In a shaded pavilion, Damian and the others have gathered.
"Cynthia, you really are something~"
Damian sounds genuinely moved.
For the sake of a junior who's not even related to her, she's actually bowing her head to him.
"You're exactly the same as before—your head's still full of nothing but yourself."
Damian teases her.
"You're just talking on and on by yourself. You didn't even ask Dawn what she wants."
Hearing that, Cynthia looks over at Dawn.
Dawn only ducks her head, not daring to meet Cynthia's eyes.
"Dawn won't answer. She's scared of you."
Cynthia understands instantly.
She sighs lightly and turns back to Damian.
She can see Dawn has concerns. It's not that she doesn't want to leave Team Rocket.
She can't.
If she quits Team Rocket, she's afraid her family will suffer Rocket's revenge.
House Dawn already has bad blood with Zinnia; Damian has every excuse in the world to move on them.
But would Damian actually retaliate against Dawn's family?
Cynthia doesn't know. She can't be sure he wouldn't.
"Damian, what's it going to take for you to let Dawn go?"
After a brief pause, Cynthia asks Damian bluntly.
"I get the feeling you've got the wrong idea about me, Cynthia."
Damian spreads his hands, all innocent.
"I value Dawn, that's why I let her join Team Rocket. You really think I've got so much free time I'd go out of my way to personally invite someone into Rocket for no reason?"
Damian's voice is slow and easy.
"So your method of 'inviting' her was threatening her family?"
Cynthia shoots back.
"Sure, the process might look a little… misunderstood. But I believe in time, Dawn will get it."
Damian doesn't deny it.
He admits his methods were a little dirty.
So what? As long as the outcome's good.
"…"
Dawn's at a loss for words.
Is she supposed to be thanking Damian for valuing her?
"Damian, this isn't right. Even if Dawn becomes a Team Rocket member, will she really be willing to stay in Team Rocket long‑term?"
"What's the point of forcing it?"
Cynthia decides to argue it from another angle.
"That's not really something you need to worry about, Cynthia."
Damian smiles faintly.
Seeing she still wants to keep going, he cuts her off.
"Cynthia, no need to say anything else. Dawn is one of my teammates now. Getting her out isn't on the table."
Damian gives her a half‑smile.
The look in his eyes makes Cynthia's skin crawl.
"Unless…"
"Unless what?"
Cynthia presses her lips together, but still asks.
"Unless you take Dawn's place and become one of us. How's that sound?"
Damian grins.
Whether it's Cynthia or Dawn, he's not picky. Cynthia's potential isn't as high as Dawn's.
But just picturing Cynthia in a Team Rocket uniform is exciting as hell.
"No!"
Before Damian even finishes, Dawn's shout cuts in.
Cynthia falls silent.
"Miss Cynthia, thank you for caring about me. But I'm doing just fine in Team Rocket. Lord Damian treats me very well. You really don't need to worry."
Dawn jumps in right away.
Her getting out of Team Rocket and Miss Cynthia taking her place instead? She doesn't even dare imagine it.
No way. Absolutely not.
"…"
Cynthia presses her lips tighter, eyes locking on Damian.
She can see it clearly now—the heat and possessiveness in this boy's gaze whenever it falls on her.
He hides it well, but not from her.
He's looked at her that way since the first day they met.
Cynthia's pupils flicker.
She looks once at the tense Dawn, then once at the serene, content Caitlin.
A deep sense of helplessness wells up inside her.
She really… can't save anyone. She can't do anything.
For a while, no one speaks.
"You're going after Team Galactic next?"
After that long silence, Cynthia finally asks Damian.
"Yeah. Those lunatics in Team Galactic need to be dealt with. If not, they're going to cause real trouble."
"Hm?"
Cynthia frowns. What's that supposed to mean?
"You don't know yet, huh? Cyrus has already sent people to capture the Lake Guardians. He's planning to extract their power, then summon Dialga and Palkia, control them, destroy this world, and create a new one."
Damian's voice is full of mockery.
The funniest part is that the Sinnoh League still has no clue what Cyrus really wants.
If the game's protagonist didn't step up, Cyrus might have actually pulled it off.
"…"
Cynthia's pupils tighten. She honestly hadn't picked up on that.
But she's also grateful she knows now—before it's too late.
"You're planning to swallow Team Galactic, right?"
After a few seconds of thought, Cynthia looks at Damian and asks.
"Right. Team Galactic's not small. If I can eat them whole, that's a nice haul. But I'm not keeping Cyrus. That guy's got screws loose."
Damian sounds openly disdainful.
Cyrus's strength is decent.
But the man's flat‑out crazy. Even after he fails, he never reflects on his own mistakes.
So even if he takes in Team Galactic, Damian has zero intention of keeping Cyrus around.
Compared to Cyrus, Lysandre's miles better.
Lysandre went off the deep end because he was disillusioned with humanity. There's still room to work with that.
"Would you mind if I traveled with you for a while?"
Cynthia is quiet for a bit, then drops something shocking.
Dawn stares at her, stunned.
Even the small smile at Caitlin's lips fades as she studies Cynthia in surprise.
