lance and the League really struck gold by making me the acting chief. In just a few months, I've turned the Kanto Division around. Compared to my predecessor, I'm on a whole different level," Asahi said, lounging on the sofa while playing with a Master Ball.
Hearing Asahi boast, Green had nothing to say. She could only nod in agreement.
As they chatted, Asahi's phone suddenly buzzed with a message.
In the Team Rocket Special Task Force group chat:
[Young Master Gary: Just challenged the Saffron Gym. Sabrina is terrifying. [Fear] @Psychic User, your advice was useful, but she doesn't play by the rules! If I hadn't dodged in time, I might've been turned into a doll! [Sad] ]
So, Gary had just challenged the Saffron Gym and got beaten by Sabrina?
[Gardevoir is the Best: Did you get the badge?]
[Young Master Gary: Forget the badge! [Heartbreak] I barely avoided getting turned into a doll. I seriously suspect Sabrina has ties to Team Rocket. Should we investigate her? @Gardevoir is the Best]
[Psychic User: …[Smile]]
[Young Master Gary: Senior, you're finally here! Your advice worked great, but do you have a way to counter Sabrina's "turning people into dolls" move? I need revenge! [Grit Teeth]]
[Psychic User: [Confused]… Turning people into dolls? Psychic powers can do that? You sure you didn't fall for an illusion?]
[Young Master Gary: An illusion…? So that's it! [Enlightened]]
[Psychic User: Exactly. It was probably just an illusion. I've never heard of psychic powers that can actually turn people into dolls. I'll teach you how to break illusions—next time, don't dodge, just do this…]
Watching the conversation, Green turned to Asahi, her eyes saying it all.
You're just going to sit back and watch Gary get played by Sabrina?
If he actually followed her instructions, he'd really end up as a doll.
"Don't worry too much, Sabrina knows her limits," Asahi said.
Before long, Sabrina would be heading to the Seafoam Islands, so Gary's suffering wouldn't last too long.
"Besides, Sabrina is the official Gym Leader of Saffron Gym. As a Gym Examiner, I can't just step in and tell her to go easy on Gary."
"Taking a loss is a blessing in disguise. Battling Sabrina at full strength will be a huge boost to Gary's skills—it's for his own good."
Of course, Asahi would never admit that he just wanted to watch the show.
Green knew Asahi all too well. The slight smirk at the corner of his lips gave away exactly what he was thinking.
She silently mourned for Gary's unfortunate choice of friends before asking, "Where are we heading next?"
Their business in Saffron City was more or less wrapped up, but Green had no idea what Asahi's next move would be.
Fuchsia City's Gym? Or Cinnabar Island's Gym?
Asahi had mentioned before that Koga from the Fuchsia Gym was part of Team Rocket, while Cinnabar Island was too far from Saffron. So logically, their next stop should be Celadon City to evaluate Erika first, right?
Green tried to piece together his plan.
However, Asahi didn't follow her expectations.
"We're making a quick stop in Lavender Town. Lance mentioned that Elite Four Agatha is currently there, and since Lavender Town isn't far from Saffron, we might as well pay our respects at the docks," Asahi said.
Green, already used to Asahi's odd choice of words, thought for a moment. "Lavender Town... that place has a lot of Ghost-type Pokémon, doesn't it?"
"That's right. Are you afraid of ghosts?" Asahi asked curiously.
He remembered that Green was afraid of birds, but ghosts? That was new.
"Of course not," Green replied, unfazed. "I just read a lot of ghost stories about Lavender Town on the forums, so I'm curious."
The Pokémon world was full of urban legends, with Ghost-type Pokémon being at the center of many. Reading enough of them was bound to spark some curiosity.
"Ghost stories? They're all fake. Just Ghost Pokémon playing pranks," Asahi scoffed at the so-called paranormal tales circulating online.
Legends?
Could they be more legendary than his little Lugia?
Still, since Green was interested, he didn't mind taking a look. Plus, he was hoping to catch a Gengar in Lavender Town.
He had always wanted a chubby, purple ghost, but never had the chance.
Now that he was visiting Agatha, he might as well ask her where to find a high-quality Gengar.
Asahi glanced down at the Eevee in his arms, which had curled up tightly upon hearing the word "ghost." He sighed.
"I mean, you're a Normal-type Pokémon. What's there to be afraid of?"
Back in Vermilion City, Asahi had already noticed this issue.
"Eevee!"
Eevee let out a few squeaky protests.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're not scared, you just don't like their pranks," Asahi relented. "But if that's the case, maybe don't shake so much when you say it…"
"Eevee…"
Blushing, Eevee buried its head in the fluffy fur of its own neck and refused to speak.
Shaking his head helplessly, Asahi became even more determined to catch a Gengar to help Eevee overcome its fear.
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