"Welcome to Team Rocket, Serena. Believe me, you definitely won't regret this decision."
Damian stood up. He reached out his hand toward Serena. He gave the young girl plenty of respect.
"I also believe in my own judgment!"
Serena shook Damian's hand. She gave him a smile.
This was not a sudden decision made in the heat of the moment. She had thought about it carefully before deciding.
First of all, Team Rocket was a proper team with the primary goal of destroying villain teams. Second, even though they had only known each other for less than two days, Serena's intuition told her something. Her gut said that Damian and his two companions were not bad people.
Third, strength was a very big factor. She didn't even need to mention Platinum. Caitlin was also a Champion-level trainer. Damian, the leader, was even more mysterious and powerful.
With a trio like this, why shouldn't she trust them?
Fourth, Damian really offered a lot of benefits!!
"It looks like you succeeded."
Seeing this scene, Caitlin and Platinum walked over. They had already finished buying clothes.
In fact, they had finished shopping when Damian and Serena were halfway through their conversation. However, they saw the two of them talking, so they did not interrupt.
"Yes, Serena agreed to join us," Damian said with a smile.
"Welcome to Team Rocket, Serena. From now on, we are colleagues."
Platinum welcomed Serena in a very friendly way.
"Welcome."
Caitlin also gave an elegant smile. Her attitude was also very friendly.
"Thank you," Serena said. She felt a bit shy.
"Well then, to celebrate Serena joining us, I will pay for dinner tonight. We will eat a good meal together. I will also call Gladion and Paul to come over. You can meet your new colleagues."
Damian handed the juice to Platinum and Caitlin. Then, he made a suggestion.
"Umm... Mr. Damian, I didn't get this kind of treatment when I joined Team Rocket," Platinum said. She pretended to have a sad and resentful expression.
"How could I hold a celebration back then? I was afraid you would put poison in my food."
Damian gave a funny reply.
"I would not! It wasn't that extreme," Platinum said. She couldn't help but be amused. However, back then, she really did firmly believe that Damian was a great villain.
"Was the way Platinum joined very special?"
Serena became a bit curious.
"Yes, it was indeed a very different way of joining," Caitlin said. Her tone of voice was still calm and steady.
"Let's go. Gladion has already booked the restaurant."
Damian looked at his phone. Gladion's efficiency was truly fast.
The four of them walked out of the mall. They headed toward the restaurant.
At 5:30 PM, inside a private room in the restaurant, Damian's group arrived. Gladion and Paul were already there.
"Come here, Serena. Let me introduce you. This is Gladion, and this is Paul."
"This is the newly joined High Executive, Serena. In the future, you can talk to each other and battle to improve yourselves."
Damian introduced both sides.
"Hello, everyone."
"Hello. Welcome."
Serena and the two boys greeted each other. How should she describe it? The first impression was quite good.
Both of them had a good attitude toward her. They truly wanted to be on good terms.
However, she could still tell that Gladion and Paul seemed to have rather cold personalities.
Everyone talked while they ate.
"By the way, Mr. Damian."
Suddenly, Serena seemed to remember something.
"What is it?"
"Can I still participate in the Lumiose Conference?" Serena asked. She felt a bit nervous.
"Of course you can. Team Rocket will not limit your personal freedom," Damian laughed.
"Usually, you can still do whatever you want. You just need to arrive when Team Rocket needs you."
"If you are willing to help manage Team Rocket, that would be even better," Damian added.
Hearing this, Serena breathed a sigh of relief. She really wanted to participate in the Lumiose Conference. She also really wanted to challenge the Kalos Elite Four and Diantha.
There was no other reason. She wanted her name to spread throughout all of Kalos!
This was Serena's goal. She wanted to prove her own strength!
"Right. Since you are going to compete, then bring back a championship. If you can take the position of the Kalos Champion, it will bring honor to Team Rocket. I can give you a reward."
Damian thought for a moment. He smiled at Serena.
