"If you can't handle losing, don't play."
Rosa's complaints only earn that one flat answer from Paul.
There were only two Admins total. With this many people, that was never going to be enough to go around, so of course it was first come, first served.
Paul doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He used his own brains to grab Jupiter and Saturn.
What's the problem?
"Huh?! You this guy! I wanna 1v1 you!"
Rosa feels like this gloomy Sinnoh local is shameless to the core.
Are all locals this rude?
"No time."
Paul turns her down on the spot.
He doesn't even have to think about it. If he fights Rosa now and loses, she'll roast him to death afterward. Better to avoid that head‑on clash.
He knows perfectly well that even if she's loud and reckless, her strength is the real deal.
"boss Damian, those two Admins were caught by me and Dawn together. We'll split the Admin merit fifty‑fifty."
Paul salutes Damian first, then reports.
"Eh?"
Dawn freezes at that, and just as she's about to say something, she catches Paul shaking his head at her.
Dawn lets it slide.
"Good. As a reward for taking down the Admins, you each get to pick one item from the current merit‑exchange shop."
Damian smiles as he replies.
"Lord Damian, does that include Mega Stones?"
Dawn's eyes light up.
Mega Stones are about the rarest and most precious items around right now. In theory, with Dawn's status, House Dawn would pull out all the stops to support her.
But even so, finding the exact Evolutionary Stone she wants in the short term isn't easy.
And now that Dawn's been forced to join Team Rocket, she doesn't really feel right just going back to her family to ask for help.
"Of course."
Damian nods without hesitation.
"Then I want a Garchompite!"
Dawn doesn't hesitate for even a second.
Garchomp's one of the top combat monsters on her team as it is. Once it can Mega Evolve, its combat power jumps through the roof.
According to Professor Sycamore's Mega Evolution research over in Kalos, Mega Garchomp's Speed does drop a bit.
But that's a small flaw compared to the insane offense it gains.
"Ugh, I'm so jealous…"
Lacey almost aches with envy. A free Mega Stone—any Mega Stone she wants?
She really wants a Gardevoirite herself.
"We were thinking too small. We should've gone straight for those Admins themselves."
Drayton sighs, sounding helpless.
If they'd done that, his Salamencite would basically be on the way, right?
"...Going straight for the opposing Trainers is kinda against the rules, isn't it?"
Kieran hesitates.
He remembers seeing Paul's Weavile holding Jupiter and Saturn at knifepoint, and he was just stunned.
"This isn't an official match. We're out here wiping an evil org."
Drayton shrugs.
"See? He used his brain, and now he gets the big reward."
Drayton jerks his chin toward Paul.
Kieran falls into thought.
As for Rosa and Hilda, Rosa's chewing her imaginary handkerchief in pure jealousy.
"Garchompite works. What about you, Paul?"
Paul frowns slightly, thinking it over. He's seen the Mega Stone list, but his main roster really doesn't have many Pokémon that can Mega Evolve.
"I'll take an Aggronite."
He still settles on Aggron's stone.
Right now, among his main squad, only Aggron is even close to suitable.
And Mega Aggron's Ability is Filter, cutting down super‑effective damage.
On top of that, once it Mega Evolves, it becomes pure Steel‑type, which is basically a stealth buff to its battle performance.
"Alright. They'll be transmitted over to you soon."
Damian nods.
"You all did good work today. From here on out, you've got three days of free time. Eat, drink, play as you like—company's picking up the tab."
He turns his gaze across the assembled strike team, still smiling.
"Hell yeah~!"
"Boss is generous!"
"First time in Sinnoh Region. No idea where to go yet."
"I'm staying with this company till I retire!"
No surprise, that move gets these students hyped out of their minds. Their sense of being valued is through the roof.
Which is exactly the effect Damian is aiming for.
Most of the academy students start peeling off. For kids their age, a foreign region and a strange city are plenty appealing.
But a few stick around.
"Come on! Let's throw down!"
Rosa looks from Drayton to Kieran with open provocation. These are Blueberry Academy's two strongest.
They're fellow Unova prodigies, but Rosa intends to make it clear to these two students that not all prodigies are made equal.
"Sure."
Drayton doesn't refuse. He's curious how strong these two girls really are.
They find a nearby training ground. The matchups are Rosa vs. Drayton and Hilda vs. Kieran.
They don't go for doubles; it's all singles, which shows individual strength better.
Damian tags along, naturally. He's very interested in watching the four of them fight.
"Damian, who do you think wins?"
Elesa drifts to the spot closest to him, as if by instinct, and leans in with a curious look.
"Drayton and Kieran are both really good, but they're probably still not on Rosa and Hilda's level."
Damian answers with an easy smile, giving his own read.
Rosa and Hilda, those two sisters, are the kind of freaks who could dominate an entire era.
