Chapter 8: Do You Desire Power?

The Dream Eater's curse completed, a wisp of grey death-breath drifted toward Metagross, plunging into its body in a flash, leaving Metagross with no chance to dodge.

"Mita!!"

Metagross let out a pained low growl; an ominous grey-black aura lit up around its body. The curse had taken effect.

"Metagross! Psybeam!"

Caitlin's current state was very strange—powerful psychic energy churned ceaselessly within her, yet she was doing her best to suppress it.

She kept trying to calm her emotions, wanting to steady herself.

Metagross endured the first wave of the curse's erosion; a deep blue light flared in its eyes, and a layer of rainbow-colored psychic wave surged toward the Dream Eater.

A Psychic-type Psybeam!

"Useless." Mamen lowered his head with a faint smile.

"Protect."

A green Protect barrier unfurled in front of the Dream Eater.

The Psybeam slammed hard into Protect, but it was no use—Protect held steady, easily blocking Metagross's attack.

Caitlin's chest rose and fell faster once more, the blue light flickering in her eyes growing more frequent.

"Bullet Punch!"

Since pure ranged strikes were useless, she'd first close the distance with Bullet Punch before attacking.

Misty's Thoughts was not wrong, but that was under normal circumstances—and right now, Metagross's condition was obviously off.

Silver light flared on Metagross's massive claws—priority Bullet Punch!

But Metagross had only just charged out a short distance when its body suddenly lurched again; the grey, ominous curse power surged once more.

Metagross let out another pained low growl—the pain from the curse's erosion was intense.

The Dream Eater, on the other hand, seeing Metagross eroded by the curse a second time, let out a sharp, piercing laugh.

Wasn't this just naked mockery?!!

Seeing this scene, Caitlin finally couldn't hold it in any longer; her intense psychic power burst out uncontrollably.

She was going to teach this shameless Dream Eater a proper lesson!

Caitlin extended her Bai Xi right hand in a loose grip, and materialized blue psychic power instantly clamped down on the Dream Eater's movements.

The Dream Eater didn't struggle, but tilted its head in confusion, staring blankly at Caitlin.

Wait—human psychic power was actually this strong?

"Mita?"

Metagross turned its head, saw its trainer slipping into a loss-of-control state again, and let out an anxious low whine as it flew toward Caitlin, trying to stop her.

"Mita!"

"Get lost!"

But Caitlin snapped angrily, flicked her left arm, and psychic power surged out once more, blasting the unguarded Metagross aside.

"Won't even spare your own? No wonder the League banned you from competing."

Mamen, however, watched the out-of-control Caitlin with great interest—as her psychic power poured out, Caitlin's gorgeous golden hair now floated upward, exuding tremendous pressure.

He figured he now understood why the League had banned Caitlin from Pokémon battles. A psychic who was practically a human-shaped Pokémon—if she landed one on the opposing trainer, an ordinary person really couldn't take it.

"Gengar, make your move."

"Hehehehe~"

A low, eerie, sinister laugh rang out. From the shadow beneath Caitlin's feet, two crimson pupils lit up.

"?"

Caitlin sensed something was wrong; she gathered her psychic power and looked down at the shadow, only to meet those evil, blood-red eyes head-on.

Her mind suddenly grew heavy; the blue psychic light in Caitlin's eyes slowly faded, and her pupils gradually grew hazy and vacant.

Hypnosis—Gengar had used Hypnosis.

Caitlin slowly toppled over. Gengar immediately used psychic power to catch her body, controlling her as she floated toward a bench at the edge of the training field.

"Mita?"

"Don't worry, I'm just letting her sleep for a bit. It won't have any effect."

Mamen walked to Caitlin's side, looked at this 'sleeping beauty,' and said reassuringly to the worried Metagross flying over.

Metagross breathed a sigh of relief, but the next instant, a violent pain flooded its entire body—the curse was still acting up!

Metagross whimpered in pain. This was the third curse now, and its condition was already very poor.

"Almost forgot about you—let me find your Poké Ball."

Mamen said this, and without ceremony reached toward Caitlin's waist.

"?" Metagross's eyes went wide.

"Don't misunderstand—I'm just getting your Poké Ball for you."

Mamen fumbled around Caitlin's waist for a moment, found several Poké Balls, and showed them to Metagross.

Mm, confirmed—Caitlin's waist was very soft.

"…" Metagross felt something was off, somehow.

"Right, which ball is yours?"

"Mita." Metagross raised its right claw and pointed at the rightmost one.

"Alright, come back for now." Mamen opened Metagross's Poké Ball and recalled Metagross.

The cursed state can be cleared simply by recalling the Pokémon into its Poké Ball—this is one of the magical aspects of Poké Balls.

