"Fighting against the League..."
The meeting had ended. Ash was now inside the castle room Damian had prepared for him. He still looked conflicted.
Even though he understood the general reason and history behind this battle between Team Rocket and the Pokémon League, still...
"I still feel so weird about this. If I do this, am I still a League Trainer?"
Ash pulled at his hair. His mind was a complete mess.
Pikachu stood on the desk. Holding an apple, the Pokémon tilted his head and watched his Trainer. Then, he took a slow bite and chewed happily.
"Idiot, of course you can't count as one anymore," Misty said, rolling her eyes. "You're going to fight the League. How could you still be a League Trainer?"
"Huh? I guess you're right. Ugh, this is so annoying!"
Ash felt a huge headache coming on. When the meeting ended, Damian had told them that their participation was up to them. He would respect their choices.
But...
Ash was incredibly torn. Emotionally, he really liked Team Rocket. Damian had been so good to him. At such an important moment, could he really back out and refuse to help?
Ash found it very hard to do something like that.
But if he joined this battle as a member of Team Rocket, he would, in a sense, be opposing the Kanto League. How could he face Professor Oak or Red after that?
The Kanto League would definitely call for Red, wouldn't they? If that happened, wouldn't he end up facing his own older brother on the battlefield as an enemy?!
Dammit!
"Aaaaah! Misty, Brock! Help me think of something! What should I do?" Ash collapsed onto the bed and groaned in frustration. He had no idea what to choose anymore.
"How should I know? I don't know what to do either," Misty said. She sat on a stool, looking at her phone and pouting.
In the Team Rocket app, there was a special large-scale mission that only those at Executive rank or higher could see. That's right. It was a Large-Scale Mission.
[Large-Scale Mission: Saffron City!]
Misty looked at the mission, conflicted. When she clicked on it, there was a "Join" option. This was the first time she had ever encountered a Large-Scale Mission. Since she joined, Team Rocket had only had a few of these.
Furthermore, this was the highest-level mission Team Rocket had issued so far.
Brock squinted his eyes, also looking at the mission on his phone. He specifically looked at the bottom of the screen. Just by participating, there was a guaranteed reward of 10,000 Merit Points.
The minimum was 10,000! If he earned some battle achievements, wouldn't he make tens of thousands of Merit Points from this one trip?!
Brock immediately noticed the reward.
"First, we need to be clear about one thing. What is the point of this fight between Team Rocket and the League?"
Brock calmly put away his phone. He looked at Misty and Ash, speaking seriously.
"What do you mean?" Ash blinked. "Uh, didn't Damian say it at the meeting? It's to fight for some rights or something..."
"It's the right for Team Rocket to exist and the right to judge criminals," Misty said, giving Ash a look. "Idiot Ash, were you even listening seriously during the meeting?"
"Of course I was listening! I just couldn't explain it well right away," Ash argued back.
"Stop fighting, stop fighting. Alright, since we understand what this battle is about, which side do you think is right? Team Rocket or the League?" Brock asked again, calming them down.
"This..."
Misty and Ash looked at each other. Ash was torn, while Misty hesitated, not knowing if she should speak.
"Fine, I'll ask it a different way," Brock said when they didn't answer for a while. "Is Team Rocket wrong? Does it have a reason to exist?"
"Well... the old Team Rocket was definitely bad. But the current Team Rocket... it isn't bad. In fact, hasn't Team Rocket been doing good things all along?" Ash scratched the back of his head and spoke his true thoughts.
"Yes. We've seen it ourselves since joining. Team Rocket is legitimate now. Even though... its methods in some areas can be a bit rough, it is indeed bringing order to the underworld," Brock nodded.
When he mentioned "rough methods," he was talking about how they handled bad people. The League would only throw criminals into a regular jail. But Team Rocket forced them through reform through labor. For example, making them work in factories, or in more serious cases, sending them to dig in coal or ore mines.
At first, Brock felt this was a bit bad, that it didn't respect human rights to force people to work without pay. But after participating in a small mission once, Brock felt it was actually quite necessary. For people that cruel, it was okay to be a little extra harsh!
"That's the difference between Team Rocket and the League. It's what Damian said. The hidden side of the world needs Team Rocket to exist," Misty said, feeling the same way.
"Then, since Team Rocket is right, isn't it obvious what our choice should be?" Brock said again.
"Brock, do you mean we should help Team Rocket fight the League?"
Brock's meaning was clear, but Ash was still a little hesitant. "But if we do that, our families back home..."
"Ash, we are adults now. We have the right to make the choices we believe are right. Besides, we are currently all Free Trainers," Brock said seriously.
"I am not the Gym Leader of Pewter City right now. Misty hasn't taken over the Cerulean Gym yet. And you are only the runner-up of the Indigo Plateau Conference. You don't hold a position in the League."
"Of course, you have to decide for yourself whether to join this battle. What I want to say is, follow the decision in your heart. Don't ignore your own feelings because you're worried."
Hearing Brock's words, Ash fell into deep thought. The voice in his heart...
"I... I really like Team Rocket! I don't want the current Team Rocket to disappear!"
Ash lifted his head and spoke firmly. Yes, he actually really liked the current Team Rocket. He liked its philosophy, he liked his colleagues, and he liked the atmosphere.
