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Lumiose Press, while not particularly famous in the Kalos region, still had a considerable readership.
And the reporter Alexa, on the other hand, had many fans.
After all, Alexa was not only good in terms of figure and appearance, but also excellent in her professional abilities, and at the same time, she had an outgoing and friendly personality.
Moreover, it was well known that Alexa also had a younger sister, Viola, who was the Gym Leader of Santalune City.
The two sisters were actually quite outstanding among their peers.
After Alexa released her new interview video at the publishing house, she immediately promoted it on her personal social media account.
Viola did the same.
Lumiose Press also spared no effort in promoting it, pouring money into it! Pouring money like crazy!
Because they firmly believed that this interview video would definitely go viral!
An exclusive interview with the boss of an Evil Organization! This was an enormous amount of traffic!
And indeed, as soon as the interview video was released, it quickly went viral, even though the vast majority of Kalos residents did not know about Team Rockets.
But this was the age of internet information; many things could be found out by simply searching online, couldn't they?
Although detailed information was indeed hard to find, a general understanding was enough.
By 11 PM, more than two hours after the video was released, discussions about it on the Kalos internet were already intensifying.
And in the forums, all sorts of posts popped up.
"Oh my God!! My heart aches for Mammon! My brother is truly amazing!!"
"To completely solve the world's shadows, he chose to plunge into the dark world alone? Hajima, you guy..."
"If there must be someone to change the world, why can't it be me?"
"Awesome!! My hair stood on end when that line came out, oh my god!"
"He's incredible; it's only been half a year since he joined Team Rockets and gained full power! How can he be so strong? He really did it!"
"Nonsense, that guy was already sweeping through the Indigo Plateau Conference right after he started his journey. With that talent and brilliance, I wouldn't be surprised if you said he was chosen by heaven."
"So, Mammon has already come to Kalos? To be honest, I've also had a hero's dream of dispelling darkness and saving the world since I was a child! Please let me join Team Rockets!!"
As posts and comments scrolled by, Diantha, who was recovering from her injuries at home, was terrified.
Damn it!!
"How could this be..."
Diantha was truly shocked. She had been scrolling for half an hour, but the vast majority, no, ninety-nine percent of the comments, were praises or admiration.
Occasionally, one or two comments questioning whether the 'story' Mammon told in the interview was truly just a 'story' were instantly drowned out.
The public perception of Team Rockets and Mammon was completely positive.
But was this really... right?
"No, this can't be!"
Diantha bit her lip. The Team Rockets boss who threatened her to sacrifice herself for Kalos's safety, could he be the person in the interview who spoke of 'for the future of the world, for beauty, for completely dispelling shadows'?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
This was completely wrong!
"Mammon! You can really put on an act!!!"
Diantha really didn't expect Mammon's acting to be so excellent.
If she hadn't been threatened by Mammon just that afternoon, she might even have believed the nonsense Mammon said in the video.
But then Diantha sighed again. Although she believed she knew Mammon's true face, what could she do?
Should she run out now and clarify the truth online? Wouldn't that be slapping Mammon's face? Offending Team Rockets to death?
Then her afternoon encounter with Mammon would have been for nothing, wouldn't it?
And she would then have to face Team Rockets' retaliation, which the Kalos Alliance could not afford.
So...
Since things had come to this, she should apply the medicine first.
Diantha sighed and took out the swelling medicine, prioritizing her recovery.
Damn it, next time she absolutely couldn't faint again, it was too embarrassing.
After applying the medicine, Diantha fell into a deep sleep. Her mental exhaustion over the past two days was too severe; she really needed a good rest.
Meanwhile, online, the fervor was growing.
Time came to the next day.
"President! Something's wrong!"
Charles Goodshow had just arrived at his office, and before he could even warm his seat, Lio, the Jenny General Commander, rushed in anxiously.
"What's wrong, Lio?" Charles Goodshow was a bit surprised.
Lio was the Jenny General Commander of the Kanto region, usually a very calm, rational, and meticulous person. This kind of agitated appearance was truly rare.
"Please take a look at this."
The Jenny General Commander placed a tablet on Charles Goodshow's desk and pressed play.
'Hello everyone, I'm Mammon.'
The young man's opening words fell into Charles Goodshow's ears, making him widen his eyes in astonishment.
No, this was Mammon?! Mammon was on TV???
After watching the entire interview video, Charles Goodshow looked at the finished interview video, his graying eyebrows furrowed into a 'river' character, his expression extremely difficult to describe.
