Platinum felt like her entire view of life had been refreshed.
She never expected this. She originally thought that Damian wasn't actually interested in completely dominating the world.
After all, based on what Damian had shown so far, he only seemed to want control over the underworld.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with that. Platinum even thought it was quite good.
Before Team Rocket arrived, the Sinnoh underworld was led by Team Galactic and several other villain teams. There were also long-standing cancers like the Pokémon Hunter groups.
But what about now?
Now, only Team Rocket was left!
As for other villain teams, if they dared to show their heads, they were chased and beaten by Team Rocket. They were strangled right in the cradle.
Platinum truly felt this was good. She also didn't have to worry about Team Rocket and the League eventually going to extremes against each other.
But looking at it now, she felt she had still underestimated Damian's planning.
Who the heck could have imagined that Damian and Giovanni—who always acted like their father-son relationship was broken—had actually been acting from the very beginning!
Furthermore, Giovanni was now nearly ready to challenge the Kanto Elite Four.
If Giovanni truly succeeded in the challenge, he would become the new Kanto Champion. This...
This was simply too terrifying, wasn't it?!
The amount of information was simply too much. It was so much that Platinum's head was buzzing. She completely dared not imagine it.
After staying at the Viridian Gym for a while longer, Damian and Giovanni chatted for quite some time. After all, the father and son had not sat down for a casual chat like this in a long time.
It wasn't until ten o'clock at night that Damian had Shadow Mewtwo use its psychic powers to search the surrounding area. Only then did he feel safe to leave.
Damian had never cared much about his whereabouts being exposed, but Giovanni's identity had to be hidden.
Otherwise, the fun would be greatly reduced. For Damian, nothing could be allowed to go wrong with this "entertainment."
Back at the reserved hotel, Damian took a shower. Just as he was getting ready to get into bed and rest, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Damian opened the door in confusion. Who would come looking for him at this hour? Could it be Caitlin?
Probably not. Caitlin's pride as a young lady wouldn't allow her to abandon her image and raid him at night like this.
When he opened the door, he saw soft blue hair hanging down. Platinum, dressed in casual clothes, was standing at the door looking a bit restless while clutching the hem of her clothes.
"Platinum? What's wrong?"
Damian raised an eyebrow and looked Platinum over.
"Um... that... Damian, you..."
The moment she saw Damian, Platinum's brain instantly stalled. She looked at Damian while stuttering.
Because he had just finished showering, Damian only had a bath towel wrapped around his waist. His upper body was toned and well-built. Especially those abs—they made Platinum a bit dizzy.
This... this was too much! My goodness!
Was Damian's body always like this?
Platinum subconsciously swallowed her saliva. This was the first time she had seen the opposite sex half-naked from such a close distance. It made her head feel a bit woozy right now.
"Oh, I just finished my shower. What is it, Platinum? Do you have something to discuss with me?"
"Ye... yes. There is something I want to talk to you about in person, Damian."
Platinum felt her throat suddenly go dry. She lowered her head and did not dare to look at Damian.
At this moment, she felt her face was very hot. Extremely hot.
It must be red, right? It must be really red?!
Damian is also being too much! Isn't this using his looks against me?
"I see. Actually, we could have talked on the phone."
"No! This matter is very important. I... I must talk to you in person."
Platinum suddenly snapped back to her senses. She gathered her courage and spoke seriously to Damian.
"Hmm... Actually, I was thinking about your reputation. The young lady of the Berlitz family entering a man's room late at night wouldn't look good if word got out."
"Since you are so persistent, then come in. I'll change my clothes first."
Damian tilted his head and moved aside to let Platinum in.
"...Excuse me."
Hearing this, Platinum stood at the door in silence for several seconds. Then, she lowered her head and slowly walked into the room.
However, through her blue hair, one could indeed see Platinum's cheeks. They were already bright red.
Oh my god!! What on earth am I doing??
Sitting on a stool, Platinum's slender hands tightly gripped the hem of her skirt. She was completely restless, as if sitting on a bed of needles.
The thought of Damian changing his clothes in the bathroom right now made her feel like she couldn't calm down at all.
As the young lady of the Berlitz family, she had been taught noble etiquette and lady-like manners since she was a child. Her behavior and speech were always supposed to be dignified and modest. She had never thought she would appear in a boy's room late at night.
What if Damian loses control later and tries to force me? Should I scream?
But if I hadn't come to Damian's room at this hour, nothing would have happened.
Does that mean I am actually the one tempting Damian?
I heard that if you do that kind of thing, you will have a baby very soon, right? Would my baby with Damian be a boy or a girl? Being a mother so early... is that not very good?
If Father and Mother knew I was pregnant with a little baby, would they be happy? It seems Father has a very serious stereotype about Damian...
"Platinum?"
Father is really something. I've clearly told him many times that Damian isn't that kind of person.
"Platinum??"
And as expected, I still like girls more. If I have a daughter, what should I name her?
Maybe Akari would be better. It sounds nice.
"What are you muttering about, Platinum?"
"Eh?! Damian! When did you get here?"
Platinum finally returned to her senses. Her face instantly turned even redder with shame. She looked at Damian, who was staring at her in confusion, and felt like dying of embarrassment.
Oh god! Lord Arceus above!
How can I keep living in this world?!!
Platinum covered her cheeks and curled up like an ostrich.
