"So torn…"
Rosa digs both hands into the two buns on top of her head in frustration.
"What's there to be torn about?"
Hilda shoots her a look.
Mr. Damian gave Rosa three options, sure.
But in Hilda's eyes, two of them are way harder to pull off.
"Where are you gonna find Salamence and Metagross, huh?"
Kangaskhan, Salamence, Metagross—of the three, Salamence and Metagross are both pseudo‑legendary Pokémon.
Their main habitats are in Hoenn.
Yeah, the Arceus app lets you redeem Bagon and Beldum, and their talent's guaranteed.
But every pseudo‑legendary costs 50,000 merit.
Is Rosa just not going for Tornadus anymore?
So from Hilda's point of view, Rosa actually only has one real choice.
"You… kinda have a point."
Rosa freezes.
"It's not that impossible, really. If you want, you can head to Meteor Falls in Hoenn and try your luck."
Damian has clearly heard the two girls talking.
He laughs and offers a suggestion.
"That's where wild Bagon live. Just don't get your hopes too high."
Meteor Falls has always been Bagon's main habitat; that part's not a secret.
Plenty of Trainers have tried to hit Meteor Falls to find Bagon.
Thing is, very few people actually catch one.
First, the depths of Meteor Falls are one of the most dangerous wild zones in the Hoenn region; most wild Pokémon there are high‑level.
For ordinary Trainers, it's lethal.
Second, yeah, it's Bagon's habitat—but Meteor Falls is huge, and there aren't that many Bagon there to begin with.
Running into one is pure luck.
"I'll just go catch a Kangaskhan instead. Parental Bond sounds super fun."
Rosa decides on Kangaskhan without hesitation.
Hoenn's way too far from Unova, and there's no guarantee it'll pay off.
A Normal‑type like Kangaskhan is already really strong among Normal‑types.
And after Mega Evolution, Parental Bond—just from the description—looks insanely worth raising.
Mega Evolution floods power into the baby Kangaskhan in its pouch, letting it grow in a short time and fight alongside its mom.
In other words, you get to run a perfectly legal two‑on‑one.
That Ability's way too fun.
And the potential is obviously huge.
Rosa's eye for this stuff is sharp; her mind moves fast.
She's already thought of a ton of Mega Kangaskhan strategies.
"Very reasonable choice. As long as you train your Kangaskhan right, it's not gonna be any worse than Mega Salamence or Mega Metagross."
Damian smiles and nods.
"Hehe~"
Getting praised by Damian makes Rosa's eyes crinkle shut.
She's in a fantastic mood.
"Right, Damian, Hilda still hasn't picked a Mega of her own. Could you recommend one for her too?"
Rosa snaps back to herself quickly and throws the question to Damian for her Sis.
"Of course."
Damian nods.
"Hilda, what's your lineup like?"
"Emboar, Excadrill, Zoroark, Ferrothorn, Haxorus, and Braviary."
Hilda blinks and lists off her main roster.
Like Rosa, she's running a multi‑type team.
Which makes sense; for talents like them, not running a multi‑type lineup would just be wasting their potential.
"Pretty much all physical attackers."
"Yeah. That's why I want to raise a special‑attack Mega."
Hilda nods obediently.
She wants a hard‑hitting special attacker.
"Gengar and Gardevoir both fit your team really well. If you don't mind overlapping types, Charizard Y's also an option."
Damian thinks for a second and lays out his suggestions.
Hilda goes thoughtful.
"Charizard Y's Ability is Drought. It can even buff your Emboar, and Charizard Y's special attack is off the charts. It slots in perfectly as a main special attacker."
Charizard Y's popularity is way lower than Charizard X, the Fire/Dragon one.
But in actual battle strength, Charizard Y is absolutely not weaker than Charizard X.
Especially not with that noble Ability, Drought.
Even if Charizard Y is four‑times weak to Rock, it doesn't change how broken it is in the right hands.
"As for Mega Gengar, its Ability is Shadow Tag. That's one I especially recommend."
Damian has a Shiny Gengar himself.
His understanding of Gengar is thorough.
And in his eyes, Mega Gengar is even stronger than Charizard Y.
Because Mega Gengar's Ability, Shadow Tag, is broken on a different level.
Under Shadow Tag, the opponent can't recall the Pokémon that's trapped.
They can only use things like Baton Pass, U‑turn, and similar pivot moves to get out.
On top of Shadow Tag, Mega Gengar can also run all kinds of disgusting status moves: Perish Song, Curse, Destiny Bond, Toxic, Pain Split…
Its tactical routes are insanely rich.
