Lavaridge Town, inside a villa they'd rented out entirely.
"So, this is our first official meeting of Team Rocket's Hoenn branch. Anyone got thoughts or ideas?"
That night, Damian looked at the people in front of him and spoke.
There really weren't many. Caitlin and Gladion were the ones he'd brought over. As for rookies, it was just Zinnia and Courtney. Courtney felt completely out of place.
Her body was in Team Rocket, but her heart was still with Team Magma!
Even though… even though after listening to Damian and Zinnia's conversation that afternoon, she had to admit she'd developed a strong curiosity about Team Rocket.
How to put it—compared to Team Rocket, Team Magma really did feel kind of small‑time. Deep down, she was starting to feel like Team Magma's whole framework was just too narrow.
But she still had feelings for Team Magma. And now this was supposed to be the first Hoenn branch meeting—why did Lord Damian have to make her sit in on it too?
Her heart was still firmly with Team Magma!
"Lord Damian, I've done a quick headcount of our current manpower." Gladion was the first to speak.
"We brought about a hundred people from Kanto; basically all of them have arrived. On top of that, we picked up thirty‑three from the Team Magma base."
Gladion reported seriously.
"That's kinda low." Damian snorted.
"Yeah, we're still short‑handed. And as for the ones we took in from Team Magma—their discipline and overall battle quality are pretty weak. Only a handful of elites are worth using."
Gladion glanced at Courtney.
That look made the ever‑expressionless Courtney want to curl her toes straight into the floor.
What was with that "these are the kind of subordinates you raised?" expression? Way too rude!!
"It's fine. We can train them up slowly."
Damian wasn't in any hurry over that part.
"And about the company setup, Lord Damian… Even if we can copy a lot of Alola's projects straight over, Hoenn's environment is very different from Alola's."
Gladion laid out his thinking.
In the Alola Region, Team Rocket's biggest profit center was the arcade inside the entertainment complex.
Set up a company?
Zinnia, who'd been listening with great interest, and Courtney, who'd kept completely silent until now, both froze when they heard that.
Wait, Team Rocket was going to start a company?
"Mauville City already has a Game Corner," Caitlin more or less caught Gladion's drift.
"Easy. We buy it." Damian didn't bat an eye.
"But I don't think the Game Corner's owner will be willing to sell. That place is still pulling in decent profits."
Gladion frowned. He'd gone over the intel on Mauville Game Corner. Even if its business wasn't as insane as Alola's Arceus Entertainment Complex, its revenue was still very solid—
Because Mauville Game Corner's prizes were TMs and rare Pokémon plush toys.
So it was pretty popular.
"Gladion, you've gotta broaden your horizons a little." Damian felt the guy was still too straight‑laced.
"If you want to buy someone's business and they won't sell, then you don't just stop. If a generous offer still can't land it, and they want to act all high and mighty, we move to pressure and incentives.
Damian spoke in a "heart‑to‑heart life lesson" tone.
"We're Team Rocket. You really think 'fair competition' is what we're supposed to be doing? If other evil organizations heard that, they'd die laughing."
"Then what exactly do you mean, Lord Damian?"
Gladion half‑understood.
"Simple. We send people to wreck his Game Corner's reputation—stir up trouble, tank his image.
"After that, we buy it. Just make sure your hands are clean—don't leave any evidence lying around. If he reports it and the Hoenn League catches wind, it won't be good for us."
"I understand." Gladion nodded thoughtfully. He already knew how he was going to handle it.
"And you don't need to show up in person for this kind of thing, got it?"
"Yes."
"Mauville City is Hoenn's biggest city. We have to plant a solid corporate foothold there. The main entertainment complex has to be in Mauville.
"Then there's Lilycove City and Slateport City. We can't ignore those either—those two major cities have huge potential. Buy up some more land there; there's no downside to that. Spin up bike shops and similar businesses too."
