Time passed to the next day.
Caitlin woke early, but as soon as she opened her door, she ran headlong into Zuki, who was dressed in casual clothes.
Worth noting, the room Zuki came out of is where Damian slept.
Caitlin's expression was flat as she watched Zuki quietly.
"Lady Caitlin, good morning~" Zuki salutes Caitlin slightly.
Caitlin glances at Zuki's uneasy figure, purses her lips, and nods.
"Morning."
"Lord Damian hasn't woken yet; I'll go fetch hot water for Lord Damian."
Zuki slips away with a light step.
Caitlin watches Zuki's back, her own mood not good, because she clearly knows what happened last night.
What a rickety house, with such poor soundproofing!!
Caitlin thinks she's grown up, hasn't listened at walls in ages!
But last night Damian and Zuki's noises had echoed into her ears all night, especially Zuki, who looked cool on the outside but was screaming differently on the inside.
Hmph!
Caitlin snorts, but she's just a maid, no big deal.
Over the next two days, Damian and Caitlin also stayed in Ecruteak City; there was no other choice—Zuki was charming, and the Ecruteak Dance Theater was hard to leave.
Especially the other three of the Five Sisters had returned to the stage; the Five Sisters are truly alluring.
But Damian still kept to business; after Zinnia and Gladion returned, the four of them bought tickets and set off!
Team Rocket's journey cannot slow down!
...
Unova Region is a far cry from Kanto Region.
Castelia City is one of Unova's most developed cities, and one of the world's grandest cities.
Castelia City's "Castelia" (Flying Cloud) literally means flying cloud, auspicious cloud.
"Wow—this is spectacular!"
Stepping off the airport, seeing the distant metropolis, Zinnia can't help but exclaim in awe.
Castelia City is by the sea; its growth is extremely developed, and urban construction is stunning.
Skyscrapers tower beside high-rises, like a forest of spires reaching the sky; streets buzz with rushing passersby.
Zinnia is truly seeing such a grand city for the first time; compared to Castelia City, Slateport in Hoenn and Mauville feel small by comparison.
Of course this doesn't mean Castelia City's growth is superior to other regions; but as one of the world's biggest cities, Castelia City's modern impact is second to none.
"Let's go; our Unova Team Rocket base will be here."
Damian straightens the long, black, gorgeous coat that Miki's sisters stitched overnight.
In truth, Damian doesn't care much about clothing; his usual public image is simple black clothes.
But he accepts his sisters' care, and honestly, with the coat on, he feels much cooler, his aura markedly different.
"Lord Damian, this is the building we bought."
They first head to the business district; Gladion explains.
Castelia City is Unova Region's business and economic center; land is expensive, but Team Rocket is wealthy now.
Branches in Alola and Hoenn are basically stable, especially Alola, which is said to be raking in money.
And they previously asked Steven for ten billion in liquid cash, so Damian truly isn't short of money.
Though in truth, Damian was never short of money.
They enter the building and ride an elevator to the top floor; the building was originally leased, but Gladion had it bought outright.
"Nice, the view is expansive; very good."
Damian stands before the floor-to-ceiling windows, pleased with the scenery.
"I've already hired staff; we'll be up and running soon."
Gladion reports.
"Excellent, Gladion, you really have talent. Have you considered switching to management full time?"
Damian teases.
Perhaps Gladion inherited Lusamine's exceptional management talents; his skill at running a company is superb.
But alas, Gladion isn't chasing that.
"Lord Damian, don't joke with me."
Gladion shakes his head.
"Also, Lord Damian, I'd like to redeem my merit for Moltres."
Gladion applies for it.
Like Legendary Pokémon, you need to apply directly to someone of Damian's rank.
"Huh? Gladion, is your merit enough already?"
Zinnia freezes, shocked; is Gladion really that fast?
Although Zinnia isn't interested in the Legendary rewards in the Team Rocket merit list—she's a Draconid and mainly into Dragon types—she did have an eye on Dratini as a potential, though Dratini's merit is 50,000 and Gladion doesn't have that yet.
And a Legendary like Moltres requires 100,000 merit!
"Yes." Gladion nods.
"You were busy in Hoenn too."
Damian rolls his eyes; in Hoenn, Gladion handled Team Rocket's growth and also went out to fight dark forces. He's one of the busiest executives in Hoenn Team Rocket.
Zinnia laughs dryly; she was mostly sleeping during that time, except for special training when she wasn't fighting the Hoenn League.
"No problem, you can apply; I'll have Moltres ready for you soon."
Damian looks at Gladion.
"By the way, for a Pokémon like Moltres, you'll need to complete a Catch quest yourself."
Damian adds.
"But with your strength, Gladion, that's not a problem."
The Wild Moltres captured by Team Rocket is at Elite Four level; for Gladion, catching it is not hard.
"I understand!"
Gladion speaks with resolve; Moltres would finally be his (Silvally: ?)
In truth, Gladion's initial goal was Phione, but Phione was redeemed by Proton first…
In Alola, Proton's merit grows quickly; he's already earned a lot.
Apparently Proton is in Alola now; he spends his days strolling with Phione; every day posting little videos in group chat. Gladion can't stand it!