"Really?" Serena's eyes lit up. There was such a good deal?
Then, Diantha, I am sorry!
"Of course it's true." Damian rubbed his chin. He looked at Platinum and Paul.
"Platinum, Paul, you two are the same. You can continue to participate in the Lily of the Valley Conference. If you can win and successfully challenge Cynthia, there will also be rewards."
Hearing this, Paul fell into deep thought. There was no doubt that the reward Damian mentioned would be extremely generous.
But the key point was defeating Cynthia?
And before defeating Cynthia, he first had to...
Paul looked at Platinum. Her eyes looked like she was eager to try. Yes, he would first have to compete with Platinum to win the Lily of the Valley Conference.
This was because only the winner of the Lily of the Valley Conference had the right to enter the Elite Four Challenge.
This was indeed a very huge challenge.
Or rather, would he win?
"Hmm... I really want Mr. Damian's reward. But if the opponent is Cynthia, it will be very difficult. Cynthia's Garchomp is very powerful."
Platinum felt both excited and worried.
"Yes, Cynthia's strength is indeed very high," Caitlin agreed. Trying to defeat Cynthia was not a simple task.
The Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia?
Serena thought to herself. She wondered how Cynthia compared to her own Champion, Diantha.
"Lord Damian, I heard that the Alola League will be held this year."
Gladion suddenly spoke up.
He had heard Lusamine mention it. The Alola League had already been established. At the end of this year, the Alola regional tournament would be held.
The final winner would directly become the Champion of the Alola region!
Gladion was a bit interested.
"You want to compete?" Damian raised an eyebrow when he heard this.
"If I can become the Alola Champion, I will be more helpful to you." Gladion did not hide his thoughts at all.
Even though he currently existed more as Damian's "internal affairs expert," Gladion never forgot his original goal.
He wanted to become a powerful trainer! The way he wanted to become famous was through being a trainer.
He did not want to be known by the world as the general manager of the Aether Foundation.
"Are you sure?" Damian raised an eyebrow.
"Gladion, I have a hidden card in Alola. You cannot be her match."
"So, I do not suggest that you participate in the Alola League."
Damian spoke bluntly. He was afraid that Gladion's mental state would explode after being beaten by Selene.
"..."
Gladion fell silent after hearing this. However, Damian knew Gladion. He guessed that Gladion was not very convinced.
"Fine. If you want to try, then go and participate when the time comes. Just be mentally prepared."
Damian shook his head. This guy Gladion had a cold and proud personality by nature. Also, he was indeed quite stubborn sometimes.
Although as long as Damian did not agree, Gladion would not disobey his orders.
But there was no need. It was better to let him try than to block him. Anyway, it was just a matter of one battle. He just needed to give him a mental warning in advance.
"Yes," Gladion nodded.
He really wanted to know who it was that could make Damian say he "absolutely could not be her match."
Could it be a High Executive? If it were a High Executive, Damian would probably say it directly.
On the other hand, Caitlin had a guess at this moment.
Is it Damian's girlfriend?
Caitlin's eyes flickered slightly. It shouldn't be wrong.
"By the way, Lord Damian, according to the investigation of our subordinates, we have found the location of the Valley of Dahara."
Gladion reported to Damian.
"Oh?"
"The Valley of Dahara is indeed very hidden. However, based on the information you left, I sent subordinates to Dahara City to investigate. We found a few residents who came out of the Valley of Dahara."
Gladion explained.
"Well done. Send the location to me later." Damian nodded in praise. This was indeed good news.
"The Valley of Dahara?" Platinum was quite curious. This name sounded very powerful.
"Yes, it is a valley where a group of believers who worship Arceus live in seclusion. That place is very interesting."
Damian gave a simple introduction.
Dahara City was actually not hard to find. This was because Dahara City was developing very well now. Also, as the "City of the Desert," Dahara City was quite famous in the Kalos region.
