Chapter 171: Mammon's Own Little Brother — Long Time No See
"Stand up first. Let me think about this."
Mammon looked Zuki and Tamao over with an appraising eye. Beautiful women standing in front of him saying things like "we'll do anything" —
Honestly, his mind went somewhere it probably shouldn't have.
That said, he wasn't a person entirely without standards. A transaction was fine. But a transaction had to actually conclude properly.
"Yes." Zuki straightened up with some anxiety. Tamao was watching Mammon with barely-concealed tension.
"I have a few questions. Answer them honestly." Mammon took the Clear Bell from Zuki's hands.
From the outside it was simply an old gold bell — ancient-looking, with a quiet mystique to it. Strangely, when he turned it over in his hands, it produced no sound at all. Only when held and tilted in the correct way did it give off that single clear, sweet tone.
Ho-Oh's Clear Bell, and Lugia's Tidal Bell — both were special items in the games. Like the Rainbow Wing and the Silver Wing, they were tools used to summon Ho-Oh and Lugia.
"Please." Zuki pressed her lips together, her expression very serious.
"No need to be so tense. Just two simple questions. First: these bells — where did they come from?"
Mammon looked at the two of them with genuine curiosity.
It was one of the unsolved mysteries of the games. In the original story, the Ecruteak Kimono Girls were unusual figures — after a player defeated all five, they were gifted the Clear Bell or Tidal Bell. And when the player climbed to the top of the Bell Tower or deep into the Whirl Islands, the five sisters would perform the ceremonial dance that summoned Ho-Oh or Lugia.
Their narrative role was essentially parallel to the Meteor Clan's — the way the Lorekeeper could summon Rayquaza through prayer. But where the Meteor Clan's origins were fully explained, the five sisters remained mysterious.
"They were passed down through our family, generation to generation." Zuki's voice was soft and mournful.
"Seven hundred years ago, when the Bell Tower and the Brass Tower were completed and Ho-Oh and Lugia came to roost there — our ancestors were among those favored by them. They were given the Clear Bell and the Tidal Bell."
Tamao continued in her cooler, cleaner tone.
"Something like shrine maidens?" Mammon considered.
"Yes. The ceremonial rituals of Ecruteak at that time were entirely our ancestors' responsibility." Zuki gave a quiet sigh.
"But over the following five hundred and fifty years, people's reverence for Ho-Oh and Lugia slowly faded. Until the day lightning struck the Brass Tower."
"The Brass Tower caught fire. That night, people finally gave Ho-Oh and Lugia cause for complete and utter disappointment — and they left us."
"And they have never come back." Tamao's voice went quiet.
"You brought it on yourselves. Those who show no reverence for what is sacred will find it leaves them." Kagura bit into her apple and said it without bothering to soften it.
For the Meteor Clan, whose faith in Rayquaza was profound and unbroken, something like this would never have happened.
And when you thought about it, wasn't it almost absurd?
The Brass Tower was Lugia's home. It caught fire. And the entire city of Ecruteak failed to send a single person to fight the flames — they simply watched it burn.
If not for a rainstorm that arrived suddenly, the tower might not even have left ruins.
And honestly, that rainstorm might well have been Lugia itself — the last act of a Pokémon that had finally given up completely.
If Sky Pillar or the Burned Tower ever caught fire, Kagura was certain her clanspeople would throw themselves into the flames to put it out. That was the difference.
"Yes. That was the mistake of those who came before us. We understand it. We want to do everything within our power to seek Ho-Oh and Lugia's forgiveness — to earn their trust again."
Zuki said it softly.
"If what you want is for Ho-Oh and Lugia to return to Ecruteak — I'd advise giving up on that. It won't happen." Mammon shook his head.
Ho-Oh and Lugia returning to roost in Ecruteak was simply not possible. Lugia had been utterly disillusioned by what happened to the Brass Tower. Ho-Oh had witnessed everything — the fire, and the way Ecruteak's people had responded to Suicune, Entei, and Raikou's revival — and been equally devastated.
Those two legendary Pokémon would not come back to this city.
That depth of disappointment didn't simply dissolve.
"We're not asking them to return. We only want to ask for their forgiveness." Zuki shook her head.
"Our ancestors spent their lives in pain over this. They carried the guilt until they died, every one of them."
Tamao's voice was low. And so generation after generation, all the sisters had ever sought was an apology that could be heard.
"I see." Mammon understood now.
"Sir — if you can contact Ho-Oh — please, will you carry our apology to it? Is that something you could do?"
Zuki looked at him with hopeful eyes. She had been waiting her whole life for someone who could reach Ho-Oh and Lugia.
That was why the five sisters went out as often as they did.
"If you'll help us — anything. We'll agree to anything you ask."
"Truly anything?"
Mammon's mouth curved slightly, and the way he looked at Zuki carried a meaning she didn't have to work hard to read.
She understood immediately what that expression meant.
She pressed her lips together. Then she looked at him with resolute eyes.
"Yes. Whatever you want. Even serving you for the rest of my life — I'm willing."
Zuki held up a hand to stop Tamao, who had started to speak, and looked at Mammon with full sincerity.
This had genuinely tormented them for too long. What their ancestors had passed down wasn't only history — it was a weight buried inside that history. A chain.
From the time they were small children, their elders had filled them with this guilt. And now they lived inside that same chain themselves.
Zuki didn't only want her own freedom. As the eldest, she wanted her four younger sisters to be free of it too — not to spend their lives the way their ancestors had, under the shadow of a history they hadn't made.
Tamao watched her sister make the decision, and the light in her eyes went a little dim.
"That's admirable resolve. You've impressed me."
Mammon actually applauded.
"That said — I can't make any guarantees. At the end of the day, what you want is forgiveness from Ho-Oh and Lugia — but that desire may be entirely one-sided. They may have stopped caring about any of this long ago."
