Chapter 34: Cynthia: Caitlin, I'll Bring You Back!
Was she hallucinating?
Cynthia stared at the file, her eyes growing wider and wider, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Her dearest friend — the owner of the Battle Castle in the Battle Frontier — had become a senior executive of the evil organization Team Rocket???
And on top of that, had injured the Alolan Island Kahuna Hala.
How was this possible? This couldn't be possible!
Cynthia's mind churned in turmoil. Yes, judging from their phone conversation a while back, Caitlin had seemed to undergo a subtle shift.
But Cynthia still couldn't accept it. How could Caitlin possibly join Team Rocket??
No. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
Team Rocket was an evil organization — one that even the Kanto League itself had been unable to fully eradicate.
Cynthia immediately pulled out her phone and called Caitlin. In fact, Cynthia had been calling Caitlin every few days lately.
But for some reason, Caitlin never picked up.
And this time was no exception. The number you have dialed is unavailable. Please try again later.
"Caitlin…"
Looking at the photograph of the black-clad Caitlin on her computer screen, Cynthia's expression grew increasingly complex. She remembered the words Caitlin had said over the phone that day.
"The weak version of me from before — starting today, she is dead."
Cynthia understood. She had always understood the pride that lived in Caitlin's heart. But even if she wanted to change herself—
She shouldn't have joined Team Rocket of all things!
Cynthia couldn't bear to imagine a future day in which she and Caitlin stood on completely opposing sides of a battle.
That wouldn't be a friendly competition in the arena. That would be a brutal fight of an entirely different nature.
It shouldn't be this way.
"Chairman, it's me. Yes — I need to make a trip to Alola. It's something very important."
Cynthia stood up without hesitation, striding out of her office with brisk, decisive steps as she called the Chairman of the Sinnoh League to notify him.
As Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia's status was no small matter. When traveling to other regions, it was best to have her own League notify the local one in advance.
Though with the Alola League not yet established, that procedure technically wasn't even necessary.
"Caitlin — I will bring you back! I will not stand by and watch you fall!"
Inside Mammon's seaside villa.
"So you ran into Hala. How was it? What did you make of his strength?"
Mammon asked with great interest, addressing Caitlin — who had now changed into a pink-and-white long dress.
Meanwhile, over by the floor-to-ceiling windows, a certain island guardian gazed out at the deep-blue ocean, a straw clamped between her teeth as she sipped watermelon juice.
In her other hand was a slice of strawberry shortcake. After taking a bite, she squinted her eyes in pure satisfaction. A few bites later, the entire slice was gone.
Then the little Shell Lady floated over to the table.
But upon seeing the empty bag sitting on the table, her brain visibly short-circuited for a moment.
"Qi? QI-QI!!"
Tapu Fini let out a heartbroken shriek and floated frantically over to Mammon, tugging at his clothes and pointing repeatedly at the table while babbling.
"Oh, you mean the cake? I didn't put it away. Gengar probably finished it off."
Mammon blinked, then thought about it and answered.
"QI!!!"
Shell Lady's fury surged. She knew it. It absolutely had to be that damned evil gray blob's doing.
Shell Lady's head whipped around in every direction, as if trying to figure out which shadow that gray blob was hiding in.
"Okay, okay, don't get mad at the little glutton. Stay calm, alright?" Mammon ruffled Shell Lady's silky hair with amused affection.
"Qi-qi…"
Shell Lady let out a mournful whimper like a small animal that had been abandoned.
That had been her little cake! Hers!
"It's okay, it's okay. Here — go buy some yourself. But remember, you can't eat too much, got it?"
Mammon pulled out a stack of cash and handed it to Tapu Fini, gently admonishing her.
He had no idea why, but Shell Lady seemed to have a particular fondness for fruit juice and fruit-cream cakes.
"Qi~ qi~"
Tapu Fini's face lit up instantly. With practiced ease, she took the cash and floated cheerfully toward the door — opening it, exiting, and closing it behind her in one smooth motion.
And Caitlin had been watching Tapu Fini's antics with a deeply strange expression the entire time, until the guardian's figure disappeared from view.
If she remembered correctly — when Tapu Fini had first been caught, the look on her face had been like the sky was falling. How many days had it been? Just a few?
"Mammon — aren't you worried she'll just run away?" Caitlin asked, puzzled.
This was the perfect moment for Tapu Fini to escape, wasn't it?
"She won't." Mammon shook his head.
Tapu Fini, run away? Maybe at the very beginning she'd had that thought. But ever since Mammon had uttered that one line — "Tapu Fini, you wouldn't want…" — Tapu Fini had seemingly accepted her fate.
There was a saying that went: life is like strong alkali — if you can't fight it, you might as well enjoy it.
Once the "give up and lean in" mindset takes hold, there's no clawing your way back out. And those soft, sweet little cream cakes were just that good, alright?!
Tapu Fini was gradually being remolded into Mammon's image.
Caitlin tilted her head. She couldn't help admiring Mammon's training methods. Impressive~!
"Senior Hala's strength was indeed considerable. He felt stronger than Mr. Lance and Mr. Guzma, I'd say."
Returning to the original topic, Caitlin gave her honest assessment.
"And yet you still defeated him. Caitlin, your progress has been remarkable." Mammon praised her with a smile.
Caitlin's progress had genuinely been astonishing. But that was inseparable from her own effort — once this aristocratic young lady had made up her mind, her drive was truly something to behold.
"Thank you. But I still need to keep working." Caitlin's lips curved into a faint smile. Her warm, lustrous eyes looked at Mammon, her voice noticeably softer.
She herself was satisfied with her recent progress. Thanks to Mammon — otherwise, she would probably still be lost.
"If you have time after this, I'll personally help you with some special training. Once you reach Champion-tier, you'll be ready to go catch Tapu Lele yourself."
Mammon thought it over before suggesting it.
"Mm~!" Caitlin gave a soft, slightly nasal hum in response. It almost sounded like she was being coquettish. Very cute.
"After defeating Hala this time, Kukui's side will likely become much more cautious about us. Mammon — do we continue our operations?" Caitlin asked.
"Of course. If we're going to fully expand our presence here, friction with the local powers is unavoidable."
Mammon tapped his fingers lightly against his thigh, perfectly composed.
"To stop them from getting too pushy, we have to give them a taste of pain — make them recognize our strength."
"Once they know what hurts, they'll naturally 'tone things down' a bit."
Mammon had heard from Lance — recently, suspicious figures who looked very much like surveillance had been showing up around the Game Corner.
That kind of brazen surveillance, without question, was being deployed by Hala and his colleagues.
Such absolute lack of restraint — they clearly didn't take Team Rocket seriously at all! They needed to be hit, hard, at least once!
"Yes!" Caitlin supported Mammon without question.
"But let's give them a few days to prepare first. Otherwise, Hala probably can't even get out of bed yet."
Mammon thought of the back-sprained Hala and couldn't help wanting to laugh.