Chapter 89: The People Who Want to Recruit Me Could Line Up from Kanto to Johto!

Damn it! I knew that shameless woman had designs on Mamon!

Gardenia quietly cracked open the door — and she saw it!

She saw with her own eyes Liza walk into the bathroom with a towel, and then over ten minutes later, Liza came rushing out in disheveled clothes.

Mamon was clearly showering inside — how could a girl be so brazen and shameless!

Mhm, the prejudiced Gardenia ignored Liza's tearful, aggrieved muttering of "Waaah, no one will ever marry me now."

In Gardenia's eyes, this was undoubtedly Liza's "scheme" — pretending to be a cute, soft little lamb while actually coveting Mamon's body, the nerve!

Gardenia couldn't sleep.

Early the next morning.

Gardenia yawned as she opened the door, and then…

"Why are you coming out of Mamon's room?!!"

Gardenia stared in shock at Liza, who was sneaking out of Mamon's room in her pajamas, and finally snapped.

Could these two have already gone that far? No way!

I was clearly here first!

"Eh? Young Lady Gardenia." Liza got a huge fright, and when she turned around it was even more terrifying.

She saw a faint blue glow shimmering in Gardenia's eyes — that half-visible psychic power made Liza instinctively take two steps back.

"Um, please don't misunderstand — Mr. Mamon asked me to come at ten in the morning to wake him up."

Liza was deeply wronged; Gardenia's oppressive aura was honestly a little scary now, and she felt Gardenia might even want to throw her off the second floor…

Oh, not "felt" — because she could already see the faint blue glow rising on the surface of her own body. Gardenia was serious!!

Liza hurriedly explained; she could clearly tell Gardenia seemed to have strong feelings for Mamon — this was a secret crush, right?

But Liza felt she really was innocent!

Last night she'd sleepingly scrubbed Mamon's back, and being taken advantage of by Mamon was one thing, but then in the morning she'd come to wake Mamon up.

And the result was she'd nearly been pinned to the bed and taken on the spot by Mamon — especially her buns, which Mamon had reached in to knead and pinch, pinching them sore!

Having only just barely escaped the devil's clutches, she'd now been caught red-handed by Gardenia and questioned; Liza felt she really had it way too rough.

"…"

Gardenia stared hard at Liza, her breathing seeming to quicken, her gaze fixed tightly on Liza's neck — especially the very obvious red mark just below Liza's collarbone.

Liza noticed this and, a little embarrassed, covered it with her collar.

"Um… that was a mosquito bite…" Liza explained softly, head lowered.

You think I'm an idiot?

Gardenia was so angry she laughed, took several deep breaths to calm herself, the blue glow in her eyes dimming, and slowly turned and walked away.

Be elegant!

She couldn't bully this girl over something so trivial — she was Gardenia, after all; these women… were nothing more than a passing fancy for Mamon.

Only me!!

Only I can walk beside Mamon all the way, until we stand at the very peak!

A mere gym leader with no great prospects, a mere lowborn maid — no matter.

But the moment she turned around, Gardenia weakly puckered her little lips — that wicked woman who'd seduced Mamon!

At the dining table.

"Hm? Gardenia, did you not sleep well last night?"

Mamon ate the breakfast Liza had prepared, looking puzzled at the somewhat listless Gardenia, feeling her mental state seemed a bit off.

"I was replaying last night's battles against the two Elite Four members in my head, so I ended up sleeping a little late."

Gardenia elegantly picked up a wet towel to wipe her hands, replying with a perfect, flawless little smile.

"I see." Mamon chuckled lightly.

"You don't really need to dwell on that battle — with your ability, Gardenia, surpassing Karen and Bruno is only a matter of time."

"Mhm~"

Gardenia's smile deepened a little; she really liked this feeling of being praised and cared for by Mamon.

