Chapter 329: The Iono and the World Championship Favorites
After getting healed by Yellow, Gary walked into the living room—only to be greeted by the sight of Asahi reclining like an absolute king.
One arm around Gardevoir. The other holding Mew. An Eevee nestled in his lap.
He looked like life itself was blessing him.
Comparing that to his own traumatic encounter with Jynx, Gary suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness.
"Huh? You're back? What's with that face?" Asahi looked over, curious. "Something happen? Tell me—I could use a laugh."
"Hmph! Sorry to disappoint you. I was at the Lumpulchi Resort, and two gorgeous girls in bikinis fell head over heels for me. I'm still deciding which one to date first," Gary said proudly.
"Oh...? Is that so?"
"Of course! I—I have no reason to lie!" Gary puffed out his chest.
Asahi shook his head. "It's one thing to lie to me. But don't lie to yourself, man."
He didn't even need to know the full story. Gary still hadn't broken that habit of panicking whenever he lied.
"I'm not lying!" Gary's face turned red.
"Relax, relax. No need to shout…"
Just then, Green walked in and saw the two of them bickering again. Not surprising.
She handed a file to Asahi. "While you were gone, Team Rocket hasn't made a single move. Neither in Johto nor in Kanto."
Asahi skimmed through the report.
It was intelligence collected by the League—Team Rocket's activity in Kanto had dropped significantly over the past week. Even lower than after they got wrecked in Azalea Town.
"Could it be that everything I did in Hisui affected the present... and made Team Rocket turn over a new leaf?" Asahi stroked his chin thoughtfully.
But he quickly shook his head.
If he really had that kind of influence, Team Rocket wouldn't still be classified as a criminal syndicate.
In Asahi's opinion, their current silence could only mean one thing: they were scheming something bigger.
By this time, Giovanni should've already created Deoxys. With two of them, and this level of patience? He had to be up to something major.
Was it the Kalos Ultimate Weapon? The Unova Dragons? The Ultra Beasts of Alola? Eternatus in Galar? Or the Paradox Pokémon in Paldea?
Asahi mentally reviewed all the possible targets Giovanni might aim for.
This world was way too big. If Giovanni really wanted to hide, finding him wouldn't be easy.
Of course, if he used Dialga to time-travel back, he could just off Giovanni while he was still a Bug Catcher.
But one, Asahi wasn't the kind of guy to bully kids.
And two, the reason he dared mess around in Hisui was because that was Arceus' turf. If something went wrong, the Llama God had his back.
Mess up in the present and cause a timeline paradox? That'd be a real mess.
Pushing thoughts of Team Rocket aside, Asahi asked, "So, have they confirmed where the World Championship opening ceremony will be held?"
One of the main reasons he'd rushed back was so he wouldn't miss it.
If he did, he'd have to wait for the next one.
Green didn't look surprised. "I was just about to tell you. Remember Scott from Hoenn? The guy who invited us to the Battle Frontier's opening?"
"Of course. Why?"
That man's fashion sense was burned into his memory.
"Well, in order to promote the Battle Frontier, he became a sponsor of this year's World Championship. Both the opening ceremony and the finals will be held there!" Green dropped a bombshell.
"In the Battle Frontier, huh…" Asahi rubbed his chin. "That's kind of unfair to trainers from Galar and Paldea."
Galar relied on Dynamax. Paldea had Terastallization. Both were region-locked mechanics that didn't travel well.
Unlike Mega Evolution or Z-Moves, which were far more portable.
If the finals were in the Battle Frontier, Galar and Paldea trainers would be massively nerfed.
Sure, they could fall back on Mega Evolution and Z-Moves—but those weren't their bread and butter.
Asahi could already imagine the clickbait headlines once the media got wind of it.
"Leon Nerfed! The Reigning Champion Falls from Grace!"
"So without Dynamax, who's the favorite now?" Asahi asked.
He admitted Leon was strong. But others were no slouches either.
"Statistically speaking, Cynthia and Steven are top contenders." Green pulled up a chart that was going viral online.
Cynthia and Steven were way ahead. Leon and Diantha followed closely behind. Then came Paldea's top Champion Geeta, and the next-in-line Hoenn Champion, Wallace. Lance ranked seventh, just ahead of Unova's Caitlin.
Asahi studied the chart, deep in thought.
Cynthia was the favorite. But he'd beaten Cynthia before.
By that logic… wouldn't that make him the real favorite?
Of course, he was just joking.
Unless he used Legendary Pokémon, a 6v6 match was still anybody's game.
Still, Asahi couldn't resist poking fun.
"Lance is ranked that low?"
He sent the chart to Lance and even @'d him.
Lance, who was buried in paperwork and thought it was something urgent, stared at the chart and slowly typed:
"?"
You @'d me for this?!
You better pray I don't see you at the World Championship.
...
"Electrify your eyeballs!"
"Good morning, afternoon, and evening—this is Iono live on air!"
The moment the ever-energetic Iono appeared on stream, the chat instantly exploded into a frenzy.
> [Heard Iono got invited as an online commentator for the World Championship—is that true?!]
[Correction: the only official online commentator for the World Championship.]
[My favorite streamer is now the sole commentator for the World Championship! I feel so honored just being here!]
Looking at the storm of barrage messages, Iono couldn't help but smile brightly.
"Originally, I was going to share the good news during today's stream… but I guess you guys already found out?"
"This is all thanks to everyone's support~!"
For a streamer, getting officially invited to be the sole commentator for a world-level tournament was a huge career breakthrough. It was Iono's big moment.
