Chapter 129: To Beat Team Rocket, Mega Evolution Is Non-Negotiable!
Lilycove City. League conference room.
Everyone had made it back. The atmosphere was appropriately subdued.
That was only natural. Six Champion-tier Trainers deployed simultaneously, and the area around the Devon Corporation building in Rustboro had taken serious damage from the fighting.
The bright side: Joseph Stone was safe, and there had been no casualties.
"All right. Let's hear it — what did everyone take from this battle?"
Steven took a sip of coffee, pressed two fingers to his temple, and opened the floor.
Post-battle review. Any competent Trainer made a habit of it — the only way to honestly assess your own limits and find cracks in your opponent's.
Leon sat to one side looking visibly uncomfortable, since he had arrived too late to see a single member of Team Rocket and had nothing to contribute.
Wallace was even more uncomfortable. Of the six of them, he alone had been defeated and taken prisoner — and then repurposed as Team Rocket's getaway prop. Yes, Mammon's group would have escaped regardless. But that didn't change the fact that it had been him.
"The executive called Kagura — she specializes in Dragon-types. She called herself a Meteor Clan Lorekeeper." Shujiro spoke first, his voice composed. "I think that identity is worth investigating, Champion Steven."
"Meteor Clan?" Steven's brow creased. He glanced toward Wallace involuntarily.
The reason: Wallace also carried an inherited title of his own.
Wallace was the last of the Lorekeeper of the Sea lineage — guardians of the seal on the Sky Pillar.
But looking at Wallace's expression — blank, then quietly thoughtful — Steven let it go and shifted his thinking. Meteor Clan. Could that be connected to Meteor Falls?
"Probably some kind of isolated hereditary order. We can have the League reach out through their channels." Cynthia's analysis was measured. The title alone implied a lineage of considerable age.
"I'll ask a contact of mine to look into it as well. And I'll be honest — Kagura's strength is above mine. She outclassed me."
Shujiro said it plainly. Strong was strong. Weak was weak. He was simply weaker than Kagura.
"Caitlin is formidable as well. Her Psychic-type team is extremely difficult to deal with. I'm not confident I can beat her."
Nemona followed up with her own assessment.
Wallace: (°°)
This girl fought Caitlin to a draw. And I lost to Caitlin—
A complicated expression moved across Cynthia's face. Caitlin had improved this much?
Nemona was Paldea's newly crowned Champion. And Wallace — who had held his own against Caitlin not that long ago — had just been decisively beaten.
Before the Alola deployment, Caitlin had still been Elite-Four-tier.
Which meant: since joining Team Rocket, Caitlin had been improving at a genuinely staggering pace.
Was this truly the path that suited her?
The thought tangled in Cynthia's mind and didn't let go.
"I won't dwell on Mammon's power level — you all experienced it firsthand. Facing me, Cynthia, and Gym Leader Giovanni simultaneously, he didn't fall behind for a single moment."
Steven's voice was flat.
Leon blinked. He hadn't witnessed the actual battle, but hearing it laid out like this — were Team Rocket's executives really operating at this level?
"I think we should seriously explore Mega Evolution." Giovanni said it in his low, steady voice.
"Mega Evolution — a professor in Kalos published a paper on it. It enables a fully-evolved Pokémon to evolve beyond its final form." Steven had read that paper. "But until today, it had never been empirically confirmed. It's hard to believe Mammon's team has already mastered it."
The subject genuinely fascinated Steven — he'd always been drawn to rare stones, and this was the rarest application of them he'd ever encountered.
"Which is exactly why we need to master it ourselves. Based on what we saw today, Mega Evolution provides an enormous amplification to a Pokémon's capabilities." Giovanni was concise.
"Agreed. The power increase is extraordinary. We need this if we're going to beat Team Rocket."
Cynthia's agreement was immediate.
She still hadn't stopped thinking about Mega Tyranitar.
Was there anything particularly clever about what Mega Tyranitar had done in the Rustboro battle? Not really. It had just been powerful. An almost mathematical purity of overwhelming stats — attack, defense, presence. It had simply overpowered Metagross, Garchomp, and Nidoking through sheer physical superiority. Brute force incarnate.
That Tyranitar was already strong before the transformation, no question. But Steven knew clearly — without Mega Evolution, it never reaches that tier. The gap between the two forms was that stark.
"I'll ask the chairman to help us source Mega Stones and get in contact with Kalos specialists."
Steven nodded. And with Cynthia and the others having come all this way to help — Mega Stones made for exactly the kind of meaningful thank-you gift the situation called for. He wasn't short on resources. Any problem money could solve wasn't really a problem.
"That's enough for today. Everyone get some rest." He looked around the room. He was eager to reach out to Kalos contacts immediately.
Mega Evolution. With that in hand, they could mount another offensive.
"Champion Steven, take care of yourself as well. You've pushed hard today." Giovanni's concern was quiet but genuine.
"He's right — Team Rocket isn't an organization we dismantle in a single push. Rest first." Cynthia agreed.
"Thank you. I know." Steven felt the warmth of it despite himself.
