Lavaridge Town. Inside a rented villa.
"So, this is the first meeting of Team Rocket's Hoenn branch. Does anyone have any thoughts?" Damian asked that evening, looking at the few people in front of him.
To be honest, there weren't many.
Caitlin and Gladion were the ones he had brought over with him. The only newcomers were Zinnia and Courtney.
Courtney felt completely out of place.
In her mind, her body was with Team Rocket, but her heart still belonged to Team Magma.
Even so… after hearing the conversation between Damian and Zinnia earlier that afternoon, she had developed a real interest in Team Rocket.
How should she put it?
Compared to Team Rocket, Team Magma's operations suddenly felt like kids playing house.
Without meaning to, she started to feel Team Magma's vision was simply too small.
But at the very least, she still had feelings for Team Magma. So why did Master Damian insist she attend this "First Hoenn Branch Meeting"?
Her heart was still with Team Magma!
"Master Damian, I've compiled our current manpower," Gladion said first.
"We brought about a hundred people over from Kanto, and almost all of them have arrived. In addition, we absorbed thirty-three members from the Team Magma base."
Gladion spoke seriously.
"That's a bit few," Damian clicked his tongue.
"Correct. Right now, we don't have enough people. Also, the members we recruited from Team Magma generally have low discipline and poor combat ability. Only a few are elite enough to be useful."
Gladion glanced at Courtney. That look made the expressionless Courtney want to curl her toes from embarrassment.
That "how did you lead subordinates like this" look was rude.
"It's fine. We can train them slowly," Damian said. He wasn't in a hurry.
"As for starting a company… Master Damian, while we can copy many plans from the Alola branch, Hoenn's environment is very different from Alola's," Gladion added, sharing his view.
In Alola, Team Rocket's biggest source of income had been the game corner inside the entertainment city.
Starting a company?
Zinnia, who was listening with interest, and Courtney, who had been quiet, both froze for a moment.
Wait. Team Rocket was going to build a company?
"Mauville City already has a Game Corner," Caitlin said, understanding what Gladion meant.
"Simple. We buy it," Damian said, like it was nothing.
"But the owner probably won't want to sell. The profits there are very good," Gladion said with a frown.
He had checked the data on the Mauville Game Corner. Its business wasn't as explosive as the Alola Alpaca Game Corner, but the profits were still impressive. The prizes included TMs and rare Pokémon dolls, so it stayed popular.
"Gladion, you need to broaden your thinking," Damian said. "You're still too proper."
"If you want to buy someone's property and the clean way doesn't work, then do it from the shadows. If they refuse a fair offer even after you raise the price, then use threats and bribes on people who don't know what's good for them."
Damian's meaning was obvious.
"We're Team Rocket. Is 'fair competition' something Team Rocket should be doing? If other evil organizations found out, they'd laugh at us."
"Then, Master Damian, what exactly do you mean?" Gladion asked, only half understanding.
"Send people to cause trouble at his Game Corner. Ruin his reputation first, then we buy it. Keep your hands clean. Don't let anyone catch us. It won't help if he reports us to the Hoenn League."
"I understand." Gladion thought for a moment. He knew what to do now.
"You don't need to handle this personally. You understand that, right?"
"Your subordinate understands."
"Mauville City is the largest city in Hoenn. If we want a foothold in Mauville, we need a company that can stand there. Penguin Entertainment City must be established in Mauville."
"Also, we can't ignore Lilycove City and Slateport City. Those two have a lot of potential. It won't hurt to buy more land. We should also set up industries like bike shops."
Damian gave orders while Gladion nodded and wrote them down.
Zinnia and Courtney listened, completely dazed.
This was not the kind of meeting they had imagined.
"The details for running the company can be handled by subordinates," Damian said. "Right now, the more important thing is manpower."
"The main goal moving forward is to strike Team Magma and Team Aqua and absorb their people."
Team Rocket's Hoenn branch was indeed small right now, but that didn't matter. They could climb by stepping on Team Magma and Team Aqua.
Didn't the Alola branch grow fat after absorbing Team Skull?
Still, compared to Team Skull, Team Magma and Team Aqua were more troublesome. The real problem was that Damian didn't know where their true core bases were.
Damian remembered there was a large base on a small island at sea northeast of Lilycove City, but he wasn't sure whether it belonged to Team Magma or Team Aqua.
It didn't matter. Both organizations would be crushed anyway.
"Courtney, Zinnia, do you know where Team Magma and Team Aqua's bases are?" Damian asked, looking at the two women. "Courtney, you only need to tell us the Team Aqua locations you know."
Considering Courtney's situation, Damian didn't force her to reveal Team Magma's base.
As a Team Magma Admin, Courtney definitely knew their base locations, but betraying Team Magma now would put a lot of pressure on her.
Damian didn't believe Courtney would stick with Team Magma forever. Any sane person would eventually see the gap between Team Magma and Team Rocket and understand which one had a real future.
So he gave her room. If she was stubborn, Damian wouldn't be polite later.
"Team Aqua's main base… I'm not too sure," Courtney said, letting out a quiet breath of relief. "But I do know the locations of several smaller ones."
