Chapter 328 – Asahi and His Pokémon Friends, A Temporary Farewell to Hisui
As a seasoned Salamence trainer, Asahi had developed a foolproof method to deal with food-motivated Pokémon.
To put it simply…
Lure them with food, move them with food, educate them with food, threaten them with food.
The Alpha Snorlax before him was already utterly captivated by his secret-recipe Pokéblock. Asahi casually tossed it into the air.
To Gary's utter shock, the colossal Snorlax leapt into the air with shocking agility, snatching the Pokéblock mid-air.
Boom.
Snorlax landed with a tremor that made the entire plain shake.
Yet it didn't care. It began to chew slowly.
Gulp.
Gary could hear the swallowing sound loud and clear.
He wasn't even sure if Snorlax tasted anything with such a tiny block… but judging from its blissful expression, Asahi's Pokéblock had clearly worked.
"Snorrrr~"
Snorlax looked at Asahi, curiosity gleaming in its eyes—curious about the human who held such delicious food.
Asahi released a subtle pulse of Verdant Aura, then raised a hand holding a Heavy Ball.
"Be my Pokémon. Food and lodging—guaranteed."
It was an offer no Snorlax could refuse, not even an Alpha.
Wild Snorlax often lived in unpredictable conditions, sometimes even going hungry. Many would wander into villages looking for food, earning them the nickname Natural Disaster in Hisui.
So when this Alpha Snorlax heard Asahi's offer, it pressed a paw onto the Heavy Ball without hesitation.
Whoosh.
A flash of red light, and Snorlax was caught.
"...That's it?" Gary gaped. "Why was that easier than catching Kricketune?"
Asahi beamed. "That's the power of food!"
He summoned Snorlax from its ball and handed it some of Salamence's rations.
Watching Snorlax devour the food happily, Asahi chuckled. "When we get back to Kanto, I might toss out the couch and use Snorlax instead."
Gary fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he scanned the area and spotted a curious little Pichu nearby.
He copied Asahi's pose—Pokéblock in one hand, Poké Ball in the other. "Be my Pokémon!"
He looked like a shady man offering candy to a kid.
Pichu eyed him suspiciously, then took a hesitant step forward… just when Gary thought he'd succeeded—
Pichu's face lit up with mischief.
Zap.
A burst of electricity lit up the field.
By the time Asahi turned around, Gary was twitching on the ground, and the Pichus had stolen all his Pokéblocks and scattered.
"You got mugged by a bunch of Pichu? Weak," Asahi teased.
"I… I…"
Gary's paralyzed body couldn't form a coherent sentence. Asahi just shook his head.
"With a body like that, you need more training."
"When we get back, I'm adding two more sets of physical training to your regimen. A real Trainer can't neglect their own fitness!"
Gary wanted to argue—This isn't about fitness, I got shocked!—but with paralysis locking his body, all he could do was let a single tear roll down his cheek.
...
With Snorlax caught, the app finally hit 100% charge. The golden icon lit up once again.
Technically, they could return now, but since Asahi didn't know when he'd be back in Hisui, there were a few things to take care of first.
He left instructions for the members of Rocket Team Origins. Since he'd already taught them how to make Pokéblocks, all that was left was their "initiation fee"—a thousand Pokéblocks each before his next visit.
Akari mumbled that this was the kind of thing that'd get someone hung from a streetlamp, but Asahi disagreed.
Wasn't it reasonable to charge a little extra for the honor of being a founding Rocket member?
Next, he left a message for Volo at the Ginkgo Guild, saying he'd received a divine calling from the Sinnoh Guardian and was heading out for research. Told him to keep working and they'd talk when he returned.
As for the Galaxy Team—no loose ends there. They were just business partners. He left a note that any new orders could go through the Rocket recruits.
Lastly… Akari.
"You're leaving, Mr. Asahi?" Akari looked genuinely downcast.
Asahi smiled gently. "It's just a short trip. I'll be back before you know it."
Relieved, Akari let out a breath. "That's good. I was worried I wouldn't get to finish my report…"
"Report? What report?" Asahi blinked.
Akari pulled a notebook from her bag, a little embarrassed, and handed it to him—
Asahi took the notebook and opened it.
