Chapter 327
Holding the Insect Plate in hand, a notification rang in Asahi's mind.
[You have successfully calmed the 'Forest King' Kleavor. Title Earned: 'Watched by the Gods (One of Many).']
Watched by… the Gods?
Asahi looked up at the sky.
He saw nothing, but… somehow, he felt it. As if something—or someone—was watching from another dimension.
The Plate in his hand suddenly grew hot—
Then came the reward options:
[1. Friend Voucher ×1]
[2. Azure Flute]
[3. Ancient Galactic Team Uniform]
"Mr. Asahi? Is something wrong with Kleavor?"
Lian asked, noticing Asahi had fallen into deep thought.
He snapped back to reality. "No, just remembered something."
He glanced at his phone. Its energy bar had surged by 50% after calming Kleavor. Only 20% left until full charge.
"I suddenly remembered I've got some things to do back home. I won't take up more of your time."
He had to capture two more Alpha Pokémon and then head back to Kanto to stabilize the situation.
Without further ado, he dragged Gary—who was still gawking at Kleavor—away from the battlefield.
Akari blinked. "Mr. Asahi… really is a strange man."
"Yeah... But as long as the Forest King's back to normal, it's fine!" Lian smiled and looked fondly at Kleavor.
...
Out of the three rewards, Asahi ultimately picked the first one.
The others were easy to obtain. The Azure Flute? That was with Adaman. And what use did the Origins Rocket Team have for a Galactic Team cosplay?
The Friend Voucher, however, required mileage points to earn—100 for one. Calming Scizor only gave him 50.
That was basically the equivalent of calming two Kings, or capturing ten Alpha Pokémon.
Naturally, Asahi wasn't going to use it right away. He planned to wait until he returned to Kanto to see who wanted to come to Hisui.
"At this rate, the whole Kanto branch is gonna move to Hisui…" he muttered.
---
Out on the Obsidian Fieldlands, Gary trailed behind Asahi, complaining: "Why'd we leave so fast? I wasn't done studying Kleavor… That gold glow—it's a power source, right? If I could figure it out, I'd totally steal the show at the World Championships!"
He had already begun fantasizing about stealing Ash's thunder on the world stage when Asahi unceremoniously dragged him away.
"I'm heading back to Kanto," Asahi said flatly. "If you wanna stay, be my guest."
Gary turned pale. "No way! Don't leave me here!"
The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in Hisui alone. Sure, the place had a primal kind of beauty—but no internet, no gourmet food, and worst of all, no Ash.
He'd be bored out of his mind.
"Alright then, let's catch a few more Alpha Pokémon first—"
Asahi pulled out the map that Akari had given him, marking out Alpha Pokémon locations in the Obsidian Fieldlands. He scanned for ones near Giantwood Arena.
Suddenly, a familiar name popped out at him.
"Hmm? Kricketune? Alright, it's decided. You're next!"
...
After leaving the Giantwood Arena, Asahi crossed a riverbank dam and entered the Forest Pantry, home to a peaceful community of Rowlet.
These small, round owls lived at the bottom of the food chain in the Fieldlands, often bullied by Starly and Bidoof.
It was a bleak existence.
Every night, the forest echoed with their sorrowful melodies.
But then, everything changed.
One day, after being chased from their watering hole by Bidoof again, a brave Rowlet stood its ground.
It stared the Bidoof down and said—No more!
That day, it evolved.
That day, the Bidoof fled in panic.
That day, the Forest Pantry rang with joyous Rowlet songs.
"And this… is why you don't want me to take Kricketune?" Asahi stared at the teary-eyed Rowlet blocking his path.
He only wanted to catch a Kricketune. He didn't expect to get hit with this level of emotional drama.
The Rowlet cried their hearts out, acting like losing Kricketune would end their world. It even made him feel a little guilty.
"Am I… the villain here?" Asahi muttered, scratching his chin.
Behind him, Gary nodded emphatically.
No doubt about it, man. You totally are.
"I didn't ask you," Asahi shot back.
Behind Asahi, Gary looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
He hadn't made a sound and was standing directly behind Asahi—yet Asahi still knew he was there?
