Chapter 88: The Line of People Wanting to Catch Me Runs from Kanto to Johto!

That shameless woman — making moves on Mammon right under everyone's noses!

Caitlin had quietly pushed her door open a crack. And she had seen it.

With her own eyes, she had watched Erika take a towel into the bathroom, and then roughly fifteen minutes later, come scurrying out in considerable disarray.

Mammon was in there bathing. A girl just walked in. The absolute nerve.

Caitlin, operating on strong preexisting bias, chose to completely disregard Erika's teary murmuring about "I'm never getting married" as she fled.

In Caitlin's interpretation, this was obviously Erika's scheme all along — playing the helpless soft-spoken lamb while in reality making a play for Mammon.

Caitlin did not sleep well.

The next morning.

Caitlin opened her door mid-yawn and—

"Why are you coming out of Mammon's room?!"

She stared at Erika, who was sneaking out of Mammon's door in her sleepwear, and completely lost her composure.

Had things already progressed to that point? Absolutely not acceptable—

I was here first!

"...Caitlin?" Erika spun around and found herself facing something considerably more alarming.

Caitlin's eyes had gone faintly, luminously blue. That barely-restrained psychic energy made Erika instinctively step back twice.

"Please don't misunderstand — Mammon asked me to wake him up at ten."

Erika was deeply aggrieved. The pressure coming off Caitlin right now was genuinely frightening — she had the distinct impression Caitlin was considering throwing her off the second floor—

No, not just an impression. She could see a faint blue glow beginning to form around her own body.

Caitlin was actually doing it.

Erika explained rapidly.

She was innocent here. She could see plainly that Caitlin had feelings for Mammon — clearly a long-standing one — but Erika was the wronged party in all of this. Last night she'd been half-asleep and gotten taken advantage of while scrubbing someone's back, this morning she'd nearly been subjected to something considerably worse before making her escape, and now she was being interrogated by a psychic—

Life was genuinely unfair.

Caitlin stared at Erika. Her breathing was accelerating. Her gaze locked onto something below Erika's collarbone — a mark that was quite visible above her neckline.

Erika noticed. She awkwardly pulled her collar up.

"That's a — mosquito bite."

Do you think I'm an idiot.

Caitlin felt something snap inside her and then immediately reassemble itself with great effort. Several deep breaths. The blue light slowly faded. She turned and walked away.

Maintain dignity.

She was not going to bully this woman over something like this. She was Caitlin. These others were just passing distractions. Temporary.

Only she would walk alongside Mammon all the way to the top. Only her.

An ordinary Gym Leader of middling importance. A servant of low standing. Irrelevant.

But the moment Caitlin's back was turned, her lips pursed.

That scheming woman.

At the breakfast table.

"Caitlin — did you sleep badly?"

Mammon was working through the breakfast Erika had prepared, giving Caitlin a curious look. She seemed off.

"I was reviewing the battle with the two Elite Four members in my mind. Stayed up a bit late."

Caitlin lifted a wet napkin and wiped her hands with a smile so perfectly composed it was beyond reproach.

"I see." Mammon smiled. "You don't need to dwell on it. Surpassing Lorelei and Bruno is only a matter of time for you."

"Mm~"

The smile warmed slightly. She did enjoy this — being recognized, being cared about, in that particular way.

Erika sipped her soup in small, careful mouthfuls. She glanced sideways at Caitlin.

She was genuinely tempted to roll her eyes. This woman in front of Mammon was a masterpiece of restraint.

"So, Mammon — what are we doing today?"

After breakfast, Caitlin asked.

"Going to find someone." The corner of his mouth pulled upward.

"Someone?" She tilted her head. Didn't matter — wherever Mammon led.

Celadon City.

They were back.

After yesterday's battle, the southern district looked like a construction site — dozens of workers and Pokémon moving through the area repairing what the Earthquake had destroyed.

The League was footing the bill, so there wasn't much complaining. The residents had lost their homes, but they were getting brand-new ones. And the League had destroyed things in the process of clearing out a Rocket base, which the public found more exciting than upsetting. People were talking it over with enthusiasm, commenting on the League's decisive action.

That was the modern Pokémon League's hold on public sentiment.

Erika had been given a light disguise — hat, face mask. Unlike Mammon and Caitlin, who hadn't yet had official wanted notices issued, Erika was far too recognizable in Celadon.

Back on familiar ground, even after just one day away, she felt a strange pang. Her Gym was right here in this city and she couldn't go back to it.

