"Welcome to join us, Serena, believe me, you will absolutely not regret this decision."
Damian stood up and extended his hand to Serena, giving the girl enough respect.
"I do trust my own judgment as well!"
Serena gripped Damian's hand and flashed him a beautiful smile.
This wasn't a decision made on impulse; it was a carefully considered choice.
"First, Team Rocket is a justice organization whose primary goal is to wipe out evil teams," Damian continued, his voice steady. "Second, although we've only interacted for two days at most."
But Serena's instincts told her that the three of them weren't bad people.
Third, strength is a major factor as well—Dawn you know, Caitlin is also Champion-tier, and the one at the head, Damian, is inscrutable.
With a group like this, how could they not be trusted?
Fourth, Damian has given us a lot indeed!
It seems it was a success after all.
Seeing this, Caitlin and Dawn—who had finished shopping—came over.
In truth, Caitlin and Dawn had finished shopping while Damian and Serena spoke, but they didn't interrupt since the two were in conversation.
"Hmm, Serena has agreed to join us," Damian said with a smile.
"Welcome aboard, Serena. From now on we'll be colleagues."
Dawn greeted Serena warmly.
"Welcome," Caitlin echoed with an elegant smile, also friendly.
"Thank you," Serena replied a little shyly.
"Now, to celebrate Serena joining us, I'll treat you all to a nice dinner tonight. We'll also call Gladion and Paul so they can meet our new colleague."
Damian handed the juice to Dawn and Caitlin, then spoke up.
"Emmm— Mr. Damian, do I get this kind of treatment when I join the organization?" Dawn feigned a resentful expression.
"At the time I joined, there wasn't a celebration like this. I was worried you'd poison me in your food."
Damian laughed at Dawn's tease.
"Not at all, it's not that dramatic," Dawn remonstrated, though she did believe Damian could be a formidable villain.
"Was Dawn's joining very special?" Serena asked curiously.
"Well, it was quite different," Caitlin replied, her tone unhurried.
"Come on, Gladion already booked the restaurant."
Damian glanced at his phone; Gladion's efficiency was indeed fast.
The four of them headed toward the mall exit, making their way to the restaurant.
At five-thirty in the afternoon, in a private room at the restaurant, Gladion and Paul had already arrived by the time Damian and the others got there.
"Here we go, Serena. Let me introduce you—this is Gladion, this is Paul."
"Nice to meet you," they said.
"This is the new executive Serena. In the future you two can exchange ideas and spar to improve."
Damian introduced the two sides.
"Hello."
"Hi, and welcome."
Serena and Gladion exchanged greetings; first impressions were pretty solid.
Both treated her well, genuinely wanting to be amicable.
Yet it was easy to tell Gladion and Paul carried a somewhat cool, reserved personality.
They chatted as they ate.
"By the way, Mr. Damian—"
Suddenly, Serena seemed to remember something.
"What is it?"
"Can I still participate in the Lumiose Conference?"
"Of course. The organization won't limit your personal freedom," Damian smiled.
"Normally you can do whatever you want, as long as you can make it when the organization needs you."
"If you want, participating in the managed organization is best."
Damian added.
Serena sighed with relief; she really wanted to join Lumiose Conference and also to challenge Kalos Elite Four and Miss Diantha.
She wanted her name to travel across Kalos!
That was Serena's goal—she wanted to prove herself!
"And since you're going to compete, bring back a Champion—if you can win the Kalos Champion title, it'll reflect well on the organization, and I can reward you."
Damian considered, smiling at Serena.
"Really?!" Serena lit up with surprise at the prospect.
Then Diantha—sorry, Miss Diantha—would be in trouble!
"Of course. Dawn and Paul, you two can also continue to participate in the Lily of the Valley Conference; if you end up champion and defeat Cynthia, rewards await as well."
Paul pondered this; the rewards Damian spoke of would be substantial indeed.
But the key is beating Miss Cynthia.
And before beating Miss Cynthia, Dawn would still need to compete in Lily of the Valley Conference and aim for the title.
Only the winner of Lily of the Valley can challenge the Elite Four.
That's a huge challenge, or perhaps impossible.
"Hmm, I'd love Mr. Damian's rewards, but if the opponent is Miss Cynthia, that's tough—the Garchomp she has is incredibly powerful."
Dawn was both excited and conflicted.
Yes, Cynthia's power is formidable.
Serena wondered how her own chances stacked up against a Champion Cynthia compared to her home Kalos champion, Diantha.
"Lord Damian, I hear this year's Alola League will also be held."
Gladion suddenly spoke up.
He'd heard from Lusamine that the Alola League had been established, and this year's year-end Alola regional competition would take place.
The winner would become the Alola Region Champion!
Gladion was a bit tempted.
"Do you want to participate?" Damian raised an eyebrow.
"If I could become Alola Champion, it would help you a lot," Gladion didn't hide his ambition.
Though he's mostly seen as Damian's inside man, Gladion has always stayed true to his goal: become a strong trainer and make a name for himself through the trainer path, not as the general manager of Arceus Enterprises.
"Are you sure?" Damian asked bluntly.