Damian laid out his orders, and Gladion nodded, taking notes.
Meanwhile, Zinnia and Courtney were both absolutely stunned.
Why did this feel nothing like the "evil organization strategy meeting" they'd imagined…?
"The nitty‑gritty of the corporate stuff can be handed off to subordinates. What really matters right now is expanding our manpower."
"Our main goal next is to hit Team Magma and Team Aqua hard—and absorb their people."
Damian spoke calmly.
Team Rocket's Hoenn branch really was too small right now. But that was fine—they could climb up using Team Magma and Team Aqua's "bodies" as a ladder.
Hadn't Alola Team Rocket just gotten fat off swallowing Team Skull?
Compared to Team Skull, though, Team Magma and Team Aqua were definitely more of a hassle—mainly because no one knew where their true bases were.
Damian remembered there was a big base on an island out in the sea northeast of Lilycove City; he just wasn't sure whether it belonged to Team Magma or Team Aqua. (Different versions gave it to different teams.)
Not that it mattered. In the end, everyone from both organizations was getting crushed.
"Courtney, Zinnia—do you know where Team Magma and Team Aqua's bases are? Courtney, just tell me the Team Aqua bases you know."
Damian looked over at Zinnia and Courtney. Considering Courtney's situation, he didn't push her for Team Magma's base locations.
As one of Team Magma's Admins, Courtney definitely knew where their bases were. But asking her to betray Team Magma right now would be a heavy psychological burden.
Damian didn't think Courtney would cling to Team Magma forever. Any sane person could see the gap between Team Magma and Team Rocket and which side had more of a future.
So he didn't mind giving Courtney some time. If she really turned out to be hopeless, stubborn mud that wouldn't stick to a wall, then he wouldn't hesitate.
"Team Aqua's main bases—I don't really know. But there are a few small ones I do know the locations of."
Courtney let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was genuinely grateful to Damian for that, and quickly spoke up.
Her biggest fear had been Damian trying to force her to reveal Team Magma's main base. She truly wouldn't have known what to do then.
"I'm a total newbie who only just joined Team Magma. Of course I don't know."
Zinnia was more straightforward. She hadn't been with Team Magma long, so there was no way she'd have access to the core.
"Got it. Courtney, mark the locations down later." Damian wasn't disappointed.
After hashing out a few more details, the first meeting came to an end.
The next day.
Gladion and Courtney headed back to the old Team Magma base to redeploy the subordinates. Zinnia was still sleeping in, while Damian and Caitlin went sightseeing around Lavaridge Town.
Because of Lavaridge's natural hot springs, aside from visitors, most of the locals skewed older.
"Hey, it's you guys!"
They hadn't been walking long when a bright, clear girl's voice called out in delighted surprise from a nearby training ground.
"Nice to see you again, May."
Damian turned and saw a slim, energetic girl standing in the training ground, looking over at them.
"Hehe～ looks like we really are fated to keep running into each other."
May jogged over, her fair, fresh face lit up with a bright, infectious smile.
Caitlin's delicate brows twitched ever so slightly. She'd finally gotten a rare chance to have Damian all to herself on a little shopping date—so why was this random girl barging in like they were old friends?
Still, although she didn't like it, as a reserved, elegant young lady, Caitlin gave May a perfectly polite, properly measured smile.
"Hey, handsome—yesterday I handed that Team Aqua Admin over to Officer Jenny. Officer Jenny was thrilled."
May quickly reported that she'd pulled off her mission, and she still remembered how happy Officer Jenny had been.
After all, Amber was a Team Aqua Admin. The "value" of an Admin was very different from an ordinary member's.
"Officer Jenny said she really wanted to thank you guys properly. She even said she's planning to present you with a banner or something. Sounds like she already knows you."
"Officer Jenny's too kind. A banner's really not necessary."
Damian immediately knew she meant the Officer Jenny they'd spoken to before.
