Chapter 8: Do You Crave Power?
Mismagius's Curse was complete. A wisp of gray, deathlike energy drifted toward Metagross and phased into its body before it could even react.
"MITA!!"
Metagross let out a pained groan as dark, ominous energy flickered across its frame. The Curse had taken hold.
"Metagross! Use Psychic!"
Caitlin was in a strange state — immense psychic power churned inside her, and she was fighting with everything she had to keep it down.
She kept trying to steady her breathing, to force herself calm.
Metagross endured the first wave of Curse damage, its eyes flaring with deep blue light. A shimmering, multicolored pulse of telekinetic energy surged toward Mismagius.
Psychic — a Psychic-type special attack!
"Pointless." Mammon smiled faintly, eyes lowered.
"Protect."
A green barrier expanded in front of Mismagius.
Psychic slammed into it — and bounced off harmlessly. Protect held firm, blocking Metagross's attack without so much as a crack.
Caitlin's breathing grew heavier. The blue light flickering in her eyes pulsed faster.
"Bullet Punch!"
If ranged attacks weren't working, she'd close the distance first, then strike.
The logic was sound — under normal circumstances. But Metagross was far from normal right now.
Metagross's claws blazed with silver light. Priority move — Bullet Punch!
But it had barely launched forward before its body seized up. The gray miasma of the Curse struck again.
Metagross howled in pain. The corrosive agony of the Curse was brutal.
Mismagius, meanwhile, watched Metagross suffer through its second wave of Curse damage — and let out a shrill, ear-splitting cackle.
Naked mockery.
That was the last straw. Caitlin's composure shattered.
Uncontrollable psychic energy erupted outward. She was going to teach this underhanded Mismagius a lesson personally.
Caitlin thrust out her pale hand in a gripping motion. Tangible blue psychic force clamped down on Mismagius, locking it in place.
Mismagius didn't struggle. It just tilted its head, blinking in bewilderment at Caitlin.
Hold on — a human's psychic power can be THIS strong?
"Mita?"
Metagross turned around and saw its Trainer spiraling out of control again. It let out an anxious hum and flew toward Caitlin, trying to stop her.
"MITA!"
"Get AWAY from me!"
Caitlin snarled and flung her left arm out. Another wave of psychic force blasted the unprepared Metagross aside.
"Lashing out at your own Pokémon? No wonder the League banned you." Mammon watched the unraveling scene with open interest.
As Caitlin's power surged, her golden hair whipped upward in a nonexistent gale. The pressure was palpable.
Now he understood why the League had barred Caitlin from competition. A psychic this powerful was practically a human-shaped Pokémon. If she hit an opposing Trainer with that kind of force, most people wouldn't walk away from it.
"Gengar. Your turn."
"Keh heh heh~"
A low, sinister chuckle echoed from below. In Caitlin's own shadow, two pinpoints of crimson light blinked open.
"?"
Caitlin sensed something wrong. She gathered her psychic energy and looked down — straight into a pair of malevolent, blood-red eyes.
Her mind went heavy. The blue glow in her eyes faded. Her pupils grew distant and glassy.
Hypnosis. Gengar had used Hypnosis.
Caitlin's body tilted forward, going limp. Gengar immediately caught her with psychic energy, guiding her gently through the air and onto a bench at the edge of the training field.
"Mita?"
"Relax. She's just taking a nap. No harm done."
Mammon walked over to Caitlin and reassured the worried Metagross hovering nearby.
Metagross relaxed — but only for a second before a searing wave of pain ripped through its entire body. The Curse was still active.
Metagross groaned. Third wave. Its condition was critical.
"Almost forgot about you. Let me find your Poké Ball."
Saying this, Mammon reached without hesitation toward Caitlin's waist.
"?" Metagross's eyes went wide.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm grabbing your Poké Ball."
Mammon felt around Caitlin's waist for a moment and found several Poké Balls, holding them up for Metagross to see.
Confirmed: Caitlin's waist is very soft.
"…" Metagross felt like something was off about this situation.
"Which one's yours?"
"Mita." Metagross raised its right claw and pointed to the one on the far right.
"Got it. Return for now."
Mammon opened the ball and recalled Metagross. The Curse status vanished the instant Metagross entered — one of the many wonders of Poké Ball technology.
