Chapter 208: The Shiny Fearow Incident
Asahi gave Clair a brief overview of the Masked Army.
Thanks to Lance acting as a bridge, the conversation went smoothly.
Though Clair was surprised that Asahi saw the Masked Army as a bigger threat than Team Rocket, she figured that, as an International Police officer, he must have intel she wasn't privy to.
However, she did have one question about Asahi's plan.
"Why not just gather all the Gym Leaders together at once?"
Asahi had considered that, of course. That would be the most efficient method.
But then… what about Pryce?
If they didn't invite Pryce, he would immediately notice something was off, even if he was distracted by Team Rocket.
But if they did invite Pryce… then this whole secret coordination effort would be pointless.
For the sake of secrecy, one-on-one recruitment was necessary to keep Pryce in the dark.
Of course, Asahi didn't explain all that—he simply smiled.
Clair got the message and didn't press further. Instead, she offered, "Then let me help you reach out to the Gym Leaders. With an extra person, we'll be faster."
Her initiative was a welcome surprise.
Pulling out a Johto region map, Asahi laid out the situation.
Goldenrod City was already being handled by Sabrina.
Azalea Town was a no-go—it was overrun with Team Rocket forces.
Mahogany Gym was out too, since Pryce was there.
That left four Gyms:
Violet Gym
Cianwood Gym
Ecruteak Gym
Olivine Gym
Though Clair had offered to help, Asahi didn't want to dump all the work on her.
So—
"You'll handle Violet Gym," Asahi decided, passing her a secure communication frequency. "Just contact Falkner directly through this channel."
Clair memorized the number and nodded.
---
Asahi and Green didn't linger in Blackthorn City.
Team Rocket had made their move, initiating what could be the final battle.
Pryce had undoubtedly noticed Team Rocket's movements by now, which meant time was of the essence.
Sure enough, as they flew towards Ecruteak City on Salamence, Asahi received urgent news.
"Asahi, Sabrina just sent an update—there's been a Team Rocket vs. Masked Army clash in Goldenrod! The Masked Army destroyed one of Team Rocket's bases, and now Johto League officials have stepped in."
The wind roared as they soared through the sky, forcing Green to shout over the noise.
The cold air against Asahi's face kept his mind razor-sharp.
"This is Pryce's counterattack…" Asahi muttered. "Is he trying to trade home bases with Team Rocket?"
It was a clever tactic.
If Giovanni were anyone else, or if his son weren't Silver, this plan would have definitely worked.
But Pryce had underestimated Giovanni's resolve.
If anything, this wouldn't break him—it would make him even more determined.
"So, it's finally happening," Asahi murmured. "This is actually good for us."
By going after Team Rocket, Pryce was unknowingly doing the League a favor.
If not for the fact that he kidnapped Green, Asahi would've given him a League Partner Medal.
But alas…
Just as Asahi was having that thought, Salamence suddenly descended.
As they passed through the clouds, Ecruteak City came into view.
Two structures stood out:
The Burned Tower, reduced to its foundation.
The Bell Tower, towering over the eastern part of the city.
"We're here—Ecruteak City!" Asahi announced, preparing to land.
But then—
Green suddenly clutched her chest as a rainbow glow emanated from it.
At the same time, a majestic cry echoed across the sky.
A massive rainbow-colored Pokémon emerged from the clouds, its radiant form shining in the sunlight.
Asahi looked up and froze.
Without thinking, he blurted out:
"Wait… is that a Shiny Fearow?!"
---
Of course, the "Shiny Fearow" Asahi referred to was Ho-Oh.
A legendary Pokémon that rarely showed itself to humans—so rare that myths claimed those who saw it would be granted eternal happiness.
Asahi had always scoffed at that legend.
Humans were greedy by nature—eternal happiness? Yeah, right.
Even now, looking at Ho-Oh, all Asahi thought was: "Damn, that thing's bright."
But excitement wasn't his first reaction—confusion was.
"Why is Ho-Oh here right now?"
No one answered.
Because the moment Green saw Ho-Oh, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"I-It's… it…!"
That giant bird was the very one that kidnapped her as a child.
Though Mew had helped her overcome her ornithophobia, seeing this particular Pokémon again shook her to the core.
Noticing her distress, Asahi immediately grabbed her hand and used his Aura to calm her emotions.
Thanks to Mew's past treatment, Green quickly stabilized. Though she still feared Ho-Oh, she was at least functional again.
Together, they observed Ho-Oh more closely.
That's when they realized—
Something was wrong.
Ho-Oh, normally a majestic and composed Pokémon, looked agitated. It kept glancing around warily, as if expecting an attack.
The moment it noticed Asahi and Green approaching, it let out a warning cry.
"Is it telling us to leave, or else it'll attack?"
Asahi's eyes narrowed.
He was just about to voice a theory when—
From within the clouds, another figure emerged.
A cloaked figure wearing a silver mask, standing atop a Delibird.
"The Masked Man!"
Green immediately recognized him.
Asahi, however, focused on something else.
"Okay, but… how the hell is that Delibird carrying him?"
Delibird wasn't that big!
Green: "..."
Really? You're complaining about that right now?!
But she misunderstood.
Asahi might have been joking, but his hands moved fast.
