Chapter 125: Giovanni Says He'll Break Both Your Legs If That's What It Takes
Evolution beyond evolution — evolution?
The words drew puzzled frowns from Steven and the others.
What did that mean?
"Tyranitar."
"BAN~!"
A savage, ear-splitting roar. A massive armored beast crashed down in front of Mammon like a small earthquake.
"Now then~ keep your eyes open. Don't blink."
Mammon's grin spread wide as the Key Stone blazed to life.
The Mega Stone on Tyranitar's body answered it — brilliant beams of light shot from the Key Stone and locked onto the Mega Stone in a building resonance.
Tyranitar's entire body was swallowed by dazzling, prismatic light.
"What — Tyranitar can evolve?!"
Nemona's eyes went wide. Even as a top student of the Naranja Academy, even as Paldea's reigning Champion — she was stunned.
"Unbelievable." Shujiro was shaken.
"Mega Evolution — it's real?" Steven's brow knitted hard. He'd heard rumors about Mega Evolution, but hadn't it never been fully confirmed?
"BAN~!!"
The light shattered. A vastly more terrifying beast stood on the ground, head thrown back in a roar, a crushing, wild-eyed aura of dominance radiating off it without restraint.
Mega Tyranitar.
The transformation had made it something far more monstrous. The immense energy surging through its back had cracked the armor open, and six jagged spikes jutted from its sides. The four hollow pits on its chest had widened — they looked, from certain angles, like a grinning skull.
"It actually evolved—"
Cynthia's brow furrowed sharply. And that ferocious pressure — it was extraordinary. This newly evolved Tyranitar was immensely powerful.
"Mammon—"
Giovanni's expression was grave, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"Well then~ who wants to be the first to test Mega Tyranitar's strength?"
Mammon tilted his head slightly. The curve of his mouth made absolutely no attempt to hide what was underneath.
"Wallace, Shujiro — go ahead as planned. Be careful."
Steven's voice was steady. No question about it — this Mega Evolution had pushed Mammon's power to an entirely different level.
"On it! We'll beat our opponents and come reinforce you!"
Shujiro gave a brief nod. He and Nemona exchanged a glance, then moved toward Kagura.
"Do your best, you three!" Wallace called back to Steven's group.
"You too."
"I'll take Caitlin down, no question!" Wallace was supremely confident.
Last time, the loss was because he'd been fighting both Caitlin and Kagura simultaneously — and Kagura's Salamence was simply on another level.
As for Caitlin's Tapu Lele — if Gyarados hadn't been struck by Thunder completely out of nowhere, would he really have lost? Four-times-weak to Electric. What could he do?
But this time — this time he, Wallace, was getting serious. He would reclaim the name of Wallace!
Wallace strode toward Caitlin with the practiced elegance of someone who had never once doubted himself.
Cynthia glanced once toward Caitlin's direction, then pulled her gaze back to Mammon.
Her Poké Ball opened. Garchomp hit the ground with a snarl, raw and ferocious.
Giovanni opened his own Poké Ball. A powerfully built Nidoking materialized at his side.
"I see — so the three of you are my opponents."
Mammon swept a glance across the three Pokémon facing him — Metagross, Garchomp, Nidoking — then rolled his hand and opened another Poké Ball of his own.
"Suuu~"
One of the three Sacred Beasts, legendary and revived by Ho-Oh himself, landed with unhurried grace. Its cool, dispassionate gaze moved across the assembled opponents.
"A proper occasion, for once. Let's make this entertaining."
Mammon's hand swept forward. Alola's Island Guardian drifted slowly ahead; Suicune moved to mirror it. The two flanked Mega Tyranitar — one on each side.
Mega Tyranitar, naturally, in the center.
(Shell Lady was, frankly, a little envious. She was beautiful AND powerful — center position was obviously hers by rights. She'd tried batting her eyes at Mammon about it for quite a while, but Mammon had regretfully informed her that she couldn't Mega Evolve. (Tears.jpg))
"Suicune — Mammon caught another legendary?" Giovanni's expression shifted.
"That's right, Dad~ You know what? After I left you, I finally saw how extraordinary this world actually is." Mammon's smile was warm and easy. "And today — today is the last farewell to who I used to be."
Giovanni, Steven, and Cynthia all saw the same thing in that warm smile: something fractured behind it.
"Mammon! I won't allow it!" Giovanni's voice dropped low, compressed — like a decision being made in real time.
"If you keep down this path — I'll break both your legs and drag you back myself!"
His eyes were iron.
"Oh~?" Mammon's eyebrow rose.
Then he started laughing. He couldn't help it.
"Hehehe — hahahaha~ If you can manage it — by all means, try. My dearest Father."
Let's go.
Elsewhere.
"An old man and a little girl?" Kagura looked over Shujiro and Nemona and clicked her tongue with theatrical contempt. "Pff — looks like I'm being underestimated."
Seriously. Mammon's side got the Hoenn Champion, the Sinnoh Champion, and his father who clearly wasn't someone to dismiss. And she got this pairing?
At least Caitlin had Wallace to deal with. Wallace was probably below these two, if anything.
"Feels like being looked down on," Nemona said, a little uncomfortable.
She loved battles — really loved them — and being dismissed by an opponent stung, even with her cheerful disposition.
"Nemona. If the enemy underestimates us, that works in our favor." Shujiro's tone was stern and instructive.
Nemona blinked. He had a point. This wasn't a friendly exhibition match or competitive event — this was a fight against a criminal organization to protect this region.
"I can hear you, you know," Kagura said flatly, arms crossed.
"But relax — I'm not actually being sloppy. Mammon told me you're both Champion-tier." She lifted her chin slightly, and the smile that followed had something almost ceremonial to it. "Then let me introduce myself properly."