She had already resolved to make the most of this opportunity—to shake off the old labels of "Prison-Type Streamer" and "Gym Trainer Black Star," and finally turn her reputation around once and for all.
Just as she was riding high on her aspirations, a sudden Super Chat message popped up on her Rotom Phone:
> [SlackingOffAtWork: Huh? You're an official commentator now? I'm joining this year's Championship too—maybe we'll meet on the battlefield.]
The smile on Iono's face froze.
No way… again?!
Meanwhile, the chat was on fire.
> [It's the boss! Long time no see, legend!]
[Caught any Gym Trainers lately?]
[Wait—the boss is joining the Championship too? Is he going for the Masters Eight?!]
Many viewers in Iono's stream were originally drawn in by the chaotic episodes featuring Asahi and ended up staying because of her content. So now that Asahi made a surprise appearance, the audience was beyond hyped.
Iono snapped back to her senses and cautiously asked, "Umm… There weren't any Gym Trainers captured recently… right?"
Ever since that notorious incident, she had felt her coworkers looking at her weirdly during Gym Leader meetups.
She was worried that if it happened again, no one would want to even sit at the same lunch table with her next time.
> [Iono's totally got PTSD lol]
[Don't be scared! "Black Star Gym Trainer" is a badass title if you ask me!]
[Honestly, it's not that bad. I checked—Koga from Fuchsia Gym already came back from 're-education' and he's running for Johto Elite Four now.]
The chat's comforting messages helped Iono breathe a little easier.
Yeah, like they said—even if you get "caught," as long as you go through proper reformation… Wait, no! That's still getting caught!
Iono shook her head, trying to get rid of those disturbing thoughts.
Meanwhile, Asahi casually snapped a GIF of her frantic head-shaking and typed:
> [SlackingOffAtWork: See you in the Battle Frontier. (smile)]
"!"
Even though she had always been curious about this mysterious viewer and had once proposed collaborating on a show, Iono suddenly had a bad feeling.
What if… what if she got "captured" too the moment they met?!
....
Unaware that he just struck fear into Iono's heart, Asahi closed the streaming app and opened the group chat.
The group was lit.
Gary, as oblivious as ever, had already forgotten his recent trauma and was showing off in full swing.
> [Young Master Gary: This time, Asahi and I visited a place called Hisui—yeah, that's right, the ancient Sinnoh region! We even encountered the ancient Team Galactic! When they saw how strong we were, their leader begged us to help calm down a rampaging Kleavor!]
[Yellow: Kleavor? Is that a new Pokémon species?]
[Young Master Gary: You're asking the right guy. Kleavor's the evolved form of Scyther and it's unique to Hisui. I even recorded a video of it.]
[System Message: Young Master Gary uploaded 'Kleavor' to Group Videos]
Then came a round of awe and admiration from Yellow, Diamond, and Pearl.
> [Diamond: Young Master Gary is so cool!]
[Young Master Gary: Haha, well, I am kind of amazing…]
Asahi had to admit—when it came to flexing, Gary was in a league of his own.
Considering Gary had possibly suffered some kind of mental trauma earlier, Asahi decided to let him have this one.
He walked out to the lawn and released all his Pokémon.
Slowbro and Psyduck immediately waddled over to the pond to splash around—those two always had a lot to talk about.
Kricketune looked around curiously, quickly realizing this place was nothing like Hisui. As the newest team member, it was quickly dragged off by Gengar to go "greet" the team's powerhouses—Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, and Mew.
That left Salamence and Snorlax… glaring at each other.
They both sensed the same thing—another glutton in their midst.
> "Raargh!"
"Snorrrr!"
After a brief but intense stare-down, the conclusion was clear: they were rivals. And they watched each other with extreme vigilance, as if the other might steal their dinner at any second.
For these two, food was as sacred as life itself.
Before Asahi could intervene, Indeedee—who had just returned from grocery shopping to prepare a feast in celebration of his homecoming—overheard the commotion and looked over.
Then she saw the standoff between Salamence and Snorlax.
> "Indeedee?"
Her humming stopped. Her body froze. This Snorlax… is one of Asahi's now!?
Snorlax = Asahi's Pokémon.
She = Asahi's personal chef.
Which means… She = Snorlax's chef.
Just imagining having to cook not only for Salamence but also for Snorlax made Indeedee go dark in the eyes.
...
The feud between Salamence and Snorlax was easily resolved.
All it took was one massive meal.
Because for foodies like them, there was nothing a good feast couldn't fix.
Though it nearly killed Indeedee from exhaustion.
Using the power of Viridian Forest, Asahi helped her recover her stamina. He even promised her on the spot that he'd request extra kitchen staff from HQ. Only then did Indeedee finally regain her will to live.
Once Salamence, Snorlax, and Indeedee were all settled, Asahi finally had a moment to relax.
He turned around—and saw Mew lounging on the couch, happily licking an ice cream cone and watching the chaos unfold.
When Mew noticed him looking, it instantly panicked.
Just as it was about to flee—Asahi grabbed it.
"You're just sitting there watching the drama? No help at all?"
"Mewww~!"
Mew let out a soft, pitiful whimper as it was "coerced" into cuddling.
Eevee, not one to be left out, jumped into Asahi's lap too—thus beginning the fluffiest brawl ever seen on a sofa.
Gardevoir covered Togepi's eyes as it curiously peeked over, but her own gaze lingered on Asahi and Mew, a mysterious light flashing in her eyes.