Gary and Zinnia leaned over to take a look. The first page of the notebook had a bold title written in large, unmistakable handwriting:
"Investigation Report: The Origin of Team Rocket—Boss Asahi and His Pokémon Friends"
Pfft!
Though he tried to hold it in, Gary couldn't stop himself from bursting into laughter.
Asahi: "..."
Great title. Never write one again.
Even after Asahi saw Akari off at the door, Gary was still laughing like an idiot.
"Quit it, you're going to make Asahi explode..." Zinnia whispered. "Unless you want him to leave you behind in Hisui."
As she spoke, she snuck a glance at Asahi's face.
"Sorry... I wasn't laughing at you, Asahi. I just suddenly thought of something funny..." Gary instantly corrected himself. "Please, please don't leave me alone in Hisui!"
...
In the end, Asahi was soft-hearted and didn't really leave Gary behind in Hisui to rebuild and expand Team Rocket...
A dizzying flash of light and space twisted around him, and by the time color returned to the world around him, Asahi felt his body sink—as he plummeted from midair.
"Did I land on something?"
Instinctively, Asahi looked down—and saw Sabrina staring up at him with a look that was equal parts surprise and embarrassment, an Eevee cradled in her arms.
"You..."
Sabrina had just opened her mouth when Asahi cut in:
"Tch, lucky you."
Then he stood up from her lap with a face full of loss, like he was the one taken advantage of.
Not really his fault—his point of return from the time travel happened to be right on the couch. Who could've guessed Sabrina would be sitting there at that exact moment?
Guess he'd just have to take that small L.
Sabrina: "..."
It wasn't her first time dealing with Asahi, but somehow he still found new ways to shatter her perception of shame.
She stared at him, trying to awaken whatever shred of conscience he might have left.
But Asahi, acting like absolutely nothing had happened, scooped up the excited Eevee from her arms. "Long time no see—did you miss me?"
"Eevee~!"
The little fox Pokémon happily nuzzled against him, tail wagging like crazy.
Seeing Asahi completely ignore her death glare, Sabrina finally gave up. This man was beyond saving.
"Where's Zinnia? She didn't come with you?"
Back when they disappeared, Zinnia had gone with him...
Just then, a hand popped up from behind the couch, followed by a tired voice and some rustling.
"I'm here…"
Apparently, during the time jump, she'd been trying to cling onto Asahi again—but he hadn't given her the chance this time.
Seeing her appear from behind the couch, Asahi was a little surprised. Could it be... wherever you were before the time jump is where you return?
He was on the couch when he first went to Hisui, and returned on the couch. Zinnia was behind the couch before, and now returned from behind it.
If that's how it works... then Gary must've…
Lumpulchi Resort
Gary, who had materialized directly onto a beach chair, found himself face-to-face—no, face-to-lips—with a sunbathing Jynx.
Jynx: "?"
Gary: "!?"
Their eyes met. Silence.
And then—Pokémon or not—Jynx was the first to react. Her eyes lit up and she lunged toward Gary with puckered lips.
Caught off guard, Gary didn't dodge in time…
The next second, the entire beach echoed with a scream so tragic it could move the heavens to tears.
...
By the time Gary staggered back to the estate, it was already evening.
"Gary, what happened to your face?"
Yellow had just finished her lessons for the day. Seeing Gary's face half-covered in gauze, she tilted her head in curiosity.
"N-Nothing. I tripped…" Gary stammered, looking away.
If Asahi were here, he would've immediately seen through the lie. But Yellow lacked that level of insight—or maybe she just didn't think that far.
"Oh..." Yellow nodded. "Then want me to heal you? I'm really good at it now!"
She held out a hand cloaked in the gentle glow of the Viridian Force.
"Uhh…" Gary hesitated.
He knew how effective the Viridian Force was. Watching Asahi use it daily had taught him plenty.
But there was... a certain level of social death involved in this.
After struggling for a while, he finally began peeling away the bandages.
Yellow stared at the massive, very non-human lipstick mark on Gary's face.
She felt like she'd just been exposed to a whole new world... one she definitely wasn't old enough for.