Chapter 260 - Preparations Before Departure
Three days had passed since the last recruitment.
The former Greater Mauville Holdings employees had quickly integrated into the base, and the Rocket Base Asahi had obtained from Giovanni was finally operating normally.
During this time, Gary had been anything but idle—his days had been extremely eventful.
And what exactly made them so eventful...?
"Flaaffy, Thunderbolt!"
As the pink-bodied Flaaffy unleashed its power, electricity surged through its fluffy head fur and then—
Zzzap—!
A thick bolt of electricity struck the airborne Skarmory, sending it crashing down with a pained screech, scattering metallic feathers in its wake.
Gary recalled Skarmory and couldn't help but ask, "Asahi, when are we going to capture Rayquaza?"
Hearing this, Asahi laughed. "Weren't you scared to death before? Why are you suddenly so eager now?"
Gary mentally rolled his eyes.
Do you seriously not know why?!
For the past two days, Asahi had been using his Skarmory to help his Mareep gain experience—until it evolved into Flaaffy...
At this rate, he feared his newly caught Skarmory would develop a deep-rooted fear of sheep.
Now, he just wanted to hurry up and catch Rayquaza to escape this nightmare.
Of course, he wouldn't admit it outright.
Gary loudly declared, "I'm just concerned about Hoenn's safety! After all, I am the League Champion..."
Asahi: "Ah, yes, of course..."
"But since you insist, let's head out!"
In fact, even if Gary hadn't brought it up, Asahi was already planning to depart within the next couple of days. He had even asked headquarters to use satellites to locate Sky Pillar...
Hearing this, Gary's eyes lit up.
"I'll go inform Sabrina and Green!"
"No need. This mission is dangerous—just the two of us will go. Sabrina and Green will stay behind to watch over the base," Asahi said.
Gary: "....."
So you do know this is dangerous?!
Seeing Gary's face, Asahi teased, "Come on, Champion, this is for the safety of Hoenn... You're not scared of such a small thing, are you?"
"If it were Ash, he'd charge in without hesitation!"
This time, Asahi wasn't even lying—when it came to things like this, Ash was ridiculously reliable.
Hearing Ash's name, Gary instinctively retorted, "Of course I'm not scared, I just—"
Before he could finish, Asahi clapped him on the shoulder with a satisfied smile. "I knew I could count on you in critical moments!"
Gary: "....."
I fell into Asahi's verbal trap again.
Why can't I just keep my mouth shut?!
Watching Gary's frustrated expression—one that screamed 'I want to slap myself'—Asahi said, "Alright, pack your stuff. We're heading out!"
"With me and Mewtwo around, you can rest assured—at the very least, your life is guaranteed."
At first, Gary was just annoyed.
But hearing that last part, he immediately panicked.
What do you mean, 'at the very least, life is guaranteed'?!
So aside from staying alive, nothing else is guaranteed?!
Ignoring the increasingly uneasy Gary, Asahi needed to adjust his Pokémon lineup before setting off.
Using Flaaffy to battle Rayquaza? That would be way too disrespectful...
First, he needed to head to the cafeteria and drag his Salamence away from its all-you-can-eat binge!
Hopefully, this glutton hadn't gained too much weight and could still carry two people to Sky Pillar.
---
Looking at the "fully geared-up" Gary, Asahi was speechless.
Gary was now dressed in a solid black Team Rocket protective suit—with the "R" logo carefully scratched off—clearly scavenged from their warehouse. He wore a special operations helmet designed for extreme conditions, and his belt neatly held six Poké Balls, looking utterly battle-ready.
"Seriously... is this necessary?" Asahi asked.
"This is called caution!" Gary's muffled but righteous voice came from inside the helmet.
"Asahi, I even found a suit for you..."
Glancing at the extra set of protective gear, Asahi waved his hand. "You keep it..."
Wearing something so restrictive while tackling Sky Pillar's traps? Yeah, no thanks.
But if Gary wanted to wear it, Asahi wouldn't stop him.
Even if it wouldn't help against Rayquaza's attacks, at least it gave him some peace of mind.
Just like Slowbro, who, upon learning it would be joining them to capture Rayquaza, had desperately tried to stuff its entire body inside Shellder's shell—practically forcing a Mega Evolution out of pure fear...
(T/N: When it evolved?!)
---
At the same time that Asahi and Gary were preparing to set off for Sky Pillar...
At Base No. 2, Giovanni—who had just settled in—received his first piece of bad news.
"Boss Giovanni, Mossdeep Space Center has suddenly tightened security and intensified personnel screenings... Most of our undercover agents inside have been exposed!" Athena reported.
For Team Rocket to rise again… the Grand Meteorite at Mossdeep Space Center, which contained Deoxys, was a critical piece of Giovanni's plan for revival!
Originally, his strategy was to first infiltrate the space center, then manipulate Team Magma and Team Aqua into attacking it. During the chaos, he would quietly seize Deoxys without anyone realizing.
But first, Asahi's unexpected arrival in Hoenn had led to his cover being blown… and now, Mossdeep Space Center was suddenly on high alert.
With these two unexpected setbacks, Giovanni couldn't help but suspect that Asahi's presence was connected to this new complication…
Otherwise, why had his plan gone smoothly for so long, only for things to fall apart right after Asahi found him?
Seeing Giovanni lost in thought, Athena cautiously asked, "Boss, what's our next move?"
Although not all of their spies had been exposed, it was clear that continuing with the original plan was no longer an option.
Even if Team Magma and Team Aqua were reckless, they would still have to think twice about attacking Mossdeep Space Center now that security had significantly increased.
Giovanni tapped his fingers on the table and asked,
"How are Team Magma and Team Aqua's plans progressing?"
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