Chapter 41: You Really Only Ever Think About Yourself, Don't You?
"I'm taking you back with me — no matter what!"
At Cynthia's declaration, Caitlin fixed her with a steady gaze. Cynthia met it without flinching.
Caitlin pressed her lips together, shook her head, and took two steps back.
She knew. Since joining Team Rocket, her growth had been extraordinary — but the gap between herself and a Champion-tier trainer like Cynthia was still significant.
As things stood, she wouldn't be able to beat Cynthia in a fight.
But… so what?
Caitlin looked toward Mammon. He caught her meaning instantly and flashed her a reassuring smile.
"Tch~ Now that's a line I can't just pretend I didn't hear."
Mammon stepped forward, positioning himself between Caitlin and Cynthia. He regarded the Sinnoh Champion with that trademark half-smile of his.
"Taking our lovely Caitlin away? I'm afraid that's something I simply cannot allow, Champion Cynthia."
Our lovely Caitlin…
No color rose to Caitlin's porcelain features, but the corner of her mouth lifted — just slightly.
The tension that had gripped her chest since the moment she'd seen Cynthia eased, if only a fraction.
"Team Rocket, is it?"
Cynthia's brow creased as she studied the young man radiating defiance and an undeniable edge of menace.
Young as he was, she had no intention of underestimating him.
Her instincts were screaming: This one is dangerous. This one is strong.
And there was the matter of why she was here at all — Kukui had bombarded her with one distress signal after another.
Professor Kukui was Champion-tier himself. On top of that, she'd seen it with her own eyes as she flew in: this boy had been the one fighting Kukui.
"Ah~ Team Rocket Senior Executive Mammon, at your service. Truly an honor — I never imagined I'd have the pleasure of meeting the legendary Champion Cynthia all the way out here in Alola." Mammon smiled easily.
He meant it, too. Cynthia's appearance had genuinely caught him off guard.
Alola was a long way from Sinnoh, after all. Then again, he'd poached Caitlin right out from under her — of course Cynthia couldn't sit still.
But this was going to complicate his plans.
"Surrender peacefully. If at all possible, I'd rather not have to hurt any of you."
Cynthia glanced at Lance — three enemies total. She really didn't enjoy this kind of fight.
She noted Tapu Fini floating at Mammon's side. That would be Alola's Island Guardian Tapu Fini, no question.
But Cynthia didn't believe for a moment that she couldn't beat it.
"Tch~" Another click of the tongue from Mammon.
"Just as Caitlin described — so lofty, so above it all. Are you really that confident, Champion Cynthia?"
The corners of Mammon's mouth slowly pulled wider. Thick, undisguised malice surfaced in his expression.
"Being underestimated by the great Champion Cynthia… well, that would put me in a very difficult position."
Cynthia's eyes narrowed — because she saw it: Tapu Fini rising into the air at Mammon's side, water-light coalescing in its mouth.
Hydro Pump.
A violent column of pressurized water tore through the air toward them at blistering speed.
"Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp's twin claws blazed with razor-sharp teal energy. It slashed downward at the incoming torrent with savage precision.
SHRRRRIP!
The full-force Hydro Pump was ripped clean in half, the bifurcated streams blasting harmlessly past either side of Garchomp's body.
"Incredible!"
Olivia, Hala, and the others stared. Tapu Fini's power was beyond question at this point — but Cynthia's Garchomp was clearly on another level entirely.
Tearing through Tapu Fini's Hydro Pump that effortlessly spoke volumes.
"I'm not underestimating you. But even an Island Guardian won't be a match for me."
Cynthia's tone was flat, composed — carrying that effortless, bone-deep poise that only years at the summit could produce.
She looked every bit the elegant, beautiful woman she was. And yet what radiated from her was something else entirely: the unmistakable aura of absolute strength.
This was Cynthia. The trainer who'd climbed to the peak of Sinnoh. The strongest person on Sinnoh soil.
But someone was not impressed.
Tapu Fini glared daggers at Cynthia and Garchomp. Excuse me? What's THAT supposed to mean?
Are you saying I can't beat this oversized land-dragon? Don't make me LAUGH! I'm Tapu Fini! I could lose to anyone before I'd lose to a Dragon-type!
Mm. Shell Lady was angry. She felt disrespected.
"Oh?"
Mammon sensed the spike in her emotions and glanced at her with an amused look, then turned his gaze back to Cynthia.
"Garchomp!"
Cynthia wasted no words. She simply gave the order.
Garchomp erupted forward — a freshly loosed arrow, streaking toward Tapu Fini at terrifying speed.
The ferocious pseudo-legendary land-shark barreling in at full tilt generated suffocating pressure.
But—
"Shadow Ball."
Keh heh heh~
That raspy, guttural cackle echoed in everyone's ears. Two points of crimson light flared to life in Mammon's shadow.
A sphere of roiling darkness launched outward, aimed squarely at Garchomp.
Garchomp reacted fast — Dragon Claw swung directly into the incoming Shadow Ball.
BOOM!
The detonation thundered across the battlefield. Shockwaves of wind howled in every direction. Smoke and debris billowed outward.
Garchomp's entire body was blasted backward. It flipped in midair, landed, and drove its right claw into the ground to brake — skidding a long furrow before it finally stabilized. Its savage dragon-eyes locked onto those two terrifying pinpricks of light glowing through the haze.
Cynthia's brow furrowed tightly.
"A Gengar?!"
Moments later, the smoke cleared to reveal a grayish-black Gengar wearing an ear-to-ear wicked grin, fully visible for all to see.
Sensing the weight of every stunned gaze on it, Shiny Gengar let out another shameless round of cackling.
Keh heh heh~
"That's one powerful Gengar." Kukui's expression was grim.
Earlier, when Olivia had tried her sneak attack with Lileep, it was a Pokémon hiding in Mammon's shadow that had swatted it down with a single Shadow Ball.
But Shiny Gengar hadn't shown itself then, and in the heat of fighting Tapu Fini, Kukui hadn't thought much of it.
Now, though — Cynthia's Garchomp had been knocked back by a single Shadow Ball too. Partly a matter of surprise, sure.
But that kind of raw power in a Shadow Ball…
This Shiny Gengar's strength was, conservatively, no less than Garchomp's. No wonder this kid had managed to capture Tapu Fini.
"Who are you?"
Cynthia had reached the same conclusion. She studied the young man with newfound gravity.
A trainer this strong and this young — how had she never heard of him before?
"That's beside the point. So then, Champion Cynthia — how about a proposal? Let's call it a day, shall we?"
Mammon smiled pleasantly at Cynthia. Her arrival really had been a wildcard.
With Cynthia here, certain things he'd wanted to discuss with Kukui were off the table.
And continuing to fight her served no purpose — he had a decent read on Garchomp's strength now.
"I am a League Champion. And you are a criminal organization."
Cynthia didn't answer directly. Instead, she produced another Poké Ball, her clear, magnetic voice perfectly level.
This wasn't Sinnoh, true — but as a Champion with a deep sense of responsibility, Cynthia would never let a member of a criminal syndicate walk away when they were standing right in front of her.
And besides…
Cynthia's gaze drifted to Caitlin. She would bring Caitlin back to Sinnoh. That was her resolve. She believed Caitlin would understand — someday.
"Honestly." Mammon noticed where Cynthia was looking and immediately understood what was going through her head. He laughed softly and shook his head.
"Champion Cynthia, you know what your problem is? You really only ever think about yourself."