The battle ended. Damian walked slowly onto the field.
"Good job. You have improved a lot, Paul. As I expected, I didn't misjudge you."
Damian praised Paul.
Paul bowed slightly to Damian. He didn't say anything, but he was very grateful to Damian for recognizing his talent. Damian had shown him a much wider world and provided him with a much better environment to improve.
"Ash, you lost."
Damian looked at Ash. A playful, teasing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"..."
Ash held Pikachu, who had just woken up. His expression did not look very good when he heard this, but he didn't try to argue. Even though he was extremely annoyed right now, a loss was a loss. He had indeed just been defeated by Paul.
Ash wasn't the type of person who couldn't handle losing. The main thing was that losing to this rude guy made him feel really frustrated and unwilling to accept it.
"According to our agreement, you owe me one thing now, right?"
"...Yes. But I won't do anything bad," Ash replied with difficulty. He nodded but then immediately added that condition.
"Ash, that's not right. Could you please stop looking at Team Rocket with such outdated views?"
Damian raised an eyebrow.
The trio of Ash, Misty, and Brock remained silent.
"I already took out the original boss of Team Rocket. I am the boss of Team Rocket now. I'm not some low-level villain."
Damian spoke casually.
Wait, so you aren't denying that you're a villain at all? Misty couldn't help but complain in her head. Also, Damian, who could take out the original boss of Team Rocket, seemed even more dangerous no matter how she looked at it, right?
One had to consider how many years Team Rocket had occupied the Kanto region. They were ruthless and full of crimes. The Kanto League wanted to wipe them out all the time, but there had never been any effective progress. That mysterious Team Rocket boss could even be called the main culprit behind it all.
And yet, that Team Rocket boss had been taken out by Damian.
"Are you trying to say that Team Rocket isn't evil anymore?" Brock couldn't help but ask.
"If I say no, would you believe me?" Damian asked back.
Brock fell silent.
"Prejudice runs deep in people's hearts. No matter how much I tell the outside world, it probably won't make much difference in the end," Damian said with a sigh.
Ash scratched his head. How should he put it? He actually felt a little bit of sympathy for Damian.
Maybe it was just as Damian said. The past impressions were too. Since the name "Team Rocket" was still there, people would naturally think it was still the same old group that did all kinds of bad things.
But Brock and Misty were not "bewitched" by Damian's words so easily. He sounded very wronged, but was that right? No one held a knife to Damian's throat and forced him to take over the Goldenrod Radio Tower to make that arrogant announcement, right?
This kind of person... the gap between that side of him and how he was acting now was just too big.
Which one was the real Damian? Brock and Misty couldn't tell. But anyway, it was better to doubt him first!
"So, what exactly do you want Ash to do?"
Brock changed the subject. He was Ash's close traveling companion, but in a way, Brock sometimes saw Ash and Misty as younger kids he had to look after. He couldn't just watch Ash get tricked by Damian.
"Team Rocket's goal is actually very simple. It is to wipe out all other criminal groups and forces, including Hunter groups. This world doesn't need that trash."
Damian didn't answer directly. Instead, he explained part of Team Rocket's philosophy.
"That's a good thing," Ash thought. It made a lot of sense to him. Criminal groups and Hunters were the worst kind of cancer!
"Yes, you think so too, right? Ash, my opinion of you was right. You really are someone with a strong sense of justice."
Damian smiled. His smile looked open and warm.
Ash rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Caitlin and the other two stood behind Damian. Even Platinum looked at Ash with a strange expression in her eyes.
"Stop right there!"
Brock quickly stepped forward to interrupt. He patted Ash's back to tell him to wake up.
"Damian, what exactly do you mean?" Brock repeated the question again.
"If we want to destroy these criminal groups, we also need more like-minded partners."
"Only then can we bring peace to the world!"
"Only then can the sky in this world stay clear and blue!"
"Only then can the people living in this world always have happy smiles."
Damian's words were very passionate and persuasive.
At least Ash was very excited right now. He nodded again and again as he listened. Yes, that's exactly what he wanted! If there were no criminal groups in the world, it would be wonderful!
"Ash! For the sake of this world, are you willing to join us?"
"I'm will— mmmph!"
In his excited state, Ash was about to agree without thinking.
"Stop!"
Misty immediately grabbed Ash's neck and covered his mouth. The tired Pikachu in Ash's arms was caught in the middle and fell straight to the ground, crying out in pain.
"Ouch! What are you doing, Misty?"
Ash quickly broke free and picked up Pikachu, feeling bad for him.
"Join my foot! You can't just say things like that, you idiot!"
Misty punched Ash on the head. She spoke with frustration at his lack of sense.
"That's right, Ash. Don't just believe his side of the story," Brock said in a low voice.
Damian raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but click his tongue softly.
If Brock and Misty weren't there, Damian was really confident that he could have tricked this simple and hot-blooded guy until he couldn't walk straight. After all, shouting slogans was the easiest thing in the world.
But the problem was, Brock and Misty were still very rational. What a pity.
"Huh? But..." Ash really felt that what Damian said was very reasonable and sincere.
