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"You've already raised Lugia,"
Cynthia's mood gradually calmed as she looked at the enormous and incredibly imposing Lugia.
She knew Caitlin had Lugia; Caitlin had told her before that it was the most precious gift Mammon had given her.
When she first saw Lugia in Sinnoh, it was still small, just an infant.
She hadn't expected Lugia to grow so much after not seeing it for a while, and its imposing presence was truly strong.
"That's right, Cynthia, this time I will defeat you."
Caitlin's delicate smile remained unchanged, confident and elegant.
"Is that so? Caitlin, to say such things now, you are still as arrogant as ever," Cynthia said calmly.
"It's not arrogance, but a fact, Cynthia. You don't know how much I've changed."
Caitlin shook her head. The effort she put into becoming stronger was unimaginable to outsiders.
Coupled with Team Rockets' resources and Mammon's devoted guidance, she had become who she was today.
Caitlin believed she could defeat Cynthia!
"During this time, I haven't made no progress either, and…"
Cynthia's eyes were calm. She raised her arm, and the Key Stone on her finger shone.
"Garchomp! Mega Evolution!"
"Roar!!"
The Mega Evolution Stone on Garchomp's body shimmered in sync, and in an instant, a more ferocious and powerful Mega Garchomp roared into existence.
At the same time, Cynthia opened another Poké Ball.
A red-brown Pokémon resembling a turtle stood before Cynthia. This was Heatran, known as the 'King of Stark Mountain'!
"The legendary Heatran? It seems you truly have made progress, Cynthia."
Caitlin carefully examined the Pokémon and confirmed its name.
The Fire/Steel-type Heatran!
Legend has it that it was a Pokémon born from the hot lava within Mt. Coronet.
"That's right. I specifically went to Stark Mountain to search for it, and I finally found and caught it,"
Cynthia said calmly. In reality, she had put in a lot of effort and energy to find this Heatran, and Heatran's strength was very formidable.
It was also fortunate that her ace, Garchomp, had a quadruple type advantage against Heatran; otherwise, it would have been very difficult to defeat Heatran in Stark Mountain.
But it was all worth it!
"That's even better," Caitlin's smile deepened.
If she defeated Cynthia too easily, she would be disappointed.
After all, Cynthia… was the woman she had always strived with all her might to defeat. So, the stronger Cynthia was, the happier Caitlin became.
With her Psychic power, a Poké Ball flew out and opened, and Tapu Lele appeared before Caitlin.
"Caitlin, before we battle, there's one more thing I must tell you."
Cynthia's beautiful eyes gazed at Caitlin, her voice slightly low but extremely firm.
"Speak," Caitlin's composed and elegant smile remained.
"Caitlin, I…"
Cynthia took a deep breath, finally suppressing the guilt she felt towards her sister.
"I found that I also like Mammon."
Silence!
The atmosphere suddenly quieted. Caitlin stared intently at Cynthia.
The faint smile that always graced the golden-haired Psychic lady's face slowly vanished.
"Cynthia, that's the man I like."
"…Yes."
"So, before the battle, you specifically told me this. What are you trying to convey?"
Caitlin's lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in her expression; it was the arch of a sneer.
"Cynthia, you truly are… my good sister~"
"And do you remember? I told you I hoped you wouldn't have any relationship with him. You personally promised me that, didn't you?"
Caitlin's emotionless voice made Cynthia tightly purse her lips.
"Yes, it's my fault, but Caitlin, this is the first time I've liked a man, I…"
"But he's the man I like!!"
Caitlin's excited, sharp voice suddenly interrupted Cynthia.
Seeing the faint Psychic Green light glimmering in Caitlin's eyes, Cynthia fell silent.
The atmosphere quieted once again for a moment.
Hoo Hoo
Caitlin quickly regulated her breathing. She had indeed lost her composure just now, but she couldn't help it.
Cynthia was special to her.
The news that Cynthia wanted to steal her man was simply too shocking for her.
"Why?"
After a long while, Cynthia's voice came again. She didn't understand why Caitlin's reaction was so strong.
"Is it only me who can't?"
"Tapu Lele, Lugia."
The now calm Caitlin didn't answer Cynthia, but gently called out to her Pokémon.
Tapu Lele let out a low Growl, and a purple-pink light emanated as its ability, Spirit Maker, activated!
Psychic Terrain was laid out in a blink of an eye.
Little Lugia let out a high cry, and translucent white energy formed in its open maw, with incredibly sharp wind blades constantly swirling.
