"What is this?"
Zinnia turned the gold badge in her fingers. She caught the change in Caitlin's eyes, and the smile on her face faded.
"It marks your rank," Damian said calmly, taking a sip of juice.
"If you accept it, your status in the organization will be below only mine and the Boss's. The Four executives, the Three Beast Warriors, the Three Great Admins, and every other high-level executive—none of them will outrank you."
Damian looked directly at her.
"And when I become the Boss, you'll be second only to me. What do you think?"
He didn't pause there.
"Even Caitlin hasn't received this badge yet. Her team hasn't fully reached Champion level. You're the first top-level executive I've personally invited into the organization."
The private room fell silent.
Courtney stared at Zinnia in shock. She wasn't foolish. If anything, her years as a scientist made her sharper than most.
The terms Damian offered were too good.
That could only mean one thing: Zinnia wasn't ordinary.
Caitlin studied Zinnia closely. Is she really Champion level?
Zinnia's brows drew together. The easy warmth she usually carried was gone.
"Not interested."
She placed the badge on the table without hesitation.
Zinnia had joined Team Magma for her own purpose. She had been using them. She had never planned to become part of any villain organization.
"Why are you inviting me?" she asked.
At some point, her gaze had changed. It was hard, direct, and hostile.
"It's simple," Damian said, setting his teacup down. "Because you're strong."
He continued without changing his tone.
"That's why I said Team Magma is trash. The world is huge. Real mysteries exist in it. And Team Magma can't even tell when one is standing right beside them. They're still dreaming about plans that will never work."
Damian didn't hide his contempt.
Courtney pressed her lips together, eyes fixed on Zinnia. This person…
Zinnia didn't look at her.
"The Draconids have nearly three thousand years of history," Damian said. "The longest heritage in the world."
He kept his eyes on Zinnia.
"And you, Zinnia—the Successor of this generation of Draconids—fully deserve this badge."
Damian said it plainly.
Zinnia's identity.
That's right. Zinnia was the Draconids' Successor for this generation. A Dragon-type trainer at Champion level.
In the story, Zinnia planned to summon Rayquaza at Sky Pillar to deal with the meteor from the Draconid prophecy.
She succeeded in summoning Rayquaza, but Rayquaza did not acknowledge her. It chose May instead.
Later, May caught Rayquaza. Zinnia fought her over the succession. After losing, she passed the title of Successor to May and let May resolve the meteor crisis.
Zinnia's strength was undeniably Champion level. More than that, she was exceptional even among Champions. During the Rayquaza storyline in the games, May had already defeated Steven Stone and become the new Champion.
May also caught Rayquaza. Even so, in Pokémon Evolutions, Zinnia's ace—Mega Salamence—was able to fight evenly for a short time against the Rayquaza under May's command.
"How do you know that?" Zinnia's eyes sharpened further.
"That isn't important," Damian said. "What matters is we don't have a conflict."
He looked at her steadily.
"Whatever you're trying to do, Team Rocket can help you do it."
Zinnia didn't answer. She stared at him. Damian returned the look without flinching.
After a long pause, Zinnia stood up.
"I refuse," she said, controlled. "I'm not interested in you people. And I don't want you interfering with me."
At first, she had only come along because she wanted to see something entertaining. With her strength, she wasn't worried about accidents.
But now it was different.
Damian had exposed her identity in front of others. Zinnia had no interest in letting someone like him get in her way.
Starting a fight here wasn't a good option either. The boy in front of her was dangerous, and Zinnia wasn't careless.
"Oh?" Damian asked, a faint smile on his face. "Is it because of the mission you're carrying?"
"You can relax," Damian continued. "Team Rocket won't stop you. We can help you reach your goal faster."
Zinnia didn't slow. She reached the door and put her hand on the knob.
Damian's voice followed her.
"Or maybe it's something else. Something you have to deal with."
He paused.
"For example… that incident in Johto."
Zinnia froze.
She turned her head. Her stare was cold enough to make the room go tight.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"How do you know about that?"
Her voice came out low and rough, like she had to force the words out. That incident had always been her nightmare.
The sudden shift startled Caitlin and Courtney. Whatever Damian had touched, it ran deep.
"We have a Team Rocket branch in Johto," Damian said calmly. "That matter was buried well, but our people stole a video from the Johto Pokémon Association."
He spoke as if it didn't matter whose wound he was pressing.
"Footage of that battle back then."
Zinnia's breathing grew heavy. Her hands clenched until her knuckles cracked.
The Rayquaza Capture Plan.
A tragic event from years ago at the Embedded Tower in Johto. And Zinnia hadn't been the first Successor of this generation.
