Chapter 112: Team Rocket Has an Unspoken Rule, You Know?
Mauville City.
"Where the land ends and the sea begins" — a prosperous coastal hub, its streets perpetually busy with tourists drawn by the Contest Spectacular performances held here on a regular basis.
As it happened, Caitlin owned a villa here with an ocean view.
"Lord Mammon, this is the intelligence we've accumulated."
Shelly set a folder on the table. Team Aqua had been absorbed, and Mammon intended to extract every useful thing from their institutional knowledge — their intelligence gathering, whatever operational insight came from years of working Hoenn as a home territory.
He flipped through it.
"Four years ago. The Great Ice Field. Rayquaza descended and fought an unknown Pokémon?"
He stopped on a specific entry.
"Yes. One of our members happened to be present at the scene. According to him, the unknown Pokémon was extraordinarily powerful — it fought Rayquaza at close range for a sustained exchange. Rayquaza ultimately prevailed, and Dr. Lund brought the meteorite back to Larousse City."
Shelly retrieved the details from memory. This particular entry had always caught her attention. A meteorite had fallen from space onto the Great Ice Field, and the Aqua member had been part of Dr. Lund's survey team at the time.
"Interesting."
Mammon's eyebrow went up. If he was recalling correctly, this was the plot of the seventh film — Destiny Deoxys. Two Deoxys had arrived with the meteorite, and Rayquaza, finding its territory invaded, had descended to eliminate the intruders.
Which also meant — the meteorite in the Meteor Falls Clan's prophecy almost certainly contained another Deoxys.
Three Deoxys, then.
"Useful. Set that aside separately."
He extracted the entry. Rayquaza and Deoxys both had potential connection points through Larousse City — but that wasn't urgent.
"How's the membership rollout going?"
Mammon settled back into the sofa. Courtney, reading the room with her usual attentiveness, moved to stand behind him and began working on his shoulders.
"Most members have confirmed. A significant number are still en route."
Shelly kept her eyes down as she reported. Switching organizations hadn't been difficult emotionally — if she was being honest. Team Aqua's operations had essentially been run by her anyway, since Archie's interest in strategic management was approximately zero. She'd kept things moving on raw professionalism and the belief in the mission.
Looking at Team Rocket's current roster — the youngest people here had more raw power than anyone in Aqua's history. The organization had momentum in a way Aqua never had.
This is probably fine, Shelly concluded.
"Good. Coordinate with Gladion on the business side, or with Domino for logistics. Both divisions need people."
Mammon had already assigned Gladion to oversee the commercial front temporarily and Domino to handle supply chains. The most pressing current issue was uniforms — absorbing an entire organization meant ordering a large volume of new kit. He'd handed that to Domino.
"Understood."
"Your administrative capabilities are solid. Show me what you can do, and the commercial division can be yours long-term." Mammon's assessment was matter-of-fact. "You deserve a better stage than Team Aqua gave you."
Shelly's expression shifted slightly — not quite surprise, but something adjacent.
"I'll give it everything I have."
"Good. Go ahead — contact me if anything comes up."
Shelly left with visible speed.
"She left fast," Mammon noted. "Do I seem that intimidating?"
"Mm~ I think Lord Mammon is very handsome, actually." Courtney's soft voice was perfectly sincere. Her hands kept their rhythm.
"You have excellent taste." Mammon was satisfied with this answer.
He glanced at the other room.
"Fire's going to have to wait," he said, to no one in particular. "Caitlin will be back eventually."
Out in the villa's rear training ground, a battle was in full swing.
Salamence and Metagross tore into each other at full force — Kagura and Caitlin had found a sparring partner in each other, and neither was holding back.
"Not bad, Caitlin — you really are strong." Kagura's grin was the unguarded excitement of someone who'd found a genuine challenge. The Lorekeeper of the Meteor Falls Clan had Champion-tier power and almost no opponents who could match it. Fighting someone with Caitlin's battle experience was the kind of rush she rarely got.