No sooner had it been recalled than the Poké Ball opened on its own, and Metagross reappeared.

"Don't glare at me like that. If I really wanted to take advantage of your trainer, as if you could stop me."

"I may like beautiful girls, but I'm not a scoundrel."

Mammon shrugged, feeling this Metagross was being a little overly wary.

"Mita!"

"You're not wrong about that—your Trainer is so pretty, I really do quite like her, so having thoughts about her is normal, right?" Mammon wholeheartedly agreed with Metagross.

Caitlin was delicately gorgeous; though she didn't have an exaggeratedly voluptuous figure, she was slender and graceful, and her bearing was noble and elegant—truly wonderful.

"Mita??"

Metagross, however, was taken aback.

"Is it that strange that I can understand what you're saying? Making a fuss over nothing." Mammon shot Metagross a glance.

Metagross's mind was a little muddled—how was this not strange?

About ten minutes later.

"Mm…"

Caitlin's delicate brows knit tightly as she slowly opened her eyes. Strange, what happened to me?

Caitlin, whose thoughts hadn't yet caught up, turned her head, and what came into view was Metagross's big face.

"Metagross? Just now, I was—?" Caitlin supported her own head as she slowly rose.

"You're finally awake. Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?" The male voice from beside her made Caitlin startle.

She turned her head quickly, and discovered that the young man from the battle earlier was watching her with a leisurely ease.

Caitlin's memory cleared in an instant. Right, it seemed to be because she suddenly couldn't control her emotions and lost it?!

Caitlin pressed her lips tightly, her expression dim—she still couldn't control that power…

"That really gave me a fright just now. Such powerful psychic power suddenly surging out—who would have thought such a beautiful Young Lady was actually a psychic."

The teasing voice fell into Caitlin's ears.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Caitlin suddenly raised her head and looked at Mammon.

"Why would I be afraid of you?" Mammon tilted his head in confusion.

"My psychic power…"

Caitlin's voice dropped a little. Although she didn't feel she would feel inferior because of her psychic power, sometimes she would still sigh from the bottom of her heart.

'No psychic power is better than uncontrollable psychic power.'

She was the Young Lady of a prestigious noble house, a favored daughter of heaven—her family background, looks, and talent were all exceptionally outstanding.

But precisely because of this powerful psychic power, she was feared by people, secretly called a 'monster' behind her back, and even explicitly banned from competition by the Pokémon League.

For a Trainer who loved Pokémon battles, what a blow and denial was that?

"You're really strange. Having a special ability, why worry about being feared?"

Mammon asked, amused, raising his right hand toward Caitlin. Green light points lit up, and these light points drifted toward Caitlin.

It made Caitlin instantly feel her mind clearing considerably, and the soreness from sleeping on the bench eased a great deal. This feeling was hard to put into words.

"You're an esper too?" Caitlin's eyes held pleasant surprise—the joy of finding a kindred spirit.

"Of course. You know what? You shouldn't doubt yourself because of this ability heaven bestowed upon you. On the contrary, it's a gift from the world."

Mammon gazed into Caitlin's eyes, smiling as he spoke slowly.

"We are special! We are the lucky ones favored by the world! We can hold our heads high! We can tell ourselves, and tell others loudly, that we are the outstanding ones!"

"Only the incompetent, mediocre weaklings complain about unfairness, fear and envy the strong. It's precisely because we are strong that they fear us."

The young man's clear, bright voice was deafening, but the esper girl's pupils were trembling slightly at this moment.

Yes, she was trembling—not for any other reason, but excitement.

"But I… I can't control it…"

But very soon, the girl was inevitably still worried because of her past experiences.

"I've already tried so hard, I really have tried so hard! I didn't want this either. More than anyone, I want to control this power, but they don't understand—they won't even let me participate in Pokémon battles."

At this moment, this glamorous, gorgeous noble Young Lady actually vented the grievances accumulated in her heart, and even her eyes had already gathered a mist of moisture.

Who understands? She truly, truly loves Pokémon battles.

Her good friend Cynthia became the Champion of the Sinnoh region, became the strongest person in Sinnoh, looking down on the entire Sinnoh region.

But she herself couldn't even participate in normal Pokémon battles. For a proud person, what an unbearable thing that was.

"Then try even harder."

Mammon responded with a smile.

"Believe in yourself, believe you are no worse than anyone. Don't resist your own power—accept it wholeheartedly."

"Since they don't understand, then you don't need their understanding. Please remember one phrase, beautiful Young Lady."

Mammon's tone was very gentle.

"The strong don't complain about how the world is, but rather emphasize how the world ought to be."

"You are beautiful, and you are also very strong. That is you. You don't need to care about People's Views."

