Chapter 252 – Even If There Were Fifty Grumpig…
The aggressive Crawdaunt, after losing its proud pincers, completely deflated.
Even as Eevee stepped on its head, it didn't dare show any resistance.
The two Aqua grunts, seeing the "adorable and obedient" Eevee, immediately realized things were going south.
"This Eevee…" The other grunt quickly commanded, "Crawdaunt, use Sucker Punch!"
The other one, however, turned and ran.
He had to warn everyone inside…
Or at least, that's what he thought—
Until he had barely taken two steps before his body froze in place.
Panic set in as he realized he was being forcibly turned around—
Standing beside Asahi was a Shiny Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir, use Psychic."
With just a casual wave of its arm, the Aqua grunt felt as if his head had been struck by a hammer. He lost consciousness instantly.
His final sight before blacking out was the other Crawdaunt also losing its pincers before being knocked out by Eevee.
"Vee~!"
Eevee happily trotted back onto Asahi's shoulder, rubbing against him for praise.
Asahi patted Eevee's head and handed it an energy cube, then turned to signal Green and the others before heading into the warehouse.
Roxanne and Officer Jenny were puzzled by his gesture.
Was he asking for their help?
"Should we follow?" Officer Jenny asked.
"No need. Just watch Asahi in action," Green replied.
Sabrina, meanwhile, ordered Gary to tie up the unconscious Aqua grunts.
Gary: "???"
Why was he the one doing the grunt work?
He was a Champion, for crying out loud!
---
Asahi opened the warehouse doors, intending to sneak in and figure out what Team Aqua was up to.
But just as he stepped inside—
He ran straight into several Aqua grunts who had come out to investigate the commotion.
"…."
What were the chances?
The grunts also froze for a second.
Then, realizing the situation, they immediately reached for their Poké Balls.
But before they could react, Gardevoir's psychic power immobilized them all.
A moment later, they were all knocked out.
Not a smooth infiltration…
And just then, the entire warehouse was alerted to the disturbance.
"Who's there!?"
"How dare you intrude on Team Aqua's turf!"
Dozens of Team Aqua Trainers released their Pokémon while shouting warnings to their allies.
In an instant, the warehouse was filled with Water-type Pokémon.
Crawdaunt, Lotad, Pelipper, Spheal, Azumarill…
Asahi sighed, realizing his stealth attempt had only half-failed.
And the reason it was only half a failure—
He looked up at the Aqua Trainers watching him warily and pulled out a Poké Ball containing Mewtwo.
If he eliminated everyone who saw him, it still counted as stealth, right?
"Mewtwo, it's your turn."
---
Outside the Warehouse
Roxanne and Officer Jenny listened anxiously to the sounds inside.
Although Asahi had taken down the guards instantly, there were still over fifty Aqua Trainers inside. He was alone…
Just as they were worrying, the warehouse suddenly fell silent.
They exchanged uneasy glances.
Especially Roxanne—
In her mind, Asahi had already met his doom.
She never even considered the possibility that he had taken out Team Aqua instead.
After all, that was over fifty Team Aqua members… Even if it were fifty Grumpig, it wouldn't be that easy to take them all down so quickly!
With that thought, Roxanne gritted her teeth, disregarding the overwhelming number of enemies inside the warehouse.
She immediately released her Probopass.
No matter what, Asahi was someone she brought here, and he was also Steven's guest. She couldn't allow him to be in danger!
So, under the confused gazes of Green, Sabrina, and Gary, she gave an order to Probopass:
"Probopass, use Rock Blast!"
Boom!
The sturdy warehouse door was instantly blown open, leaving a massive hole.
Roxanne charged in first.
And then… she froze on the spot.
Inside the warehouse, water-type Pokémon were sprawled everywhere, completely incapacitated. Meanwhile, a group of Team Aqua members was suspended mid-air, seemingly held by psychic power.
Standing next to Asahi—besides Gardevoir—was a strange Pokémon she had never seen before.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Asahi turned around with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong?"
At the sound of Asahi's voice and the scene before her, Winona instantly realized her mistake.
Asahi really had the ability to deal with Team Aqua in such a short time.
What was supposed to be a rescue mission had turned into an embarrassing blunder…
Realizing this, Roxanne—who had always prided herself on being an elite—blushed in embarrassment, stumbling over her words.
"I-I thought…"
How awkward…
Seeing Roxanne's reaction, Asahi quickly figured out what had happened.
Smiling understandingly, he said, "Gym Leader Roxanne, you arrived at the perfect time… These Team Aqua members need you to handle them."
As he spoke, he signaled to Mewtwo.
Understanding Asahi's intent, Mewtwo raised a hand and gently lowered the floating Team Aqua members to the ground.
Roxanne seized the opportunity Asahi gave her and immediately began handling the subdued Team Aqua members.
Asahi turned to look at Sabrina and Green, who had just entered, giving them a subtle glance—one that seemed to say, Why didn't you explain things earlier? Now it's all awkward.
Sabrina looked innocent.
How was she supposed to know Roxanne would act so quickly?
Besides, wasn't the real cause of all this… you?
Ahem.
Asahi cleared his throat and looked at Gary.
"….."
Feeling Asahi's gaze, Gary 'instinctively' stepped forward and began dealing with the fainted Pokémon.
Asahi nodded in satisfaction. Ever since Gary became a Champion, he had been getting better at this.
All the effort Asahi put into training him hadn't been in vain.
Once they finished securing the Team Aqua members and their belongings, Roxanne delivered some bad news.
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