In the alley—
Under Armored Mewtwo's control, Erika—wearing a tight black infiltration suit—hung in the air with her legs dangling. She rotated slowly, like someone had grabbed her by the spine and decided which direction she faced.
When she finally saw the person behind her, her pupils tightened.
"...Huh?"
Damian lifted an eyebrow.
"Small world," he said. "Erika. Didn't expect we'd meet again like this."
He walked up at an unhurried pace and clicked his tongue while he looked her over. He really hadn't expected the intruder to be Celadon's Gym Leader.
"Oh—right." Damian glanced aside. "Mewtwo, ease up on her a little."
Erika still didn't speak. Damian paused, then realized why.
"And make Vileplume take a nap."
He looked at the Vileplume that was baring its teeth at him. Even pinned in place by Mewtwo's psychic hold, it was still trying to protect its trainer.
Armored Mewtwo said nothing. It just flicked its raised right arm to the side.
Thud!
Vileplume slammed into the wall hard enough to crack it. The impact punched a gap into the masonry, leaving half its body stuck in the broken stone. It went limp and dropped into immediate sleep.
"Vileplume!"
As Mewtwo loosened its psychic grip, Erika called out, voice tight.
"Relax," Damian said. "It can't fight right now."
He started pacing around her in a slow circle, reassessing her like he was seeing a different version of the same person.
He hadn't noticed before. As Celadon's Gym Leader, Erika was usually the refined, nature-loving type—quiet, controlled, dressed traditional, never showing much. Most of the time she wore a kimono. In that kind of clothing, it was hard to tell someone's figure unless it was extreme.
In this suit, there was no hiding it.
"Damian…" Erika bit her lip and stared at him, like the way he was acting didn't match the man she remembered. "Is it really you? Damian…?"
She'd met him before. Last year, he'd come to Celadon to challenge her Gym. Back then he'd made a strong impression—powerful, polite, and easy to talk to.
"You remember me?" Damian gave a short laugh. "I'm honored."
Then, without warning, his hand moved toward her waist.
Erika gasped.
Her face flushed instantly.
"Damian! What—what are you doing?!"
Her voice came out thin, and the embarrassment in it was obvious.
"Don't get it twisted," Damian said, still calm. "I'm not trying to take advantage of you. I'm looking for Vileplume's Poké Ball."
He patted along her waist, unbothered, like he was searching a coat pocket.
Erika clenched her jaw and looked down. She could feel the warmth of his palm through the fabric. Her ears burned.
Damian spoke like it was a casual comment. "Your waist is soft. And you're slim."
Erika's head spun.
How can you say that and still claim you're not taking advantage of me?
As someone raised to be quiet and proper, she had never been put in a situation like this.
"It's… it's in the back," she forced out.
"Hm?" Damian leaned in slightly. "What was that?"
"The Poké Ball," Erika said, barely louder than a whisper. "Vileplume's Poké Ball is in the back."
If Damian hadn't leaned closer, he wouldn't have caught it. He moved his hand to her lower back and felt several miniaturized Poké Balls clipped there.
Erika let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Then she heard Damian sigh.
That made heat rush up her neck again.
You're the one doing this. Why are you sighing?
No—focus.
"Damian… are you with Team Rocket?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Damian used her Poké Ball to recall Vileplume.
Then he took her phone. One glance told him what she'd been doing.
She'd been about to call Officer Jenny.
Erika's face went pale. Her eyes flicked to Armored Mewtwo—she'd never seen a Pokémon like that, and its strength was terrifying.
"Why…?"
Damian rolled his eyes. "Another 'why.'"
He turned and started walking toward the base entrance. Armored Mewtwo followed, and Erika floated along with them, dragged by psychic force like she had no weight.
"Lots of people ask that question," Damian said. "It's boring."
"I thought you'd end up in the Elite Four," Erika said, lips pressed tight. "You didn't need to take this path."
She knew she was a prisoner. She knew she didn't have the right to preach. But she couldn't stop herself.
And she didn't want Damian to sink into this.
"Come with me," Erika said, voice earnest. "It's not too late. I won't report what I saw. I won't tell anyone you joined Team Rocket."
Damian stopped and turned around.
He looked at her with a half-smile, like she'd said something cute.
"Are you joking?"
Then his voice hardened.
"Stop talking like that. You do realize you're my captive right now, right? If I wanted to do something to you, you couldn't stop me."
His palm brushed her cheek—slow, deliberate—then slid down toward her neck.
Erika's skin erupted in goosebumps.
She bit her lip and stayed quiet, because she understood exactly where his hand could go next, and she didn't want to give him any excuse to keep moving.
Damian withdrew his hand and smiled again, as if nothing happened.
"Good," he said. "I'm not the kind of person who changes course because someone talks pretty. If you really want to convince me, you'll need to show me something real."
Erika's eyes dimmed at that.
They returned to the underground base's control room.
"Damian… this person is—?" Gladion's expression shifted when he saw Erika. That black infiltration suit hit him with a strong sense of déjà vu.
Damian answered first. "This is the intruder from earlier."
Then he looked past Gladion.
Ariana was limping toward them. It was obvious one leg was hurt.
"Ariana," Damian said, "what happened?"
Ariana's face was pale. She bowed her head. "My fault. I let the intruder escape."
"What did you say?" Damian's eyebrow lifted. "Escape?"
Two intruders?
At Ariana's words, Erika felt a small wave of relief. The girl—whoever she was—had made it out.
Ariana kept going, forcing herself to report cleanly. "I chased the other one, but I ran into a trainer on the way. He was strong. I did everything I could, but I wasn't a match."
Her expression stayed dark, but she didn't dodge the truth. She hadn't expected that kid in a baseball cap to be that dangerous. She'd lost ground fast. And if she hadn't pulled back when she did, she would've ended up captured too.
"Tch." Damian clicked his tongue.
A passerby who could beat Ariana wasn't normal. Ariana was an Executive.
But that wasn't even the main problem.
If an intruder escaped, this base was exposed. Which meant the Kanto League could send people here soon.
Damian's lips curled into a wide grin.
"Good," he said. "Then it's time."
His eyes sharpened.
"My first collision with the Kanto League." He paused. "I've been waiting for that."