Chapter 175: Lord Mammon, Save Me! I Am Suicune — You Dare Slap Me?!
The malice curling at the corners of Rika's lips was thick enough to taste.
"Little man, let Big Sis teach you some manners today."
Two flashes of white light materialized in front of her.
A powerfully built Weavile and a Umbreon stepped forward, taking their positions at Rika's sides.
Right — Rika was a Dark-type specialist through and through.
"Hmph. Get them."
Chakra's cold laugh came out more like a bark. He swept his arm down in a sharp command.
The Rocket grunts behind him unleashed their Pokémon all at once — Murkrow, Raticate, Arbok, and others swarming out to completely encircle Rika and Ito.
"...Rabble." Rika reached up and smoothed a lock of her long grey-blue curls, utterly unbothered.
Chakra's face darkened further. This woman's arrogance was genuinely infuriating.
He'd see how smug she looked once she was caught.
But then —
Things unfolded rather differently from what Chakra had expected.
Despite the overwhelming numerical advantage, the moment the Arbok and the others launched their attack, Rika's Weavile and Umbreon unleashed two Dark Pulses that tore straight through the Rocket formation.
Two hits. That was all it took.
Every last one of Chakra's Pokémon was on the ground. Not a single one still standing.
Chakra stared at Rika and her two Pokémon, his expression cycling rapidly between horror and disbelief.
"Little man." Rika's smile was pure mockery. "Your people are a bit weak, aren't they? Want to step up yourself?"
She tilted her head.
"Or would you rather tuck your tail and run? With that physique of yours, rolling should be pretty fast."
"What the HELL do you think you're laughing at?!"
That did it. Chakra's temper — never particularly well-leashed to begin with — snapped clean in two. He glared at her with naked fury.
"You beat a bunch of useless grunts and you're proud of yourself? Listen up, woman — I'm nothing like them."
He flipped open four Poké Balls with cold precision.
A massive Steelix crashed down in front of him. Three Electrode rolled into position alongside it.
"Oh?" Rika's head lolled to one side, lazily curious.
"Witness it with your own eyes!" Chakra's chin went up — the effect somewhat undermined by the fact that no matter how high he tilted it, the height gap remained what it was. "The power of the leader of Team Rocket's Three Beasts!"
"Mm, mm." Rika crossed her arms, clicking her tongue in exaggerated appreciation. "I suppose I'd better take a good look."
"Keep those eyes open!"
Chakra was supremely confident. Whatever this woman thought of herself, who in the whole of Kanto — barring the Elite Four — could actually stand against him? He'd put her down before Lord Mammon even arrived.
...Unfortunately for Chakra, that plan hit several complications.
By the time Mammon's group reached Whirl Island One, the scene that greeted them brought him to a complete stop.
Every ordinary Rocket grunt on the island was crouched in a huddle, not one of them daring to lift their heads.
And Chakra —
Chakra was lying on the ground with a spectacular black eye, wrists and ankles trussed up, radiating pure humiliation from every pore.
Mammon stared at him in silence for a moment.
Zuki and Tamao's expressions had gone extremely strange. Wasn't Team Rocket supposed to be the most powerful criminal organization in Kanto? The organization even the Kanto League couldn't touch?
"LORD MAMMON!! LORD MAMMON, SAVE ME!!"
Chakra, who had been stewing in abyss-deep indignity, looked up and spotted Mammon's group coming ashore. His face transformed instantly — the expression of a man who had just seen daylight after a very long time underground.
"..."
Mammon looked at Chakra with an expression of pure speechlessness. Of all the things he'd anticipated, Chakra trussed up on the ground hadn't made the list.
Though once he spotted Rika and Ito, it clicked.
If it had just been Ito, Chakra would have had at least some chance of running. But against Rika, the gap was too wide. He couldn't have run even if he'd tried.
"Hmm? Oh my~"
Rika had been scrolling through her phone. At the sound of Chakra's voice, she glanced up — and when her gaze landed on Mammon, one brow arched upward in pleasant surprise. She gave a small wave, her smile warm and bright.
"We keep running into each other, don't we, little bro."
"Fate does funny things, gorgeous."
Mammon walked forward a few steps, glancing briefly at the Weavile and Umbreon lying in loose repose at Rika's feet.
"I have to say," Rika remarked, tilting her head with a show of surprise, "I never would have guessed that a dashing, wholesome-looking young man like you would turn out to be with Team Rocket. What a twist."
She'd had a feeling from the very first time they'd crossed paths — that this Mammon wasn't an ordinary person. But Team Rocket hadn't crossed her mind. And judging by the way that short-statured Chakra was addressing him, his rank within the organization appeared to be quite high.
"The world is full of surprises." Mammon kept his tone easy. "Since we've met before — could you do me a favor and let my subordinate go? Embarrassing as this moment has been for him, he does hold a senior officer position in our organization."
He glanced down at Chakra.
"Since it's you asking, little bro — of course."
Rika's long, narrow eyes curved into a slight smile. The Natu beside Ito's eyes lit blue; under a pulse of Psychic, the ropes binding Chakra fell away.
Chakra scrambled upright and retreated quickly to Mammon's side.
"Lord Mammon. My deepest apologies."
He'd never imagined this would happen to him — captured in the field, in front of his own men. He couldn't quite make himself look anyone in the face.
