Chapter 155: Captured (-) On (-)
While Asahi and Green waited,
New Island
"Boss, the team sent to capture Professor Blaine has lost contact."
At Rocket Team's New Island base, Domino reported to Giovanni.
Giovanni stood with his back to her, staring at a massive screen. Through the security cameras, he watched the lab, particularly the chamber at its center—where Mewtwo floated in a tank of nutrient fluid.
Hearing Domino's report, Giovanni frowned and turned around.
He had sent a team after Professor Blaine as soon as the scientist defected.
However, since Blaine hadn't leaked any of Rocket Team's secrets to the League, Giovanni hadn't prioritized his capture.
The only instructions given were to retrieve any stolen research materials and bring him back alive.
But now that Blaine had attacked Rocket Team operatives, it meant he had fully turned his back on them.
This wasn't good news for Giovanni.
As one of Rocket Team's core scientists, Blaine knew too much.
After some thought, Giovanni asked, "Where is Sabrina?"
"This morning, she reported that she had tracked Articuno's whereabouts…" Domino replied.
"Tell her to abandon the Articuno mission for now. Capture Professor Blaine immediately—before he can leak any intel to the League," Giovanni ordered coldly.
At present, all of Rocket Team's higher-ups were preoccupied.
The Beasts were still recovering from Sird's injury, and the Four Generals were tied up in Johto dealing with the Masked Corps.
That left Sabrina as their only available elite operative.
Given her abilities, she should have no trouble handling Blaine.
Domino nodded in acknowledgment and then continued, holding the folder in her hands:
"Additionally, regarding Koga's situation… We've confirmed that his capture was related to Asahi."
"According to recent intelligence obtained by Domino from Silph Co., hotel records show that Asahi checked out of the Celadon City Silph Hotel shortly before the Celadon base was attacked. Around the same time, Lt. Surge was also captured."
"Considering that Asahi is highly trusted by Lance and has been appointed as a Gym Assessment Officer, the Intelligence Division believes he was likely a key player in Lt. Surge's capture as well."
"Asahi, huh? To think even I was fooled by him back then…" Giovanni sneered. "Ignore him for now. Once Mewtwo is complete, I'll have a 'special surprise' waiting for him at Viridian Gym."
He chuckled coldly as he stroked his Persian's head.
Then, turning back to his chair, he resumed watching Mewtwo float in its nutrient tank.
From the rhythmic rise and fall of its chest, he could feel the immense power brewing inside it.
And this… would be the beginning of Rocket Team's rule over the world!
—
Meanwhile, at a luxury hot spring hotel, Asahi and Green were enjoying a moment of calm before the upcoming battle.
Asahi lounged on the sofa, lazily eating a fruit salad levitated over by Gardevoir's Psychic while watching a new movie starring Kalos Champion Diantha and her Gardevoir.
Suddenly, his phone chimed with a message.
[Giovanni has discovered that the squad sent after Professor Blaine has lost contact.]
Asahi immediately sat up.
Ignoring Gardevoir's displeased look at him pausing the movie, he opened his chat app.
Gardevoir Best Girl: "What's the situation? Details."
Psychic Master: "Where are you? Let's talk in person."
Gardevoir Best Girl: "In person? I'm at the Silph Hot Spring Hotel on Cinnabar Island. Aren't you on Twin Islands?"
Psychic Master: "I just arrived on Cinnabar. Wait a moment…"
Moments after receiving the message, Gardevoir suddenly lifted its head.
The air beside them shimmered slightly—
Swish!
Sabrina and her Alakazam materialized in the center of the room.
Eevee, who had been intensely focused on a thousand-piece puzzle, was startled by their sudden appearance.
Even Asahi was a bit surprised. He looked at Sabrina, who was smoothing out her slightly tousled hair.
"It's been a while, Sabrina. Your teleportation is getting even faster…"
It had only been a matter of seconds since he sent his location, yet she had teleported right next to him.
At this speed, even Gardevoir wasn't much faster.
Sabrina smiled. "Thanks for the compliment. After you caught me last time, I worked hard on improving my Psychic skills. If we battled again, I wouldn't lose so easily."
"Did you catch Articuno?"
"…"
Her smile stiffened for a brief moment before she sighed. "No…"
"Oh? So you didn't catch it, huh? Damn, I thought you were so confident because you had succeeded," Asahi said, reclining back onto the couch.
Seeing his smug expression, Sabrina was annoyed. "Legendary Pokémon aren't that easy to catch…"
Before she could continue, Asahi casually pulled out a Pokéblock and waved it toward a certain spot in the room.
A pink, cat-like Pokémon quickly flew to Asahi's side, happily clutching the Pokéblock and nibbling on it in small bites.
"Mew~!"
At that moment, Asahi looked at Sabrina, puzzled. "What were you saying just now?"
Sabrina: "…"
Watching Mew roll around in Asahi's arms with a behavior she found strangely familiar, Sabrina felt both shocked and embarrassed.
She was shocked because—when had Asahi managed to tame Mew?
She was embarrassed because…
Mew's current actions reminded her of how she had acted after eating Asahi's specially made Pokéblocks back then.
Looking at Mew now, it felt as if the one rolling around in Asahi's arms wasn't Mew—but herself!
…
But Sabrina was someone who had seen her fair share of surprises. She quickly composed herself and looked at Asahi.
"So this is how you lured Mew in?"
Asahi was displeased. "Lured? What do you take me for?"
"Mew and I share a pure friendship. We met on Mt. Moon, way before I even met you."
"Mew!" Mew nodded in agreement.
Now Sabrina was truly surprised. Asahi had known Mew for that long?
No wonder she had lost to him so easily back then.
Asahi had no idea what Sabrina was thinking—if he did, he would've called her out for making excuses for her loss.
