Chapter 191: Stonetown
After putting away the meteorite, Professor Oak said, "Recently, Furuya called me…"
"Furuya…? You mean Principal Furuya?"
Hearing this, Asahi was momentarily confused before realizing that Professor Oak was referring to Principal Furuya of Rainbow University.
"That's right. Furuya asked me to check when you plan to give your lecture at the university. He's been waiting for quite some time." Professor Oak chuckled.
Uh…
Only now did Asahi remember that, despite being a part-time lecturer at Rainbow University, he had yet to actually teach a class.
Originally, he had only taken on the position as a cover. But still, he had enjoyed the university's cafeteria…
"Well… Professor Oak, you know I've been quite busy lately," Asahi said. "When I have the time, I'll give a lecture."
Next time, for sure…
Professor Oak understood that Asahi was busy and was simply passing on a message for an old friend. "Let's hope Furuya doesn't have to wait too long."
They then chatted about Gary's recent activities.
Just as Asahi was about to leave, a thought crossed his mind. "Professor Oak, do you know Professor Elm?"
Professor Oak was taken aback. "Elm? Why are you looking for him?"
Back when Elm was studying at Rainbow University, he had been one of Oak's students, even becoming a Pokémon Professor earlier than Sakuragi and establishing his own research lab.
Asahi pulled Silver over. "Here's the thing…"
He explained his plan to have Silver start his journey as a new trainer in Johto, working under him there.
Hearing that it was just a simple matter, Professor Oak relaxed and said, "No problem, I'll call Elm and have him reserve a spot."
In fact, even without Oak's help, Asahi could have handled it by contacting the League. However, having Oak reach out to Elm was simply more convenient.
"Silver, right? The starter Pokémon need to be prepared in advance. Which one do you want?"
Normally, new trainers could only receive their Pokémon on the day of departure, but this was a special case.
Professor Oak pulled up images of Johto's three starter Pokémon on the screen.
Silver hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. His eyes lingered on the images for a while before finally settling on the one that suited him best—Totodile.
"I choose Totodile."
Just like in the original storyline, Silver chose Totodile.
However, unlike before, where he had essentially stolen it, this time, he obtained it through the proper channels.
"Hmm… Totodile, huh? Good choice. Alright, I'll inform Elm. You can pick it up when the time comes," Professor Oak said.
After a bit more conversation, Asahi left Oak's lab.
Noticing Silver's lingering look of surprise, Asahi smiled. "Didn't expect it to be this easy, did you?"
Silver nodded. He had once dreamed of having his own starter Pokémon, even considering less-than-honorable means to get one.
But now, with just a simple request from Asahi, everything was arranged.
Asahi patted Silver on the shoulder. "You should get used to your new status."
Silver fell into deep thought.
After sending a message to Blue, Asahi released his Salamence and handed it a batch of Pokéblocks. "Let's go. We're heading to Stonetown."
With a muffled growl, Salamence took to the skies, carrying Asahi and Silver with it.
---
Stonetown
As the second-largest source of Evolution Stones in Kanto after Mt. Moon, Stonetown was extremely wealthy thanks to its high production.
But… human greed knows no bounds.
Despite the immense profits from Evolution Stone mining, some people still chose to take risks—engaging in smuggling and tax evasion.
"…Since when did we start doing tax investigations?"
Waiting outside Stonetown early in the morning, Green looked at Asahi in confusion.
"Normally, we wouldn't," Asahi replied. "But… Lance has been too busy lately, so I figured I'd help lighten his workload."
"?"
Green narrowed her eyes at him.
With how well she knew Asahi, he was definitely not the kind of person to voluntarily help out.
If anything, he was the type to sit next to Lance, munching on snacks while watching him struggle with paperwork.
"…Why are you looking at me like that? If you don't believe me, ask Silver." Asahi pulled Silver over as a witness.
Young and naive, Silver recalled the scene and nodded hesitantly.
Seeing this, Green began doubting herself.
Did she misjudge Asahi?
Asahi smiled and asked, "What about the audit team I asked you to contact?"
"They should be arriving soon… You asked for a lot of people, so gathering them took some time."
As she spoke, the sound of helicopters filled the sky.
---
(T/N: I don't know much about this part of Pokemon story. The names are in Japanese. Just look for 'Eevee brothers' to get better idea.)
Meanwhile, a party was taking place in Stonetown.
As a source of high-value Evolution Stones, the town's residents were incredibly wealthy.
Just how wealthy?
Aside from the massive mansion where the party was being held, one only needed to look at the neatly arranged Evolution Stones on the tables to get an idea.
"Did Taiichi's Eevee go missing again? Seriously… This party is supposed to be for his Eevee's evolution, yet his Eevee is nowhere to be found."
One of the Eevee Brothers commented.
As he spoke, he casually took an Evolution Stone and used it to evolve a guest's Pokémon.
While Evolution Stones were expensive outside, here, they were merely party favors.
Meanwhile, Taiichi sat nervously in a corner.
To prevent his brothers from forcing his Eevee to evolve, he had hidden it outside.
He had tied it up, so it shouldn't have gone missing… right?
Just as Taiichi was lost in thought, a commotion broke out at the entrance.
Everyone turned their attention toward the doorway.
A group of sharply dressed men in black suits entered in an orderly fashion.
Seeing these uninvited guests, the Eevee Brothers frowned.
"Who are you? I don't recall inviting you." Raizou, the eldest, stepped forward.
"This is private property. Please leave," Mizuki, the second brother, added.
No one responded.
The suited men stepped aside, and a young man with a smile walked forward.
"You must be the Eevee Brothers of Stonetown…"