She felt grateful to Damian, so she answered quickly.
What she feared most was Damian forcing her to give up Team Magma's core base. She really wouldn't have known what to do.
"I'm just a newbie who joined Team Magma recently. Of course I don't know anything," Zinnia said bluntly.
She hadn't been in long, so she couldn't access secrets.
"Fine. Courtney, mark those locations later," Damian said. He wasn't disappointed.
After a few more details, the first meeting ended.
The next day.
Gladion and Courtney were at the former Team Magma base assigning tasks. Zinnia was sleeping in. Damian and Caitlin were touring Lavaridge Town.
Because of the natural hot springs, aside from tourists, the town was mostly full of older locals.
"Huh? It's you guys!"
They hadn't walked far when a clear girl's voice called out in surprise from a training ground.
"We meet again, May," Damian said, turning around.
He saw the slender, energetic girl standing there, looking at them.
"Hehe~ Looks like we keep running into each other," May said as she ran over. Her clean, bright face carried a lively smile.
Caitlin's brows tightened slightly.
She had finally gotten some private time with Damian, and now this girl she barely knew was acting familiar.
Still, Caitlin was a reserved and elegant young lady. Even with her irritation, she kept a polite smile.
"I handed that Team Aqua Admin over to Officer Jenny yesterday," May reported quickly. "She was really happy!"
She remembered how pleased Officer Jenny had been.
After all, Amber was a Team Aqua Admin. The "value" of an Admin was completely different from that of an ordinary member.
"Officer Jenny really wants to thank you," May continued. "She even mentioned giving you a commemorative banner. She seemed to recognize you too."
"She's too polite," Damian said immediately. "Forget the banner."
He understood. It must have been the same Officer Jenny they spoke to before.
A commemorative banner was a bit much.
Damian rubbed his chin. If his identity as Team Rocket got exposed in Hoenn later, what would that Officer Jenny's face look like?
"Fighting evil organizations is everyone's responsibility," Damian said with a smile. "I can't stand seeing other evil organizations causing trouble where I live."
"Yeah!" May agreed at once. "Evil organizations are the worst! Not long after I started my journey, I ran into those Team Magma creeps. They tried to steal that old man's Wingull! Shameless!"
She clenched her small fists, full of righteous anger.
How could people be that bad? Mr. Briney was old, and they still tried to steal his Pokémon.
"Exactly," Damian said. "Organizations like Team Magma and Team Aqua are pathetic. They have no vision."
That was why Hoenn only needed Team Rocket.
"Um…" May tilted her head and tapped her chin. It sounded like this guy thought the same way she did.
But something felt a little off.
She couldn't figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it.
Thinking was annoying. Battling was better.
"May, are you a trainer who started this year?" Damian asked, glancing at the Swampert and Aggron behind her.
Now that he looked again, May looked bright and cute, but the Pokémon she used were all raw power.
"That's right!" May said with a wide grin. "I'm a rookie. But my goal this year is to be Champion of the Ever Grande Conference! If I win that, I'm going to challenge the Hoenn Elite Four!"
She clenched her fists, full of drive.
Her goal wasn't just to win a regional conference. She wanted to become Hoenn's Champion.
She wanted to beat Wallace and replace him.
"Not bad," Damian said with a smile, clapping once in encouragement. "Big goals. Good. I'll wish you success."
To be honest, since this wasn't a game, May's talent was at a monster level. But whether she could reach Steven Stone after one year of growth? Damian couldn't say for sure. Steven's strength was high even among Champions.
But beating Wallace?
With May's growth rate, Damian didn't think that would be a problem.
People who understood the scene knew that although Wallace was Champion level, among Champions he was on the weaker side.
Also, Wallace specialized in Water-types, and official battles were usually held on standard fields.
Several of Wallace's main Water-types depended heavily on specific terrain.
Take Wailord, for example.
On a standard field, with a twenty-meter body on the ground, it could barely move. It was basically a huge target.
If it were a Water Field or a sea battle, Wallace could perform above his normal level, but there were no "ifs."
The Champion Challenge used a normal battlefield. Whether Wallace could withstand May's assault at the end of the year was hard for Damian to judge.
Beep-beep-beep~
Damian's phone rang.
He nodded apologetically to May, stepped a few paces away, and answered.
"What is it, Courtney?"
"This is bad, Damian! Wallace brought people and is attacking! Gladion already took men to engage them. Zinnia isn't answering her phone!"
Courtney's sweet voice carried a hint of panic.
After all, Wallace was Hoenn's local Champion.
"Don't panic," Damian said. "I'm coming right now."
Damian raised an eyebrow.
Speak of Wallace, and he shows up.
Not bad.
He ended the call. A mean curve lifted at the corner of his mouth.
"Caitlin," Damian said, "go to a clothing store and buy a lot of pretty dresses. Also buy schoolgirl uniforms, Lolita outfits, school swimsuits, black stockings, white stockings, and fishnets. I have an important use for them."
"??"
Several question marks seemed to appear over Caitlin's head.