"Forget about that. You mentioned Giovanni discovered that the squad sent after Professor Blaine had gone missing. What's the situation?"
Hearing Asahi steer the conversation toward business, Sabrina put aside her wandering thoughts and answered, "It's just bad luck on your part. According to Rocket Team's internal protocol, squads deployed on missions must report back to headquarters every five days."
"The day they were supposed to report just happened to be the day they lost contact. When headquarters noticed their absence, Domino reported the situation to Giovanni."
"Since Professor Blaine is a high-value target, Giovanni reassigned me from tracking Articuno to capturing him and delivering him to New Island."
Rather than looking concerned, Asahi chuckled. "How is this bad luck? If anything, this is good luck for me."
Giovanni had sent Sabrina to capture Samuel—wasn't that the best possible outcome?
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Giovanni didn't give me a deadline, but if I delay for too long, he'll get suspicious. So what's your plan?"
Asahi took her question seriously. "How long can you stall?"
Sabrina thought for a moment. "Three days, at most."
She then explained, "I was already on Twin Islands, which is very close to Cinnabar. Tracking Professor Samuel would take no time at all with my Psychic abilities. Even factoring in the trip to New Island, three days is the absolute limit."
Giovanni was a cautious man. If she stalled any longer than that, he would definitely start suspecting something.
"Three days? That won't be necessary. Take him in tomorrow," Asahi said after calculating the timing.
Sabrina: "?"
She was stunned.
He wanted her to hand over Professor Blaine to Rocket Team right after he joined their division? Was Asahi actually a Rocket Team mole?
Seeing her reaction, Asahi immediately clarified, "It's not what you're thinking. I want you to pretend to hand Samuel over."
"In reality, you'll be infiltrating Rocket Team with him."
"Green and I will disguise ourselves as your subordinates and enter New Island with you, waiting for the right moment to sabotage the Mewtwo Project."
Originally, Asahi had planned to stay outside New Island, observing from a distance and letting Mewtwo and Rocket Team exhaust each other before swooping in.
That strategy was safer, but it meant he wouldn't have a clear grasp of the situation inside. If he acted too late and Giovanni managed to reach an agreement with Mewtwo, Asahi would be forced into a direct showdown against it.
But Giovanni, ever so thoughtful, had delivered the perfect opportunity right to his doorstep.
Why settle for a spectator seat when he could get a VIP experience?
Sabrina hesitated. "Are you sure this plan will work?"
Something about it felt… unreliable.
New Island's security was airtight. While smuggling Asahi and Green inside under the guise of prisoners was possible, it also meant they would be trapped in the heart of Rocket Team's territory.
If anything went wrong, they would be surrounded by the full force of Rocket Team's Sevii Island branch—and Giovanni himself.
Asahi grinned. "What do you mean, 'won't work'? Don't tell me you doubt my disguise skills?"
As he spoke, he ran a hand across his face—immediately morphing into Koga's likeness. Another swipe, and he transformed into Green.
Even when Sabrina used her Psychic powers to scan him closely, she couldn't detect any trace of a disguise.
"If you don't believe me, you can touch and see for yourself," Asahi teased.
Looking at Asahi's Green-like face, Sabrina, for some reason, didn't hesitate—she reached out and touched his cheek.
And at that exact moment—
The door suddenly swung open.
Carrying a shopping bag, Green beamed. "Asahi, look at what I boug—"
Then she froze.
She stared, wide-eyed, at the scene before her.
A version of herself wearing Asahi's clothes was lounging on the couch… while Sabrina was touching "her" face in an incredibly suggestive manner.
What had happened while she was gone?!
Asahi and Sabrina both stiffened. Since they were at a hotel, neither had been using Aura or Psychic abilities—so neither sensed Green approaching.
For a moment, the room fell into awkward silence.
Mew tilted its head, seemingly intrigued, while Gardevoir covered its face and turned away in embarrassment.
…
"…So that's what happened, Green. You absolutely shouldn't misunderstand."
Sitting by the heated table, Asahi carefully explained the entire situation to Green.
Sabrina, sitting beside him, nodded in agreement.
"So," Green summarized, "you were discussing Blaine, and Asahi suggested the infiltration plan. Then, to prove his disguise skills, he transformed—and Sabrina was just checking if there were any flaws. That's all?"
"Exactly! Green, you're a genius!" Asahi gave her a thumbs-up.
"But… why did you have to use my face?"
That was the part Green couldn't wrap her head around.
It was one thing for Asahi to turn into her, but why had Sabrina reached out to touch his face?!
She had been so excited to show Asahi her new clothes, only to open the door and be emotionally scarred for life.
Now, all she could think about was that scene, and it was driving her crazy.
"Ahem. That was just a coincidence… My bad. I apologize," Asahi said.
He had chosen a face at random and hadn't thought much of it.
Sabrina, though she didn't feel she had done anything wrong, also apologized after seeing Asahi do so.
But somehow, Asahi's apology only made Green more suspicious about what had really happened between them.
She felt a little… upset.
I was here first…
But with a major battle against Rocket Team looming, she pushed aside her complicated emotions.
"Let's drop this. About the infiltration—Bill has finished making the scent-masking spray I requested. We should use it before sneaking in."
She pulled out two cans of spray from her backpack.
Seeing Green brush off the earlier incident and instead focus on covering gaps in their plan, Asahi was genuinely touched.
She's amazing. I could cry.
"Then it's settled. Sabrina, prepare two identities for us. Green and I will disguise ourselves as your subordinates."
"Professor Blaine will pretend to be your captive, and we'll head for New Island tomorrow," Asahi finalized.
Green and Sabrina exchanged glances.
Green's eyes sparked with something, while Sabrina felt helpless—she and Asahi really weren't a thing!
**"
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