Aeroblast!
A massive beam of air blades shot down.
"Garchomp."
Mega Garchomp roared, its two blood scythes glowing with sharp Blue light. It leaped high and heavily slashed down at the incoming Aeroblast.
Dragon Claw x 2!
Boom!
The powerful Aeroblast exploded, and a strong wave of energy shockwaves spread out, pushing Mega Garchomp back.
"Come, let's battle, Cynthia."
On Caitlin's delicate, fair face, the corners of her mouth twitched, as if she wanted to force a smile, but failed.
Caitlin no longer forced it, her cold gaze fixed on Cynthia.
"Perhaps more words will only be said later."
Cynthia understood Caitlin's meaning and said nothing further, her expression also turning cold.
In this situation, only battle remained!
…
Sector 3.
"Top Executive Colress."
Lorelei pushed up her glasses, looking at the handsome young man in a black trench coat not far away.
"Lorelei of the Kanto Elite Four? It seems my luck isn't very good," Colress replied helplessly.
After all, according to intelligence, Lorelei was cold and emotionless, certainly not an easy person to approach.
"Formerly a Plasma researcher, known as the 'Dark Scientist' in Unova, involved in serious crimes like modifying Pokémon, correct?"
Lorelei's cold eyes stared at Colress.
"Ah~ Indeed, but I've turned over a new leaf for a long time, and I've developed some simple prosthetics and the like, benefiting many disabled people and disabled Pokémon."
Colress spread his hands innocently.
"Elite Lorelei, shouldn't that count as balancing out my merits and demerits? Could you please let me go?"
Lorelei frowned and fell silent upon hearing this. Indeed, as Arceus Corporation's top scientist, Colress had contributed quite a bit of civilian mechanical technology during this period.
From this, it could be seen that although this man was young, he was indeed exceptionally talented.
Just then, a low growling sound came from afar, drawing both Colress's and Lorelei's gazes.
From a distance, a Lugia could be seen spreading its wings and floating in mid-air.
"Lugia?"
"Oh dear~ It's Miss Caitlin's Lugia. Has someone angered her? She's using Lugia right at the start of the battle."
Colress was quite surprised.
"This is Caitlin's Lugia?!" Lorelei was very surprised that a Top Executive had captured a Lugia.
However, this was not important; opponents like Caitlin would naturally be dealt with by Giovanni and the others.
Lorelei pondered for a moment, then threw out a Poké Ball.
Lapras and Dewgong appeared before Lorelei.
"Hey, hey, hey? Elite Lorelei, I've already begged you for mercy, how can you still attack me?"
Colress frowned, feeling very troubled.
"This is a battlefield, and I'm not familiar with you," Lorelei said coldly.
"Furthermore, while your argument of balancing merits and demerits is reluctantly valid, we are on opposing sides. It is completely reasonable and lawful for me to attack you."
"Finally, you are a Top Executive of Team Rockets. Are you actually afraid of an Elite like me?"
Lorelei's expression was inevitably a bit strange. She found this Colress in front of her to be quite comical, utterly absurd.
Seeing that Lorelei was truly about to attack, Colress could only turn around and face Lorelei directly.
"After all, I'm just a scientist. I don't possess the powerful combat abilities of Miss Caitlin and Mr. N."
Colress explained with great helplessness.
Lorelei sneered. She would be crazy to believe that!
Because according to intelligence from the Unova League, Colress's combat power was very strong; he had quite easily defeated and captured the combined forces of Wallace and Alder.
"And it's well known that the Kanto Elite Four, the strongest Elite Four, are all Champion-level in terms of combat power."
Colress flexed his gloved hands. Two Poké Balls opened, and Metagross and Genesect landed before Colress.
After some thought, Colress didn't Mega Evolve Metagross. He briefly calculated that this should be enough to defeat Lorelei.
…
Silph Co. First Floor.
"Phew~ I knew it. With all the commotion outside, it's highly likely there's no one here."
A girl's voice was crisp and self-satisfied. Green, a girl in a black dress, looked around and immediately turned her head.
"Come on, Silver, no one's here."
The red-haired young man soon walked over; it was Silver.
"We'll go up the stairs; that way will be safer. The elevator is too easy to be discovered."
"By the way, Silver, is it really okay for us to go directly to Mammon?"
Green said, troubled. She always felt this wasn't a good idea.
"Even if you're Mammon's younger brother, it's impossible for you to persuade him to stop now, right?"
"I'm not planning to persuade my brother to stop."