Indeed, Gladion's Team Rocket executives also formed a group chat.
Three Admins, Four Admins, and new executives like Gladion, Guzma, Maxie, and others are in the group.
One thing to note: Carr hasn't been invited in.
"By the way, Lord Damian, Alola's situation is now fully stable; I think it would be prudent to bring Proton here."
Gladion casually suggests.
"Proton has more experience managing companies; he could do better."
"Proton, you say? Hmm." Damian arches an eyebrow, smirking.
"Sure, I haven't seen Proton in a while; I've kind of missed him."
Alola's company is indeed on track, so Proton is relatively free.
"As for you, Gladion, push to Champion tier as soon as you can; you have that talent."
"Yes!"
Gladion answers with resolve; he wants to become Champion-tier soon, not just for himself but to be Lillie's robust support.
"If you need special training, come to me; I'm happy to help."
Zinnia beams warmly toward Gladion.
Her stress has eased; the prophecy on people is mostly settled thanks to Damian's guarantees.
"Me and Zinnia are behind you, Gladion; go for it."
"Thanks." Gladion nods gratefully; he needs strong training.
"Damian, in this region, the evil team is Team Plasma, right? When are we going to mess with them?"
Zinnia chirps with excitement; with Team Rocket in Unova, Team Plasma should not be left alone.
"Don't rush it; this organization is not like Team Magma or Team Aqua."
Damian sits in the president's chair, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
Team Plasma, the villains in Black/White and Black 2/White 2, are not at all like Team Magma or Team Aqua.
Or rather, apart from Team Rainbow Rocket, Team Plasma might be the strongest villain organization.
First-gen leader N! Second-gen leader Colress! And the true mastermind behind the scenes, Ghetsis.
Besides Ghetsis, N and Colress were prodigies; both Champion-tier trainers.
Especially N, that special presence.
Of course, the ending is funny: N and Colress were rewritten, and Ghetsis got beaten by the kids twice.
Damian isn't minded to shy away from playing with Team Plasma.
"But for newcomers, it's proper to say hello to one's neighbors."
Damian taps the chair's armrest; he isn't planning to launch a full-scale attack on Team Plasma yet, but saying hi to the neighbors is prudent; let them know Team Rocket has arrived, right?
The Unova League is far too weak, too meek for Damian to care, so they'll likely just mess with Team Plasma.
"Gladion, have someone go investigate where Ghetsis is lately."
Damian instructs Gladion.
Ghetsis, one of the sages, but truly a ruthless ambitious schemer.
Notably, to push his "liberation theory," he travels and gives speeches; Unova League has labeled him a villain preaching a cult.
But Ghetsis's own strength isn't bad; not Champion-tier, but among Elite Four-level Trainers, Ghetsis is quite formidable.
So Unova League has not managed to pin him down.
"Yes!"
Gladion nods.
....
Hoenn Region, Ever Grande City.
"Steven! This is bad, Steven!"
Wallace storms into Steven's office, finding Steven poring over a map.
"What happened? By the way, Wallace, I was planning to ask you; I'll be a bit busy for a while; could you proxy for me?"
Steven quickly shelves the map, coughs, and speaks to Wallace.
Wallace's expression becomes very flat.
"No way! You won't even entertain that thought!"
Wallace swears his own integrity; Steven's about to go digging for rocks!
"Steven, how can you sink like that? Damian just left Hoenn not long ago; you're letting your guard down."
Wallace laments.
Steven remains expressionless, coldly watching Wallace.
"If I recall correctly, I saw someone in a dress yesterday."
Damn, Wallace—what a ridiculous thing to say?
"Ahem, Steven, I'm here with something serious."
Wallace changes the subject.
"What is it?"
Steven exhibits the map again; it's been two months since he last did any digging; he's itching for a find.
"It's Team Rocket! It concerns Damian and them!"
"They're back?"
Steven's mood shifts; could it be? Arceus Entertainment Complex has been quiet, so Steven hasn't bothered trouble.
And Hoenn—what's left? Land, sea, and sky are gone; not even a single Legendary Pokémon remains, not enough to fight Team Rocket!
"That's not it."
"Oh."
"They're traveling to Unova!!"
Wallace's tone is complicated—concern for Unova, but a hint of excitement.
"Unova Region?" Steven freezes: "How do you know that?"
"Steven, remember? We have a spy inside Team Rocket; according to his report, they're heading to Unova."
Wallace rolls his eyes; the spy isn't high ranking, but a rough idea can be inferred.
"Really… looks like Unova is in trouble."
Steven sighs; Unova League is already weak; can they withstand Damian-led Team Rocket?
"Steven, should we go help Unova League? Fighting Evil Team Rocket is everyone's duty!"
Wallace suggests.
Of course, mainly because he's never been to Unova and would love to set up Pokémon Contests there.
But the ideology is only 10%; 90% is to help Unova League resist Team Rocket's bite!
"Are you crazy?"
Steven pauses, glancing at Wallace bluntly.
What gives you the confidence to help Unova? Is it your girls' outfits photos online?
Or are you planning to snap a couples photo with Senior Alder?
~~~
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