"I must bring you back!"
Cynthia's words landed like a verdict.
Caitlin stared into her eyes—straight on, unblinking—but Cynthia met that gaze without the slightest wobble, as steady as bedrock.
Caitlin bit her lip and took two steps back. She knew her progress since joining Team Rocket had been terrifyingly fast, but there was still a very real gap between her and a Champion like Cynthia.
Right now, she still wasn't a match for her.
However… so what?
Caitlin's eyes flicked toward Damian. Without speaking, she made her plea. Damian understood immediately and gave her a small, reassuring smile—calm, confident, almost indulgent.
"Well," Damian said, stepping forward, "I can't exactly pretend I didn't hear that."
He moved between Caitlin and Cynthia like it was the most natural thing in the world, shielding Caitlin with his body and addressing the Sinnoh Champion with a half-smile.
"I can't let you have your way when it comes to taking my lovely Caitlin, Champion Cynthia."
Lovely Caitlin…
Caitlin's pale face didn't show much on the surface, but the corners of her mouth lifted a fraction. The heavy pressure she'd felt the moment Cynthia appeared eased—just slightly.
"Team Rocket…?" Cynthia's brow drew together as she studied the boy in front of her. He looked young, but he wore rebellion like a tailored suit, and there was a faint edge of wickedness in his expression that didn't belong on a teenager.
Cynthia had no intention of underestimating him.
Her instincts were already warning her: this one was dangerous.
And she had her reasons. She was here because Professor Kukui had sent her multiple distress signals in a row. Kukui himself was Champion-level—and on her way in, Cynthia had personally watched this youth fighting him.
"Damian," Damian said pleasantly, as if they were exchanging introductions at a formal banquet. "Team Rocket executive. Truly an honor. I didn't expect to see the world-renowned Champion Cynthia in Alola."
It was true—Cynthia's arrival had genuinely surprised him. Alola was far from Sinnoh. But then again, considering he'd practically dragged Caitlin into Team Rocket, it would be strange if Cynthia could sit still.
Still… it was an unexpected variable. A disruption.
"Surrender," Cynthia said, her eyes briefly shifting toward Proton and then returning to Damian. "If possible, I'd rather not harm you."
With only three enemies in front of her, Cynthia didn't enjoy this kind of fight. She saw Tapu Fini floating beside Damian—the guardian deity of Alola.
But Cynthia didn't believe that meant she couldn't win.
Damian's smile didn't change, but something in it cooled.
"Just like Caitlin said," he replied lightly, "you really do hold yourself in high regard."
He looked at Cynthia as if he were weighing her—and deciding he didn't like the result.
"Are you really that confident, Champion Cynthia?"
As he spoke, his grin widened, and a thick, unmistakable malice bled through the calm.
"If someone like you looks down on me this openly, it starts to get… irritating."
Cynthia's eyes narrowed.
Tapu Fini rose higher beside Damian, water energy compressing in her mouth until it pulsed with pressure and heat.
Hydro Pump!
The jet of water ripped through the air with brutal speed.
"Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp's claws flared with sharp green light, then it slashed down with surgical violence.
The Hydro Pump was split cleanly in two, the water shearing past both sides of Garchomp's body in roaring sheets.
"So strong!"
Olivia and Hala both jolted at the sight. Tapu Fini's strength was already undeniable, but Cynthia's Garchomp was terrifying in a different way. Tearing apart a Hydro Pump like that wasn't just power—it was dominance.
"I'm not looking down on you," Cynthia said evenly. "But even an island guardian deity is no match for me."
Her tone was calm, almost conversational, yet the weight behind it was crushing. That poise—years spent standing at the top—made her presence feel heavier than threats ever could.
This was Cynthia: the trainer at Sinnoh's peak.
Unfortunately, one certain deity took that statement personally.
Tapu Fini glared at Cynthia and Garchomp, anger flaring hot.
What's that supposed to mean?
Are you saying I can't beat this ground dragon?
What a joke. I am Tapu Fini! I might lose to someone, but I'll never lose to a Dragon-type!
Shell Miss was furious. She felt dismissed—like she'd been waved off without being taken seriously.
Damian, sensing the spike in her emotions, shot Tapu Fini an amused glance before turning back to Cynthia, eyes bright with interest.
"Garchomp!" Cynthia didn't waste words. She simply let her partner move.
Garchomp exploded into motion, shooting toward Tapu Fini like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, the charge alone carrying suffocating pressure.
However—
"Shadow Ball," Damian said, casual as breathing.
A low, wicked laugh slid out from within Damian's shadow. Two scarlet glints burned to life in the darkness, and a pitch-black Shadow Ball fired straight at Garchomp.
Garchomp reacted instantly, claws flashing as it slashed at the incoming attack—
BOOM!!
The explosion thundered. Wind tore outward, dust and smoke whipping across the battlefield in a violent spiral.
Garchomp was forced back by the blast. It flipped and landed hard, sliding a distance as its right claw dug into the earth to stabilize. Its fierce dragon eyes locked onto those two crimson points inside the smoke.
Cynthia's brow tightened sharply.
"Gengar?!"
The smoke thinned. A gray-black Shiny Gengar emerged, floating with a wide, wicked grin stretched across its face like it had been carved there. Feeling the startled attention on it, the Shiny Gengar rocked in the air, delighted—its laughter harsh, smug, and completely unrestrained.
"What a powerful Gengar," Kukui said grimly.
Earlier, when Olivia had tried to jump Damian with Cradily, a single Shadow Ball had dropped it instantly. But that Pokémon had never shown itself then, and with Tapu Fini dominating the field, Kukui hadn't had room to think too deeply about it.
Now, even Cynthia's Garchomp had been pushed back.
Sure, surprise mattered—but a Shadow Ball with that kind of force wasn't something you hand-waved away.
At minimum, this Shiny Gengar wasn't inferior to Garchomp.
No wonder Damian could capture Tapu Fini.
Cynthia clearly reached the same conclusion. Her gaze hardened as she studied Damian.
"Who exactly are you?"
A trainer this strong, this young—and unknown? It didn't fit any clean explanation.
"That's irrelevant," Damian said, smiling as if the question bored him. "For now, Champion Cynthia—how about we make a deal? Let's call it a day here."
Cynthia's arrival had genuinely changed the calculus. With her here, Damian couldn't have certain conversations with Kukui the way he intended. And there was little value in dragging out a fight when he already had a rough measure of Garchomp's strength.
"I am a League Champion," Cynthia said, not giving him an answer. She took out another Poké Ball, her voice still controlled, still rational. "And you are an evil organization."
Even if this wasn't Sinnoh, Cynthia wasn't the type to let Team Rocket walk away after standing in front of her.
And—
Cynthia's gaze shifted to Caitlin.
She was bringing Caitlin back. That was her decision. Her will.
And Cynthia believed Caitlin would understand someday, even if she hated her for it now.
Damian noticed that look immediately. He understood exactly what Cynthia was thinking, and he couldn't help it—he smiled and shook his head, as if Cynthia's certainty amused him.
"Champion Cynthia," Damian said lightly, "you really are full of yourself, aren't you?"