"Misty, Brock! Let's sign up and fight for Team Rocket together!" Ash regained his usual energy. "Let's fight for a better tomorrow!"
So what if it was the League? Let's do it! Team Rocket helps people and stops criminals. Team Rocket is doing the right thing. If the League wants to stop Team Rocket, then the League is wrong this time!
"Okay! Then I'm signing up too. I wonder if my three older sisters will also join this battle," Misty replied boldly.
"What about you, Brock?" Ash grinned.
"I signed up ten minutes ago," Brock said with a calm face.
"???"
Ash stared at Brock in confusion. Ten minutes ago? Their conversation hadn't even started then!
In another room, the Galar group was gathered together.
"To summarize, I am participating."
Marnie had thought through Team Rocket's role carefully. She listed the benefits of Team Rocket in detail and then calmly stated her stance.
"I have the same thought as Marnie," Piers said, naturally supporting his sister. "I think what Damian said makes a lot of sense. The world needs Team Rocket to keep order in the underworld. This is the right way."
In reality, this brother and sister had been guiding the other Galar members both openly and secretly. As for helping Team Rocket fight the League? The two of them felt no guilt about it. Team Rocket was their home! The League? They didn't even know them that well.
"Hmm... then I'll join too. I don't think Team Rocket is wrong. Not letting Team Rocket exist or whatever, that's just not right," Hop quickly made his choice. He believed right was right and wrong was wrong. In this matter, he felt the League was being too bossy. What was wrong with Team Rocket?
"I feel the same. What about you, Uncle Peony?" Gloria nodded in agreement and looked at Peony.
"Wahahaha! Team Rocket pays my salary. Of course I'm helping Damian!" Peony laughed loudly. He had already quit the Galar League anyway. Moreover, as the manager of the Galar branch of Team Rocket, he had a lot of influence in Galar now.
Then, everyone looked toward Bede, who was sitting in the corner.
"Bede?"
"Hmph. Boss Damian saved me from that old hag. There's no choice to make. I'm definitely standing on Boss Damian's side and helping him defeat the League!" Bede huffed, lifting his chin proudly.
"Everyone is so energetic. It's great. Facing off against the Pokémon League directly... that's something that hasn't happened since the League was founded, right?" Beside Peony, Peonia pressed a finger to her lips, feeling a bit envious. Unfortunately, she wasn't strong enough to help much in a battle like this.
"Penn-Penn, what about you? Do you want to join this mission?" Peony looked toward his other side.
There sat a girl with a thin build, wearing a gray hoodie and carrying an Eevee-styled backpack. Her name was Penny, and she was Peony's second daughter.
Originally, she was a student at Uva Academy in the Paldea region. However, since the end of the year was near, she had returned to Galar. As a result, Peony and Peonia had talked her into coming to the Kanto headquarters.
Penny never could have imagined that in just one year away, her dad and sister would become part of Team Rocket. Especially her dad. When she first returned to Galar, Penny was shocked. That serious man in a suit... was that really her dad and not some uncle?
Even her sister, Peonia, had taken a high-ranking position at Arceus Corporation. It left Penny stunned.
"Me?" Ignoring Peony's embarrassing nickname for once, Penny hesitated.
Actually, she didn't really want to get involved. This was a battle against the League, after all. Previously, her friend Nemona had gone to the Hoenn League to help deal with Team Rocket, back when Team Rocket's reputation hadn't changed yet. So, for this Kanto battle, there was a chance that Nemona and Florian might also participate.
If that happened, wouldn't she have to fight her good friends on the battlefield? That was way too weird.
"Come on, Penn-Penn. Just think of it as helping your old dad. Besides, Team Rocket really is legitimate now. The League has no reason to do what they're doing," Peony said, seeing Penny's conflict. He just thought his daughter was being shy and pleaded with her.
"I... fine." Feeling the encouraging looks of her father and sister, Penny could only agree in a low voice.
"Wahahaha! I knew my little girl would help her dad! I'll send Damian a message right now and have him promote you to High Executive!" Peony let out his signature hearty laugh and patted Penny's shoulder.
That's right. Although her team composition was quite unique, Penny was a genuine Champion-level Trainer! She loved Eevee very much, so her team was an Eeveelution team. All her main Pokémon were different Eeveelutions.
"..." Penny pursed her lips and stayed silent. She could only pray that Florian and Nemona wouldn't come. And if they did, she hoped they wouldn't run into each other. Otherwise, it would be far too awkward.
On the other side, there was no need to mention the Unova group, including Rosa and Kieran. They firmly believed Team Rocket was in the right. Having been in Team Rocket for so long, they knew what Team Rocket really was. The Pokémon League was making a serious mistake if it wanted to destroy Team Rocket. It needed to be taught a lesson!
Time passed quickly, and the next day arrived. Damian took Caitlin and Platinum to the front of the Silph Co. headquarters in Saffron City.
"Damian, why are we here?" Platinum was a bit confused. Shouldn't they be preparing for the major clash with the League right now?
"Platinum, a big battle needs the right stage. Also, we have to give the League a reason to make their move."
Damian smiled. Platinum blinked. She understood the logic, but what did that have to do with Silph Co.?
"Let's go. I'm sure the President of Silph Co. is getting a bit impatient waiting for us."