The ball immediately popped back open, and Metagross reappeared.
"Stop glaring at me like that. If I actually wanted to take advantage of your Trainer, it's not like you could've stopped me."
"I may have a thing for beautiful women, but I'm no creep."
Mammon shrugged, feeling this Metagross's guard was a tad excessive.
"MITA!"
"Fair point — your Trainer really is gorgeous. I do like her. Having ideas about her is perfectly natural, don't you think?"
Mammon nodded along wholeheartedly with Metagross's retort.
Caitlin was exquisitely refined. She might not have the most dramatic figure, but she was graceful and well-proportioned, with an air of effortless nobility. Top marks.
"MITA??"
Metagross was stunned.
"Is it really that weird that I can understand you? Calm down." Mammon glanced at Metagross.
Metagross's brain short-circuited. Yes. Yes, it is weird.
About ten minutes later.
"Mm…"
Caitlin frowned and slowly opened her eyes. Strange — what happened to me?
Still groggy, she turned her head. The first thing she saw was Metagross's enormous face right next to hers.
"Metagross? Did I just…?" Caitlin pressed a hand to her temple and sat up.
"Finally awake. Feeling okay?" A male voice from nearby made her start.
She whipped around to find the boy from earlier watching her with a look of unhurried calm.
Caitlin's memory snapped back into focus. Right — she'd lost control of her emotions again.
She pressed her lips together, expression falling. She still couldn't control that power…
"Gave me quite a scare, you know. All that psychic energy just pouring out. I didn't expect such a beautiful young lady to be a psychic, too."
His teasing voice reached her ears.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Caitlin looked up sharply.
"Why would I be afraid of you?" Mammon tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
"My psychic powers…"
Caitlin's voice dropped. She wasn't the type to feel sorry for herself over her abilities. But sometimes, a sigh escaped her all the same.
Having no psychic power at all would be better than having power you can't control.
She was a daughter of privilege — born into one of Sinnoh's most distinguished families. Wealth, beauty, talent — she had it all.
But it was precisely because of her overwhelming psychic power that people feared her. Behind her back, they called her a "monster." The Pokémon League had officially banned her from competition.
For someone who loved Pokémon battling, that kind of rejection was crushing.
"That's a strange way to think about it. You have an extraordinary gift — why worry about people being afraid?"
Mammon smiled and raised his right hand. Green points of light appeared and drifted toward Caitlin.
Instantly, her head cleared. The stiffness from sleeping on a bench melted away, replaced by a soothing warmth she couldn't quite put into words.
"You're a gifted person too?" Hope lit up in Caitlin's eyes — the joy of finding a kindred spirit.
"Of course. And listen to me — you should never doubt yourself because of a power the world chose to give you. This isn't a curse. It's a gift."
Mammon held Caitlin's gaze, his voice warm and steady.
"We're special. We're the lucky ones — the ones the world decided to favor. We can hold our heads high. We can tell ourselves — we can shout it to anyone who'll listen — we are the exceptional ones."
"Only the weak and the mediocre resent what's unfair. Only the powerless fear and envy those who are strong. They're afraid of us because we're strong."
The boy's clear, resonant voice cut through her like a bell. Caitlin's pupils trembled.
Yes — she was trembling. Not from fear. From something she hadn't felt in a long time: conviction.
"But I… I can't control it…"
And just as quickly, the weight of past failures dragged her back down.
"I've tried so hard. I've tried so hard! I don't want this either — I want to control it more than anyone! But they don't understand. They won't even let me battle."
In that moment, all the composure of the polished aristocrat crumbled away, and the frustration she'd buried for so long came pouring out. Her eyes glistened.
Who could possibly understand? She loved Pokémon battling — she truly, desperately loved it.
Her best friend Cynthia had become Sinnoh's Champion — the strongest person in the entire region, standing above everyone.
And Caitlin couldn't even participate in a normal battle. For someone with her pride, the humiliation was unbearable.
"Then try harder."
Mammon smiled gently.
"Believe in yourself. Believe that you're not inferior to anyone. Don't fight against your power — embrace it."
"If they refuse to understand you, then you don't need their understanding. Just remember one thing, Miss Caitlin."
His voice was kind.
"The strong don't complain about the way the world is. The strong define what the world should be."
