"Is there a problem?"
Damian gave Guzma a strange look.
"Bossing a Game Corner? I've got zero experience," Guzma said, genuinely troubled. He was a delinquent—since when had he ever done anything "proper"? Being the boss of a Game Corner, of all things.
"And, Master Damian… aren't we an evil team?"
"Who told you an evil team doesn't do business?"
Damian's brow tightened, then he let out a short sigh. It tracked. This was just Team Skull's level of "professionalism."
"An organization runs on money," Damian said. "No money, no operation."
He looked Guzma up and down.
"You want results? You pay for them."
Guzma stared at him, blank.
Damian didn't soften.
"Team Rocket has people to feed. We pay salaries."
"Uh…"
"Don't 'uh' me." Damian's voice cut. "You're telling me you never paid your Team Skull guys?"
"… "
Guzma went quiet.
Plumeria went quiet too.
They glanced at each other, and the awkward silence answered for them.
Damian clicked his tongue.
"Uniforms. Bases. Intel. Operations." He counted them off like costs on a ledger. "And greasing palms."
His gaze sharpened.
"Especially greasing palms. The Pokémon League is powerful. If we don't pay off the right people inside the League—or grease the right hands—how do you think we expand?"
He laid it out anyway, one point at a time.
For now, the Alola Region didn't even require much greasing. There wasn't a League here yet. They just needed to keep an eye on the Island Kahunas.
Guzma's eyes were starting to spin, but Plumeria was listening hard.
Proton stepped in.
"We're just starting out in the Alola Region, so we need a significant capital injection," he said. "But the initial funds will be provided by Kanto headquarters."
His tone stayed professional.
"Still, it's best to become self-sufficient as soon as possible. The Game Corner needs to open quickly. A Game Corner can generate massive revenue."
Caitlin added, smiling politely.
"And Mr. Guzma, you have considerable name recognition in the Alola Region. If people hear you're opening a Game Corner, it will draw attention immediately. Our Game Corner will become well-known much faster."
Plumeria hesitated.
"But Guzma's reputation… isn't exactly positive," she said, worried.
Guzma was famous in the Alola Region, but not in a good way. He was known as a local bully.
Damian didn't blink.
"Doesn't matter." He waved it off. "We'll pay the papers to print what we want."
He spoke like he was ordering a service.
"'Guzma Turns Over a New Leaf.' 'Guzma's Past.' Run a couple of shameless sob stories." His tone stayed flat, cynical. "We want traffic. Attention. A little hate at the start is irrelevant."
Damian was confident in the Game Corner. The most important project inside it was the arcade. The rewards would be attractive enough.
The Celadon Game Corner in Kanto—famous across the Kanto Region—was run by Team Rocket, and it brought in an impressive annual income.
"Guzma, you don't actually have to do much," Damian said. "Just show up on opening day and stand on stage."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Day-to-day management goes to your assistants. They're professionals."
"Oh. Oh, yeah—then that's fine," Guzma said quickly, relief hitting his voice. "That kind of running-things stuff? Not my line."
He felt a lot better. Managing a business wasn't his specialty. He still preferred the simple approach—like punching people.
"Plumeria," Damian continued, "once the clothing factory issue is settled, take some people and recruit more hands. We need manpower."
"Yes."
"All right. You two go inform your people first."
After a few brief instructions, Damian gestured for them to handle matters outside. Guzma and Plumeria walked out.
"That settles the Team Skull issue," Damian said, stretching his limbs. "Not much trouble."
His eyes cooled.
"Now there's no one left in Alola who can stand in our way."
"Yes," Damian added indifferently. "Next few days, we start cleaning out the Hunter organizations."
His tone turned nastier.
"I don't want to hear about those leeches in Alola anymore."
Pokémon Hunters were a "profession." They accepted commissions from employers, completed the job, and collected the reward. Hunter J from the anime was a classic example—part of a Hunter organization, and proof of what that world produced.
Damian couldn't stand Hunter organizations.
They were taking a cut from territory dark organizations already handled. Anything a Hunter organization could do, an evil team could also do. Dark organizations took commissions too—who didn't love a deep-pocketed patron?
But Hunters were worse.
They only cared about the money.
If the pay was right, they would take anything—no matter what it was.
Damian had transmigrated into this world. Pokémon weren't just tools to him. He had real feelings for them. He despised people who treated Pokémon as merchandise, leverage, bargaining chips.
That was exactly why—under Damian's influence, and with Giovanni's tacit approval—Team Rocket had basically stopped genetic experiments and rarely stole Pokémon from random people anymore.
Damian didn't consider himself a "good person," but he had his own bottom lines.
You could be bad. You could be evil. But at least be a villain—not a pure monster.
Even so, Hunter organizations couldn't be wiped out completely. Where there was demand, there would be a market. That was how the world worked. Even the world-dominating Pokémon League couldn't uproot dark organizations or Hunter organizations for the same reason.
Humans were humans because they were full of desires.
Even in this Pokémon world that preached truth, goodness, and beauty, it was still the same.
"Caitlin—how about I leave this task to you?"
Damian looked toward Caitlin and smiled. His attitude toward Caitlin was different, and it was simple: in his view, she had potential.
Team Rocket currently only had Giovanni and Damian at the Champion level.
Caitlin had a real chance to become the third.
"Of course. I'd be happy to," Caitlin replied with a graceful smile, nodding. Dealing with notorious Hunter organizations was no burden to her.
"Also," Damian added, glancing at her dress, "design a uniform for yourself. You go into dark, dingy places dressed like that, and it'll get dirty."
"Master Damian is right," Proton agreed with a smile. "It's better for Miss Caitlin to have uniforms for missions."
"All right," Caitlin said lightly. "I'll think about it when I get back."
Her own Team Rocket uniform…
Caitlin fell into thought. If it was going to be her work attire, she had to design it well.
"By the way," Damian said, "when you're not busy, Caitlin, you can spar with Proton or Guzma."
Damian always believed fighting was the best kind of training.
"?"
Proton froze.
The look of expectation in Caitlin's eyes made his skin crawl. It wasn't that he was unwilling—Caitlin was strong, and sparring had value.
The problem was time.
Wait, Master Damian… Proton was screaming internally while keeping his face straight. I'm so busy lately I can barely keep my feet under me. How am I supposed to find time to spar with Caitlin?
And the worst part?
The one with the most free time is you, Master Damian. You spar with her.
You can't work me like a damn mule, can you?
Keep this up and I'm going back to Kanto, you bastard.
Proton really missed Kanto. Back then, he could even go out every day, shop around, and buy small cakes to eat.