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After hearing Mr. Mammon's words, Piers's pupils constricted, his expression instantly turned cold, and he stared intently at Mr. Mammon.
"What did you say?!"
His hoarse, low voice seemed to be squeezed from his throat.
Marnie, his biological younger sister, was a sister he treasured.
And this man in front of him was actually threatening him with his beloved younger sister?!
"Did I not make myself clear enough?" Mr. Mammon chuckled nonchalantly: "Hand over your sister..."
Boom!
Before Mr. Mammon could finish speaking, a tall, strong Obstagoon landed heavily beside Piers, its terrifying crimson eyes glaring down at Mr. Mammon.
Its intense hostility was undisguised.
This was Piers's ace, Obstagoon.
"Tsk~ Mr. Piers, do you know what you're doing?"
Mr. Mammon tilted his head slightly, smiling slowly at Piers as if no one else was present.
"Of course, I do." Piers stared coldly at Mr. Mammon, his hidden rage barely contained.
"Spikemuth doesn't welcome you. Get out."
"Oh?" Mr. Mammon chuckled.
"Even if it means losing the chance to save Spikemuth, it doesn't matter?" Mr. Mammon said leisurely.
Piers's indifferent expression remained unchanged.
"Look at this town, Mr. Piers. Desolate and bleak. Spikemuth Gym, once a renowned Gym in Galar, has now fallen into obscurity under your leadership."
Piers gritted his teeth, his hands clenching involuntarily.
Yes, Spikemuth Gym was once a famous Gym in Galar, but ever since Gigantamax Rose to prominence, there were no Gigantamax energy spots around Spikemuth.
Piers hated Gigantamax, intensely.
Therefore, he had no intention of using Gigantamax, but because there was no Gigantamax, the pure battles at Spikemuth Gym received little attention.
Piers was extremely unwilling. He didn't want Spikemuth Gym to decline under his watch, but reality was cruel.
Piers saw no hope. Spikemuth Gym was now unknown in Galar, even he himself.
In the public eye, he was more often seen as a singer than a Gym Leader.
He could only pin his hopes on his sister, whose talent far surpassed his own, but could his sister truly achieve it?
Piers believed Marnie, truly hoping to believe in her from the bottom of his heart.
"I don't know if what you're saying is true or false, but even if it is, I will not sacrifice my sister!"
Piers replied in a deep voice.
Between the prosperity of Spikemuth and his sister, he still made his choice without hesitation.
"So, before I lose control of my rationality, get out of Spikemuth! This place will never welcome people like you!"
Piers said coldly. If not for his rationality, he would have already had Obstagoon make a move.
Clap Clap Clap~
But just after Piers finished speaking, he found that the young man in front of him was actually applauding him?
"Look, what makes a good brother? This kind of brother is a truly qualified brother."
Mr. Mammon pointed at Piers and praised him to Caitlin and the other two girls behind him.
Piers: "?"
"Nah~ Let's just consider what I said earlier a joke. So now, Mr. Piers, how about we officially discuss how to restore Spikemuth's prosperity?"
Mr. Mammon turned his head and smiled at Piers.
"You..."
Piers's mind was a bit slow to process.
"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person you think I am. Although I am indeed very interested in Miss Marnie, it's not in the way you imagine, but in another aspect."
Mr. Mammon spoke calmly, but Piers's brows remained tightly furrowed.
"You want me to join your organization, right?"
At this moment, a clear, cold voice came through.
"Marnie? Why are you here?"
Piers turned around, and what met his eyes was Marnie walking towards them.
Mr. Mammon also looked at Marnie. She was a young girl with a very cold demeanor and an expressionless face.
Her skin was very fair, her black, medium-length hair was styled very coolly, and she wore a pink short dress with a black women's jacket over it. Her round, fair legs were very striking.
It was indeed Piers's sister, Marnie.
These two, are they really siblings?
Platinum and Serena looked at Marnie, who was walking over, in astonishment, then glanced at Piers, who was dressed like a ghost, and couldn't help but be shocked.
The difference between these siblings was too great, wasn't it?!
"I've been here all along, you just didn't notice me."
Marnie replied indifferently, her tone unwavering. For some reason, she was not in a good mood today, so she didn't go for special training and just listened to Piers Sing in the corner.
She didn't expect to run into Mr. Mammon and his group just then.
Piers: "..."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Marnie."
