"Right now, my identity and yours are separate," Giovanni said, shaking his head. "That separation gives us a clean pretext."
"If I can take a seat among the Kanto Elite Four, I'll be able to follow far more of the League's movements. The benefits are obvious."
An Elite Four member's status was nothing like a Gym Leader's. If Giovanni stepped into that circle, the intelligence and internal data he could access would increase immediately.
The advantage for Team Rocket didn't need explanation.
Yes, the League would watch him more closely. Giovanni didn't care. He was comfortable letting Damian hold the reins for the time being.
"Then it'll come down to your performance when the time comes, Father," Damian said. He had no objections.
Emotionally or rationally, Giovanni entering the Kanto League was a win-win.
Now the only question was how high Giovanni could climb once he was inside.
"Heh…" Giovanni let out a low chuckle.
After a few more minutes of casual conversation, Damian ended the call and opened a specific contact on his phone.
Damian: Babe, do you prefer Electric/Flying types or Ice/Flying types?
Selene: (Confused Persian.jpg)
Time passed in a blink. By the next day, Caitlin was the first to depart. Damian also said goodbye to Lillie.
He'd originally planned to escort Lillie back to Aether Paradise, but she said she wanted to visit some friends first and wouldn't be returning yet.
Damian understood and headed toward Melemele Island alone.
At Professor Kukui's laboratory—
"Phew… finally. It's organized."
Kukui rubbed his temples as a headache started to creep in. He'd been working overtime for days, sorting Ultra Beast records. At last, he'd entered everything into the Pokédex database.
Kukui couldn't wait anymore.
His heart beat faster. With this data, the establishment of the Alola League was practically guaranteed.
It's all thanks to President Lusamine. She really is Alola's greatest benefactor!
Ding-dong~
The lab's doorbell rang.
Kukui took a sip of coffee, forced himself to stay alert, and opened the door.
The moment he saw the young man standing outside, Kukui froze.
"Hello—" Damian raised a hand with a bright smile.
The next second, Kukui slammed the door shut.
Was that an illusion? Why did I just see a high-ranking Team Rocket executive?
Kukui's expression shifted. Had the overtime finally scrambled his brain?
He waited a few seconds, took a breath, and cautiously opened the door again.
Same person. Same smile.
Kukui: "…"
The hand Kukui kept behind his back pressed against his phone. He was already weighing whether he should send a distress signal to Champion Cynthia.
"That was rude, Professor Kukui," Damian said lightly. "Is that how you treat your guests?"
"That's how I treat friendly guests," Kukui replied coldly. "As for you… you're an uninvited wolf."
Damian's smile didn't change.
"How cold. But I didn't come here to argue," he said. "Invite me in. Let's talk."
Kukui hesitated. Letting Damian into the lab felt like opening his door and calling a wolf inside.
"Don't worry," Damian said. He raised both hands. "As long as you don't move against me, I won't lift a finger today."
"I'm here for a heart-to-heart. I keep my word."
"…Come in."
Kukui gave him a long look, then stepped aside.
Damian entered, sat on the sofa, and glanced around the room.
"Tch—Professor, your lab's a bit cramped," he said with a grin. "Want our organization to sponsor you? We could build you a proper facility—top equipment, whatever you need."
"Thanks, but I'm comfortable doing my research alone," Kukui said, shaking his head.
He still had manners. He poured Damian a cup of tea, then set the kettle down and stared straight at him.
"So, Damian. Why are you here today?"
"It's simple," Damian said. "I want to make a deal with you, Professor."
"???"
Kukui stared, genuinely thrown off.
A deal?
"Damian, you really like joking," Kukui said after catching himself, refusing without hesitation.
"Why not hear the terms first?" Damian asked.
"If you're willing to release Tapu Fini back to Poni Island," Kukui said, "then we can talk."
"I'm being sincere, Professor." Damian's eyebrow lifted. "This is starting to feel like you're refusing on principle."
"I have nothing to talk about with Team Rocket," Kukui said bluntly.
"Tch… so you've got prejudice."
"Team Rocket is an evil organization," Kukui said without hesitation. "That's common knowledge."
Kukui would have to be out of his mind to strike a deal with Team Rocket.
Damian let out a short chuckle—sharp, controlled.
"Evil and justice have been defined by the strong since ancient times," Damian said. "You call Team Rocket evil, Professor Kukui—so tell me. On what grounds?"
Kukui's brow tightened. Did he really need to explain?
Damian didn't wait.
"After Team Rocket arrived in Alola, the first thing we did was reorganize and merge with Team Skull," he said. "Bullying and harassment of civilians disappeared."
You call that 'reorganize and merge'? Kukui grumbled inwardly. A takeover. Cut out the competition.
"The second thing was opening the Arceus Entertainment Complex," Damian continued. "Hau'oli City's economy picked up. That complex is now the second must-visit destination on Melemele—right after the Big Wave Beach area."
Damian spoke like he was reading off a clean report.
Kukui fell silent.
They already knew who was behind the complex. The investment was too heavy for an ordinary group—especially with Dratini resources involved.
Economic impact? Real. Kukui couldn't deny it.
But motive? Kukui didn't trust it for a second.
And Kukui himself was on the blacklist. He couldn't even get inside; security turned him away every time.
Because the first manager, Guzma, hated Kukui, he'd posted a rule:
"No Kukui allowed."
"Third," Damian said, "Team Rocket drove the poacher organizations off every island. We cleared out the rats and gave Alola's environment room to recover."
Kukui's mouth tightened. Or they cleared out "competition" so they could control rare Pokémon routes.
"And even our members have protected ordinary citizens from Ultra Beasts appearing without warning," Damian said.
He slid a file across the table.
A report from the previous day on Ula'ula Island: a Nihilego had appeared and nearly parasitized a middle-aged woman.
A small Team Rocket squad had rescued her.
Kukui scanned the data, his expression twisting into a scowl.
Damian leaned back, crossed his legs, and looked at Kukui with an easy smile.
"Those are actions," he said. "Concrete outcomes."
"You can dislike our motives. You can suspect our intent. But suspicion isn't a charge."
He tapped the file once with two fingers.
"So tell me," Damian said, voice calm. "On what grounds do you say Team Rocket is evil?"
Kukui: "…"