"You're beautiful. You're powerful. That's who you are — and you don't need anyone's approval."
"What you should do is evolve. Then go back and prove every last one of them wrong."
Caitlin's heart lurched. Her eyes saw nothing but the boy standing before her.
I'm beautiful… and powerful?
"One more thing."
Mammon walked over to the bench, picked up a pink sun hat, and stepped in front of Caitlin. He tilted his head down slightly to look at the striking young woman before him.
He could clearly see it — a ripple passed through her eyes as he drew close.
He placed the hat gently on her head, then adjusted it. For that one moment, Caitlin seemed to forget how to breathe.
This is the first time… a boy has ever been this close.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Mercifully, it only lasted a few seconds.
Mammon stepped back, nodded with satisfaction. The hat suited Caitlin perfectly, just as he'd imagined.
"Stay elegant. No matter what happens — always be elegant. Poised and refined. That's who you really are."
Mammon smiled.
"Naturally. I have always received perfect marks in my family's etiquette courses."
Caitlin inhaled discreetly, folded her hands neatly in front of her, and spoke with measured, regal composure.
Just as Mammon had said — she was a lady of grace and distinction. She should carry herself accordingly.
What had just happened… how undignified.
"Forgive my rudeness — I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Caitlin. I'm from the Sinnoh region."
She extended her hand to Mammon. Gracious. Composed. Immaculate.
"Mammon. My name is Mammon."
He took her hand.
"You know, I only came over to offer you a sparring partner. Didn't expect things to go quite this way."
"No — I'm truly grateful, Mr. Mammon. You've taught me a great deal today."
Caitlin smiled — a delicate, luminous thing.
"You're from Sinnoh, Miss Caitlin. What brings you to Alola? Vacation?"
"Not exactly. Some… unpleasant circumstances drove me here. I'm just trying to clear my head."
Caitlin shook her head, then hesitated.
"Mr. Mammon — may I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"To be honest… I have a very close friend. No matter how hard I try, I can never beat her. Should I keep chasing after her?"
Caitlin bit her lip softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mammon raised an eyebrow. He knew instantly who she meant — Sinnoh Champion Cynthia.
Because Caitlin really only had the one friend. Even Darach was just hired help.
"Chasing everything is where unhappiness begins. There are things you can't do, and things you can — knowing the difference is what matters."
That was the line Caitlin told the player in her villa in the games.
In truth, Caitlin had spent years chasing Cynthia — and no matter how hard she pushed herself, she could never win. Over time, that reality had worn her down. The explosive fury of her early defeats had gradually given way to quiet resignation.
"Why ask me that? I can't make this decision for you, Miss Caitlin."
Mammon looked her straight in the eye.
"The one you should be asking is here."
He pointed to her heart.
"After all those losses — can you honestly say you've made your peace with it?"
"I…"
The memories flooded back — battle after battle with Cynthia, defeat after defeat. Caitlin's breathing quickened without her realizing it. Her chest rose and fell. The flickering blue light reignited behind her eyes.
"Elegance."
Mammon's voice cut through. Green motes of light drifted over. The turbulent energy inside Caitlin stilled, her thoughts clearing. The blue glow faded.
Elegance.
But when she came back to herself, Caitlin blinked in adorable confusion, staring at Mammon.
Wait — what just happened?
Her eyes were distant. How had she snapped out of that emotional spiral so quickly?
Was that… Mr. Mammon's power?
"If the outcome isn't what you wanted, there's nothing wrong with trying again. You can hear what your own heart is telling you, Miss Caitlin."
"…Yes. The truth is… I haven't accepted it at all."
After a brief silence, Caitlin finally faced what was inside her.
"Then go. Get stronger. And when you're ready — challenge your friend again."
"Mr. Mammon… how did you get strong?"
Caitlin was beginning to understand — this boy was powerful. Genuinely powerful. Even though he looked younger than her.
"Me?" Mammon chuckled softly.
"I looked the world's darkness and truth straight in the eye. Once you do that… strength comes naturally."
"The world's darkness and truth?" Caitlin looked confused. She didn't understand.
"Yes. And on that note, Miss Caitlin — allow me to ask you something."
Mammon's lips slowly curved upward. Something dark and magnetic flickered behind his smile.
"Do you crave power?"