Mammon ignored the nostalgia. Following the directions Armored Mewtwo fed him through telepathy, he moved toward a specific destination.

They reached a small hill at the city's edge. Mammon stopped and looked out at a path in the distance.

"Those people are — Ash?"

Erika had sharp eyes. She'd spotted the trio and the Pikachu and recognized them with some puzzlement.

Ash and Red had both challenged her Gym, so she had clear memories of both brothers. Neither had seemed like a beginner.

"Why are we following Ash?" she asked.

"He's a very special person."

Mammon scanned the surrounding area. Nothing unusual — but that was fine. Armored Mewtwo could handle the precision work.

Special?

Both Erika and Caitlin were puzzled.

"Mewtwo."

The deep, unsettling violet light kindled in Armored Mewtwo's eyes. Psychic force spread outward from it in silence — rippling through the surrounding area, the forests, the hills, touching every living thing within range.

No fine detail at this distance, but general signatures of presence and strength — those were clear enough.

Following Mammon's intent, Mewtwo swept quickly through one Pokémon after another.

"Found it."

Mewtwo locked on to something and spoke. The psychic force gathered — and all four of them vanished.

Teleport.

When they reappeared, they were on a different hilltop entirely. And standing directly ahead of them, having turned at their arrival, was a Pokémon.

"That's—"

Erika covered her mouth.

Blue body, sleek and elongated like a leopard, white patterned markings along its form, sapphire-like crest, two ribbon-like tails floating on either side.

Cool. Regal.

"Suicune," Erika breathed.

The legendary Pokémon. One of Ho-Oh's three guardians.

"There we go. My luck really is something."

Mammon's grin spread slowly.

He'd reasoned it through: Ash had been given the Rainbow Wing by Ho-Oh, making him a candidate for the Rainbow Hero. That meant Marshadow and the three beasts were almost certainly monitoring him — they had a responsibility to evaluate whether Ash was worthy of the title. It was their role.

So he'd had Mewtwo try to locate them.

He hadn't actually expected it to work this quickly. And of all three — Suicune. Interesting.

Suicune's calm eyes moved across the humans, then settled on Armored Mewtwo. Something faintly changed in its expression.

"Have to say, Suicune is genuinely striking." Mammon looked it over appreciatively. "Unfortunate, though—"

The three beasts — Suicune, Entei, Raikou — were said to have been three unnamed Pokémon who perished in the fire that burned Brass Tower. Ho-Oh had restored them to life and they had become its messengers, their powers each tied to the night of their rebirth: Raikou representing the lightning that struck the tower, Entei representing the flames that consumed it, Suicune representing the rains that extinguished the fire.

Of the three, despite Entei sharing Ho-Oh's Fire-typing and even knowing Sacred Fire, it was actually Suicune that had the closest relationship with Ho-Oh. Suicune's otherworldly bearing and beautiful appearance made it the most popular of the trio — it had a particularly devoted fanbase in Johto.

Mammon was mildly curious what those fans would think knowing Suicune occasionally got caught in a net by some Pokémon hunter in a certain anime arc. He also wondered whether there were simply multiple Suicune, or if the one from that movie and the one from that series were somehow the same individual.

That show really put everyone through it.

Anyway — Suicune was already his in his head.

"I apologize for the sudden intrusion, Suicune. I'd like to ask a favor of you — would you hear me out?"

Mammon set aside his thoughts and smiled pleasantly, voice gentle.

Suicune looked at him. Then shook its head and turned to leave.

Mammon's presence was comfortable enough — there was something in the energy around him that Suicune didn't dislike. But its instincts read something beneath the surface: a mind with many layers, many designs. Not simple. Not transparent.

Ho-Oh would like this one even less than it did.

Suicune turned away.

Before it could complete the motion, blue light wrapped around its body.

Psychic. That armored Pokémon.

Suicune snapped its head back around, eyes sharp, and fixed both Mammon and Armored Mewtwo with a cold stare.

"Nnn—!!"

A warning sound. It was not pleased.

"Hold on. Hear me out first — you might not refuse once you know what I'm asking."

Mammon's smile held.

Suicune said nothing.

"So — I think fairly well of you. I can probably find a place for you in my main roster."

"?"

Suicune stared.

The line of Trainers and organizations trying to capture me runs from Kanto to Johto without a single repeat. And this human is telling me he can probably find room for me?

You think you're better than me?

"Then — I'd like you to call your companions over. Entei and Raikou. I can take care of all three at once."

"??"

Chapter 88 - Chapter 88: The Line of People Wanting to Catch Me Runs from Kanto to Johto!