The original Successor was Zinnia's older sister, Aster. To deal with the clan's prophecy, Aster left Meteor Falls years ago on a mission.
She found Rayquaza at the Embedded Tower in Johto. Rayquaza acknowledged Aster. Aster used a large number of Key Stones and succeeded in making Rayquaza Mega Evolve.
If nothing had gone wrong, Aster and Mega Rayquaza could have waited for the meteor and destroyed it, resolving the prophecy crisis.
But human greed has no limits.
The Rayquaza Capture Plan was launched. It was funded by the Berlitz family of Sinnoh. Devon Corporation and Greater Mauville Holdings provided the technology. The Johto Pokémon Association was responsible for carrying it out.
They went to the Embedded Tower and tried to capture Rayquaza.
Aster failed to break through the encirclement. She died on the spot. Rayquaza escaped.
When Zinnia arrived later, she saw what had happened. The shock and grief were so strong that she temporarily lost the ability to speak.
Later, Zinnia forced herself to recover. She inherited Aster's Mega Anklet. She inherited Aster's Noivern. She inherited the mission. Zinnia became the new Successor.
"The Embedded Tower was built by your Draconid people as a place for Rayquaza to rest," Damian said. "And it became the burial ground for the Successor instead."
He sounded amused.
"The Draconids worship Rayquaza. You treat it as a god and call it 'Lord Dragon God.' You built Sky Pillar and the Embedded Tower with your own hands."
He didn't soften his words.
"And your Successor died fighting inside the Embedded Tower."
"Shut up!"
Zinnia snapped, cutting him off. Her whole body shook.
"What are you trying to say?"
She tried to restrain her emotions. Years had passed, but she still couldn't forget. Whenever she thought of the Embedded Tower, she woke up in panic. The memory followed her.
"I can help you," Damian said. "Team Rocket can help you."
He stood and walked up to her. His voice dropped slightly.
"Help me?" Zinnia let out a short, bitter laugh.
"How?" she said, cold. "Greater Mauville Holdings is already bankrupt. Are you going to help me kill the Berlitz family of Sinnoh? Ruin Devon Corporation? Or kill everyone in the Johto Pokémon Association?"
Her sarcasm was sharp. Team Rocket ruled Kanto's underworld—so what?
Caitlin's brows tightened.
As a young lady from a prominent Sinnoh family, Caitlin knew what those names meant.
But compared to the Berlitz family, her family was not in the same league.
The Berlitz family was the richest family in Sinnoh. Two hundred years of history. Wealth spread across every field.
Several members were well-known researchers. Caitlin had also heard that the current young lady of the Berlitz family dreamed of becoming Sinnoh Champion—and had started her journey this year.
It was said Miss Berlitz was extremely talented, a prodigy since childhood.
And Devon Corporation needed no introduction. Devon was one of the strongest companies in the world. The former Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, was the son of Devon's president, Mr. Stone.
In Hoenn, outside the League itself, Devon was a giant.
As for the Johto Pokémon Association, it wasn't flashy on its own, but it was backed by the Kanto League.
The Johto Pokémon Association managed trainers and gyms in Johto. Kanto and Johto had not separated yet, so the Johto Association was effectively a secondary Johto League.
There had long been talk that Kanto and Johto together were too large to manage and that Johto might become independent.
If Johto became independent, the Johto Pokémon Association would naturally be promoted into the Johto League.
Strictly speaking, the Johto Pokémon Association was the hardest target on that list—because going after it meant challenging the Kanto League.
Caitlin was genuinely surprised. Zinnia's enemies were absurdly high-profile.
"We can do all of that," Damian said immediately.
He replied so fast Zinnia paused for a moment.
"What did you say?" Zinnia asked, disbelieving.
"All of them," Damian said. "Any problem?"
Zinnia went silent.
"The Berlitz family, Devon Corporation, the Pokémon Association," Damian continued. "They're a hassle. But if you and I move together, dealing with them won't be difficult."
He said it casually, like the scale didn't matter.
"You…" Zinnia stared at him. Damian's tone was calm, as if he were talking about ordinary things.
But it wasn't ordinary.
"Aren't you afraid the Pokémon League will target you?"
"I'm Team Rocket," Damian said. "And you're asking if I'm afraid of the Pokémon League?"
He sounded genuinely amused, still calm.
"So what do you think?" Damian said. "Zinnia, I'm being direct. If you join Team Rocket, I can go with you to Rustboro today and blow up Devon's headquarters. What do you say?"
"Or we can go to Sinnoh or Johto and level the Berlitz estate and the Pokémon Association."
Zinnia didn't answer.
She listened to him talk about acts of destruction in the same steady tone he used for everything else, and one thought settled in her mind:
This guy was too extreme.
Is this what Team Rocket is like?