"You're very kind. You're formidable yourself, Kagura."
Caitlin wore her impeccable aristocratic smile, but something was nagging at her. A low-level unease she couldn't place.
Is something happening?
"Alright — let me show you what this looks like! Caitlin — witness the Meteor Falls Clan's Mega Evolution!"
Kagura was completely fired up now. The Mega Anklet on her foot blazed with light. Salamence was enveloped in rainbow radiance — the Evolution beyond evolution.
"I know how to do that too, Kagura."
Caitlin set aside the vague disquiet and raised her right arm. Around her pale wrist was a delicate crystal bracelet — Mammon's gift to her, something she treasured. Hanging from its lowest point: a Key Stone.
"Our bond will not lose to anyone."
The Key Stone ignited. Metagross's body blazed with the same rainbow light.
"Now we're talking!!"
Kagura's eyes sharpened to something feral and electric.
Two Hoenn pseudo-legendaries, both Mega Evolved. Mega Salamence and Mega Metagross faced each other across the training ground.
The battle continued.
Lilycove City League Building.
"WALLACE~ heehee~ my Wallace~"
"I apologize, Champion Wallace — I've wronged you again, I'm deeply sorry — does anyone have more of Champion Wallace's women's fashion photos?"
"The person above is unhinged. That said, also asking."
"Does anyone know when Champion Wallace's next glamour performance will be?"
"Question: if I successfully challenge the Hoenn League, can I take Champion Wallace as my wife?"
"I sent Champion Wallace's beautiful photos to forums in other regions — they were SPEECHLESS (smugface.jpg)"
Wallace stared at his screen and felt his soul attempting to leave his body for the second time in two days.
The people leaving comments about the photos — that was already beyond what he could process calmly. The person asking to marry him was in a different category of disaster. And the one who had shared his photos to other regions' forums —
You absolute degenerate. Do you understand what you've DONE.
Worldwide social death. He was going to experience worldwide social death.
Wallace collapsed onto his desk, all structural integrity gone.
The door opened. Steven walked in.
"Reading the comments again?" He was trying not to smile and failing slightly. "Why do you do this to yourself."
He'd guessed immediately from Wallace's posture.
The post had been removed yesterday — Jenny's admin team had acted quickly — but the screenshots had already multiplied beyond any hope of containment. By now, all of Hoenn knew their Champion had a truly extraordinary collection of fashion portraits.
Ask a random child on the street, and that child would tell you: Champion Wallace looks beautiful.
This was Wallace's legacy now.
"Any leads on Team Rocket?" Wallace lifted his head with urgent focus. His singular goal at this point was locating Mammon and reciprocating.
"Nothing yet. Jenny's teams have been combing Lavaridge — no trace."
Wallace deflated visibly.
"Come on." Steven gave him the look of someone dealing with a dear friend who needed intervention. "Think about it differently. The comments online are overwhelmingly positive."
"Don't console me."
"I'm not consoling you, I'm—"
"Leave me alone for a bit."
"...I talked to the President about the Contest Spectacular in Slateport this week. He's letting you attend to clear your head."
The transformation was immediate.
Wallace's eyes went from flat to luminous. His posture reconstituted itself from the inside out.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Steven, will you come with me?"
"...Fine."
Wallace's mood had performed a complete recovery. Good company, a Contest venue — a little public embarrassment was a minor obstacle. Not worth dwelling on.
"Also." Steven's expression was carefully controlled. "Someone in your fan forum is asking when the second women's fashion series will drop."
"There is no second series!" Wallace's voice jumped an octave. "There will never be a second series!"
Cross-dressing was finished. Done. Closed as a category of activity.
Even if — even if — the photos had turned out undeniably well, even if he'd looked at them and felt something complicated and difficult to name—
That was irrelevant and this conversation was over.
He was Wallace. He had said so. The matter was closed.
☆☆☆
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