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On a bench in front of a fashionable clothing store, Mammon and Serena chatted while drinking juice.
Serena liked this relaxed atmosphere. Mr. Mammon was clearly a big shot, but he had no airs about him.
They interacted as equals, and honestly, Mr. Mammon was really handsome.
His handsome face, black messy hair, excellent fashion sense, and sunny, clean youthful demeanor made Mammon's Look Back rate extremely high, and his recognition factor was off the charts.
Passersby would subconsciously take a second look, and the amazed and envious gazes from the female passersby made Serena feel much more cheerful.
Well, although she knew that she and Mr. Mammon were just normal friends, outsiders wouldn't think that way when she was accompanied by such a boy.
"Let me think, where should I start?"
Mammon took a sip of watermelon juice, organizing his words.
"First, if you join Team Rockets, you can receive a monthly salary befitting your status. This is something every member gets; you can think of it as a wage."
"The specific salary level will be categorized based on your strength and ability, just like you, Serena."
"If you are willing to join Team Rockets, I can directly give you the position of a Senior Executive, which is a senior management position within the organization. You can receive 100,000 from the organization each month. This is the basic monthly salary."
"That much?"
Upon hearing this, Serena's big eyes widened slightly. She could receive 100,000 every month???
Oh my goodness! How many Trainer's pocket money would she have to win to reach that amount?
An Ultra Ball only costs 1,200!
No wonder Caitlin and Platinum were so rich.
"Much? Actually, it's not much, Serena. You need to know that capable people never worry about money; it's just a matter of how much."
Mammon couldn't help but chuckle. After all, she was still a young girl.
"Money is just a number to people like us. Once you join the organization for a while, you'll understand."
Serena pursed her lips. Is that so?
"To be honest, I am very optimistic about your potential, and I believe your future achievements will definitely not be inferior to Platinum's or Caitlin's."
Mammon looked at Serena. If he could keep Serena with money, he wouldn't hesitate to spend it.
But Mammon knew very well that this was an unrealistic problem.
For Serena, she definitely valued other things more.
"I still have a lot of gaps compared to Platinum and the others now," Serena said, uncharacteristically embarrassed.
Of course, this wasn't humility either. She had been defeated by Platinum yesterday, and it was a complete rout.
As for Caitlin...
Well, Platinum mentioned to her last night that Miss Caitlin's strength was a Psychic-type Champion, which was already foreseeable.
"Don't be discouraged, Serena. Your potential is no less than theirs. You need a better environment to help you grow."
"And this is the second point I want to tell you."
Mammon smiled slightly and continued.
"Serena, what is your dream?"
"Dream... My current goal is to win the Lumiose City Tournament."
"And then?" Mammon pressed.
"If possible, I also want to challenge the Elite Four and Miss Diantha to become the Champion of the Kalos region."
"A very ambitious idea. Aiming for a regional Champion in your first year of debut, I fully support it," Mammon praised.
Serena pursed her lips, her big eyes reflecting Mammon's face.
If she had said this to other people, she would probably only receive some jokes or simple words of encouragement.
But in the end, it really meant they didn't believe a rookie who had just started her journey would defeat Diantha.
But why not?
Serena was not convinced by this. Why would they think she couldn't do it without even trying?
But it's not surprising. The narrow perception of ordinary people is like this.
Regional Champion represents the strongest name in that region. Only the strongest Trainer in a region is that region's Champion.
And the strongest in the Kalos land today is Diantha.
And Serena was just a rookie who had just received her Pokémon and started her journey, so naturally, normal people would think she couldn't do it.
"With your talent and growth rate, defeating Miss Diantha by the end of the year, in my opinion, you can do it," Mammon said with a smile.
Hmm, in Mammon's opinion, Diantha, Wallace, and Alder were the weakest floor tiles among all regional Champions.
Alder lost his ambition because his ace died early in his career, and Wallace's Water-type team wasn't easy to perform in regular venues, and his main team itself was weak.
As for Diantha, there's nothing to say; she's simply not strong.
"Really? Mr. Mammon, do you really think so?"
Serena's eyes lit up, pleasantly surprised.
"Yes, after all, you're almost entering the Champion level now, aren't you?" Mammon noticed the girl's joyful mood and couldn't help but nod and smile.
Serena bit her rosy lips, and a stunning smile appeared on her pretty face.
Mammon thought Serena's smile was very beautiful.
Well, it must be said that Serena is indeed very beautiful, especially since she loves fashion and knows how to dress up.
And her figure is also very good among many game heroines.
"But I must tell you, Serena, even if you become a Champion, you are by no means at the peak. This world is truly vast, and there are countless strong individuals."
"And how should I put it? Our generation may truly have ushered in a new era. There are simply too many geniuses in this era."
Mammon sighed softly.
"Other regions?" Serena asked curiously upon hearing this.
"Yes, Serena, you should be able to sense it yourself. You are actually a genius, and you could even be called a rare Trainer genius, right?"
"..."
Serena awkwardly smoothed the flaxen-gold hair falling by her ears. Indeed, many people had marveled at her talent.