With two flashes of light, Mewtwo and Gardevoir appeared, floating beside him.
He wasn't about to take any chances.
Seeing them, Pryce—who was remotely controlling the Masked Man decoy—frowned.
He had heard that Giovanni was gravely injured by an International Police officer who had a shiny Gardevoir…
Could it be this guy?!
At that moment, Pryce realized—
He was screwed.
Previously, he had already been ambushed by Team Rocket.
Now, after finally summoning Ho-Oh, planning to capture it, pluck its feathers for the GS Ball, and use its power against Team Rocket…
He just so happened to run into Asahi.
The same Asahi who had defeated Giovanni.
The same Asahi who now had the numerical advantage in battle.
Assessing the situation, Pryce made a decision—
Forget capturing Ho-Oh. Prioritize taking its feathers!
"Delibird, Ice Beam!"
A freezing blue beam shot from Delibird's beak, encasing one of Ho-Oh's talons in ice.
At that moment, Asahi—seeing Ho-Oh at a disadvantage—acted immediately.
Pryce might have been stronger, but right now, he was outnumbered.
"Mewtwo, Psycho Cut! Gardevoir, Psychic!"
Following Asahi's command, Mewtwo swung its gigantic psychic spoon, unleashing a razor-sharp psychic blade aimed straight at the Masked Man!
At the same time, Gardevoir unleashed a Psychic attack enhanced by the Plates.
An overwhelming force of psychic energy crushed toward the Masked Man from all directions, as if trying to pulverize him into dust.
But even in this dire situation, the Masked Man remained unfazed. Instead of dodging, he sent Delibird to attack Ho-Oh while stepping forward to face Mewtwo and Gardevoir's combined assault head-on.
Crack…
Under Gardevoir's crushing psychic force, the Masked Man's body emitted the sound of ice shattering.
Yet, he still made no attempt to evade, instead repairing the ice that made up his body as it broke while standing firm against Mewtwo's incoming Psycho Cut.
Slash!
Mewtwo's razor-sharp psychic blade instantly severed the Masked Man's head.
The clean-cut head rolled to the side.
But in the next second, the Masked Man grabbed his own severed head, lifted it up, and stared coldly at Asahi.
"You think you've won?"
A twisted grin formed beneath his silver mask.
Both Green and Mewtwo were shocked, their expressions mirroring each other.
Especially Green—despite spending years with the Masked Army, she had never known that the Masked Man's body was made of ice.
As for Mewtwo…
It was its first time witnessing something like this.
…Are all humans like this?
As everyone reeled from the shock, Delibird, having been charging its attack, suddenly pecked Ho-Oh hard.
"Screeeech—!"
Ho-Oh let out a painful cry, and in that instant, a clump of rainbow feathers was ripped from its body.
Asahi saw the whole thing and was left speechless.
Honestly, whether he won or not didn't matter at this moment.
What he really wanted to say was:
Ho-Oh, could you at least try to fight back?!
Since he first saw Ho-Oh, it had been doing absolutely nothing.
Leaving Mewtwo to handle Delibird, Asahi turned to Gardevoir and commanded:
"Finish him, Gardevoir."
Upon hearing Asahi's words, Gardevoir increased the force of its Psychic attack. The cracks in the Masked Man's ice body grew denser and deeper, his ability to repair himself falling behind the rate of destruction.
Finally, his body reached its limit.
Boom!
The Masked Man shattered into countless ice shards, scattering through the air.
His severed head, still seemingly trying to say something, was also crushed by Gardevoir's psychic force.
Under the sunlight, the shattered ice reflected a brilliant, multicolored glow almost as dazzling as Ho-Oh itself.
"As expected, having ice clones is convenient… I need to ask Pryce how he does it once I capture him."
Asahi marveled at the sight of the broken ice.
Pryce's ice clone technique was practically a cheat ability. If Asahi hadn't brought Mewtwo and Gardevoir, a weaker team might not have been able to defeat him.
Green, however, pointed toward the now distant Delibird, her face full of regret.
"Delibird stole a lot of Ho-Oh's feathers… but it got away."
Mewtwo had actually engaged Delibird in battle and had almost stopped it, but its inexperience cost it—Delibird had tricked it with the move Present, seizing the opportunity to escape.
Hearing this, Asahi waved dismissively.
"As long as Ho-Oh wasn't captured, it's fine."
He glanced at Ho-Oh's now patchy appearance.
Even from a distance, he could clearly see the bald spot where its feathers had been plucked. It looked incredibly awkward.
As for Delibird getting away? Asahi wasn't worried at all.
Seeing Green's confused gaze, Asahi casually took out his phone and pulled up Giovanni's email contact.
Then, he sent a short message.
[The Masked Man appeared in Ecruteak City and fought Ho-Oh. He stole its feathers. –Asahi]
Green looked at him in shock.
Asahi smiled.
"Sometimes, when fighting for justice, it's okay to cooperate with criminals occasionally…"
After confirming that the email was sent, Asahi lifted his head toward Ho-Oh.
By now, the legendary Pokémon had calmed down. It flapped its wings and soared toward him.
"Thank you."
Ho-Oh's gaze then shifted to Green.
Green hadn't expected Ho-Oh to suddenly approach. Sitting on Salamence's back, she froze up completely.
---