Silver shook his head.
"Huh?" Green was stunned: "Then why are you looking for Mammon?"
But Green quickly realized something was wrong. Silver's gaze was fixed on a certain spot, his expression extremely peculiar.
Green followed Silver's gaze.
The young man hanging from the ceiling beam gave them an awkward but polite smile.
"Pfft…"
Finally, Green couldn't hold back her laughter, almost letting out a goose-like honk.
"Have you laughed enough? Hurry up and let me down!"
Blue couldn't maintain his composure, filled with shame and anger.
"Okay, okay, okay."
Green stifled her laughter, and Silver's Weavile leaped up to rescue Blue.
Of course, they all knew each other, as they were all rivals in the Indigo Plateau Conference.
"Blue, how did you end up hanging here?"
"I ran into a monster. That woman… she's completely abnormal!"
Blue pulled off the ropes on his body, his face looking very unpleasant as he gritted his teeth.
"A monster?" Hearing this from the usually arrogant and conceited Blue made Green pause.
Just then, the crisp sound of high heels tapping the ground came.
"Oh my, oh my~ Gnawing on wooden stakes, nibbling on rice bags, you little mice are a bit rude, aren't you?"
The slightly magnetic voice was very charming, but Green and Silver's expressions suddenly changed.
"Karen!!"
Green and Silver turned their heads, and what greeted their eyes was the beautiful gray-Green curly hair, and that memorable smile and gaze filled with malice.
It was Karen!
"It truly moves me~ So you still remember me, huh?"
Karen placed one hand on her hip, tilting her head slightly as she looked at Green and Silver.
"Karen?! How are you here?!"
Green took a step back and put her hand in front of Silver, her eyes extremely wary and solemn.
"Good luck, Mammon took a liking to me and pulled me into the organization. I didn't expect to run into you two, though."
Karen tossed the golden Team Rockets badge in her hand, her smile deepening.
"So~ my dear Green and Silver, are you going to fight me? Or surrender willingly?"
Green's face was very grim. She never expected to run into Karen in this place.
"What? Is she your enemy? If you can't beat her, just buy me some time. I'll recover my main Pokémon and help you take her down together."
Blue noticed the troubled expressions on Green and Silver's faces and whispered to them.
Although arrogant and conceited, Blue was actually not bad at heart. After all, Green and Silver had just saved him.
"Mm," Green nodded heavily.
That's right, there's no need to be afraid of Karen!
Even if Karen was very strong, she and Silver were no longer their former selves, and they had Blue's support.
Although Blue's personality was wild, his strength matched his arrogance.
Three against one! The advantage was theirs!
Just then, Blue's expression suddenly changed.
Because he saw another girl slowly walking out from behind Karen—a Green-haired girl!
That familiar, exquisite face instantly made Blue's eyes go awry.
It's that monster again!!
"Huh? What the?! Blue, where are you going? We're about to fight, why the hell are you running?!"
Green stared dumbfounded at Blue, who suddenly ran towards the door. Was he trying to escape?
Bro, why are you running?
Chapter 467 Ash: This kind of foolish brother deserves a good lesson!
"Ash? Why are you wearing a Team Rockets uniform?!"
Red looked at Ash, who was currently wearing a jacket emblazoned with Team Rockets' 'R' logo, and asked in disbelief.
How could this be?!
Ash's face was reflected in Red's red pupils; he simply couldn't believe that Ash, his own brother, had become a member of Team Rockets?!
How did this happen?
Red almost felt the world spinning; how could this be?
Ethan, who was following behind Red, also looked at Ash in utter shock.
"Red… you… I…"
Ash was incredibly embarrassed at this moment; he hadn't expected to run into Red so coincidentally here.
Although, since he was participating in the battle, encountering Red on this battlefield was inevitable, when it actually happened, Ash still felt extremely awkward.
Diantha, Wallace, and Paul all keenly sensed a subtle atmosphere.
After all, Red and Ash looked quite similar, and given Red's questioning…
For a moment, the scene fell silent.
"Why?"
After a long pause, Red finally spoke again, slowly pulling down the brim of his hat, the shadow covering his red eyes, and a slightly hoarse voice came through.
Only now did he understand why Ash hadn't appeared for the past few days.
And why, when he had asked him earlier, Ash had replied that he would participate in the battle.
It turned out Ash had joined Team Rockets!
Participate? He did participate, but he was representing Team Rockets.
"Why did you join Team Rockets?" Red questioned again in a low voice.
