Chapter 176: News About Silver
Asahi waited at the estate for two full days before Gary finally returned.
But the state Gary was in…
"What happened to you?" Asahi asked, watching Gary limp toward him. "It was just a Gym challenge — it couldn't have been that bad, right?"
Hearing Asahi's words, Gary looked like he was on the verge of tears.
He didn't know why things had gone so wrong either.
All he did was casually mention during his challenge against Agatha that he'd soon be acting as the temporary Gym Leader for Viridian City — and suddenly, Agatha ramped up the difficulty to an absurd level.
"…"
After hearing Gary's explanation, Asahi was speechless.
Hadn't he already warned Gary about the complicated, tangled history between Agatha and his grandfather?
If he had just kept his head down and said he was a regular rookie trainer, Agatha might've gone easy on him.
But no — Gary just had to bring up his upcoming Gym Leader position. Naturally, Agatha saw it as a chance to test his strength — to make sure he wouldn't disgrace Professor Oak's reputation.
"At least you got the Badge, right?" Asahi asked.
Despite his limp, Gary straightened up proudly. "Of course I did."
"Looks like you've really improved," Asahi said, raising an eyebrow. "Alright then — let's not waste time. We're heading to Viridian City."
"Right now?" Gary blinked in surprise.
Wasn't this a bit too fast? He still wanted to stop by a barbershop to fix his handsome hairstyle.
"Of course! The trainers in Viridian City are already getting impatient," Asahi said to Gary with a smile.
Seeing Asahi's smile, Gary suddenly had a bad feeling.
Before he could say anything, Asahi released his Salamence.
"Green, check the route instead of me! I will be back, soon."
With that, Asahi grabbed Gary and flew off towards Viridian City on Salamence.
—
Viridian Gym
Outside the gym—once a formidable barrier stopping countless rookie trainers from entering the Indigo League—now gathered a large crowd of aspiring challengers.
"Excuse me, why are you all gathered here?" Asahi pulled aside a trainer and asked.
"You don't know?" The trainer looked confused, then explained, "Didn't the previous Viridian Gym Leader get dismissed? I heard the League recently appointed a temporary gym trainer, so everyone's here to try their luck."
"Look, these are all trainers who lost to Giovanni before."
Following the enthusiastic trainer's pointing finger, Asahi saw at least a hundred trainers lining up outside the gym, all eager to face what they thought would be an easy target.
Beside him, he clearly heard Gary gulp.
"Asahi... is it too late for me to back out now?"
Gary was stunned.
He thought being a temporary gym trainer would be an easy and prestigious job.
Who could've guessed so many challengers would show up?
Asahi, however, remained calm. "What are you scared of? They're just here to bully what they think is a weakling. All you have to do is prove you're not the weakling."
"Have some confidence! You're Professor Oak's grandson, and even Elite Four Agatha acknowledged you."
"Lance is already waiting for us inside."
With that, Asahi dragged Gary along. Under the astonished gaze of the trainer he had just spoken to, they nodded at the League staff at the gym entrance and walked right in without any hindrance.
"Was that the new Viridian Gym trainer just now?" the trainer muttered, feeling like he was dreaming.
Realizing what had just happened, he quickly rejoined the line, hoping that maybe the trainer he'd just spoken to would go easy on him later.
—
When Asahi and Gary entered Viridian Gym, they found Lance sitting in a chair, reviewing a document.
"Lance!" Asahi waved in greeting.
Seeing Asahi, Lance set the document aside. "You finally made it."
"What's up?"
Asahi casually flopped onto a couch, grabbing the teapot from the table and pouring himself a cup of tea.
"The trainers outside are all waiting to challenge the gym. Honestly, I feel the pressure too," Lance said, then turned to Gary. "You must be Gary, right? Elite Four Agatha has already told me about you—you passed her test. Impressive."
Hearing Lance's praise, Gary immediately forgot all about his earlier anxiety. "It wasn't that big of a deal."
Lance chuckled at Gary's reaction before his expression turned serious. "Then, on behalf of the Kanto League, I officially appoint you as the temporary gym trainer of Viridian Gym."
With that, he handed Gary a letter of appointment.
Along with it, he gave Gary a box containing the Viridian Gym Badges.
Now that the gym trainer issue was settled, Lance sighed in relief. He then turned to Asahi. "By the way, I have news about what you asked me to look into."
Asahi raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"
There were quite a few things he'd asked Lance to investigate—like information about Green's parents, the whereabouts of Togepi, and the latest news on Silver.
"It's about that boy named 'Silver,'" Lance said. "My men spotted him in Johto near Azalea Town. However, he was extremely cautious—he injured my men and fled."
Asahi wasn't surprised.
When he first met Green, she had been just as wary. If he hadn't been a step ahead, she would've escaped too.
"Where exactly was he seen?" Asahi asked.
"Near Azalea Town," Lance replied.
"Please have your people keep an eye on him. I'll head there myself in the next couple of days," Asahi said.
"No problem," Lance agreed—it was a small matter for him.
But he did warn, "Johto's situation has been getting more chaotic lately. Team Rocket and the Masked Man's group seem to be clashing more frequently."
"I know. Most of my colleagues in Johto have already been injured. Our headquarters has ordered me to handle the situation there," Asahi sighed.
That was Pryce they were talking about…
Even with Mewtwo by his side, Asahi couldn't be certain he could take Pryce down.
He could only hope Giovanni would step up and give Pryce a nasty surprise.
Lance didn't know what Asahi was thinking—he just knew that everyone was struggling.
In Hoenn, Steven was overwhelmed by Team Magma and Team Aqua.
In Sinnoh, Team Galactic was reportedly working with Pokémon Hunters to capture legendary Pokémon, further escalating the tension.
"Just be careful," Lance said before leaving—he had to prepare for the upcoming Indigo League Conference.
Now, only Asahi and Gary remained in Viridian Gym.
Asahi patted Gary on the shoulder. "Good luck, Viridian Gym Leader. I have high hopes for you!"
Then, before Gary could protest, Asahi left as well.
He needed to return to Saffron City to pick up Green and head to Johto to find Silver.
Gary was left standing there, stunned.
A staff member approached. "Gym Leader, should we open the doors now? The trainers outside are getting restless."
Gary: "..."
—