Chapter 201 – How Can They Be So Similar?
Green was stunned by Asahi's words.
Then, she suddenly recalled—wasn't Giovanni also widely regarded as a kind-hearted old man within the League?
Both were Gym Leaders. Both had gentle and kind personas. And if Asahi was right, both were also leaders of evil organizations…
How could they be so similar?
Just as Green was about to dive deeper into this unsettling realization, Asahi interrupted her thoughts.
"Of course, we still need evidence. This is just my personal speculation."
Green snapped back to reality. Indeed, as Asahi said, they needed solid proof before jumping to conclusions.
Bringing the topic back to the attack on the Mahogany Gym, she asked, "Then, Asahi, according to your theory, how should we proceed with this situation?"
Their original plan was to use Pryce's attack as a rallying point to unite Johto's Gym Leaders against Team Rocket.
But now, that plan seemed flawed.
After hearing Green's plan, Asahi thought for a moment. "That plan is actually pretty good."
Green: "?"
Asahi continued, "Even if Pryce is the leader of the Masked Army, that doesn't stop us from using the excuse of avenging him to achieve our goal."
"We can openly contact Johto's Gym Leaders and, at the same time, investigate Pryce's connection to the Masked Army."
"Once we have enough evidence, we can decide whether to make a move against him."
Green was dumbfounded.
Was this even allowed?
Using Pryce's 'death' as a pretext to unite people, only to turn around and eliminate him later?
This was…
"Of course, all of that comes later. First, we need to figure out what really happened between Giovanni and Pryce."
Saying this, Asahi took out his phone and sent a message to the Johto investigator he had met last time—codenamed 'Hoothoot.'
At the same time, while Asahi was still gathering intelligence on the battle at Mahogany Gym—
In Goldenrod City, the atmosphere within Team Rocket's base was solemn.
Giovanni, still recovering from old wounds, had now sustained new injuries. Sitting in his chair, his left arm bore visible frostbite marks as he received treatment from a Blissey.
His expression was unreadable.
Even the usually carefree Lambda stood at attention, along with the other Three Executives, waiting respectfully for Giovanni's words.
"…I never expected Pryce to be hiding such strength."
Giovanni flexed his left arm slightly, feeling the lingering numbness from the frost.
Since becoming the leader of Team Rocket, it had been a long time since he'd felt this close to death.
Yet, recently, it had happened twice.
Losing to the combined force of Mewtwo, Mew, and Asahi during the New Island battle was understandable—after all, his opponents were Mewtwo and Mew, and Asahi was no weakling either.
But nearly falling at Pryce's hands this time had caught him completely off guard.
Even now, he could still recall the bone-chilling cold from their fight last night.
His Aggron and Nidoking had been severely injured while trying to protect him. His Beedrill had been half-frozen by Piloswine's Blizzard and was still undergoing treatment.
As for Pryce's true identity…
Though the Gym Leader had tried his best to conceal it, the ruthless sharpness in his eyes had not escaped Giovanni—an evil organization leader himself.
Not to mention, Pryce had exposed the same Delibird as the Masked Man.
"Boss, this was our failure!" Executive Archer spoke up, taking responsibility.
It had been their intelligence failure. If they had uncovered Pryce's true strength earlier, perhaps the boss wouldn't have been injured.
Giovanni, however, was uninterested in assigning blame. At this point, it was meaningless.
"What's the League's response?"
Given the chaos he had caused at Mahogany Gym, it was only natural for the League to react.
"The League doesn't seem to have discovered Pryce's true identity."
Athena handed Giovanni a report from the League.
The document expressed the League's shock over Team Rocket's attack on a Gym and stated their intent to launch a new anti-Rocket operation in Johto.
Glancing at the report, Giovanni smirked. "The idiots at the League are as reliable as ever."
Casually tossing the document onto his desk, he turned his attention to the Four Executives.
"What do you suggest for our next move?"
"Why not bring in Sird and the Beasts to start an all-out war against the Masked Army? With the Four Executives, the Three Beasts, and you, Boss, we could easily crush Pryce." Lambda proposed.
Before Giovanni could respond, Athena countered, "The Beasts are needed to keep Lorelei in check at the Sevii Islands… And Kanto's operations are already stretched thin with only Sird overseeing things."
"Are you suggesting we abandon Kanto and the Sevii Islands completely?"
Lambda froze, momentarily at a loss. Frustrated, he snapped, "Then what's your solution?"
Athena smiled gracefully. "I propose we report Pryce's true identity to the League."