"What you should do is transform, and then smack them hard in the face!"

Hearing Mammon's words, Caitlin's heart trembled violently, and her pupils were filled with the figure of the young man before her.

I am beautiful, and also very strong?

"Also, there's one more thing…"

Mammon stepped forward, picked up the pink lady's hat from the bench, walked up to Caitlin, and slightly lowered his head to look at this moving, beautiful girl.

It could be clearly perceived that when the young man approached, a ripple rose in the girl's eyes.

Mammon placed the lady's hat on the girl's head, then adjusted it straight. The girl's breathing seemed to pause at this moment.

This was the first time—this boy—he was too close!

Gardenia could feel her heart pounding fast, but thankfully, it was only for a few seconds.

After stepping back two paces, Mammon nodded in satisfaction — Gardenia wearing a lady's hat was indeed very pretty.

"Be elegant. No matter when, always maintain elegance — elegant and refined. That is your true self."

Mammon said with a smile.

"That's natural. The family's etiquette class — I've always scored a perfect mark."

Gardenia took an invisible deep breath, her hands clasped together resting naturally before her lower abdomen, her tone unhurried and unhurried, composed and noble.

Just as Mammon said, she was an elegant and noble young lady; she should maintain elegance.

The way she looked just now... was truly a sorry sight.

"Please forgive my rudeness—I haven't introduced myself to you yet. I am Gardenia, from the Sinnoh region."

Gardenia extended her hand to Mammon, poised and courteous.

"Mammon. My name is Mammon."

Mammon took Gardenia's hand.

"Come to think of it, I originally only meant to accompany Young Lady Gardenia for some special training. I didn't expect it would develop into this."

"Yes, today I am truly grateful to you, Mr. Mammon. You've taught me so much."

Gardenia wore a faint smile, very lovely and moving.

"Young Lady Gardenia is from Sinnoh — how did you end up in Alola? Are you here traveling?"

Mammon asked Gardenia with considerable curiosity.

"No, it's just because of some unhappy matters, so I came here on vacation to relax."

Gardenia shook her head, then hesitated for a moment.

"Mr. Mammon, may I consult you about something?"

"Of course."

"To tell you the truth, I have a very close friend. No matter how hard I try, I cannot defeat her. Should I continue to chase after her?"

Gardenia asked Mammon softly, biting her lip.

Mammon raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding who the friend Gardenia spoke of was — the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia!

Because Gardenia actually only had one friend, Cynthia; even Shirona was merely someone she had hired.

'Chasing after everything is the beginning of misfortune. While there are things you cannot do, there are also things you can do. Knowing this is very important.'

These were the words Gardenia told the player at her villa in the game.

In reality, Gardenia had once been constantly chasing after Cynthia, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not defeat Cynthia.

This reality gradually made Gardenia understand; she gradually accepted this result — from angry outbursts at her failures, all the way to calm acceptance.

"Why do you ask, Young Lady Gardenia? I cannot make this decision for you."

Mammon looked straight into Gardenia's eyes.

"What you should be asking is right here — after failure after failure, are you willing to accept it?"

Mammon pointed at the area over Gardenia's heart; his clear, bright voice made Gardenia press her lips tightly together.

"I..."

Recalling her many battles with Cynthia and those many defeats, Gardenia's breathing unconsciously grew rough again, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and a flickering blue light lit up in her eyes.

"Be elegant."

Mammon's voice came again; green specks of light drifted over, and Gardenia, whose emotions had been violently fluctuating, found her thoughts much clearer, the blue light in her eyes slowly fading.

Be elegant!

But after coming back to her senses, Gardenia tilted her head in a slightly dazed, cute way, staring blankly at Mammon.

Huh? What just happened?

Gardenia's eyes were a little unfocused — how had she suddenly 'come out' of her turbulent emotions?

Was it Mr. Mammon's ability?

"If the result is not what you wish, there is no harm in trying once more. Young Lady Gardenia, you should be able to hear the voice of your own heart.."

"... Yes. Actually, I... am very unwilling to accept it."

After a short silence, Gardenia still faced her own heart directly.

"Then go work hard. Improve yourself, grow stronger, and then go challenge your friend."

"Mr. Mammon, how did you become strong?"

Gardenia now roughly understood that this boy was very strong!! Clearly, he looked even younger than her.

"Me?" Mammon chuckled lightly.

"Having faced the darkness and truth of the world, one naturally grows stronger."

"The darkness and truth of the world?" Gardenia looked puzzled; she didn't understand.

"Yes, Young Lady Gardenia, allow me to ask you something."

The corners of Mammon's mouth slowly curled up, and a thick malice surfaced.

"Do you desire power?"

(End of chapter)