But the Valley of Dahara was different. The Valley of Dahara was not even marked on the Kalos map. Just like the Meteor Falls deep inside Meteor Village, it was a small town hidden from the world. It could only be found using limited information.
But luckily, it was found. It was quite good.
"We will go there and take a look in a couple of days. There is a very unusual Pokémon there."
Yes, Damian decided to take the initiative. Otherwise, who knew when the plot from that movie would start?
And there was one more thing. As long as he got on good terms with Hoopa Unbound, wouldn't it be much easier to find Diancie?
After all, Diancie lived in the Diamond Domain. Only ghosts knew where that place was. So Damian was actually quite worried about how to find Diancie.
But with Hoopa's help, it would be different.
He could just let Hoopa use a spatial gold ring to directly fish out the little princess Diancie. He wouldn't even need to move. How convenient.
After that, the group continued to eat and talk. It did not end until nearly 7:00 PM.
Coming out onto the street, Damian looked at Serena.
"Serena, do you have a place to stay in Lumiose City?"
"No, I am staying at the Pokémon Center."
Serena replied a bit shyly. As a rookie trainer, the League provided many benefits.
For example, the Pokémon Center not only helped trainers heal Pokémon for free, but it also provided food and housing.
So, how could the League not be loved by the public? The League truly cared for the people.
"Then come stay at our place. It's more comfortable. Also, you can talk and battle more with Platinum."
"Is this... convenient?" Serena was quite hesitant.
"It's nothing inconvenient. That villa is very big. There are still several empty rooms." Damian said casually.
"That's right. Serena, come with us. You don't need to be shy. We are all companions." Platinum also spoke up.
Hearing this, Serena could not refuse.
However, just as they were about to call a car to go back, Damian saw a familiar figure not far away.
"Yo~ Miss Alexa."
Damian curled his lips into a smile. He greeted Alexa, who was not far away.
Alexa secretly felt miserable in her heart. Actually, she had also noticed Damian's group. She was just about to secretly pretend she didn't see them and stay away.
She didn't expect Damian's eyes to be so sharp. Also, he actually greeted her.
We aren't that close.
After what happened this morning, Alexa actually did not want to have contact with Damian. After all, Damian was clearly not simple.
But now...
"What a coincidence, Mr. Damian. And Serena, why are you with Mr. Damian?"
After walking closer, Alexa looked at Serena in surprise. That's right, she also knew Serena.
Furthermore, when Serena first came to Lumiose City, Alexa was the one who took Serena around to get familiar with the city.
"Miss Alexa, long time no see." Serena greeted Alexa very politely.
"Serena and I are like old friends who hit it off immediately. We are the type who appreciate each other." Damian said with a smile, answering for Serena.
"Yes." Serena nodded in agreement.
Alexa was confused now. Serena was a girl who was quite serious yet kind. She became friends with this dangerous boy?
And most importantly, what on earth did Diantha talk to Damian about this morning that was so serious?
Could it be that she had the wrong idea?
Alexa was a bit confused now. She still trusted Serena quite a bit.
"By the way, Miss Alexa, you said this morning that you wanted to interview me, right?"
Damian remembered this matter.
"Yes... but does Mr. Damian have time?"
Alexa hesitated for a moment. But being a journalist meant being bold but careful, right? She decided to be bold once.
Maybe she could use this to soar to the top?!
Although Diantha's meaning this morning was clearly that she didn't want Alexa to have contact with Damian, what could she do now that they happened to meet?
And it was exactly Diantha's unusual attitude that proved Damian was not simple.
"I have time. I will be very free tomorrow."
"Then, Mr. Damian, what kind of interview do you want to accept? Do you have any moments that are, say, quite inspiring or important in your life?"
Alexa thought for a bit. It was mainly because she completely did not understand Damian. She didn't even know where Damian was from.
Damian grinned. His expression was very vivid and bright. He showed a harmless smile.
"I have those. Of course I have those."
The history of the Team Rocket Boss's rise to power. Do you think that's explosive enough?
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