Chapter 168: Mammon: My Foolish Little Brother
The Johto Pokémon Association was the organization responsible for managing local Trainers and Gyms in the Johto region.
Its base of operations was located in Goldenrod City.
Goldenrod was Johto's largest city — a metropolis whose scale rivaled even Saffron in Kanto, celebrated as a great and flourishing hub.
And right now, Mammon, Caitlin, Kagura, and Gladion were here.
"This is it."
Mammon confirmed the location, looking at a tall building not far away. This was the Pokémon Association's base.
The smile Kagura usually wore was gone. Her eyes were cold.
"Then let's get started."
Mammon's mouth curved slowly. He extended one arm, palm open, and an Ultra Ball expanded.
"Rayquaza."
ROOAAR!!
A draconic roar of sheer overwhelming force split the air. A dragon wreathed in faint green radiance coiled into place above the city, claiming the sky.
Rayquaza.
And naturally — a Rayquaza abruptly materializing above a city caused immediate, considerable panic.
"The people who caused Shelly's death are in there. I'm sure you know what to do."
Mammon pocketed the Ball. Rayquaza wasn't his Pokémon — he was only holding it temporarily.
After all, between the two, what he was genuinely hungry for was the black Rayquaza — Rayquaza's father. This one was just a bonus.
That said, it wasn't an obstacle. Rayquaza's regard for Mammon was fairly high at this point, especially since last night, when Mammon had put it through a training session with Kyogre.
The session had been somewhat brutal — Primal Kyogre had not been gentle — but Rayquaza had gained a significant amount of real combat experience.
Because it had to be said: this Rayquaza's actual fighting ability was genuinely poor. It had almost entirely been coasting on raw stats.
"ROOAAR!!!"
Rayquaza's draconic eyes were furious and cold. Its roar, carrying real rage, rang across all of Goldenrod.
The curious bystanders who had lingered started backing away rapidly.
Inside the Pokémon Association building, people had noticed Rayquaza. The upper management — those who had been involved in the incident years ago — immediately dissolved into panic.
"Go ahead. Dragon Pulse."
Mammon tilted his head, showing a row of very white teeth. The smile was unsettling.
Rayquaza opened its enormous jaws. Pure draconic light condensed — and a Dragon Pulse fired directly at the upper floors of the Pokémon Association building.
BOOM!
The top three floors of the building were demolished in the blast. Screaming, wailing, and terrified cries followed immediately.
In what seemed like seconds, the entire city had erupted in chaos.
Goldenrod's police deployed in full, beginning evacuations of the surrounding area. Jenny and her unit wanted to stop whoever was attacking the city.
But when they saw Rayquaza, they froze.
…What were they supposed to do about this?
"That might have been a bit much. I wonder if we just took out most of the upper management in one go."
Mammon looked at the flames burning on what remained of the upper floors, chin in hand, mildly concerned.
"Mammon — how am I supposed to get my revenge if you do that?" Kagura looked at him, thoroughly unimpressed.
"Sorry. Can't help it. Having Rayquaza on hand — naturally you want to make a scene with it."
Mammon shrugged. It couldn't Mega Evolve, but it was still a Rayquaza. When you had a Rayquaza, you wanted to use a Rayquaza.
"Rayquaza is not for showing off. Whatever — I'll go."
Kagura had a certain reverence for the Dragon God and wasn't going to say much more on the subject, but Mammon's expression had left her with very little to work with.
Though that wasn't the point right now.
Kagura scanned the people pouring out of the building, locked onto the ones in high-ranking uniforms, and her face went cold.
She wasn't without conscience. She knew many of the lower-level Association employees were probably innocent. She wasn't interested in indiscriminate harm.
But the people at the top — she wouldn't let a single one of them go.
Kagura released Flygon and Naganadel, and walked toward the Association personnel.
"Rayquaza — don't let anyone interrupt Kagura."
Mammon leaned against a wall and gave Rayquaza its instruction.
As for casually committing crimes in a city — he had no guilt about it whatsoever.
When it came down to it, the Association people had tried to capture Rayquaza for their own selfish ambitions. They were rotten to the core. Mammon was quite happy to remove them from the world.
This was all for a brighter, cleaner tomorrow.
"Suicune — what do you think? Is this right?"
Mammon addressed the Suicune standing guard at his side.
"…" Suicune was silent. It didn't object. Which was, essentially, agreement.
Though as one of Ho-Oh's three beasts, its heart was fundamentally good.
"You might think this is extreme. But let me tell you something, Suicune." Mammon ran his fingers lightly along Suicune's mane, his voice easy and unhurried.
"Humans are extremely complicated creatures. Some are born genuinely pure and kind. But in equal measure — some are born with darkness in them from the start. Their hearts are full of filth that can never be cleaned out."