Liza sipped her soup in small mouthfuls, shooting a sidelong glance at Gardenia — she almost wanted to roll her eyes; this woman really put on a prim, reserved act in front of Mamon.

"So, Mamon, what are we doing today?"

After breakfast, Gardenia asked Mamon.

"Going to find someone." The corners of Mamon's mouth curved up slightly.

"Someone?" Gardenia tilted her head in confusion, but it didn't matter — following Mamon was enough.

Rainbow City.

The three of them had returned here; after yesterday's great battle, many buildings and ground in the south district of Rainbow City had been damaged.

So today the south district was a hive of activity, with large numbers of construction workers and Pokémon busy at work.

Of course, all the repair and reconstruction costs were covered by the Kanto League, so there really weren't any complaints.

Even though their own home was gone, wasn't the Kanto League willing to give them a brand-new one?

Besides, the Kanto League had been working to wipe out the Team Rocket base — publicly and privately, the people had no reason to complain, and were instead excitedly discussing yesterday's battle, marveling at the Pokémon League's spirit.

This was the modern Pokémon League's influence in the hearts of the people.

The three of them had returned to Rainbow City; of course, Liza had done a bit of disguise — wearing a hat and a mask over her face.

Unlike Mamon and Gardenia, who hadn't had warrants issued for them yet, Liza was far too easily recognized in Rainbow City.

Revisiting old haunts — well, it had really only been one day since they left, but Liza still felt a strange sense of return as she came back to Rainbow City.

Though, of course, she still couldn't go back to her beloved Rainbow Gym just yet.

Mewtwo didn't mind Liza's sigh; following the guidance transmitted via telepathy by Armored Mewtwo, he walked toward a certain direction.

Arriving outside Goldenrod City, Mewtwo stopped atop a small hill, gazing from afar at a distant path.

"Those people are... Ash?"

Liza's eyesight was also sharp; seeing that trio and the electric mouse, she voiced her confusion.

Ash, Red's younger brother; both had challenged her Goldenrod Gym, so Liza naturally remembered them.

Because both brothers' strength was somewhat terrifying, completely unlike newcomers.

"Mr. Mewtwo, why are you following Ash?" Liza was very puzzled.

"Ash is a very special person, you know."

Mewtwo scanned the surroundings but detected nothing unusual; it didn't matter, though, as Armored Mewtwo could handle it.

Special?

Both Liza and Caitlin were very puzzled.

"Mewtwo."

Evil, deep purple light flared in Armored Mewtwo's eyes; vast amounts of Psychic energy spread out silently and invisibly,

instantly covering almost all surrounding areas; under Psychic perception, every living creature in the forest and mountains was sensed by Armored Mewtwo.

Although it couldn't sense every detail precisely, the general strength of their auras was detectable.

And per Mewtwo's request, Armored Mewtwo quickly skipped over one Pokémon after another.

"Found it."

Soon, Armored Mewtwo locked onto a Pokémon, spoke to Mewtwo, and with Psychic energy overflowing, the three instantly vanished from their spot.

Teleportation.

When they reappeared, they were already atop another small hill, and directly in front of the three, a Pokémon turned to gaze at them.

"This is..."

Liza looked at the Pokémon ahead and covered her mouth in astonishment.

A blue body, an overall shape resembling a slender leopard, with white patchy patterns on its body, a sapphire-like headpiece, and two tails floating like ribbons on either side of its body.

Aloof, noble!

"Suicune!" Liza softly spoke the name of this Pokémon.

This was indeed one of the Legendary Pokémon, Suicune, a member of the Ho-Oh Guard!

"As expected; it seems my luck is truly good."

Mewtwo slowly grinned; he had guessed that Ash, as the chosen successor to the Rainbow Feather bestowed by Ho-Oh,

would be watched by Darkrai and the Ho-Oh Guard as Ho-Oh's messengers, since they needed to verify whether Ash was qualified to become the Rainbow Hero.

This was the duty of Darkrai and the Ho-Oh Guard.

