Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 18: I Laugh at Giovanni's Folly

Asahi didn't linger in Viridian City. After resting for just one night, he left the city before dawn.

It wasn't because he disliked the city.

On the contrary, as a wielder of Viridian power, being in Viridian City brought him an unparalleled sense of peace.

However, the "master" of this city was far too dangerous.

"Time to leave…"

Slipping out of Viridian under the cover of darkness, Asahi traversed the Viridian Forest and reached Pewter City by morning. Only when he saw the rocky city nestled at the foot of Mt. Moon did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Still, better be cautious."

Wary of being tailed by Team Rocket again, Asahi entered a shopping mall. Under the guise of using the restroom, he randomly selected an ordinary-looking person, used his Mimic Mask, and transformed into their appearance.

He planned to use this new identity to shake off any potential Rocket spies.

There was no way Team Rocket could imagine he had the ability to disguise himself as someone else.

"I laugh at Giovanni's folly and the incompetence of his lackeys..."

Whistling, Asahi headed to a nearby store to buy a map of Mt. Moon.

Just as he was about to enter, a figure suddenly appeared from the side and grabbed his arm.

"You little rascal! Didn't you say you had an upset stomach? What are you doing wandering around here? If the captain finds out… Never mind that, we're almost late for the meeting. Come with me now!"

"???"

Asahi stared at the unfamiliar man in front of him, utterly confused. What was going on?

But it didn't take him long to realize—this person must be someone who knew the individual he was disguised as.

"Wait, I'm not—"

Asahi tried to explain, but the man interrupted him before he could finish.

"Not what? Let's go! You don't want to piss off the captain. You know how bad his temper is!"

The man grabbed Asahi and started dragging him away.

Asahi noticed the man's shirt button had popped open, revealing a red "R" logo underneath.

His eyes narrowed.

[Team Rocket? Did they discover me?]

The thought flashed through his mind, and his hand instinctively moved toward Gardevoir's Poké Ball at his waist.

But he stopped himself immediately.

[No, that doesn't make sense. My public identity is that of a researcher. Team Rocket might monitor me, but they don't have a reason to confront me directly. Besides, they know I'm strong—they wouldn't approach me like this if they were targeting me.]

[That leaves only one possibility: this guy genuinely mistook me for the person I'm disguised as. And that person… is actually a Team Rocket member!]

Hiss.

Realizing this, Asahi felt a chill down his spine.

What kind of luck was this? Of all the people to disguise as, he had picked someone from Team Rocket. Ridiculous.

Still, this might not be a bad thing.

[From what he said, Team Rocket seems to have some kind of operation planned today. Since they haven't realized who I am, I might as well play along and see if I can infiltrate them.]

With that thought, Asahi stopped struggling and allowed himself to be dragged along.

---

The Rocket grunt led Asahi to a warehouse on the outskirts of Pewter City.

Two guards dressed as miners stood at the entrance. When they saw the pair approaching, they tensed, their hands moving toward the Poké Balls at their waists.

But when they recognized the man dragging Asahi, they relaxed.

One of the guards sneered impatiently, "Daisuke, you're late! Everyone else is here already!"

"It's this guy's fault…" The man, Daisuke, pointed at Asahi. "He claimed he was sick and took leave, but I caught him wandering around like nothing happened."

The guard cut him off with a wave. "Enough excuses. Get inside before the captain loses it."

Hearing this, Daisuke heaved a sigh of relief. "Alright, drinks are on me after the mission!"

The guards didn't respond, simply gesturing for them to enter.

Keeping his expression neutral, Asahi followed Daisuke into the warehouse, speaking as little as possible.

Inside, the warehouse was about 100 square meters, with rows of Rocket members standing neatly in formation. At the front, a man who appeared to be the captain stood on a platform, addressing the group.

The captain's sharp eyes briefly glanced at Asahi and Daisuke as they entered. He frowned but quickly smoothed his expression.

"Fall in!"

Without asking why Asahi, who had supposedly been sick, was present, the captain simply ordered them to join the formation.

Asahi was more than happy to comply, following Daisuke to the back of the group.

Once everyone was assembled, the captain began.

"All personnel are accounted for. I'll now announce our mission!"

"According to intel from headquarters, there have been energy readings indicating the presence of Mew in Mt. Moon. Our objective is to locate and track Mew's whereabouts."

"The third squad has already begun searching the western side of Mt. Moon. We are the second squad and will focus on the eastern side."

"This operation involves 36 members, divided into three teams. Each team will be further divided into four groups of three. Every group must report to their team leader every ten minutes, and team leaders will report to me every half hour."

"Drive away any wild Pokémon you encounter. As for trainers... drive them away too. If they refuse to leave, eliminate them."

"This mission is critical to Team Rocket's grand plan. Failure is not an option! Understood?"

The captain's icy gaze swept over the group, silencing the room.

"Yes, sir!" the Rockets responded in unison, though many looked visibly intimidated.

Satisfied, the captain nodded.

"Good. Find your teammates. The operation begins in ten minutes!"

---

The warehouse buzzed with activity as the Rocket members hurriedly formed their groups.

Daisuke quickly approached Asahi. "Let's pair up, Hayato. We just need one more person—"

Before he could finish, the captain walked over, pointing at Asahi and Daisuke.

"You two, with me."

Without waiting for a response, the captain turned and headed for the door.

Daisuke's face turned pale, but he quickly nodded and followed.

Asahi, unfazed by the captain's intimidation, feigned hesitation before cautiously following behind.

Hidden in his sleeve, he had already prepared a message.

[Mt. Moon. Team Rocket. Big target. Come quickly!]