"Exactly, is he just right because he says so? Are you stupid?" Misty couldn't take it anymore. "And didn't you notice? He's only been talking about other criminal groups. What about his own Team Rocket?"
Misty noticed this point. Her eyes were unusually sharp.
Ash was stunned when he heard this.
"If I'm not mistaken, your goal is to destroy and take over other criminal groups."
"You want to use that to expand Team Rocket so that it is the only power in every region, right?" Brock added in a low voice.
The three of them stared at Damian together. Damian narrowed his eyes slightly, and then a big smile slowly appeared on his face.
Clap... clap... clap...
He raised his hands and clapped for Brock and Misty.
"Well said. You really are good prospects, as expected of former Gym Leaders," Damian praised them with a smile. He didn't feel any embarrassment or anger about his thoughts being exposed.
It had to be said that even though Brock and Misty's training talent wasn't especially amazing, they were indeed very reliable. And calling their talent not "amazing" was only when compared to certain people; in reality, their talent was quite outstanding among normal people.
"You're not denying it?" Misty was stunned.
"Why should I deny it?" Damian tilted his head and asked back, acting surprised. "Does what you said conflict with what I told you?"
Indeed, Misty and Brock had guessed his true purpose, but so what?
"We destroy those criminal groups and then manage their territory so that this kind of crime won't spread again in this world."
Damian looked at the three of them.
"You two, whether it is justice in action or justice in the result, it is still justice."
"It is Team Rocket's 'justice.' Is there a problem with that?"
Justice in action refers to the righteousness of the act itself.
Their act of destroying criminal groups was undoubtedly righteous.
Although they didn't hand the grunts over to the League after destroying them, Damian would absorb them into Team Rocket for "rehabilitation."
The truly stubborn ones would be sent to the mines.
It was a bit extreme, but it was still helping society deal with criminals, right?
Justice in the result meant achieving the expected outcome no matter the means.
And for Damian, both the action and the result were correct.
"This..."
Misty's brain stalled. Was this right? It seemed wrong. Was it wrong? It seemed right again. So, was it right or not?
"Ash, I sincerely invite you to join us and punish those criminal groups with us. Are you willing?" Damian sincerely sent the invitation to Ash.
"Huh? I..."
Ash wasn't as impulsive this time. Even though he felt Damian's words seemed to have no problem, joining Team Rocket... why did that feel so weird?
But refusing? That felt like a waste. Fighting criminal groups was something Ash looked forward to.
"Ash, isn't your goal to be a Pokémon Master?" Brock reminded Ash after a moment of silence. Although he didn't know how to argue against Damian's words for a moment, Brock still felt Team Rocket wasn't trustworthy. Anyway, doubt first!
"Oh, right! My dream is to be a Pokémon Master. Damian, I can't join Team Rocket."
Ash suddenly remembered. Becoming a Pokémon Master was his dream since he was a child. This was something he could never give up.
"Actually, it won't get in the way."
"Also, there are many excellent Trainers your age in Team Rocket."
"Trading tips and improving together would actually help you get stronger."
Damian laughed softly and then thought for a bit.
"Anyway, I still really admire you, Ash. But you and your friends probably have a lot of worries."
"In that case, why don't you sign a temporary contract?"
"Become temporary grunts under Team Rocket."
"There aren't any restrictions on you."
"When Team Rocket has activities to fight criminal groups or Hunters, you can participate."
"How about it?"
Damian asked the trio.
"Temporary grunts?"
Brock and Misty looked at each other. They both saw the shock in each other's eyes.
"Yes. You're just worried that I'm lying to you, right? So become temporary grunts."
"First, it makes it easy for you to understand most of Team Rocket's daily activities."
"Second, you can take part in some activities and experience it for yourself."
Damian smiled.
"That should be fine, right? There's no pressure on you, and there won't be any forced tasks."
"In that case... should we try it?" Misty hesitated and asked Ash tentatively.
"Okay!" Ash thought about it and nodded in agreement.
And then...
"Wow!! All these Pokémon can be traded for?"
"Is this forum always this busy? There are so many people! There are even people from Unova and Hoenn."
"So many items..."
"I want to take this mission! A Boss Nidoking in Mt. Moon attacked and hurt three passersby. Investigate the cause of its rage and catch it if necessary."
Ash and the others looked at the app on their phones. They gasped one after another. Clearly, they were seeing a whole new world.
And the atmosphere felt completely different from what they imagined. There were many posts in the forum about training Pokémon, complaining about missions, and sharing daily life.
There were even many short videos of interacting with Pokémon. (The Blueberry Academy students did a great job).
Is this really how Team Rocket runs things?
That's right. Damian also took the chance to let Misty and Brock sign a contract. They had potential, after all.
Heh... hahaha...
Looking at Ash's excited face, the smile on Damian's face couldn't be held back at all. He had finally convinced them to join!
Team Rocket Ash! Reporting for duty!!
Damian couldn't even imagine what Red's expression would be when he found out his younger brother, Ash, had joined Team Rocket. Just thinking about it was exciting!
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