And honestly? He genuinely hadn't anticipated the gap. His ace Steelix had been knocked out cold by a single Flamethrower from that Weavile. As for the Electrode — the Self-Destructs had landed well enough at first, catching the Umbreon off-guard. But the moment Rika's side was prepared, the Electrode couldn't connect once. Every attempt was intercepted by Weavile's attacks, with Ito's Natu covering the gaps.
After that it was just... Chakra getting captured.
Not his finest hour.
"Learn from it," Mammon said, with a single nod. "That'll do. Fall back."
It wasn't entirely without value — something to file down the sharper edges of Chakra's considerable self-regard.
Chakra's expression remained stormy as he stepped aside, fixing Rika with a glare that could have curdled milk.
Rika raised an eyebrow. This little man has the audacity to glare at me?
"Now then." Mammon turned his attention back to Rika and Ito. "Not that I particularly wanted this confrontation — but I did hear from Chakra that you two engaged our people. And as things stand..."
"You're here for Lugia, aren't you."
It wasn't really a question.
"That's right, little bro." Rika's smile remained easy. "Lugia is very important to us. Might I ask you to look the other way?"
She was confident in her own strength — even knowing Mammon wasn't simple.
"You're planning to catch Lugia?" Mammon asked.
"If it's catchable, that would certainly be ideal." A noncommittal shrug.
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you." Mammon's tone was genuinely regretful. "Lugia happens to be my objective as well."
"Is that so." Rika let out a small breath. "What a shame. Looks like we'll have to test each other after all."
She rose to her feet in one fluid motion, brushing her long grey-blue curls back with an ease that was effortlessly magnetic.
Her eyes, though, were bright — barely contained anticipation.
"I wonder if you'll manage to satisfy me, little bro. If you're anything like that short-stack from earlier—" her smile sharpened— "I'm going to be very disappointed."
She was drawn to amusement. She was drawn to interesting people and interesting things. And right now, Mammon had made her genuinely curious.
But if his strength didn't match that curiosity — what a waste.
"In that case." A Poké Ball spun lazily between Mammon's fingers. "How about we make it interesting. A wager."
"Oh?" Rika's expression livened.
"If you beat me — I take my people and leave. And going forward, whenever Team Rocket crosses paths with you, we treat you as an honored guest."
He let that settle for a beat.
"But if I beat you — you join Team Rocket. Become one of ours." He smiled. "Sound good?"
Rika's eyes narrowed slightly as she turned the offer over.
"Little bro." She spoke slowly. "These terms aren't exactly balanced, are they?"
If she won, Mammon would leave — which is what should happen regardless; what else would he do, stay? But if she lost, she'd have to join Rocket and serve them. Where was the equity in that?
"What did you have in mind, then?" Mammon made no argument.
"If I win — you help me catch Lugia. And going forward, when I need Team Rocket's assistance, you give it to me in full."
She paused.
"If I lose — I join, as you said."
Rika laid out her terms. She'd thought it through carefully.
The Masked Man's assigned objectives were to bring back the defectors — Leaf and Silver — with Leaf as the priority. Failing that, they were to locate Ho-Oh and Lugia.
Honestly? Both tasks were extremely difficult for just the two of them. Kanto was enormous, and Leaf and Silver were both highly skilled at evading surveillance. Finding them was far easier said than done.
As for locating Ho-Oh and Lugia — that went without saying.
But with Rocket's resources behind her, the equation changed entirely. Hadn't the Rocket network been the one to locate Lugia in the first place?
"Agreed."
Mammon's smile widened. He reached into his jacket and sent a small gold badge spinning through the air toward Rika.
Rika caught it on reflex, turned it over once, then looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
What was this about?
Chakra, however, went completely rigid the moment he saw it. His eyes fixed on the badge like he'd seen a ghost.
"That," Mammon said cheerfully, "is a top-rank executive badge. Ranks above senior executive." He looked thoroughly pleased with himself. "Not a bad deal, gorgeous."
"..." Rika stared at him for a long moment. Then a surprised laugh escaped her. "Little bro — you've already assumed I'm going to lose, haven't you. That's either very confident, or very condescending."
She turned the gold badge over idly in her fingers.
She'd been personally raised by the Masked Man. The single strongest member of his organization after the man himself.
"Neither." Mammon's voice was perfectly pleasant. "The outcome is simply already decided."
He opened two Poké Balls.
Suicune landed to his left — magnificent, imperious, every line of its body radiating cool disdain. Annihilape materialized to his right — unsettling, spectral, the air around it faintly distorted.
"Suicune." Rika's eyes sharpened with genuine interest. "Now that is something."
She recalled her Umbreon — it had taken two Self-Destructs in the earlier fight and wasn't at full strength — and swapped to Weavile. The four-times-Fighting weakness was a concern in principle, but Rika was confident Annihilape wouldn't lay a finger on her Weavile.
The real point of interest was the Suicune standing there like a painting come to life. A legendary Pokémon — and Mammon had caught one.
This man is something else.
Rika's tongue touched her upper lip. The corner of her mouth pulled slowly upward.
"Weavile! Flamethrower!"
"Weavile! Fake Out!"
Her commands were instant, decisive. She opened on both fronts simultaneously.
The Weavile's maw gathered a deep crimson glow, and a roaring pillar of flame surged toward Annihilape.
The second Weavile dropped low, exploding into a sprint toward Suicune — accelerated by Fake Out's priority boost, its speed was something beyond ordinary.
CRACK.
The Weavile's claw connected directly with Suicune's face.
Suicune's expression went absolutely still.
Then, very slowly, it went cold.
...
I am Suicune.
You.
Dare slap me?!
You want to die?!
☆☆☆
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