Chapter 169 That's Right, Team Rocket Is Where I Belong, Yo!
"Silver? Your little brother?"
Rika and Ito both went still, staring at the handsome young man in front of them.
Silver — of course they knew him. They'd grown up together, in a sense. You could almost call them childhood companions.
But neither of them had ever imagined that Silver's older brother would one day come looking for them.
"Ha~ Don't we look alike?" Mammon's smile deepened.
"You really don't." Rika studied Mammon carefully, a note of genuine surprise in her expression.
Setting aside certain angular similarities in their features, these two were nothing alike.
Silver was taciturn and cold, the kind of person who kept strangers at arm's length.
The man in front of her who claimed to be Silver's brother was, by all appearances, the world's most potent social hazard.
"If either of you knows where Silver is — would you tell me? It's been ten years. I miss him quite a bit. And his father misses him too."
Mammon said it pleasantly, still smiling.
"I'm sorry, we'd love to reunite you with your family — but we're actually looking for Silver ourselves right now. We honestly don't know where he's gone."
Rika ran her fingers through her long grey-blue curls and shrugged with graceful resignation.
"I see. Then would I have the honor of buying the two of you a drink?"
Mammon showed no particular surprise. His attention had settled more heavily on Rika — relative to Ito, she was the more interesting of the two.
"This setting isn't ideal for that. And anyway—"
Rika's languid, magnetic eyes slid past Mammon to Caitlin behind him, instantly registering the very specific quality of displeasure Caitlin was radiating.
The corner of Rika's mouth lifted slightly. Something mischievous flickered there.
"A drink doesn't interest me. But a candlelit dinner — that, I could think about."
She gave Mammon a look that was doing exactly what it intended.
"Oh?" Mammon raised an eyebrow.
"Though I'm afraid today's schedule doesn't allow for it. Until next time, then."
Rika waved a light farewell, and with a turn of her hips that was entirely deliberate, strolled off with Ito in tow.
Mammon watched their retreating figures until they disappeared.
"Lord Mammon — should I have someone follow them?" Gladion asked quietly.
Silver seemed to have some connection to those two.
"No need. There'll be other opportunities." Mammon shook his head.
Rika and Ito were currently members of the Masked Man's organization — the group assembled a decade ago from children kidnapped across Kanto by Ho-Oh and Lugia, built around one very dangerous old monster.
As things stood, Leaf and Silver had almost certainly already defected. Rika and Ito were likely here to pursue those two defectors — especially Leaf, who had taken something important from the Masked Man when she escaped.
"It seemed like you were fairly interested in that woman." Caitlin remarked, making it sound entirely incidental.
"True. She's good. Worth bringing into the organization."
Mammon didn't hide it. He did value Rika.
Unlike Ito, who was just a capable Elite-Four-tier Trainer with a psychic type — a nuisance, but nothing more — Rika's strength was genuinely impressive.
In the Adventures manga she eventually became the head of Johto's Elite Four, having beaten even Lance despite a type disadvantage. That was Champion-tier.
"I see." Caitlin nodded.
She had noticed that Mammon's manner toward Rika had leaned slightly warm. If it was about her strength, that explained it.
Meanwhile, Rika and Ito.
"Something was off about those three." Ito said it quietly, his voice very serious.
"The blonde woman — she's a psychic-type ability user. A very powerful one."
As one himself, he could feel just how alarming Caitlin was.
"Did I need to tell you that? This incident probably has those three's fingerprints all over it." Rika's brow furrowed slightly.
"And how did he know we knew Silver?" Rika's pale face was shifting between expressions.
That was the part that baffled her most. The Masked Man's organization was extremely well-concealed — they had standing orders not to reveal its existence during outside operations.
Silver had been gone for a while now. The two of them had been searching for Leaf and Silver without any results. There was no way their connection to Silver had been exposed.
"How interesting~"
Unable to work it out, Rika paused mid-step and glanced back at the massive Rayquaza still dominating the sky.
The corners of her mouth slowly lifted.
Was that your doing?
The Goldenrod Pokémon Association attacked by a Rayquaza and unidentified assailants — the headline spread across Kanto-region networks instantly.
The effect was like a tsunami. Criminals brazen enough to attack a city in broad daylight were frightening by any measure.
The Kanto League issued a statement immediately, assuring the public that there was no need to worry — the Pokémon League would guarantee everyone's safety. The perpetrators were being actively pursued. The criminals had already fled Goldenrod. Please remain calm.
In reality, they were in an underground base beneath Goldenrod.
"Lord Mammon, you really do make an entrance."
The speaker was a small, slight man whose build made him look almost like a child. His expression right now was not comfortable.
Because the main chair that was rightfully his was currently being occupied by Mammon — who had also put both feet up on the desk.
This caused the dwarf man's face to twitch at irregular intervals, because his short arms and legs made it physically impossible for him to replicate the posture.
"This is just how the Kanto branch greets people. Chakra — I hear you've been a bit restless lately."
Mammon took a sip of juice and watched him with a smile that didn't quite reach its eyes.
His name was Chakra. Leader of the Team Rocket Trio. Despite his child-like build, perhaps precisely because of the psychological effects of his unusual body, Chakra had a volatile, brutal, and monstrously self-absorbed personality — a textbook member of an evil organization.