"Red, Team Rockets is not an Evil Organization anymore."
Ash took a deep breath; he knew he couldn't avoid this.
Forcing himself to calm down, Ash turned to face his older brother, responding to him seriously.
"How can you be so sure?"
Red looked directly into Ash's eyes.
"Because I joined Team Rockets, and that's how I confirmed it!" Ash didn't flinch.
"I personally experienced life in Team Rockets, and I am very sure that Team Rockets is a righteous organization!"
"Mammon, he is also a person who truly reveres truth, goodness, and beauty!"
Ash replied to Red in a deep voice.
"We went through the St. Anne together, Ash!"
Red didn't understand why Ash had become like this.
They had both witnessed Team Rockets' evil deeds and fought against them side by side.
"Yes, but that was the old Team Rockets!" Ash still responded directly.
"Red, Team Rockets has changed. You can't keep looking at the new Team Rockets with old eyes; that's pure prejudice!"
"The current Team Rockets is led by Mammon. All of us are moving forward under Mammon's policies. We have always been helping others, protecting the environment, and helping Pokémon!"
Ash's voice was firm.
"Prejudice… huh?" Red fell silent, his pupils trembling slightly.
He never imagined that one day he would be refuted by his own brother with such words.
"Then what about this battle? What does this battle count as?" Red's voice grew even deeper as he asked.
"Is the Pokémon League also wrong, Ash?"
The Pokémon League, the maintainer of world order.
"Is the Pokémon League necessarily right?" Ash, however, retorted without hesitation.
"Ash, do you know what you're saying?"
Red looked at Ash in shock, his gaze as if he were seeing his brother, with whom he had grown up, for the first time.
"Red, I've always admired you so much!" Ash's eyes were incredibly firm.
"I've always seen you as my idol, as my goal to pursue, because you, Red, have always been so perfect."
"But, Red, have you ever considered that if the Pokémon League was truly completely right, then why would Team Rockets still exist?"
Hearing Ash's rhetorical question, Red fell silent again.
"The former Team Rockets was despicable, greedy, and evil, stopping at nothing to achieve its goals, snatching Pokémon against their will, and treating Pokémon as tools."
"But… the Pokémon League has always been pursuing Team Rockets, hasn't it? It's because of the Pokémon League that Team Rockets was contained."
Ethan spoke weakly, because the situation was too unexpected, and the debate between Red and Ash, the two brothers, was too intense.
Only now did he find an opportunity to interject, and even then, his voice dared not be loud.
"Yes, but why could it only be contained? Is it because the Pokémon League didn't want to eradicate it?" Ash looked at Ethan.
That unprecedented sharp gaze made Ethan involuntarily take a step back. The current Ash was so incredibly 'fierce'!
It wasn't fierce in the literal sense, but a kind of 'fierce' that Ethan couldn't describe in words.
And were these really words Ash would say?
Ethan truly felt a sense of unfamiliarity; the Ash he knew… didn't seem to be like this.
"No matter the reason, the Pokémon League simply couldn't eradicate Team Rockets, couldn't eradicate these cancerous growths in the Kanto region. This is the reality I see!" Ash's words were firm.
"But Mammon did it!"
"Mammon changed Team Rockets, solving everything from the root, he eliminated these cancerous growths and completely transformed them into positive things."
"Not only Kanto, but Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos… Team Rockets eliminated Evil Organizations in all regions and gathered so many like-minded partners to protect this world together!"
"Red, it's precisely because I saw this that I stand here!"
Ash's righteous words made Red press his lips tightly together, his gaze towards Ash extremely complex.
"That's just a facade." At this moment, Wallace spoke, looking at Ash seriously.
"Young man! You've been blinded by Mammon's current performance. You only see the current beauty, but is Mammon's goal really like this?"
"You yourself said it, Team Rockets now covers almost all regions, and Team Rockets' influence has expanded to an extremely exaggerated degree. That's what he wants!"
"Mammon is an ambitious and cunning person, young man, you've all been deceived by him!"
Wallace gritted his teeth, heartbroken. Well, he was still expressing himself without any personal emotions.
Alright, Wallace admitted there was a little personal grudge.
But Wallace could be sure that he was a victim of Mammon himself!
With Mammon's vile personality, how could he truly be someone working for the people's well-being and happiness?
Ash looked at Wallace, his face creased, but Paul was not polite at all.
"Heh~ Pure hater."
Paul glanced at Wallace, sneered, and replied expressionlessly.
"Huh? What did you say?" Teacher Wallace gasped.