"With our current forces, taking on both the League and the Masked Army at the same time would be too difficult. Instead, we should report Pryce to the League and sow discord among them. Let the League and the Masked Army fight each other first—we can reap the benefits from the sidelines."
Lambda immediately recognized the merit of this plan, but for the sake of pride, he retorted, "Since when has Team Rocket fallen so low that we need to snitch to the League?"
Athena, however, ignored Lambda's stubbornness.
At that moment, Archer spoke up. "Athena's plan is solid, but we shouldn't overestimate the intelligence of the League's council members… Our operatives within the League have already been purged once. The remaining ones have little influence over the League's decisions, so turning them against Pryce might not succeed."
"Before you arrived, Boss, we investigated the Masked Army's movements over the past few weeks. The area where they appear most frequently is near Azalea Town. That's also where Lambda was ambushed by Pryce… I have reason to believe there's something near Azalea Town that's extremely important to the Masked Army."
"This could be a key angle to pursue."
Hearing Archer's analysis, Lambda nodded repeatedly while exchanging glances with Athena.
Apollo, who had been silent until now, also added, "Boss Giovanni, we could also exploit Pryce's personal relationships. Everyone has a weakness—we just need to find his and exploit it."
After hearing his subordinates' suggestions, Giovanni closed his eyes in thought for a moment before opening them again.
"Archer, Athena, take a team to investigate the area around Azalea Town and search for relevant clues. Avoid direct confrontation with Pryce."
"Lambda, you and Apollo will oversee preparations for a possible direct battle with the Masked Army."
"And also, notify Oca to come to Johto."
(T/N: Who is this Oca? Other translation is Ocka. But can't find him or the right name. If you find comment under chapter and I will change it.)
Giovanni gave his orders.
He chose Oca instead of Carr because, unlike Carr—who still harbored delusions about seizing leadership—Oca was far more reliable.
Hearing Giovanni's decision, the Four Executives, despite their earlier differing opinions, had no objections to his orders and responded in unison, "Understood, Boss!"
"Go get to work." Giovanni dismissed them with a wave.
As the office emptied, Giovanni retrieved a slightly crumpled photograph, its edges warped from exposure to seawater.
"Silver…"
After the battle at Mahogany Gym, Giovanni carefully reevaluated everything that had happened since the emergence of the Masked Army.
He was certain that someone was orchestrating events behind the scenes. And that person—was Asahi.
From Celadon City onward, Team Rocket had been trapped in a web that Asahi had woven.
But this was a trap Giovanni had no choice but to walk into… His mind flashed to an image of Silver, and after a long pause, he finally took out his tablet, pulled up the secure email address where Ariana had previously relayed messages, and typed a single line.
[Pryce's true identity is the leader of the Masked Army.]
Having made up his mind, Giovanni didn't hesitate—he pressed send immediately.
As the leader of Team Rocket, it was humiliating to personally send a tip-off to the League.
But for his son, what was pride worth?
As for whether Asahi would believe it…
Giovanni was certain that someone capable of capturing his Three Executives in one swoop and uncovering his identity was no fool.
Letting Asahi deal with Pryce was the perfect move.
—
At the same time Giovanni sent the email, Asahi was engaged in a one-on-one battle with Sabrina.
Per her request, Asahi refrained from using Mewtwo, Lugia's offspring, or even the Psychic Plate—relying solely on Gardevoir for a "fair" match.
Sabrina was determined to defeat Asahi and reclaim her dignity.
However, reality was often crueler than expectations.
"Gardevoir, Psychic!"
With Asahi's command, an invisible wave of psychic energy blasted forth, instantly knocking Alakazam unconscious.
The Mega-Evolved Gardevoir gracefully descended beside Asahi. A soft glow enveloped her, and she reverted to her original form.
Back in the living room—
"So? Do you finally admit defeat?" Asahi smirked at Sabrina.
Sabrina clenched her teeth, but faced with undeniable reality, she had to concede that she wasn't Asahi's equal.
"As agreed, for the next week… I will follow all of your instructions without question."
Though reluctant, she intended to honor the bet.
"Really? Then how about a back massage first?" Asahi suggested.
Sabrina glared at him. "…Don't push it."
"Tsk."
Asahi merely clicked his tongue and said nothing more.
Seeing his reaction, Sabrina gritted her teeth, walked up behind him, and was just about to start—
When Green suddenly entered, holding a tablet.
She glanced at Asahi's mischievous grin, then at Sabrina, who was visibly frustrated but about to give him a massage. Immediately, she knew Asahi was up to no good again.
She was used to it by now and ignored them both, getting straight to business.
"Asahi, the inbox that Ariana used to contact Giovanni just received an email."