"We can't change those people. All we can do is remove them. That's the necessary cost of making this world a little better."
Suicune tilted its head, listening.
How to put it — it felt like what Mammon was saying wasn't wrong, exactly. But something about it felt slightly off.
"Mammon is so noble~!" Jirachi, perched on Mammon's shoulder munching an enormous rice cracker, delivered this with complete guileless admiration.
"Ha ha~ Well, more or less."
Mammon looked toward the approaching Jenny units in the distance.
"Goldenrod's police are fairly efficient. Suicune — go hold them off. Don't let them interrupt Kagura."
He patted Suicune's head.
Suicune nodded and vanished from where it stood. In the next instant, it had reappeared directly in front of the advancing officers, and with a cool, unhurried sweep of its gaze, looked them over.
The officers all stopped.
"That's — Suicune?"
"Why is Suicune here? Is it… blocking us?"
"Why though?"
Suicune — one of Ho-Oh's three legendary beasts, said to be the embodiment of the north wind. In Johto especially, Suicune needed no introduction. Its reputation was almost entirely positive: the legendary purifier of water, beloved by all.
And now it was standing between the officers and their destination, which was deeply confusing.
But confused or not, the Pokémon Association was being attacked. The officers were anxious to get through.
"Suicune! Please, let us pass! We have something urgent!"
The lead officer tried directly, holding on to the faint hope that Suicune wasn't intentionally blocking them.
Suicune didn't move. Its calm, indifferent gaze simply continued to rest on them.
"So it is with the attackers." The lead officer's expression hardened. She looked toward the massive green dragon in the distance, then back at Suicune.
Whoever this was — attacking the Pokémon Association in broad daylight was a serious crime. They had to act.
"Then we have no choice but to get through you, Suicune!"
She released an Arcanine, and signaled her team to prepare.
A faint ripple crossed Suicune's eyes. It could sense that these officers were driven by genuine justice and real conviction.
But — right now, it had to fight them.
Suicune also understood: it wasn't wrong. Rayquaza wasn't wrong. And its Trainer wasn't wrong.
Soft blue-white light rose around Suicune's body, its bearing sharp and composed.
Mammon had told it: no one was to pass.
Suicune and Rayquaza held the officer units at bay, while Kagura cut through the Pokémon Association building with Flygon and Naganadel, entirely unopposed.
Mammon yawned pleasantly. He was half-tempted to take a small nap.
Then his eye caught something, and sharpened.
"Well, well. Johto's legendary Rayquaza, of all things, showing up here. This is interesting."
The woman who had caught his attention had long, grey-blue curly hair and very pale skin. She wore a fitted yellow top, and the slim, flat lines of her waist were rather eye-catching. Loose white trousers, yellow heels.
Tall and rangy, with a face that was beautiful in a way that carried a deep, bone-level wild malice. Compelling.
She was leaning against a wall with her arms folded, watching Rayquaza with considerable interest.
"Don't you think, Ito?"
The one she called Ito was a purple-haired man wearing a mask. His outfit was ornate. His expression had a certain sullen quality.
"Doesn't matter. This has nothing to do with us. Rika — we should leave." Ito said it flatly.
He liked watching things unfold as much as anyone, but he disliked getting caught in the crossfire far more. Rayquaza's pressure was real, and he had no interest in being on its radar.
"Don't rush. I want to know why it's attacking the Pokémon Association." Rika was very curious.
"I can tell you the reason if you'd like, beautiful."
An unfamiliar male voice reached both of them.
The sudden intrusion startled both Rika and Ito. They turned — and found three people standing a short distance away who hadn't been there a moment ago.
This genuinely unsettled Ito. He had psychic perception abilities, and his sensory range was quite sharp. He hadn't detected these three approaching at all.
"Well~ what a striking young man. Though eavesdropping on people's private conversations — that's not very polite, is it?"
Rika's eyes curved slightly. Her smile was striking, her voice quite distinctive — low, unhurried, with a kind of easy magnetism.
"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was openly and shamelessly listening." Mammon grinned back and took a look at her.
It had to be said — Rika was genuinely beautiful. Had a certain character to her.
Rika let out a short, amused sound and looked at him with real interest. Mammon's very obvious appraisal didn't bother her in the slightest.
She was used to it. She had always been used to it.
"You're rather entertaining."
"You're rather beautiful. But can I ask you both something?" Mammon's smile stayed easy.
"Ask away. Though I'm not necessarily going to answer." Rika said.
"Do you happen to know where my foolish little brother is? I've been missing him quite a bit."
Mammon's smile carried that signature shade of something sinister.
"My little brother — I think you'd know him. His name is Silver."
(End of chapter)
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