"Damian Appears in Celadon City? I understand."
Indigo Plateau, Goodshow receives the news, thoughtfully.
Celadon City, the location of the last big battle between Team Rocket and the League, and worth noting is that Erika, Celadon City Gym Leader, was captured by Damian last time.
Later, Damian left Kanto, and Erika returned to Celadon Gym.
This time, Damian Appears again in Celadon City, and according to the report, Damian has captured Erika again.
"Mio, you accompany me to Celadon City."
Goodshow takes a deep breath, making up his mind and speaking to Jenny, the overall commander.
"Understood."
Time passes to the next day.
In the early morning, sunlight streams through the gaps in the curtains. Damian slowly opens his eyes and feels the soft touch in his arms.
A nature-loving young lady lies on her side, holding his arm, her expression peaceful and gentle, with a faint tear stain at the corner of her eye.
A thin ice-cotton blanket covers her body, subtly outlining her refined curves, pale shoulders and neck, and a refined collarbone.
Damian is not in a hurry to get up; he quietly admires Erika's tranquil sleeping face.
After a few minutes, the long eyelashes flutter, and the girl slowly opens her eyes to a smiling face.
"Good morning, Miss."
"Mr. Damian, good morning."
Erika, hearing the gentle voice, feels sweetness in her heart and instinctively leans closer to Damian.
A strong sense of happiness rises; Erika feels that this moment is truly wonderful.
To wake up and see the face of the person she loves and hear his voice.
"What time is it, Mr. Damian?"
"Ten-thirty."
"Really?"
Erika is startled, sits up with some difficulty, the blanket slipping, revealing a wonderful view.
"How could this be, I haven't watered the flowers yet."
Erika grabs her phone and saw that it is indeed ten-thirty!
Oh my gosh!
Erika feels something is off; her life has always been very regular since childhood, and she's never slept so late.
But just as she is about to rise, a pain shoots through her, making her frown in discomfort.
"Move slowly, or you should rest today."
Damian holds Erika's shoulder and speaks softly.
"It's fine, I can endure."
Erika shakes her head.
They tidy up, then head outside, where Caitlin sits at a teahouse, elegant and sipping tea.
Seeing Caitlin, Erika's face reddens slightly.
Caitlin shoots Erika a look; Erika's posture is a bit odd, very calm.
She had anticipated this since the day before, so she isn't surprised.
Caitlin, a Gym Leader with a gentler personality, is presumably helping Damian train his skills.
Whatever.
"Good morning, Miss Caitlin."
"Good morning. I've watered your flowers for you."
"Huh? I'm very grateful."
Erika is quite surprised; she has long thought Caitlin, though elegant and reserved on the outside, is somewhat arrogant on the inside; it's easy to befriend but hard to truly understand.
"You're welcome. Someone is looking for you in the morning." Caitlin's eyes shimmer slightly.
"Who is it?"
Erika isn't too surprised; her gym has not had classes for two days, though she has notified the apprentices already.
"Goodshow."
"?"
Erika freezes, then widens her eyes.
In the teahouse, Erika sits nervously, facing a white-bearded elder and a solemn Jenny.
"Sorry, Mr. Chairman, I was rude—why didn't you notify me you were coming?"
Erika speaks awkwardly; Goodshow is the Indigo League chairman, and the overall Pokemon League chairman!
She's just received a "closed-door" rejection.
"Miss Caitlin said you hadn't slept; Old Man, I planned to visit this afternoon anyway. Gym Leader Erika, don't take it personally."
Goodshow smiles warmly.
"Yesterday someone reported Erika was kidnapped by the Team Rocket boss, but now it seems—"
Goodshow looks meaningfully at Erika's pale face, then shifts his gaze to Damian.
Although he knows Erika and Damian are not ordinary, it seems they are extraordinary.
"Mr. Chairman, I....."
Erika bites her lip; her relationship with Damian is now known to Goodshow, so she must decide.
Although she loves the Gym Leader position, she truly enjoys the job.
"Gym Leader Erika, don't get excited; I'm not here to derail you."
Goodshow remains gentle, but he is sad; Erika is young and capable, and she's been taken by Damian.
"Damian, this is our second meeting, right?"
Yes, the second time; the first was last year at Indigo Plateau Conference, when Goodshow awarded Damian the Champion trophy.
"Yes, it seems your mental state is still good, then I'm relieved." Damian answers with a smile.
