Chapter 24 - A Child's Innocence and Playfulness
"Mew?"
As Mew suddenly intruded into the telepathic link between Asahi and Gardevoir, Asahi was caught off guard.
From his understanding, telepathic communication was supposed to be a secure, private channel, requiring either an active invitation or passive reception. He'd never seen anyone hack into it.
Yet here was Mew doing just that...
Was this the power of a mythical Pokémon?
While Asahi was surprised, Gardevoir was visibly displeased.
Mew's sudden intrusion felt like an unwelcome guest barging into her private world with Asahi.
It left Gardevoir with the unsettling feeling that something once exclusively hers was now being shared.
She was upset!
Glaring at Mew, Gardevoir's emotions surged, and the black dress-like aura of her Mega Evolution swayed with the fluctuations of her psychic energy.
Mew tilted its head in confusion.
"Mew...?"
Although it could sense Gardevoir's anger, it had no idea what it had done wrong.
They had been getting along fine just a moment ago!
Watching this unfold, Asahi could only sigh. While Mew was undoubtedly intelligent, its lack of experience interacting with humans left its emotional intelligence... lacking.
"Don't be mad, Gardevoir. It's just a child; it didn't know better," Asahi consoled her.
Then, turning to Mew, he added, "And you—don't just barge into someone's telepathy next time. At least say hello first."
Under Asahi's reassurance, Gardevoir gradually calmed down, deactivating her Mega Evolution and returning to her usual form.
However, judging by her demeanor, it seemed unlikely she'd want to interact with Mew for a while.
Just as Asahi was about to change the subject, a sudden rumbling came from the rock wall in the distance. A deep, resonating noise echoed through the tunnel.
Gardevoir immediately dropped her grievances with Mew and used her psychic power to erect a protective barrier, positioning herself in front of Asahi.
Mew, on the other hand, vanished into invisibility in an instant. However, the slight pressure Asahi felt on his head indicated that Mew hadn't actually left.
The rumbling grew louder, and even the ground began to tremble.
"They're here!" Asahi's eyes lit up.
With a thunderous crash, the rock wall suddenly crumbled, and a massive Onix burst through, its head emerging from the rubble.
The towering gray head was as high as a one-story building, and its body—made of enormous, interconnected gray boulders—stretched imposingly through the tunnel, taking up nearly half its width.
Faced with such an enormous creature in the relatively narrow tunnel, Asahi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
If this Onix went on a rampage and caused a tunnel collapse, his only option would be to flee.
But Asahi wasn't too worried.
After all, if he wasn't mistaken, this Onix should be on his side!
"Onix, are we there yet?"
A voice came from behind the Onix.
Emerging from the newly carved tunnel was a figure with spiky hair, a rugged face, and perpetually squinting eyes—Pewter City's Gym Leader, Brock.
Trailing behind Brock was a group of trainers in Alliance uniforms, led by Officer Jenny.
The group stopped short upon seeing Asahi and Gardevoir standing in the tunnel.
After a moment of stunned silence, Officer Jenny was the first to react.
"Excuse me, are you the one who reported this?"
"That's me," Asahi replied. "If you'd taken any longer, I was about to come find you myself."
The delay in their arrival had been a bit frustrating.
He'd sent his location to Lance well before the captain's group had spotted him.
Yet here he was, having defeated the entire Rocket Team squad, claimed his system rewards, and even chatted with Mew—and they'd only just arrived.
"My apologies," Officer Jenny said. "We were ordered to provide backup, but we encountered another Rocket Team group along the way, which delayed us. After a tough battle, we managed to capture all of them. Can you point us to the Rocket Team members here?"
"Point them out?" Asahi chuckled. "No need."
Officer Jenny and Brock exchanged puzzled looks. Had they arrived too late, and the Rocket Team members had already fled?
Noticing their confusion, Asahi simply gestured toward a corner of the tunnel.
"See over there? That's all of them."
Following Asahi's finger, the group turned to look—and saw a heap of unconscious Rocket Team members sprawled out alongside their defeated Pokémon.
"!!!"
Shock was written across their faces.
One person had taken down an entire squad of Rocket Team elites?
This level of strength didn't match their expectations for a mere informant.
Their astonishment was understandable.
On their way here, they had fought another Rocket Team squad, and even with Brock's help as a Gym Leader, the battle had been grueling.
According to their captives, the Rocket Team group on Asahi's side had the same configuration as the one they had fought.
They had braced themselves for another hard battle upon arrival.
But now...
Looking at the pile of defeated Rocket Team members, they felt... bewildered.
Before they could process their shock, Asahi spoke again:
"Oh, and there are more scattered throughout the tunnels. I've marked their locations for you; just follow the markers to find them."
"....."
In the end, under Officer Jenny's orders, the Alliance trainers dispersed to capture the Rocket Team members that Asahi had already incapacitated.
Handing his backpack over to Officer Jenny, Asahi said, "All of their Poké Balls are in here."
"Thank you for your contribution to the Alliance!" Jenny said sincerely.
Though the Rocket Team's ultimate goal remained unclear, it couldn't have been anything good.
However, as she reached for the bag, its unexpected weight nearly made her drop it.
Seeing this, Gardevoir used her psychic power to help.
"It's nothing," Asahi replied with a smile. "I used to be a ranger, after all. This is just what I should do."
"A ranger...?"
The term seemed to trigger a memory for Jenny.
Studying Asahi more closely, she hesitated before asking, "Could you be... Asahi from the Nature Reserve?"
"Huh? You know me?" Asahi asked, curious.
He hadn't mentioned his name, and while he had some reputation among rangers and poachers, he hadn't expected his name to reach Pewter City, several towns away.
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