But right at that moment — the League coordinator's expression went very strange as she looked down at her phone. Shock, clearly.
"Champion Steven. Could you step outside for a moment?"
Mauville City.
"That performance wasn't quite right."
In Caitlin's villa, Mammon was sprawled on the sofa, running back through the battle in his head and shaking it with mild dissatisfaction.
The monologue had been good, but the timing was off. Probably should have waited until Armored Mewtwo had all three of them on their knees before delivering the speech. That would have hit harder.
Oh well. Done now.
"Can't reuse the 'strength, belonging, ideals' framing next time anyway. Need fresh material."
He kept turning it over. He'd publicly laid out his relationship with Giovanni — more or less explained, at least on the surface, why he'd originally joined Team Rocket. That chapter was closed. The 'I've surpassed you' moment had served its purpose.
Now it was time to think bigger. Recycling the living-in-Giovanni's-shadow narrative would start to feel small. And Mammon had ambitions that were decidedly not small.
Next confrontation with the League — he needed to be projecting vision. Grand villainy. Something with scope.
Something like "I will stand above all of it" or "I will become this world's new Arceus." Though — was Arceus a bit too edgy?
"Lord Mammon, the investigation you asked me to run has come back with results~"
Courtney's soft voice drifted up from where she was settled comfortably against him.
"Oh?" Mammon surfaced from his thoughts and his hand moved on instinct, gently kneading the bundle.
"Mm—..."
A faint flush rose across Courtney's pale, pretty face. Her gaze turned quietly captivating as she caught his wandering hand.
"Four years ago, Dr. Lund of Larousse City did bring back a meteorite from the Great Ice Field and has been researching it ever since. And I found one of the people who was actually there."
Her voice was steady and professional.
"He confirmed it clearly — Rayquaza descended at that time. And he had photographic evidence."
She produced a photograph from her skirt pocket and held it out.
"It took considerable effort to locate this witness, Lord Mammon."
The pride in her tone was perfectly transparent — the expression of someone who very much wanted to be told she'd done well.
"My Courtney is exceptional."
Mammon didn't hold back, pressed a brief kiss to her cheek, and took the photograph.
The print was aged and the resolution wasn't great. But he could make it out clearly enough.
Rayquaza and Deoxys.
Both of them. In the same frame.
The corner of Mammon's mouth curved upward.
Now this is interesting.
"Hehe~" Courtney tilted her head, a lovely smile breaking across her face.
"Then, Lord Mammon — can I have my reward?" She looped her arms around his neck and leaned very close, eyes soft and deliberate.
The distance between them had become very small — small enough that Mammon could see every detail of her face.
"You little menace. Wasn't last night enough?"
He was genuinely impressed by her stamina, in the most exasperated possible way.
"I want today too, Lord Mammon~. I'm not planning on being able to walk tomorrow. Will you help me with that?"
Courtney's laugh was quiet and pleased.
"Fine, fine, fine—"
He was seventeen and in peak physical condition — what exactly did she expect him to do, say no?
Battle.
Three hours later, Mammon walked out of the room feeling thoroughly refreshed.
Courtney was something else. She'd given him a run for his money.
Buzz buzz buzz.
He glanced at his phone. An eyebrow lifted.
"Hey, Lillie."
"Mr. Mammon — are you busy?"
Lillie's clear, bright voice came through.
"I've told you before — if it's you, I'll pick up even when I'm busy." Mammon headed downstairs and poured himself a cup of tea, smiling as he said it.
"Mm~ hehe — Mr. Mammon, I already talked to Mother! I told her I wanted to go visit Gladion for a few days, and she said yes!"
The barely-concealed delight in Lillie's voice was unmistakable. She was going to find her brother.
"Is Gladion staying with you, Mr. Mammon?"
She asked it hopefully.
If Gladion wasn't in the same place as Mammon, she'd plan it a bit differently — visit Mammon first, then find Gladion before heading back. Gladion would understand.
"He is, actually. Looks like I get to see the charming Lillie again." Mammon was, admittedly, a little glad. He'd missed the sunshine of her company. "How are you thinking of getting here?"
"I haven't booked a ticket yet." A slight flush crept into Lillie's voice.
"Check if there's a flight to Mauville City in Hoenn this afternoon. If there is, I'll come pick you up from the airport and we'll find things to do for a few days."
"Okay!!"
The answer came fast. Lillie was already smiling — she'd be seeing Mr. Mammon again so soon.
"There is one, Mr. Mammon — there's an evening flight that arrives in Mauville!"
"Is the timing workable?"
"Yes!"
"Good. Book it. I'll be at the airport."
"Mm mm~"
Lillie ended the call in good spirits and bought the ticket immediately.
"Ma~i~"
Lunala drifted closer to her.
"We get to see Mr. Mammon again soon, Nebby." Lillie reached up and rested her hand softly against Lunala's face, her eyes curving into a warm, contented smile.
Then, a moment later, the smile softened into something quieter.
I'm sorry, Mitsuki.
☆☆☆
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