And a banner was… a bit over the top, wasn't it?
Damian stroked his chin, suddenly wondering—if his Team Rocket identity ever got exposed here in Hoenn, what kind of face would that Officer Jenny, the one who'd wanted to honor him with a banner, be making then?
"Everyone's responsible for fighting evil organizations. I'm the kind of guy who just can't stand having other evil organizations around where I am."
Damian smiled.
"Ha～ exactly! Evil organizations are just the worst! I'd barely started my journey when I ran into some Team Magma jerks—they even tried to steal this old man's Wingull! So shameless!"
May agreed fiercely, pumping her small fist in righteous indignation.
How could people be that awful? Mr. Briney was already so old, and they still tried to steal his Pokémon.
"Yeah. Team Magma and Team Aqua are total trash among evil organizations—no sense of scale at all."
Damian agreed wholeheartedly. In his view, Hoenn really only needed one evil organization: Team Rocket.
"Emmm..."
May tilted her head, tapping her chin in an adorable little gesture.
This handsome guy really did sound like he shared her ideology.
But something still felt… off.
Whatever. If she couldn't figure it out, she wasn't going to bother thinking about it.
Thinking was such a pain—battling was way more fun!
"May, are you a Trainer who just set out this year?"
Damian glanced at the Swampert and Aggron behind May.
For someone who looked so pure and cute, May's Pokémon sure gave off a lot of raw power.
"Yup, I'm a rookie. But my goal this year is to win the Ever Grande Conference. If I can take the title, I'm gonna challenge the Hoenn Elite Four!"
May flashed a huge smile, her little fist clenched tight with fighting spirit and drive.
That's right—her goal wasn't just winning a regional League. She wanted to become Hoenn's Elite Four Champion!
She was going to take Wallace down and replace him. From then on, the Hoenn Region would be ruled by Norman's daughter, May!
"Nice. You've got vision. I'll wish you success in advance, then."
Damian smiled and clapped for her, offering his encouragement.
To be honest, this wasn't a game. May's talent was absolutely monster‑tier, but whether she could topple Steven in just a year of growth—that was still up in the air. Steven was a very strong Champion‑tier Trainer.
But when it came to Wallace, Damian felt that, at May's current pace, beating him by the end of the year shouldn't be a problem.
Anyone who knew the score knew: even though Wallace was also Champion‑tier, he was on the weaker end among Champion‑level Trainers.
On top of that, Wallace specialized in Water‑types, and most official battles took place on standard fields.
Several of the Water‑types in Wallace's main lineup were heavily dependent on the battlefield conditions.
Take Wailord, for example.
On a regulation arena, Wailord's twenty‑meter body just flopped there on the ground, barely able to move. It was nothing but a giant target.
If the battle was in a special water arena or at sea, Wallace could absolutely draw out his team's full potential—but there was no "if."
Champion challenges were held on normal battlefields. Whether Wallace could survive May's onslaught at the end of this year… Damian didn't have high hopes.
Beep beep~
Suddenly, Damian's phone rang.
He nodded an apology to May, then stepped away a few paces and picked up.
"What's wrong, Courtney?"
"Bad news, Lord Damian—Champion Wallace is here with a squad to attack us! Lord Gladion has already taken people to intercept them, but we can't get through to Zinnia."
Courtney's soft, girlish voice couldn't quite hide a hint of panic.
Wallace was their Hoenn Region's very own Champion, after all!
"Don't panic. I'll be there right away."
Damian raised a brow. Talk of Wallace and Wallace shows up.
Nice, his luck was holding up.
After hanging up, Damian pictured Wallace's handsome, delicate face and elegant figure, and a wicked little grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Caitlin, head to the clothing store and buy a bunch of pretty dresses. Grab some JK uniforms, lolita outfits, school swimsuits, and black, white, and fishnet stockings too—I need them."
"??" Caitlin gave him several bewildered looks.
~~~
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