"I've called your name several times. You seemed to be thinking about something."
Damian was speechless. Speaking of which, did Platinum actually have a bit of an airhead streak? He really hadn't noticed it before.
"Sorry, I was just dazing off by myself."
Seeing that Damian didn't seem to have heard her muttering clearly, Platinum felt like there was still a hope of "survival."
"That's fine. But what were you thinking about just now? Your face is quite red. Have some water."
Damian sat on the bed. He grabbed a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to Platinum.
"Thank you..."
Platinum whispered a word of thanks. She took the water bottle and took a sip. But as for what she was thinking about just now, she clearly intended to never mention it.
How could she say that out loud? It was too embarrassing.
"You girl, you really dare to drink the water I give you. And who taught you that it's okay for someone like you to enter a man's room while he's alone in the middle of the night?"
Damian couldn't help but say with a chuckle.
"Huh?"
Platinum's eyes instantly widened. Was what she imagined about to come true? No...
"Don't worry, the water is fine. Although I like women, I still have a bottom line. I'm just reminding you," Damian said, shaking his head with a smile. "In short, when you're out and about, you must prioritize your safety. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Platinum lowered her head. She felt her face heating up again.
"Alright, let's talk. What did you come here to say? Is it about my father tonight?"
Damian could guess the general idea.
For a girl as kind and straightforward as Platinum, the things that would make her brave enough to visit him without waiting would likely only be one or two possibilities.
"...Yes. Damian, are you going to move against the League in the future?"
Hearing this, Platinum's mind cooled down a lot. She took a slow breath and questioned Damian.
"Platinum, do you know how many of the eight official Kanto Gyms currently belong to my people?"
Damian did not answer immediately upon hearing the question. Instead, he crossed his legs and asked Platinum with a smile.
Platinum remained silent.
"The Viridian Gym, Saffron Gym, Vermilion Gym, Fuchsia Gym, and Cinnabar Gym were actually Team Rocket's even before I took office."
Damian held out his right hand and spoke to Platinum.
"?!" Platinum's eyes widened in shock. What?
"Of course, Dr. Blaine of the Cinnabar Gym has technically betrayed Team Rocket now. However, that old man's weakness is very easy to handle. So, it won't be difficult to make him work for Team Rocket again."
Damian grinned. Blaine was also one of the doctors involved in the Mewtwo experiments, but he had escaped New Island with Dr. Fuji at that time.
It would be easy to recruit Blaine again. If he threatened him with Cinnabar Island and Dr. Fuji, he wasn't afraid that Blaine wouldn't comply.
This was also why Damian was not in a hurry to settle accounts with Blaine.
"And Erika of the Celadon Gym is now my woman."
"As for the Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym, you saw it today. The heirs are actually Misty and Brock. Both of them are now temporary grunts under Team Rocket."
"Of course, if you asked them to choose between Team Rocket and the League, they would definitely choose the League right now. But that isn't important."
"So, in a sense, all eight official Kanto Gyms are actually Team Rocket's."
Hiss!
Platinum gasped in shock. How terrifying!!
The eight official Gyms were actually all Team Rocket's people. Just thinking about such a thing made one's hair stand on end! It was too scary!
And this was the Kanto region, which was recognized as the strongest region. It had been infiltrated so severely?
"However, whether you believe it or not, Platinum, I personally still maintain a friendly attitude toward the League. As for replacing the League, I haven't thought about it."
But then Damian spread his hands and spoke innocently to Platinum.
Platinum pursed her lips and fell into thought.
"The League is the foundation of stability in this world. I have no interest in a chaotic world."
"Team Rocket's goal has always been to expand and make money, and to absorb other villain teams so that this world won't breed more trouble."
"Perhaps some people will say that this is just to make it easier for Team Rocket to manage the underworld. But isn't that just being difficult?"
Damian gave a cold scoff.
"Without Team Rocket, the Kanto underworld would have become a mess long ago. And Alola, Hoenn, Unova, and Sinnoh—when I took Team Rocket there, which one wasn't a foul atmosphere?"
"The League can indeed guarantee basic balance and stability. However, they lack enough deterrence and understanding of villain teams. So, those villain teams and even the Pokémon Hunter groups were all incredibly rampant."
"But Team Rocket is different. We can purge the other villain teams. We can get rid of the dross and the cancers. We can return the underworld to a state of harmony."
"I admit, the previous Team Rocket was indeed a cancer of this world. But I am not like my old man. I have enough strength to ensure that my own goals do not tilt."
"Team Rocket and the League are not in opposition. Team Rocket is only doing the things that the League doesn't do well and isn't convenient for them to do."
At this point, Damian laughed lightly and looked at Platinum.
"Damian, I believe you!"
Platinum bit her lip. She spoke to Damian with extreme seriousness and admiration.
"Is that so? Platinum, however, the League likely won't give us that power so easily. If the League wants to have a big war with us because of this, will you still stand on my side?"
"...Damian, will you hurt those people from the League?"
"I am not a bloodthirsty person. However, it's inevitable to get some bumps and bruises during a battle. I can only say I will try my best to ensure their lives are safe."
Damian understood what Platinum meant.
"If that's the case, I will stand on your side! Team Rocket..."
Platinum's expression was steady, full of determination.
"Team Rocket is... not wrong!"
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