What is Cynthia thinking?
"What did you say?"
Damian's caught off guard too.
"Team Galactic is a serious threat. If I help you, I think that'd be good for Team Rocket's efforts to wipe them out."
Cynthia lays it out calmly.
And she's not wrong.
Damian is thoughtful.
Cynthia's Sinnoh's Champion. If she backs them, a lot of things get easier.
Just take today's op on the Team Galactic Eterna Building.
The building's in the middle of a city. If they'd coordinated with Cynthia ahead of time, she could've had Officer Jenny and the others evacuate civilians and lock down the area.
Give Team Rocket a "security cordon" while they assault the building.
Tsk. It's almost too dramatic.
"And you can keep an eye on Team Rocket's movements at the same time, right? Cynthia, you this guy—you'd even put your own safety on the line as a bet?"
Damian regards Cynthia with clear amusement.
"I don't have that kind of plan."
Cynthia shakes her head, sounding perfectly calm.
Whether she's telling the truth… only she knows.
"Fine. Then come with us for now. Just don't regret it later."
Damian's lips curl.
Cynthia sending herself over isn't bad for him. If nothing else, she's nice to look at.
Cynthia says nothing.
Regret? What is there to regret?
She still questions Damian's character, but she doesn't think he'll quietly take her out.
What she really worries about is her chastity.
With the way Damian looks at her—like a wolf eyeing a meal—that's what scares her most.
She still remembers how much advantage he took during that photo shoot.
The only consolation is that Damian probably won't resort to outright assault or drugging her.
Plus, Caitlin's here. At the very least, Caitlin can make sure Damian doesn't cross certain lines.
And honestly, Cynthia does want to see how Damian runs Team Rocket day‑to‑day.
Of course, that depends on whether Damian lets her watch from the sidelines.
"Alright, my darling temps, that's enough gawking. Show's over. We're heading out."
Damian waves at Rosa and the others, who are clustered not far away.
They've all recognized Cynthia, obviously. Her look is pretty distinctive.
So they've just been standing there eating popcorn, trying to guess what Cynthia and Damian's relationship really is.
...
Veilstone City.
Team Galactic's headquarters, Galactic Veilstone Building.
"Boss, bad news. The base in Eterna City got hit. Jupiter and Saturn were both taken."
Mars reports to Cyrus over video call.
"Do we know who did it?"
Cyrus is a gray‑blue‑haired, short‑cut, severe‑faced middle‑aged man.
He doesn't look surprised or angry at the news. His tone is just flat.
"Not sure. Saturn's last message said they were employees from something called Arceus Co., Ltd."
Mars looks baffled.
"…"
Cyrus goes silent for a beat.
What the hell is that?
Whatever. At the end of the day, they're just incomplete Pokémon. If they got caught, they got caught.
Useless trash.
"Mars, go take over at Lake Acuity. Catch Uxie as soon as you can."
Cyrus orders blandly.
"Yes, boss. But… Jupiter and Saturn, they…"
Mars hesitates.
She can feel how little Cyrus cares about them, which doesn't sit right with her.
She and Jupiter don't exactly get along, but they're still Admins in the same organization. They've risked their necks for Team Galactic.
"Once the new world's complete, they'll be reborn."
Cyrus says it in the same calm tone.
Which clearly means he has no intention of lifting a finger for Jupiter or Saturn now.
"…Understood."
Mars's feelings are complicated.
She's also a little chilled.
But either way, she's still loyal to Cyrus.
"As long as the Red Chain is finished, we'll be able to control Dialga and Palkia."
After hanging up, Cyrus turns his head and looks behind him.
Two huge tanks filled with special fluid stand there.
Inside, two Pokémon float with their eyes closed, asleep.
Thin tubes are stabbed into their bodies, constantly extracting something from them.
These are Mesprit and Azelf—the Lake Guardians he's already captured.
Only Uxie remains.
And Uxie is at Lake Acuity.
He'd originally sent Jupiter to Lake Acuity. He didn't expect that trash to get herself nabbed before the operation even started.
No matter. Mars can get it done.
Elsewhere, at the villa Damian bought.
"Caitlin."
Cynthia walks into the backyard and sees Caitlin playing in the water with Little Lugia.
"Cynthia."
Caitlin turns, nodding when she sees her.
Her manner isn't warm, but it isn't cold either.
"This is the legendary Lugia, right? It's adorable."
Cynthia glances at Little Lugia and can't help praising it.
"Yeah. Damian entrusted it to me. It's my most precious partner."
Caitlin crouches down a little, gently rubbing Little Lugia's head as it leans in.
There's a faint smile on her face.
Cynthia's feelings are complicated.
She can hear the happiness in Caitlin's voice. She can see the joy in her eyes.
"Cynthia."
"Hm?"
"No matter why you're getting close to Damian, I'm asking you—don't get involved with him in any way."
Caitlin slowly straightens.
Her tone grows heavier with each word.
It's a reminder—and a warning.
"Otherwise, this is where our relationship ends."
"???"
Cynthia frowns.
She stares at Caitlin, utterly at a loss.
~~
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