Chapter 156: My Hot Spring Is Pretty Big
Regardless of what happened earlier, the misunderstanding was more or less cleared up.
After finalizing their plan to head to New Island the next day, Asahi sent a message to Professor Blaine, explaining that he'd need him to make a small sacrifice.
He also contacted Lorelei, who hadn't arrived at Cinnabar Island yet, and asked her to wait outside the island's perimeter until their battle inside officially started.
Meanwhile, Sabrina, having recovered from her moment of fluster, observed Green's fiery gaze and glanced between her and Asahi.
She felt like she had just uncovered a secret.
Recalling everything Asahi had done to her, a mischievous thought crossed her mind—
"This might be my chance… to get back at him!"
At that moment, Asahi had just finished explaining his plan to Professor Blaine and turned to Sabrina.
"Sabrina, you should stay at the hotel for the night. I'll book another room for you."
Sabrina saw her opportunity and casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"No need to book another room.
You might not realize this, but Team Rocket has already traced your activities in Celadon City.
They've linked you to Lt. Surge's capture based on your hotel records.
If they find out you're staying here and notice inconsistencies, it could jeopardize the mission."
Asahi frowned. "Then… where will you stay?"
Sabrina's lips curved into a sly smile as she scanned the room.
"Hmm… This place looks pretty nice.
I think I'll just stay here for the night."
Her words instantly darkened Green's expression, while Asahi looked at her, completely stunned.
"Looks like I just found Asahi's weakness."
Sabrina thought to herself, feeling quite pleased.
But just as she was about to revel in her victory—
She noticed the playful smirk spreading across Asahi's face.
"Oh? So you think this place is nice too?"
"Looks like we have similar taste."
His words made Sabrina feel slightly uneasy.
And then—
"Oh, by the way—my private hot spring is pretty big.
Wanna check it out?"
"It's mixed bathing, you know~"
"…Hot spring…? Mixed bathing…?"
Sabrina's smug grin froze.
---
In the End, Sabrina Stayed.
Although she desperately wanted to leave, she couldn't.
She had already said it herself—if Giovanni found out that she and Asahi were in the same hotel but staying in different rooms, he might get suspicious.
And that could jeopardize their entire plan.
Before entering the hot spring, she gave Asahi a strict warning—
"When Green and I are inside, you are absolutely forbidden from entering."
Asahi sighed dramatically.
"Come on, you've already said that three times.
What, don't we have at least a little bit of trust between us as colleagues?"
"Heh…"
Sabrina's only response was a cold chuckle.
For someone who had hypnotized her Pokémon, not to mention created such a devious recipe for PokéBlocks, she felt that being cautious was more than justified.
Just to be safe, she left Alakazam outside to watch Asahi closely before stepping into the hot spring.
Asahi turned to Green, who seemed to have finally let go of her suspicions about him and Sabrina.
But… remembering how Asahi had transformed into her earlier, Green stuck out her tongue at him before walking into the hot spring as well.
That left Asahi alone, lying on Gardevoir's lap, sighing deeply.
"Where's the trust between people…?"
"Nai~"
Gardevoir rolled her eyes, placed both hands on Asahi's head, and released a gentle wave of psychic energy to help him relax. Then, she joined him in watching the movie they hadn't finished the night before.
…
Early the Next Morning
Asahi woke up in bed after dozing off on the couch while watching a movie with Gardevoir.
To his left, Eevee was drooling in its sleep, looking utterly silly.
To his right, Mew had curled up and, even in its sleep, had wrapped its tail around Asahi's arm.
Meanwhile, Gardevoir was sitting upright on the carpet nearby, deeply immersed in meditation.
Sensing Asahi waking up, Gardevoir opened her eyes.
"Did I wake you?" Asahi asked.
"Nai~" Gardevoir shook her head.
For Gardevoir, just a few hours of meditation were enough to keep her energized throughout the day.
At that moment, Mew also woke up, sleepily unwrapping its tail from Asahi's arm.
Asahi glanced at Gardevoir, then at Mew, and finally at the still-drooling Eevee.
He grabbed Eevee by the scruff and lifted it up. "Enough sleeping. We've got important things to do today."
"Bui~"
Eevee responded lazily, climbed onto Asahi's shoulder… and immediately dozed off again.
Instant shutdown.
Asahi shook Eevee a few times, but seeing that no amount of shaking would wake it, he gave up and walked out of the room.
…
In the Living Room
Asahi was the last to arrive.
Before him, Sabrina, Green, and Professor Blaine were already in the living room.
Professor Asahi, dressed as always in his round sunglasses, was stroking his beard while explaining the core research facilities of New Island to Green and Sabrina.
The moment he saw Asahi walk in, his hand trembled involuntarily.
Asahi noticed this keenly. "Hmm? Professor, why is your hand still shaking? Did Mew's treatment last time not work?"
Professor Blaine: "…"
Why do you think my hand is shaking?!
Ever since meeting Asahi, nothing good had happened to him.
If defecting from Team Rocket and joining the League had been his own choice…
Then getting tricked into the Kanto Division of Interpol had been entirely outside his expectations.
Asahi had coaxed him into joining the Kanto Division, where, despite being a researcher, he was forced to take on a combat role and participate in operations against Team Rocket.