So he figured he'd have Armored Mewtwo try to find the Ho-Oh Guard, commonly known as the Legendary Beasts!

He never expected to actually find them; what good luck, and it was Suicune no less.

Suicune's calm eyes gazed at these suddenly appeared humans, then shifted to Armored Mewtwo, its expression undergoing a subtle change.

"I must say, Suicune is still very handsome and magnificent; pity..."

Mewtwo sized up this legendary Suicune.

The Ho-Oh Guard is the collective name for Suicune, Entei, and Raikou; legend holds they were originally three unknown Pokémon burned to death during the fire at the Burned Tower.

Then Ho-Oh resurrected them, granting them new life; after that, they became Ho-Oh's messengers to observe humanity.

And the power of the Ho-Oh Guard is entirely tied to the day they received new life: Raikou represents the lightning that struck the Bell Tower (Burned Tower), Entei represents the fire that consumed the Bell Tower, and Suicune represents the rain that extinguished the fire.

Among the Ho-Oh Guard, although Entei shares a similar attribute with Ho-Oh and even learned Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, the one closest to Ho-Oh is actually Suicune.

Suicune's cold, ethereal temperament and its magnificent, beautiful appearance also make it the most popular member of the Ho-Oh Guard; fans who love Suicune are especially numerous in Johto.

Hmm, Mewtwo was quite curious what those fans would think if they knew Suicune was later caught in a net by a Pokémon Hunter; he also wondered if the Ho-Oh Guard consists of multiple individuals.

You can't claim that the Suicune that only squeals when caught in a net is the same Suicune from the Celebi movie, can you?

Journeys truly does nothing but bad deeds!

I heard Goh is from Vermilion City; if we meet him later, should Suicune blast him with a Hydro Pump?

That's right; in Mewtwo's eyes, Suicune already belongs to him.

"Sudden disturbance is truly an apology, Suicune; I'd like to ask a favor of you; do you think that's possible?"

Mewtwo cleared his thoughts, smiled at Suicune, and his tone remained very gentle.

Suicune glanced at Mewtwo, shook its head, then turned to prepare to leave.

Although the aura on Mewtwo felt quite comfortable to it, it could sense that Mewtwo's heart was not pure.

This was a human with many thoughts; Suicune did not like it, and Lord Ho-Oh would like it even less.

Suicune prepared to leave, but before it could fully turn around, a blue light on its body restrained it.

Psychic?! It's that Pokémon!

Suicune suddenly turned its head, gazing at that armored Pokémon that gave it an eerie sensation.

"Woo!!"

Suicune began to hiss, its eyes cold as it stared at Mewtwo and Armored Mewtwo.

"Don't rush; you might as well hear what my request is; perhaps you won't refuse."

Mewtwo maintained his smile.

Suicune remained silent in response.

"Here's the thing: I quite favor you; I could reluctantly let you become my main hand-held Pokémon."

"?"

Suicun shot a questioning look. What did this human mean? The humans who wanted to capture me, Suicun, could stretch from Kanto to Johto without repeating a single one!

You actually say you'd barely make me your ace???

You're looking down on dogs!

"And then, I'd like you to call over your companions, namely Entei and Raikou. I can take them all out in one sweep."

"??"

Suicun had even more question marks.

"Finally, you'd better call Ho-Oh over as well. Although I have no interest in becoming a Rainbow Brave, I do quite want to see Ho-Oh, after all, legend says those who see Ho-Oh gain eternal happiness."

"I'm done speaking. What do you think?"

Mamon tilted his head, looking at Suicun.

Suicun fell silent, and then...

"Woo!"

Suicun hissed again, then directly blasted out a massive Hydro Pump, its target being the Armored Mewtwo.

"Tsk~ Even in this situation, you still refuse to attack me directly? Haki Suicun, you really are gentle."

Mamon clicked his tongue in amazement.

(End of this chapter)