Almost like he could read Gary's mind, Asahi turned his head slightly and said, "Gengar is my eyes."
From the shadows at Asahi's feet, Gengar let out a mischievous chuckle.
Asahi's gaze returned to the fallen Alpha Kricketune. "This Kricketune… I'm definitely catching it today."
At his words, the gathered Kricketots and Kricketunes looked visibly sorrowful. Their antennae gently touched each other, releasing a mournful hum that tugged at the heart.
"But…" Asahi suddenly changed his tone, pulling a box of Pokéblocks from his pocket. "I'll make sure you all get a new protector."
These Pokéblocks were infused with high-quality nutrients, perfect for promoting evolution in Pokémon. Asahi had scanned the group earlier—many were already on the cusp of evolving. They just needed a small push.
He wasn't some heartless villain. He wasn't about to plunge an entire Pokémon colony into chaos just for one capture.
Amid their hesitant glances, Asahi handed over the Pokéblocks.
Soon, brilliant evolutionary light lit up the forest.
Several Kricketunes emerged, now standing tall among the others.
The previously mournful melody turned joyful once again.
It became a farewell hymn for the Alpha Kricketune who had once saved them.
---
To Asahi, helping out the Kricketunes was just a small act. But to the Alpha Kricketune, it meant everything.
It let out a clear, musical chirp from the hollow in its chest, expressing its gratitude.
If this moment were translated into data, it would say: "Affinity instantly raised to 'Friendly' upon capture."
Even though it was the one being caught, it still had to say thank you.
With a smile, Asahi recalled Kricketune into its Poké Ball.
Gary scoffed, "You're way too yasashii. Can you be that nice to me sometime...?"
"Huh? I'm not nice to you?" Asahi blinked. "Other people don't get my personal one-on-one lessons, you know."
"..."
When you put it like that… that's way too nice.
"So, who's next on the list?"
According to Asahi, they just needed to catch one more Alpha Pokémon before they could return to Kanto… not that Gary really understood why.
Asahi already had a target in mind. His eyes locked onto a spot on the map.
"Our next target… is Snorlax."
"The Alpha Snorlax?!"
Over the past few weeks, Gary had learned quite a bit about the Hisui Region. He now knew that Alpha Pokémon were significantly larger than their regular counterparts.
A regular Snorlax was already enormous… so what kind of behemoth was an Alpha Snorlax?
And just how much would that thing eat every day?
"You already have a Salamence," Gary muttered. "If you add a Snorlax too, isn't the Kanto Division going to go bankrupt feeding them…?"
It sounded ridiculous, but Gary wasn't exactly joking either.
After all, most of their funds had gone into base renovations, and Asahi had been spending like a man on a mission.
"Oh, right. Forgot to tell you—after the Mount Coronet incident, HQ increased our budget by 30%."
"Then we're good!" Gary grinned. "With 30% more funding, we can feed three Snorlax, not just one!"
As they spoke, the two crossed a river and arrived at a wide plain beside Lake Verity.
"We're here," Asahi announced.
Gary looked up.
Far off in the distance, a hulking Snorlax lay sprawled on the ground, snoring peacefully.
A group of Pichu played and tumbled around it, clearly not disturbing its slumber in the slightest.
"Did you bring the Poké Flute?" Gary asked.
"Nope."
"Then how are we supposed to wake that up?"
Every Kanto native knew—when a Snorlax sleeps, nothing short of a Poké Flute can wake it.
"I don't have a Poké Flute," Asahi said confidently, "but I do have the almighty Pokéblock."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a small container. Inside, only a few of the handcrafted "secret recipe" Pokéblocks remained.
As soon as Asahi dumped one out, Snorlax's nose twitched.
He scraped a bit of the block into powder, then tossed it into the wind toward Snorlax.
Gary watched in stunned silence as the Snorlax's eyes snapped open.
Its gaze locked onto Asahi's Pokéblock like it was staring at a rare delicacy.
"See? Easy, right?"
"...'Easy', you say?" Gary muttered. "Now what? How do you plan to beat it?"
Snorlax was now staring intently at Asahi, almost drooling. Even as a Champion, Gary felt unsure facing something so massive.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Asahi grinned. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "You want food? Then become my Pokémon."
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