"But you've caused us a lot of trouble, Damian. I have always hoped you would come challenge the Indigo League."
Goodshow sighs.
Last year, at year-end, he had high hopes for the boy who crushed all opponents and won the Indigo Plateau Conference.
But Damian chose Team Rocket.
"You and Lance—and your Dad—were both gifted by the forest, Damian. Team Rocket really isn't for you."
Goodshow still hopes Damian will turn back.
"Mr. Chairman, don't you think it's a bit late to say that now? I am the Boss of Team Rocket."
Damian chuckles.
"I must say, Mr. Chairman, you're bold to come here with only Jenny."
Damian eyes Jenny; he can't discern Brock's level.
But it's clear this Jenny holds a high rank.
"I may be old, but I can tell you aren't a true evil person."
Goodshow shakes his head; this is why he dares face Damian.
Alola, Hoenn, and Unova have all clashed with Damian's Team Rocket, but each incident proves Damian isn't a pure villain.
Moreover, noteworthy is that although his style is arrogant, Damian's Team Rocket hasn't snatched ordinary people's Pokémon, nor performed cruel gene-splicing experiments.
Just these two points show that Damian isn't a purely good man, but certainly not a hopeless villain either.
Then, let's talk.
"Please be frank; why did you come here today?"
Damian doesn't deny.
Goodshow came to look for Erika? No, he came for Damian.
"Then I'll be blunt: you're now the Boss of Team Rocket, so what do you want to do next?"
Goodshow's gaze sharpens, fixed on Damian's eyes.
This is the question he came to ask.
"What do you want to do?" Damian raises an eyebrow.
Erika, quietly, pours tea for everyone and places cups in front of them.
"You know this already, right?"
After a long pause, Damian sips the tea and finally speaks.
"Although the Pokémon League rules all regions and maintains world peace, not every region is truly peaceful."
"Evil organizations, hunter organizations, and various ordinary people who abuse Pokémon and nature for personal gain."
Damian continues.
"I don't deny that, but the League is trying its best to maintain order."
Goodshow remains silent.
"League cannot do it all." Damian directly denies.
"Do you mean Team Rocket can do it?"
Jenny Mio and Goodshow exchange looks.
"League needs to respect laws and morality, but we Team Rocket don't."
Damian's lips curl.
Hearing this, Jenny Mio and Goodshow frown.
"Team Rocket can clear evil forces from all regions, punish those scum harshly, make them feel pain, and never dare to offend again."
"Officer Jenny, from what I've heard, Champion Lance and Lorelei faced backlash from League lawmakers for their aggressive stance toward evil organizations, right?"
Damian speaks slowly, half-amused, half-mocking.
Jenny Mio falls silent.
This is not surprising given Damian's status.
"Why would they push back? Is it because Champion Lance Way Too Extreme, or are they afraid of their own dirty deeds being exposed by the Champion?"
"Damian, that's not it." Goodshow sighs.
"Mr. Chairman, I respect you for dedicating your life to the League, but I must be frank."
Damian's tone is not polite; Goodshow isn't easily slandered, and in anime Brock once called him "the greatest person in the Pokémon League."
"You're old; you're soft. Many things you can't decide, so you've ended up with this situation."
He sips tea.
"..."
He sips tea.
"..."
Goodshow's gray brows knit, thinking.
But soon he realizes this topic has drifted. He is not here to probe Damian's motives deeply.
Goodshow looks at Damian.
"This topic seems a bit off, but it's fine; what I want to express is clear, right?"
Damian's smile is dazzling.
"Mr. Chairman, then I'll be blunt: Indigo League cannot do what we can."
"The world is still under the League's authority and laws, and thus harmony remains; we all want that."
"However, we, Team Rocket, will be ruled by the underworld of all regions, evil organizations, hunter organizations, and all those unscrupulous schemers; we can handle them ourselves."
"Your League can relax and not worry about these things."
"That's all I have to say. What do you think?"
Damian eyes Goodshow and Jenny with a sly, smiling look.
What do I think?
Goodshow's expression isn't great, and Jenny's is even more serious.
If not for professionalism, they'd want to slam the table.
Damian's words are long, but in short:
We, Team Rocket, will become the Kings of the Underworld, and your League should not interfere with us.
~~
Get early access to 120+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
patreon.com/PokemonStoryWeaver
~~~
Every 100 Power Stones = 2 extra chapter