A person who walked around carrying eleven Electrode as living bombs had to be a certain kind of person.
"Where did that come from, Lord Mammon? I, Chakra, am completely loyal to the Boss. I wouldn't dream of anything else."
Cold sweat appeared on Chakra's forehead instantly. He launched into an enthusiastic display of devotion.
"I didn't say you were disloyal to Team Rocket, did I?" Mammon's smile deepened. "Why so eager?"
Chakra's face went through several more unpleasant expressions, but he put his head down and stopped talking.
He had ambitions, yes. But not in front of Giovanni or Mammon — Chakra, for all his swagger, knew perfectly well which people in Team Rocket he couldn't afford to provoke.
Especially today, with Mammon making an entrance by causing a major incident within hours of arriving.
"Chakra. Work within your ability." Mammon stood slowly, leaned down, and patted Chakra's shoulder.
"The Boss sent you to Johto to build Team Rocket's presence here. That means he values your abilities. As long as you don't overstep — I think you'll produce some impressive results here. Won't you?"
Mammon met Chakra's eyes. A certain meaning ran under the surface of the words.
Someone like Chakra did have real capability — that was undeniable. But without occasional reminders of his place, he tended to jump.
"You're absolutely right, Lord Mammon." Chakra lowered his head.
"The assignment I gave you — what progress has been made?"
"I apologize, Lord Mammon. We haven't found Lugia's definitive location yet. However, in the Whirl Islands area, we've turned up quite a few legendary accounts that may point to Lugia's habitat. It's possible that's where it lives."
Chakra reported promptly. In the days prior, Mammon had already reached out asking him to put all available resources toward finding Lugia's whereabouts.
Clearly, finding a legendary Pokémon's location was not a simple matter.
"Good work. Keep investigating. I'll be here for a few days."
Mammon nodded. He had already been aware of the Whirl Islands connection — but "possible habitat" wasn't enough.
What he was looking for was the mother and child Lugia from the anime. Whether that pair existed in this world remained to be seen.
Raising a baby Lugia — now that was something he found genuinely appealing.
"Of course. Shall I arrange accommodations for you?" Chakra was very eager.
"No need. Speaking of — where's Vicious?" Mammon scanned the people behind Chakra. Only Oca and Sham.
His gaze paused briefly on Sham, then moved on. No need to flip that card yet.
"I've notified him. He hasn't responded." Chakra immediately distanced himself from Vicious.
"Lately I've heard he's been pursuing information on Celebi. He may be occupied with that." Chakra reported carefully.
He had no love for Vicious either. Vicious was arrogant and insufferable, and Chakra had been wanting to do something about him for a while.
But Vicious was a senior executive. Chakra had gathered information quietly, but hadn't dared move openly.
"Pfft. A disobedient dog with designs on his own — no reason to keep that around. Chakra, Vicious attacked a colleague in an attempted defection. Handle it yourself. Feed him to the fish. We don't need him."
Mammon said it offhand, with barely any inflection.
Compared to Chakra, Vicious was worse in every way. Chakra, kept in line by Mammon and Giovanni, would at least behave and be useful. Vicious had big ambitions and small results. He was a waste of resources.
"Yes, Lord Mammon!" Chakra's excitement was genuine — though the chill running down his spine was equally real.
A senior executive. Mammon had ordered the disposal without blinking.
"Keep a close eye on the Whirl Islands situation. The moment Lugia is sighted, contact me immediately."
Mammon emphasized the point again before leaving.
"Understood." Chakra bowed his head formally.
"Good." Mammon nodded and led Caitlin and the others out.
"Sham. Arrange the personnel. We're going to find Vicious."
After Mammon had gone, Chakra's mouth curved into something cruel.
"Right — but shouldn't you report to the Boss first? Vicious is a senior executive." Sham expressed concern.
"No need. Lord Mammon gave the order. We follow it." Chakra gave a short, cold sound.
By procedure, yes, this should go to Giovanni. Giovanni was still the Boss. But Chakra, even from Johto, could read the situation — the real power in Team Rocket had shifted to Mammon.
Giovanni had more or less fully retreated into the background.
"Understood."
Sham nodded and left to arrange things.
But the moment she stepped out of the office, the composed mask slipped. Her pale, shadowed face was tight, eyes flickering through expressions she couldn't settle.
Team Rocket's changes had been very real lately. Especially today — she'd watched that powerful Rayquaza from the shadows. And behind Mammon had been Caitlin and Kagura, both of them Champion-tier.
Team Rocket was growing stronger at an alarming rate.
For Sham, this was not good news.
Because her real identity was, of all things, a damn Galaxy Team spy.
"Maybe—"
Sham's eyes kept shifting. She needed to make a choice, and soon. As the saying went: a wise bird picks its tree.
If her identity came out, she'd end up exactly like Vicious — Mammon would throw her in the ocean to feed the fish.
She reached into her pocket and gripped a Poké Ball tightly — but her heart was still tangled.
From a purely rational standpoint, Team Rocket looked like it had the better future. But the Galaxy Team was where she had originally belonged.
Sham made her decision very quickly.
Galaxy Team? What kind of garbage organization is that. I was born to give everything for Team Rocket, yo!!
That's right — Team Rocket is where I belong.
(End of chapter)
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