"Though I understand your intent. What you're really looking for is peace of mind. To close something that's been open."
Mammon saw Zuki about to say something and changed direction.
"I'll find a way to arrange for you to meet Ho-Oh and Lugia. Whether you receive the peace of mind you're looking for — that part is yours to navigate."
He thought about it and said this much to her.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. That's enough — that's everything!"
Zuki's composure broke. She immediately set about filling their cups with fresh tea, hands quick with relief and gratitude.
After so long — finally something to hope for. For her, this was light breaking through.
"As for a specific time — that I can't promise. But I can guarantee it will happen within a year. It might even be a matter of days."
Mammon took a sip. The tea was excellent. These sisters clearly all had real skill with it.
If he chose, he could summon Ho-Oh right now using its feather.
But Mammon wasn't the sort to let his lower half make decisions for his upper half. The five sisters were genuinely rare beauties — but their value was clearly not equivalent to spending one of his remaining Ho-Oh favors.
He wasn't that foolish.
"Remember what you've agreed to. When it's done — you belong to me for the rest of your life."
Mammon said it without any softening, watching Zuki with a wide smile.
He had absolutely no guilt about any of this. It was a fair transaction, and she had said it herself — help her, and she'd serve him for life.
"Yes. Once you fulfill this promise — I place my life in your hands."
Zuki's voice was gentle, and she meant it. She thought the terms were favorable.
Caitlin's elegant brow pressed together. Her gaze moved over Zuki in a way that was not entirely charitable.
She could, on an emotional level, appreciate the resolve this woman was showing — using her own future to secure her sisters' freedom was, in a certain sense, admirable.
But the critical issue was: the person she was pledging herself to was Mammon.
Caitlin found Zuki's approach thoroughly baffling. What era was this? Who was still doing the "this humble maiden has nothing to offer in gratitude but her devoted service" routine?
Utter nonsense. Ecruteak's ancient architecture was charming precisely because it preserved a certain character. That didn't mean it needed to revive the custom of pledging your person to your benefactor.
But Caitlin's concern was very practical. Zuki was beautiful, accomplished, graceful, and soft — and who knew how long she'd hold Mammon's attention.
She eventually talked herself into framing it as useful experience. Let Mammon get used to this particular style. That way, after marriage, he wouldn't be caught off guard by it.
Caitlin told herself this and managed to feel marginally better.
They left the private room.
"Sister…"
Tamao bit her lip softly, looking at Zuki with an expression that held many things at once.
"You didn't have to do this. The others — if they knew, they wouldn't agree."
"It's been too long, Tamao." Zuki sighed.
"Whatever else — this is a chance. And…"
She turned to face her sister directly, one hand reaching up to rest against Tamao's face in a gentle, unhurried gesture. She smiled.
"Don't you think Mammon is very handsome? And if Ho-Oh chose him, he must be exceptional. Honestly — spending a life with someone like that doesn't sound unlucky to me."
"…"
Tamao was quiet. She knew what Zuki was saying wasn't wrong. But the point was — this wasn't love. Was it?
They rested at the Dance Theater for a good while. Zuki and Tamao attended to every detail.
The theater had a great many young women coming and going, which made it inconvenient in certain respects — so the sisters arranged separate accommodations for Mammon's group.
At half past four that afternoon, Mammon and Caitlin finished dinner and went for a leisurely walk.
They drifted without particular intention — and eventually found themselves in front of the Burned Tower.
Mammon considered it, then decided to go in and look around. This had been Lugia's home, after all.
But the moment he reached the entrance, sounds of a battle reached him from inside.
He and Caitlin stepped in. When he saw the two people involved, Mammon's mouth curved.
One of them wore a long-sleeved red top and black cropped trousers, a cap on their head with a short fringe peeking out in front.
Gold.
And the one fighting Gold was a boy with striking red hair, his expression shadowed and cold, wearing a fitted top and purple trousers.
"Well, well~ Look who it is."
Mammon's smile went wide. He looked at the red-haired boy, and something in him grew still and thoughtful.
Silver. His own little brother.
The battle was entering its final moments. Feraligatr's Hydro Tail landed squarely on Typhlosion, and Typhlosion went down.
"Argh! Just one more hit!"
Gold couldn't contain his frustration at watching his ace fall.
"Hmph. Just one more hit? You really have no self-awareness." Silver gave a cold laugh, recalled Feraligatr, and turned to leave with one hand in his pocket.
"Hey! You get back here and explain yourself!" Gold jogged after him, furious.
"I don't talk to weaklings. You're an eyesore."
"Oh yeah?! What are you so smug about?! You stole your Pokémon from Elm's lab!"
Gold was furious enough to stamp his foot. This red-haired jerk was unnecessarily obnoxious. And what did he have to be smug about when his Pokémon came from theft?
"And so what?" Silver looked at Gold with cold eyes.
"As long as it makes me stronger — the method doesn't matter." His expression was dark and flat. That was what he believed right now.
Whatever it took. He would get stronger.
"That is so wrong!" Gold couldn't believe the worldview he was listening to.
"Hmph."
Silver was done with this conversation. He turned to leave.
He needed to keep training. Keep getting stronger. And he needed to find Leaf.
But when he turned — two people were standing in the entrance to the Burned Tower.
And Silver's brow furrowed. He stared at the dark-haired young man, and something stirred behind his eyes.
Why did he seem familiar? There was a strange pull — some inexplicable sense of closeness and unease.
Did he know this person? He had no clear memory. But he felt, somehow, that he did.
"It really has been a long, long time. Silver."
Mammon walked forward slowly, looking at the red-haired boy, his smile warm and unhurried.
"My dear little brother~"
(End of chapter)
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