"Gladion, I have your back in Alola; you wouldn't be his opponent," Damian said plainly, not wanting to crush Gladion's spirit.
"…."
Gladion fell silent at the remark, but Damian knew Gladion well; he suspected he wasn't fully convinced.
"All right, if you want to give it a try, then you should sign up when the time comes—just be mentally prepared."
Damian shook his head. Gladion's personality is naturally cool and aloof, and at times he can be quite stubborn.
Although he wouldn't disobey his own orders, there was no need to press it; easing the tension was better. It was basically just a fight, so prepare your mind in advance.
"Yes." Gladion nodded.
Could it be a top‑tier Admin? If it were a top‑tier Admin, Damian would say so outright.
But Caitlin had a guess at this moment.
Damian's girlfriend?
Caitlin's eyes shimmered slightly; she probably wasn't wrong.
"By the way, Lord Damian, based on our subordinates' scouting, we've found Arche Valley's location."
Gladion reported to Damian.
"Oh?"
"Arche Valley is indeed very hidden, but according to the intel you left, I've sent subordinates to head to the Desert City to investigate and found a few residents who came from Arche Valley."
Gladion spoke.
"Very good. Send me the location later." Damian nodded in appreciation—this truly was good news.
"Arche Valley?" Dawn asked, quite curious; that name sounds formidable.
"Yep, it's a valley hidden by followers of Arceus, a very interesting place."
Damian gave a brief introduction.
Dahara City isn't hard to find, since it's thriving right now, and as the desert capital, Dahara City is quite famous in the Kalos Region.
But Arche Valley is different; Arche Valley isn't even marked on the Kalos map, like Meteor Village deep in Meteor Falls, a hidden town that you can only find with limited info.
Still, they found it, and it wasn't bad.
"In a couple of days we'll go over there to check it out; there's a very magical Pokémon there."
Hmm, Damian decided to take the initiative; who knows when the plot in that movie will start?
And there's one more thing: if they can get on good terms with Mischief Hoopa, finding Diancie would be a lot easier.
After all, Diancie lives in the Diamond Domain; who knows where that place is, so Damian is quite anxious about how to locate Diancie.
But with Mischief Hoopa's help, it's different.
Have Mischief Hoopa use spatial rings to pull Princess Diancie right out; no need to move at all—how convenient.
Then the four of them continued eating and talking, ending only as it turned near seven.
They stepped out onto the street, and Damian looked at Serena.
"Serena, do you have a place to stay in Lumiose City?"
"No, I stay at the Pokémon Center."
Serena answered a little sheepishly; as a rookie Trainer, the League offers a lot of benefits.
For instance, the Pokémon Center not only heals Trainers' Pokémon for free, but also provides meals and lodging.
So why wouldn't the League be beloved by the public? The League really cares for civilians.
"Then why don't you come stay with us? It's more comfortable, and we can spar with Dawn more."
"Well… is that convenient?" Serena hesitated.
"It's no problem at all—the villa is big, and there are several rooms available." Damian said casually.
"Yeah, Serena, come along. Don't be shy; we're all teammates." Dawn added.
Serena wasn't about to reject.
But just as they were about to call for a ride back, Damian spotted a familiar silhouette not far away.
"Yo, Miss Alexa."
Damian lifted the corner of his mouth and greeted Alexa.
Alexa silently groaned; she had noticed Damian and the others and was planning to slip away unseen.
But Damian's eyes were sharp, and he greeted her anyway.
We aren't that close, after all.
After what happened this morning, Alexa didn't really want to deal with Damian—he clearly wasn't ordinary.
But now…
"What a coincidence, Mr. Damian, and Miss Serena, how are you two together?"
When she approached, Alexa looked at Serena with surprise; yes, she knows Serena too.
And when Serena came to Lumiose City, it was Alexa who had shown Serena around the city.
"Miss Alexa, long time no see." Serena greeted Alexa politely.
"Serena and I go way back—we're close friends, kindred spirits," Damian said warmly on Serena's behalf.
"Yes." Serena nodded in agreement.
Alexa was a little puzzled; Serena was a serious but kind girl, becoming friends with this dangerous boy?
And what had Miss Diantha discussed with Damian this morning that was so serious?
Could she be reading it wrong?
Alexa didn't quite understand, but she trusted Serena.
"By the way, Miss Alexa, you said you'd interview me this morning, right?"
Damian recalled.
"Yes… but Mr. Damian, do you have time?"
Alexa hesitated, but a reporter has to be bold and tactful, so she decided to take a chance.
Perhaps this could be a breakthrough for her career.
Although Miss Diantha's intention in the morning was clearly to keep her away from Damian, fate had brought this encounter.
"I'm free tomorrow."
"So, Mr. Damian, what kind of interviews would you like? Do you have inspirational or life-changing moments to share?"
Alexa thought for a moment; she hardly knows anything about Damian, not even where he's from.
Damian grinned, his expression bright and sunny, revealing a harmless smile.
"There are—yes, there are."
~~
Get early access to 160+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
patreon.com/PokemonStoryWeaver
~~~