"I, Wallace, you call me a hater?"
"Isn't it?" Paul said lightly, "Do I need to remind you? Master Wallace, spreading rumors without any evidence is a violation of Pokémon League law."
"Since you dare to slander Boss Mammon, you must have been mentally prepared, right?"
"Alright, alright, alright! You brat!"
Wallace laughed in anger, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared for a real-life PK with this poker-faced guy.
"Ash, the Pokémon League is the root of stability in this world. Leave Team Rockets."
Red sighed deeply, slightly pulling down the brim of his hat, and said to Ash in a deep voice.
Although his beliefs were indeed shaken by Ash's words, Red still believed that Team Rockets… was still untrustworthy.
Perhaps it was due to his initial impression; Red didn't deny this point.
Whether Team Rockets was truly a righteous organization, he didn't know, but what he did know was that the Pokémon League was the stabilizer of this world. It was because of the Pokémon League that there was current peace and order.
So, his stance remained with the Pokémon League.
"Red, why are you so stubborn?" Ash looked at Red with disappointment at this moment.
"Stubborn… Is that how you see me now, Ash…"
Red didn't understand what kind of spell Mammon had cast on his brother. Ash had always been so obedient.
Even Red's chest couldn't help but heave due to the emotional fluctuations, and his tone grew even deeper.
"Ash, was I too gentle with you before? Or is this your rebellious phase?"
Red's Poké Ball enlarged in his hand, his red eyes fixed on Ash.
"I'll say it one last time, Ash, either you leave Team Rockets, or you leave Saffron City now and don't get involved in this incident."
Red had always been a quiet person who wasn't good with words, but when facing Ash, he was truly different.
Because he was an older brother, and Ash was his younger brother.
As an older brother, he had the responsibility to look after his brother on behalf of their mother.
"I'm an adult now, Red, I have my own will and choices!"
Ash's stubbornness also flared up.
Anyone familiar with Ash knew that sometimes Ash's temper was incredibly stubborn, the kind that even an ox couldn't pull back.
"…"
Red fell silent.
He said no more, simply opening the Poké Ball in his hand.
A powerful Charizard landed heavily in front of Red, and a Pikachu also appeared.
Red's movements were continuous; he raised his left hand and pressed it against the wristband on his right wrist, and the Key Stone gleamed.
Mega Evolution!
Accompanied by Charizard's Domineering roar, the light of evolution flashed and disappeared, and a black-blue Charizard X made a grand appearance.
A deep, scorching pressure permeated the air, and Charizard X's majestic dragon eyes gazed at Ash and the Pikachu in front of him.
Meanwhile, Red's Pikachu stood up on its hind legs, tilted its head, and looked at Ash's Pikachu in confusion, then glanced at its Trainer.
But sensing Red's suppressed and heavy mood, Red's Pikachu silently closed its mouth, gave Ash's Pikachu an apologetic look, and assumed a battle stance.
Although it didn't know why its Trainer was so angry, it was Red's Pokémon, and since its Trainer decided to battle, it only needed to obey its Trainer.
"Greninja!"
Ash was not to be outdone, throwing out his Poké Ball.
Greninja landed gracefully in front of Ash, slowly straightened up, crossed its arms, and its stern eyes fixed on Charizard X.
"Um… actually, we can talk things out, no need to be so serious, right?"
Ethan chuckled, trying to mediate.
"Red, don't be so serious, and Ash, just admit you're wrong."
"I wasn't wrong in the first place! Why should I admit I'm wrong?"
Ash retorted to Ethan without hesitation.
"Team Rockets is right! It's clearly Red who refuses to admit his stubbornness and still looks at Team Rockets with past eyes."
"This kind of foolish brother deserves a profound lesson!"
Hearing Ash's heated words, Ethan was numb, no longer thinking of mediating, and silently took a few steps back.
He felt that he was truly having a difficult time.
"…You want to teach me a lesson, huh…"
Red was silent, again pulling down the brim of his hat, the shadow completely covering his red pupils.
"I see, my foolish brother."
Red's voice wasn't loud, but it carried no emotion.
"If you can do it, then try."
Red had completely confirmed that his brother was in his rebellious phase. In that case.
He really had to hit him hard to wake him up.
Red's pupils under the shadow of his hat gradually became indifferent, making Ash's hair instinctively stand on end.
Ash swallowed, but still spoke stubbornly.
"I'm not afraid of you! Paul! Lend me a help!"
"Let's go take him on together!"