They had all praised her, and some Gym Leaders even said she was the future of Kalos and so on.
But...
Hmm, Platinum woke her up yesterday.
"But you might not believe it, in reality, Trainers with talent like yours are constantly appearing in various regions."
Serena was stunned.
"You've already seen one from the Sinnoh region, that's Platinum. And there are at least four in Kanto, one in Hoenn, two or three in Unova, one or two in Alola, and two in Paldea."
"As for Galar, I haven't seen any yet, but I think there should be one or two as well."
Mammon said with certainty. He hadn't been to Paldea and Galar yet, but Nemo was indeed one, and it was likely that Qing was definitely there too.
As for Galar, there are actually many talented young boys and girls.
Not to mention the protagonist, Yu, Yu's rival is not a simple character. There's Hop, the younger brother of Leon, Bede, the young man adopted and trained by Rose, and Marnie, the younger sister of Piers, the Spikemuth Gym Leader.
It can be said that all three of these rivals have Champion potential, especially Hop. As the human partner chosen by one of the Sword and Shield dual kings in the later stages of the game, although he kept getting frustrated in the early and middle stages, he was indeed a late bloomer.
He was considered the strongest of the three rivals in the later stages.
"That... much?"
Serena was shocked, subconsciously mumbling.
She originally thought she was special... but now it seems she isn't particularly special.
Those Gym Leaders and Miss Diantha she met along the way were all liars!!
They said she was a once-in-a-century Trainer genius, but it turns out this once-in-a-century type exists in every region, especially Kanto... four?? Or at least?
"So, even if you become a regional Champion, your Trainer career has only officially begun. After all, you will always have to go to the world stage in the future, won't you?"
"This is actually the best era!"
"Serena, don't you think so?"
Mammon tilted his head slightly, gently stroking Jirachi's belly.
That's right, in Mammon's opinion, an era where a hundred flowers bloom like this is the best.
After all, a person's path to becoming the strongest would lack a bit of meaning without some formidable challengers.
"Yes! This is... what I aspire to!"
Upon hearing this, Serena's eyes seemed to ignite with a blazing fire. Mr. Mammon was right.
So what if there were prodigies in every region?
It was precisely their existence that made this 'strongest' worth fighting for!
"Very good, very spirited."
Mammon nodded with satisfaction at this.
"Then let me explain, Serena, do you know where the gap between you and Platinum lies now?"
"The environment you are in is not enough to catalyze your growth!"
Mammon said incisively.
"Environment?" Serena seemed to understand a little.
"Yes, you need a better growth environment, more opponents, and better resources."
"And Team Rockets can provide you with these."
Mammon smiled.
Serena pondered.
"A Trainer can get stronger through focused special training, but that kind of growth rate is definitely not satisfying for you, Serena."
"Through actual combat, you and your main Pokémon can be stimulated better. Eliminating Dark Organizations and the powerful Trainers of those Dark Organizations can yield a lot, and there are also many Champion-level Trainers and Champion Class-level Senior Executives in the organization. You can spar and train with them."
"For team composition and tactical design, you can also discuss and train with them to improve together. As for the resources needed for Pokémon growth, you can also apply for them within the organization."
What Mammon said undoubtedly stirred Serena's heart.
She now probably understood what Platinum meant by Mammon helping her become stronger.
Oh my goodness!
Guidance from famous mentors, sparring partners who are strong, real-world combat experience, even discussions on team composition and tactical design, and various growth resources provided by the organization.
Holy cow! No wonder Platinum was so much stronger than her. She couldn't compare even if she trained to death by herself.
"In addition, for an excellent Trainer like you, Serena, as long as you join the organization, I can entrust you with an Ultra Beast of excellent talent and aptitude free of charge."
Ultra Beast?!
Serena instantly remembered Platinum's astonishingly strong Pheromosa yesterday. They'd give her one just for joining the organization??
"Finally, the organization itself has two huge ranches, raising many excellent Pokémon, including Legendary Pokémon. You can gain the opportunity to catch them by exchanging merit points."
Mammon took out his phone and opened the Pokémon exchange page of the app.
Zapdos, Landorus, Thundurus, and so on.
Serena's breathing quickened involuntarily.
"Serena, I can tell you, Platinum was far from going all out yesterday. She also has an Entei among her main Pokémon."
"So if you want to defeat Platinum, you need a stronger main team. Your team must be strengthened."
Mammon's words were not misleading. To be honest, with Serena's current main team,
Even if she worked hard for another ten years, she wouldn't be able to defeat Platinum.
After all, 'effort' is relative. If Serena is working hard, will Platinum just stand still? Impossible.
Without strengthening her team, Serena would never be able to defeat Platinum.
Entei...
Serena fell silent. Entei, one of the Legendary Ho-Oh's Guard, Platinum actually caught it?
But seeing the Pokémon on the Team Rockets app exchange page, Serena suddenly wasn't surprised anymore.
"So now I ask you, Serena, are you willing to join Team Rockets?"
"I am!"
The girl from Vaniville Town did not hesitate!
Team Rockets was her best destination!