Most importantly, Mega Gengar hits like a truck too.
It's a blazing‑fast special attacker with incredible Special Attack.
Even among Megas, Mega Gengar really stands out.
You could say Mega Gengar becoming Damian's starter is mainly because it's just that all‑round good.
It can hit, it can support, it can weaken, it can curse.
Even if it gets taken out, it still has a good shot at forcing a one‑for‑one.
Sure, it's a bit glassy.
But if its bulk were good too, what's the point of other Pokémon?
Just let Gengar solo the world.
"And Mega Gardevoir has Pixilate for its Ability. It's a strong special attacker too."
Damian thinks for a moment, then adds that.
Honestly, compared to Charizard Y and Mega Gengar, Mega Gardevoir's overall strength and practical value in a team are a bit behind the other two.
But it has its own merits.
And since the typing's different, you can't just compare them straight up.
Plus Mega Gardevoir's looks are top‑tier.
"All right. I'll think it through carefully. Thank you very much for the advice, Mr. Damian."
Hilda thanks him politely.
She's got a rough sense of the pros and cons of the three now.
She'd just been making fun of Rosa for overthinking it—now it's her turn to agonize.
These three aren't as rare as pseudo‑legends.
Which is exactly why Hilda's even more torn.
"You're welcome. Just running my mouth."
Damian's hand is still resting lightly on a certain Sinnoh Champion's soft waist.
And it's faintly trying to wander upward.
"I'm good."
Hilda shakes her head.
She needs to make her choice first.
"I'm good too. Damian Damian, aren't you lonely sleeping all by yourse— mmph!"
Rosa doesn't even finish before her mouth is cut off with a muffled "mmph," like someone's clamped a hand over it.
No need to guess.
Obviously Hilda.
She's genuinely terrified Rosa's gonna blurt out something insane.
If Rosa keeps going like this, she might really run over to Damian's room in the middle of the night.
Hilda does not want to be an aunt next year, thanks.
That would be beyond ridiculous.
"Then we'll hang up first, Mr. Damian. Good night."
Hilda starts to wrap things up.
"Night."
Damian chuckles and ends the call.
Those two girls really are too much fun.
"What do you think, Cynthia?"
"I think your hand really shouldn't be in that spot, Damian."
Cynthia presses down on Damian's hand, which has already reached her bra under her clothes, and lets out a soft sigh.
"Oh, sorry. Maybe my hand's got a mind of its own."
He says "sorry," sure.
But Damian has absolutely no intention of pulling his hand back.
Not until Cynthia silently glares at him for a full ten seconds and physically pins his hand down.
Only then does Damian finally withdraw it.
"Damian, do you grope girls like this a lot?"
Cynthia can't help feeling Damian's a little too practiced.
More than a little, honestly.
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of sleaze. I'm not that casual, you know."
"I'm not casual either, Damian."
Cynthia's voice is complicated.
She hasn't even had a proper relationship yet.
It's not like she ever thought about getting a boyfriend right now; she's always felt her duty is to protect the Sinnoh region.
"Okay, okay. Mostly it's just that I really like you, Cynthia. You know that."
"We had an agreement. You're not supposed to push me like this."
Cynthia's getting more and more worried about her own "safety."
Damian's not even pretending to hold back anymore.
"Keeping the master's body and mind healthy is part of a maid's duties too."
Damian just grins and dodges the whole issue, shamelessly turning it back on her.
"If you can't even keep your master satisfied, Cynthia… you really think you're doing your job?"
"Or is it that what happened in Snowpoint City's all in the past now, and you're just trying to check the box and move on?"
Moral kidnapping.
When you're dealing with someone like Cynthia, who's got both morals and a conscience, that kind of emotional blackmail hits hard.
Cynthia's gaze drops to meet Damian's eyes.
She can clearly see her own face reflected in his.
Damian's eyes really are bright and beautiful, full of life.
Cynthia can't quite believe that a boy this young, already leading Team Rocket, could have eyes this pretty.
But at the same time, she also sees the desire for her burning in them.
Strong, and very real.
"I don't think that way. I really am grateful that you stopped Regigigas and saved Snowpoint City."
"Just saying it doesn't feel like enough."
"Then what do you want?"
"Here."
Damian taps his own lips, his smile cocky and unrestrained.
Cynthia feels like something explodes in her head.
He wants… a kiss?
How could she?
Isn't this something you only do with your boyfriend?
"Just a good‑night kiss. That's not going too far, is it?"
How is that not going too far?
Cynthia is both stunned by Damian's shamelessness and completely lost inside.
Caitlin, what do I do?
Damian won't stop.
~~
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