Mr. Mammon politely smiled at Marnie.
"I know you, Mammon, the Team Rockets boss."
Marnie slightly raised her head. She wasn't very tall, and if she smiled, she would be a perfect sweet girl.
However, Marnie's face seemed to always bear that emotionless expression.
"Oh? It seems you've heard my story."
Mr. Mammon chuckled softly.
"Gloria and Hop both mentioned you, and didn't Gloria join your Team Rockets a few days ago?" Marnie tilted her head slightly.
Mr. Mammon understood. It seemed Gloria had informed her good friends about this. He wondered if she had informed Leon?
No, since Rose knew about it, Leon probably knew too. He wondered what kind of expression Leon had.
"You're truly ill-humored. Deliberately making my brother overthink things, when his intelligence isn't quite enough to begin with, is that very amusing?" Marnie said indifferently.
"Marnie, I..."
Piers's eyelids twitched wildly, and he reached out, trying to explain.
"Shut up." Marnie glared sideways at Piers.
Piers: "..."
Piers sheepishly lowered his hand. He truly had no way with his beloved sister. Although Marnie seemed cold, in reality, when Marnie's temper flared, it was very frightening.
Piers often missed Marnie when she was little. Back then, Marnie was still a crybaby...
But at some point, she had become this cold and unapproachable person.
"I think Miss Marnie, you seem to have some misunderstanding. If I had to say, I feel about Miss Marnie..."
Mr. Mammon raised an eyebrow, then slowly bent down, bringing his face close to Marnie's, a slow smile spreading across his lips.
The distance between them was now exceptionally close, almost nose to nose.
At this distance, Mr. Mammon could clearly see Marnie's eyes, and Marnie could also clearly see her reflection in Mr. Mammon's eyes.
This man...
Marnie's breathing quickened slightly. This was the first time she had been so close to a man.
"...still very fond."
The young man's voice was like a gentle lover's whisper, making Marnie's breathing hitch, and ripples appeared in her eyes.
But the next second, Marnie slightly turned her head away, no longer meeting Mr. Mammon's gaze.
Mr. Mammon chuckled at this, straightening up again.
"However, Miss Marnie, you are right. I very much hope that Miss Marnie can join my organization. For that, I am willing to help you all make Spikemuth prosper again."
"If you can do that, I can join Team Rockets."
Marnie said indifferently. Team Rockets, this was a vast organization spanning multiple regions.
Because of Gloria and Hop's high regard for Mr. Mammon, plus Gloria had joined Team Rockets a few days ago, Marnie had specifically learned a lot about them.
For Marnie, joining Team Rockets was not something difficult to accept, especially if it could make Spikemuth better.
The reason she left Spikemuth to challenge Gyms wasn't to gain fame and thus restore Spikemuth to its former glory?
That way, her brother wouldn't have to work so hard.
Piers opened his mouth, but still said nothing.
"But this is not an easy task, you should know that, right? Why did our Spikemuth become like this? What methods do you have?"
Marnie looked directly into Mr. Mammon's eyes again.
"Of course, I know, but this isn't a good place to discuss things, is it?"
Mr. Mammon shrugged, glancing around at the members of the cheer squad and the ordinary residents below the stage.
"Follow me."
Piers spoke. Since his sister had already made her decision, he trusted Marnie's decision.
Piers led Mr. Mammon and the others to his home. Piers and Marnie came from a good family background.
Piers personally poured water for Mr. Mammon and the others, then put away the teapot.
"Mr. Mammon, since you said you have a way to solve our town's current predicament, I'm very curious to know what methods you have?"
Piers was curious and a little urgent.
Marnie sat beside Piers, took a sip of water, and also looked at Mr. Mammon.
"First of all, why did Spikemuth fall into its current situation? Because there are no Gigantamax energy spots around Spikemuth, leading to no Gigantamax within the Spikemuth area, and not because of your strength, Mr. Piers, isn't that right?"
Mr. Mammon leaned back on the sofa, looking at Piers.
"That's right." Piers nodded without hesitation. He was very confident in his own strength.
Aside from Raihan and Opal, he was confident he could defeat the other Gym Leaders, even without Gigantamax.
Spikemuth Gym's problem was never its strength!
"Then the problem is very simple. It boils down to a lack of Gigantamax, or rather, a lack of something to attract the audience."