Like how Leon shot up in Galar and then ruled it with sheer power.
The thing is, this generation's full of those monsters—almost every region has at least one. Rosa and Hilda themselves are rivals.
Drayton and Kieran are both incredibly talented Trainers—that's undeniable. Strictly speaking, Kieran's a monster in his own right.
But stacked up against Rosa and Hilda, they're still a notch lower.
That's Damian's personal take, though. In a real fight, lots of factors influence the outcome, and both Drayton and Kieran have very strong lineups.
Drayton's Drayden's grandson, and he fully inherited Drayden's love of Dragon types. His whole team's a Dragon squad.
Kieran, though, has a beautifully built team: Politoed, Dragonite, Grimmsnarl, Porygon-Z, Incineroar, and his ace Hydrapple.
He's got weather, support, raw DPS, debuffs—the works.
With all that plus careful training, Kieran's squad is monstrously strong.
The battles kick off quickly. Rosa vs. Drayton goes first; they agree on a full‑team battle.
Drayton leads with Flygon. Rosa leads with Hydreigon. Their match is fierce from the start.
In the end, Hydreigon comes out on top, drawing first blood.
Drayton won't take that lying down and sends in Dragonite.
Hydreigon vs. Dragonite, pseudo‑legend against pseudo‑legend, is an even more intense slugfest. But when the dust settles, Rosa wins again—she snags a perfect opening as Dragonite forces its way in close, having Hydreigon drop a Draco Meteor straight on it.
"That girl's way too strong…"
Crispin, watching from the sidelines, can't help clicking his tongue.
Hydreigon's already downed two of Drayton's Pokémon.
Hydreigon's battered, sure, but its momentum only grows nastier after a two‑for‑none run.
"Her battle sense is ridiculous."
Lacey's brows knit.
Her timing is just too good. She always manages to catch the tiny gaps when Drayton slips.
The fighting keeps going. In the end, Drayton's ace Archaludon falls to Rosa's Volcarona.
Rosa loses Hydreigon and Gothitelle.
"Humph~! See how strong I am now?"
Hands on her hips, Rosa stands proud and cocky in victory.
She knew it—how are a bunch of students supposed to keep up with her?
"Strong, strong. I'm convinced."
Drayton throws up both hands, admitting defeat.
He really did go all out, but he still couldn't beat this girl.
"Kieran, it's on you now. Bring it home."
Drayton claps Kieran on the shoulder as he heads off the field.
"Hilda's not gonna lose, either."
Rosa purses her lips, really believing in her best friend.
Hilda rolls her eyes at her, then trades a polite greeting with Kieran. Kieran bows back, equally courteous.
Their match doesn't have quite the same raw visual shock as Rosa vs. Drayton, but it's just as intense in its own way.
Kieran's tactics are very smooth and well‑timed; he gives Hilda a real headache.
Even so, after losing four of her own, Hilda manages to drag out one last, hard‑fought win over Hydrapple.
"Are all students this crazy nowadays?"
Dawn, who watched the whole thing, is stunned.
Drayton and Kieran aren't that old, and they're not even graduates yet.
"Kids like Drayton are still rare."
Damian shakes his head.
Then he turns his head. Not far away, a refined, aristocratic woman is walking slowly toward them.
Cynthia.
"It's Miss Cynthia…"
Dawn's small face turns complicated, with a wash of flustered pink.
She honestly doesn't know what to do. Mainly, she has no idea how she's supposed to face Cynthia.
She's a Team Rocket member now.
Cynthia walks up, her beautiful eyes sweeping once past Dawn—who's trying to hide behind Damian—and across Caitlin's faint, poised smile.
Finally, her gaze settles on Damian.
Cynthia can't help sighing quietly in her heart.
"Damian, welcome to Sinnoh Region."
Cynthia looks him straight in the eye as she speaks her first line.
"Thanks. Really, you don't have to be this formal about it. I didn't even give you a heads‑up, Cynthia."
Damian's lips curve as he answers slowly.
"I'd really hoped I'd never have to get that heads‑up in the first place."
Cynthia sounds helpless.
"So—could you let Dawn go, Damian? She's just a kid who started her journey this year."
Cynthia looks straight at Damian as she asks.
She doesn't want to see someone as pure as Dawn get dragged fully into Rocket's darkness.
One Caitlin is already enough. She doesn't ever want to see that happen a second time.
Caitlin, she knows, is basically impossible to bring back now. And now there's Dawn on top of that…
Why does this keep happening around her?
Dawn hears her words and feels touched, but also weirdly off—she's not a kid anymore…
"Cynthia, you really are something…"
Damian clicks his tongue under his breath, letting his gaze roam over Cynthia without restraint.
The way he's looking at her, Cynthia almost feels like she's standing stark naked in front of him.
~~
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