The smile sharpened into something proud and absolute, and her gaze — aggressive and penetrating as a dragon's — swept across both of them.
"I am Kagura. Kagura of the Meteor Clan — Lorekeeper of a lineage stretching back a thousand years!"
Her voice rang out clear and fierce. Behind her, Salamence spread its wings and roared skyward.
The Mega Anklet and Mega Stone sang to each other and blazed. Salamence's body was consumed in cascading, prismatic light.
"Salamence can evolve too?!"
Nemona stared. This was the same phenomenon Mammon had just demonstrated — Mega Evolution!
Shujiro's expression went very serious.
"ROOAAR~!"
Mega Salamence's howl split the sky.
The Mega Evolution had reshaped it entirely — wings flattened into massive crescent blades, body elongated and sleek, tail whipping long and lean.
"My current title," Kagura said, standing tall beneath the shadow of Mega Salamence as her weathered grey cape billowed, "is Team Rocket Senior Executive."
Every line of her posture radiated absolute, unshakeable confidence.
"But neither identity matters. Because the winner will only ever be one person — me. Kagura."
Shujiro watched the declaration without a flicker on his face.
"Bold words. But we won't lose to a criminal organization."
Nemona's blood was running hot — but she kept her head. This was an enemy. She had to win.
"Salamence — then I'm going with Baxcalibur!"
Nemona threw her Poké Ball. A massive blue-grey Pokémon landed before her, almost monstrous in scale, its most striking feature a dorsal fin shaped like a great sword.
Paldea's pseudo-legendary — Baxcalibur, Dragon and Ice.
Salamence was powerful — but its typing was four-times weak to Ice.
Nemona had gone with her Championship lineup from last year rather than the new team she'd only been raising for a few months. She was here representing Paldea. This wasn't the place to experiment.
"Regirock!"
Shujiro's Poké Ball opened, and the legendary Golem materialized before him, crashing down with stony finality.
The legendary Giant — Regirock, pure Rock.
"Baxcalibur and Regirock." Kagura's eyebrow lifted. She'd finally placed him. "So you're that Pyramid King, Shujiro."
She'd heard there was a trainer in Hoenn who'd caught Regirock. She just hadn't known who he was by face.
"Interesting. Let me see what a legendary Giant can actually do."
Her posture didn't change — still completely assured. Another Poké Ball opened.
A powerfully built Tyrantrum dropped onto the field. Its fierce draconic eyes fixed on Baxcalibur and Regirock.
Rock and Dragon — Tyrantrum.
"Come on, then. Let's see if you can beat my Dragon-types."
The corner of Kagura's mouth pulled into a wide, high arc. Two-against-one, and she wasn't remotely bothered.
Victory only ever belonged to her.
"Facing me again, Champion Wallace?"
Caitlin's manner was composed and natural. Metagross and Tapu Lele held their positions on either side of her.
Her voice was pleasant — neither warm nor cold.
"Lady Caitlin, if you're willing to surrender now, I believe there's still time."
Wallace stood straight, his tone perfectly at ease — which conveyed his current mood rather exactly.
"Oh? Do you believe you're certain to defeat me, Champion Wallace? That's a little arrogant." The corner of Caitlin's mouth rose faintly.
"No — not arrogance." Wallace shook his head. "Lady Caitlin, do you honestly believe, like Mammon does, that your side has a chance?"
Mammon's absurd self-confidence was well established — everyone present knew that. But Caitlin was supposed to be far more cool-headed and rational.
Besides, Wallace knew her history now. Former owner of the Battle Castle in Sinnoh's Battle Frontier. A young noblewoman from an distinguished family.
"Why not?" Caitlin raised her pale wrist slowly, and asked it with perfect, unhurried calm.
The Key Stone blazed. The Mega Stone on Metagross answered it.
Mega Evolution.
"—!!"
Wallace's expression hardened instantly. Metagross can Mega Evolve? Caitlin knew how to do this too?
"Mita~!"
A deep metallic cry resonated from within the light. Mega Metagross rose from the ground, all four arms raised, the sheer physical weight of its presence genuinely staggering.
Mega Metagross.
"Champion Wallace — you have no real understanding of how strong Mammon actually is. Even Steven, Cynthia, and Giovanni together won't be enough to stop him."
Mega Evolution complete, Caitlin lowered her arm with perfect grace, hands folded before her. Still and poised and beautiful.
"And you are not my opponent either, Champion Wallace."
"I see I'm being underestimated."
Wallace composed himself. He exhaled — a quiet, slightly rueful sound — and opened his Poké Ball.
Milotic and Politoed appeared before him.
"I should remind you, Lady Caitlin — my loss last time was because both you and Kagura were fighting me simultaneously!"
He wasn't denying the defeat. But he absolutely did not accept that he would lose to Caitlin or Kagura in a one-on-one.
He was Wallace.
"Is that how you remember it?" Caitlin tilted her head. The small, puzzled gesture on someone of her bearing was — genuinely quite charming.
Even Wallace lost focus for a half-second.
Not that he'd admit it. But a young woman with Caitlin's grace and refinement and presence was genuinely rare.
What a waste, that she'd been led astray into Team Rocket.
Mammon deserved to suffer for this.
"Then I suppose I must show you the truth you've been refusing to see."
The faintest upward curve of the lips. Something deep and absolute stirred behind Caitlin's eyes as the psychic energy in them began to glow.
"I will return you to reality, Champion Wallace."
She even made trash talk sound elegant!
???
Three question marks floated above Wallace's head.
Excuse me? Why was she acting like this? He was Wallace — former Hoenn Champion!
Was she treating him like some Bug Catcher on Route 1? 'Return him to reality?' Was she saying he was delusional?
What exactly was he delusional about?!
Wallace was furious.
Wallace had decided to stop holding back.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you