Of course, he did need access to New Island's research to find a cure for the Mewtwo cells invading his body.
So, he had reluctantly accepted it.
But what came next was even worse.
Asahi had him—a frail old man—pretend to be a captive and infiltrate Team Rocket's stronghold. Was that even something a normal person would do?!
Seeing Professor Blaine's expression, Asahi could roughly guess his thoughts.
With a helpless shrug, Asahi said, "Professor, you can't blame me for this… Team Rocket found out that the squad sent to capture you was completely wiped out. So, they sent Sabrina after you. That's not my fault, right?"
"Besides, it's not just you. Green, Sabrina, and I are all infiltrating New Island together. Don't worry, it won't be dangerous." Asahi tried to reassure him.
But how could Professor Blaine possibly feel at ease? He knew all too well the kind of forces Team Rocket had stationed on New Island.
In contrast, Asahi seemed far less informed. Aside from capturing Koga and Lt. Surge, Asahi's capabilities were mostly demonstrated in a single previous battle.
With Mew on their side and the League launching an external assault, they might have a chance. But now, Asahi wanted to infiltrate New Island on his own initiative? That made him uneasy.
Seeing how unsettled Professor Blaine was, Asahi sighed and turned to Sabrina.
After hearing about Sabrina's past exploits, Professor Blaine finally felt a little reassured… but only just a little.
In preparation, Asahi, Green, Sabrina, and Professor Blaine went over potential challenges and unexpected situations they might face while infiltrating New Island.
They compiled an entire page of notes.
After reviewing the densely packed information, Asahi could only extract four words:
"Adapt to the situation."
…
New Island, Team Rocket's Stronghold
As one of Team Rocket's key bases, New Island was heavily fortified.
Even with Sabrina leading them, their yacht had to pass through four separate security checks before they were finally allowed to dock.
As they stepped onto the pier, a group of uniformed Team Rocket operatives, already lined up in formation, saluted Sabrina in unison.
Trailing behind her… was Professor Blaine, being "escorted" down the gangplank by two Rocket grunts in uniform?
Wait… Professor Blaine?!
The Team Rocket members on the dock were even more shocked.
Hadn't they only just received word yesterday that the squad sent to capture Professor Blaine had gone missing?
Yet in less than a day, Lady Sabrina had already captured him?
As expected of the sole surviving powerhouse among the Three Rocket Executives!
"Lady Sabrina!"
Sabrina gave a calm nod. "Where is the Boss?"
The Team Rocket member responded immediately, "Lady Sabrina, please follow me…"
With the enthusiastic guidance of the Team Rocket grunts, Sabrina led the way into the depths of New Island, followed closely by Asahi, Green, and Professor Blaine.
To be fair, Team Rocket's security on New Island was extremely tight.
As they moved from the dock toward the central structure—disguised as a small mountain—Asahi could sense dozens of hidden eyes watching them.
And that was just because he was pretending to be a lowly grunt with no Gym Leader-level value.
Professor Blaine, on the other hand, received far more attention.
If he weren't an experienced veteran, someone else in his position might already be drenched in sweat from sheer anxiety.
[Be cautious. We're about to meet Giovanni. I'll leave you outside the door first. Wait for my signal to enter.]
Sabrina's telepathic message rang in their minds.
Since no Pokémon could be released here—Mew included, which had to remain inside its Poké Ball to avoid detection—Asahi simply replied:
[Gardevoir Is the Best: Understood.]
Sabrina: […Can you not include your nickname? This is telepathy.]
Each extra word drained her mental energy and occupied her brain's capacity.
[Gardevoir FTW: Got it.]
Though he still kept a nickname, reducing it from seven characters to three was at least some improvement. Sabrina, though exasperated, chose to endure it.
As they made their way through layers of security checkpoints into the base, Asahi used his Aura abilities to sense numerous hidden Pokémon presences—clear evidence of Team Rocket's defensive measures.
But the most powerful presence of all…
Asahi glanced toward the center of the base. There, a terrifying energy was brewing.
The Poké Ball containing Mew trembled slightly, but Asahi immediately communicated through Aura.
[Not yet. The time isn't right.]
Calming Mew down, Asahi and Green arrived with Professor Blaine at the door of an office.
Waiting outside was Matori, Team Rocket's bespectacled secretary, who looked them over before saying, "The Boss is expecting you."
She cast a glance at Professor Blaine and his "escorts," Asahi and Green.
Asahi remained completely unfazed.
With his Mimic Mask, his disguise was flawless—unless someone deeply familiar with him was present, there was no way to see through it.
As for Green, though she lacked a Mimic Mask, her disguise skills, honed under the Masked Legion, far surpassed Asahi's. Fooling Matori was no issue.
Matori gave them one last glance before leading Sabrina into the office.
Left in the hallway were Asahi, Green, Professor Blaine, and two stationed guards.
Once Matori left, the guards visibly relaxed and curiously sized up Asahi and Green.
"Where are you two from? Never seen you on New Island before."
Asahi had anticipated this. "We're Lady Sabrina's subordinates. We've always been stationed in Saffron City with her, so it's natural you haven't seen us before."
One of the guards looked surprised. "Huh? So, the rumors that Lady Sabrina refuses to let Team Rocket interfere with her Gym aren't true?"
…