"Hm?" Asahi raised an eyebrow. "That account is a private channel, isn't it? Is it spam?"
Green's expression turned strange. "No… It's a tip-off. Reporting that Pryce is the leader of the Masked Army."
"You're telling me Team Rocket sent in a tip-off?" Asahi asked.
Even Sabrina, still fuming at Asahi moments ago, was now stunned.
Green nodded. "According to Ariana, that inbox is directly linked to Giovanni himself. So…"
She didn't finish, but the implication was obvious.
Leaning back on the couch, Asahi tilted his head and mused, "Team Rocket is actually sending us tip-offs now… Should I be happy that they recognize our strength, or annoyed that they're trying to use us?"
Green and Sabrina stared at Asahi's barely contained grin, completely speechless.
Before asking that question, could he at least wipe the smirk off his face?
—
Team Rocket submitting a formal report to the Kanto Division was no small matter.
Especially considering they had just attacked Mahogany Gym under Giovanni's lead the previous night.
To ensure a democratic decision-making process within their group, Asahi gathered all members of the Kanto Division currently at the manor around a round table for discussion.
"I don't trust Giovanni or Team Rocket."
Silver immediately dismissed the intel as a joke, unwilling to believe that the leader of Team Rocket would ever share genuine information.
His sister, Green, however, had a different take.
"Asahi and I talked about this earlier today. He already suspected Pryce's identity, and now Giovanni's intel actually supports his theory."
"As for why Giovanni would do this—it's simple. Team Rocket wants to use our strength to deal with the Masked Army."
Green's reasoning was sound. Even Mewtwo nodded in agreement.
When it was Sabrina's turn to speak, she—having been one of Team Rocket's Three Executives—was quite familiar with Giovanni.
"Giovanni is an extremely proud man. If this were deception, he wouldn't have sent the message himself. Instead, he would've tried to trick the League's council, who are much easier to manipulate, rather than us—the very people who defeated him at New Island."
"So, I agree with Green. I believe the intel is real."
Despite her logical assessment, Sabrina still found the revelation shocking.
She had always thought Kanto's Gyms were riddled with infiltrators, but to think Johto was just as bad…
Once Sabrina finished speaking, everyone turned to Mewtwo.
Sensing their gazes, Mewtwo thought for a moment before responding telepathically.
[+1]
The room fell silent.
Asahi began to reflect—had Mewtwo been spending too much time on his phone lately?
Taking on a concluding tone, Asahi said, "Although our stance is opposed to Team Rocket, in this case, I believe Giovanni."
"Silver, don't get ahead of yourself. I know you want to capture Giovanni, but compared to him, the Masked Army has harmed you and Green far worse. We take them down first."
Hearing Asahi's reasoning, Silver gradually calmed down. "I was being impulsive. My bad."
"It's fine." Asahi waved it off. "From now on, I want everyone to treat Pryce as the leader of the Masked Army and act accordingly. Be cautious—his Gym Leader title means nothing."
"Understood!" Everyone responded in unison.
With that, Asahi dialed Lance's number.
"Asahi, what now?" Lance sighed.
Every time Asahi called, trouble followed.
"Relax, I have good news."
Lance, skeptical, asked, "Good news?"
"Of course! We've identified the leader of the Masked Army."
Lance's interest piqued. "Who is it?"
"Mahogany Gym Leader, Pryce. You know him, right?"
Lance: "…You call this good news?"
Professor Oak's old friend, a highly respected Gym Leader in the League, and a recent victim of Team Rocket's attack—
And now Asahi was telling him that Pryce was actually the leader of the Masked Army?
And he even called this good news?
"Where did you get this intel? Have you confirmed its authenticity?"
Although Asahi had a strong track record, Lance still needed to verify the information.
"Of course," Asahi replied. "This came straight from Giovanni himself."
"Pfft!"
Lance nearly spat out the coffee he had just sipped.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me. Giovanni personally sent the message."
"You're joking, right?" Lance asked, finally catching his breath.
Using intelligence from the leader of Team Rocket to accuse a recently attacked Gym Leader—
It was absurd.
But Asahi remained calm. "Actually, I had already started suspecting Pryce before Giovanni sent the intel."
"His report simply confirmed that Pryce is indeed problematic."
Lance exhaled. "Then what's your plan? Right now, Pryce is garnering significant sympathy across Johto due to Team Rocket's attack."
"If you publicly accuse him of being the Masked Army leader, how do you plan to explain it to Johto's people?"
"A single report from Giovanni isn't enough to convict him."
Asahi sighed. "Do you really think I'd act recklessly?"
"I won't make a move on Pryce until we've gathered solid evidence."