"Spikemuth has no unique features, and this is a reason why everyone is unwilling to come, and even move out of Spikemuth."
Mr. Mammon said with a smile.
"Then how do we solve it?" Piers frowned. Of course, he knew this, which was why he worked hard at Sing to attract passersby to Spikemuth, but with little effect.
"Naturally, we need to create our own unique characteristics. Energy spots are currently unsolvable, so we can only find solutions from other aspects."
"First, I've researched the current Galar market. I can have my company build an entertainment complex in Spikemuth, opening an arcade inside. As long as the rewards are generous enough, we won't have to worry about not attracting people."
That's right, the arcade business isn't particularly rare, but the most important thing is the rewards!
Just like the Celadon Game Corner back then, it was because its reward list included Dratini and other rare Pokémon.
And now, the Hau'oli City Entertainment Complex, renowned throughout the Alola region, is mainly due to its arcade.
"Arcade?"
"That's right, an arcade where you can exchange enough game coins for Dratini, Bagon, Jangmo-o, Beldum, and many other pseudo-legendary young Pokémon, as well as other rare Pokémon."
Mr. Mammon's lips curled slightly upward.
"Ah?"
Piers was shocked, and even Marnie looked at Mr. Mammon with some surprise.
"What do you think?" Mr. Mammon asked with a light chuckle.
"This... are there really enough resources?"
Of course, Piers had no objections. As a Trainer, he could already foresee such an arcade booming every day once it was established.
But such abundant resources were no joke. It would be disastrous if there were enough tourists to redeem Pokémon, but no Pokémon to give them.
"You don't need to worry about that, Mr. Piers. That's our company's problem. In short, there will definitely be no problem with the Pokémon resources, and their origins are absolutely clean." Mr. Mammon waved his hand.
"Then the second point, since Gigantamax cannot be used, then we need to find a way to create a strengthening method that can replace Gigantamax and make the audience willing to watch."
"Mr. Piers, do you know about Mega Evolution, Terastallization, and Z-Moves?"
Mr. Mammon asked Piers.
"I've heard of them." Piers was startled.
"Then it's very simple. If there's no Gigantamax, then you can use these three strengthening methods during Gym challenges. This can also be used to establish Spikemuth Gym's unique characteristic."
"But..."
Piers frowned again.
"Leaving aside where to find the items for these three strengthenings, Mega Evolution requires specific Pokémon, Terastallization also requires a Tera Orb, and Terastallization can't be used in Galar, can it?"
Marnie's clear, cold voice rang out.
"These are minor issues." Mr. Mammon tossed a black Tera Orb and a Z-Ring embedded with a Z-Crystal to Piers.
Piers caught them with a bewildered expression.
"Terastallization isn't unusable in other regions; it's just that after use, the Tera energy within the Tera Orb will be depleted and needs to be replenished."
"So I will have Terapagos leave a Tera Stone here for you. After you use Terastallization, just place the Tera Orb on the Tera Stone to replenish it."
"Then I've also given you the Z-Ring and Z-Crystal. You're a Dark-type Trainer, so this is a Dark-type Z-Crystal. However, to use a Z-Move, you'll also need to learn the Dark Z-Move actions. You can search for that online in Alola and practice according to it."
Mr. Mammon said slowly.
As for what Terapagos was, Piers and Marnie didn't quite understand, but what they did know was that with Mr. Mammon, Terastallization could be used here.
"Oh." Piers stared at the Tera Orb and Z-Ring in his hand, already stunned, and responded blankly.
"Then there's Mega Evolution. Your team doesn't have a main Pokémon that can Mega Evolve, which is a bit troublesome."
Mr. Mammon gently toyed with the Mega Evolution Stone in his hand.
"So I'll give you a few options. You can train a new main Pokémon that can Mega Evolve."
"To maintain your Gym's style, these main Pokémon must have the Dark-type after Mega Evolution."
"Gyarados, Houndoom, Tyranitar, Absol, Sableye. Pick one of these five Pokémon. Don't consider Sharpedo, it's not suitable."
Mr. Mammon held up five fingers. As for Sharpedo, those who know, know.
Piers's eyes instantly cleared!
He rushed to Mr. Mammon with lightning speed, grabbed and held Mr. Mammon's hand, his eyes filled with fervent sincerity.
"Brother! You're my true brother! I want Tyranitar! What do you think of Marnie's looks? I'll introduce her to you!"