(Old man, subway, phone.jpg)
"Have Lance and the others come over for a meeting!"
After a long pause, Charles Goodshow said in a deep voice, then hesitated and added another sentence.
"Also call Gym Leader Giovanni over."
"Yes!"
In that familiar conference room again, the Kanto Elite Four were present, and Gym Leader Giovanni was also seated.
On the projection screen in front, the interview video that had just finished playing was displayed.
The entire conference room was completely silent.
"You've seen it. So, what do you think?" Charles Goodshow's tone was very serious.
Lance's sword-like eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his arms crossed, and his eyes flickered, his stern face revealing nothing of what he was thinking.
Gym Leader Giovanni's face was grim, also showing no indication of his thoughts.
"Hehehe..." Agatha's laughter was still as eerie as ever.
"What else is there to think?" Lorelei sneered.
"If everything is truly as Mammon said in the video, then I'd even want to join his Team Rockets."
Lorelei said calmly. Yes, that's exactly what she thought.
She joined the Kanto League precisely for the justice in her heart, to eliminate the Evil Organization Team Rockets! To eliminate those with dirty desires.
At that time, she could be said to be full of passion, but reality was cruel.
Because of the League's laws, even if she caught those Team Rockets villains, the League had no death penalty, which always lacked true deterrence.
And over the years, she had seen too much, which led her personality to become increasingly extreme, resulting in the 'Ice Lorelei' she was now.
And without a doubt, if what Mammon said in the video was true, Lorelei would genuinely be willing to switch sides.
She had long been dissatisfied with the current League.
A group of councillors who held positions without performing duties and only engaged in infighting, and those 'weak' laws. If it weren't for Lance, who shared her ideals, and Charles Goodshow, who remembered old ties, she would have left the League long ago.
"Lorelei..."
Charles Goodshow's voice was full of helplessness.
"President, I'm not targeting you, you know that." Lorelei's tone remained cold.
Charles Goodshow had truly contributed too much to the League and to Kanto, and he had always been working hard to mediate. Lorelei understood all of that.
But Lorelei also knew that it was useless.
"Hehe~ This is just his side of the story, we can't believe everything." Agatha's aged voice sounded, serving as a peacemaker.
Bruno propped his chin, looking at the projection screen and quietly yawned. To be honest, he found it a bit boring; he wanted to lift weights.
But after quietly pacing around, Bruno silently suppressed that thought, finally looking at Gym Leader Giovanni.
He wondered when Gym Leader Giovanni's Elite Four challenge would begin; he had been waiting for it.
If he couldn't beat Mammon, could he perhaps beat Mammon's father?
Ahem, he might actually not be able to beat him, after all, Bruno knew that Gym Leader Giovanni had captured Groudon.
But it didn't matter. If he couldn't beat Groudon, could he perhaps beat Gym Leader Giovanni's other main Pokémon? Surely Gym Leader Giovanni wouldn't send out Groudon from the very beginning, would he?
"Gym Leader Giovanni, is what Mammon said true?"
Agatha asked Gym Leader Giovanni.
"I don't know." Gym Leader Giovanni shook his head, his voice somewhat low.
"I don't know what he experienced during his journey last year, but what he said at the beginning..." Gym Leader Giovanni hesitated, then sighed.
"It is indeed true. I neglected to care for him when he was young."
Hearing Gym Leader Giovanni's words, the expressions of the people present varied.
Jenny Mio wanted to say something several times, but seeing Gym Leader Giovanni's somber expression, she finally remained silent.
Saying that Gym Leader Giovanni, as a father, didn't care for his child? What was the point? Besides, Gym Leader Giovanni was busy with work, wasn't he also dedicated to the League and his duties?
"I heard that Gym Leader Giovanni recently found another lost child. Congratulations." Agatha said with a smile.
"However, what Mammon said this time is different from the information we previously received about his reason for joining Team Rockets. This is very noteworthy."
"Indeed." Lorelei nodded.
"I reserve judgment on what Mammon said in this video, or rather, I think it's most likely his disguise."
Lorelei stated definitively.
As someone who had personally interacted with Mammon, Lorelei could confirm that the Mammon in the video, who spoke endlessly about the world and beauty, was definitely a disguise!
That Mammon fellow was not like that at all.
"But this interview isn't for us to see. As of now, many citizens have already been swayed by his rhetoric." Jenny Mio said in a deep voice.
"He has ambition, ability, and can even use public opinion to whitewash his reputation. This child~ truly remarkable."
Agatha narrowed her eyes, praising him with a chuckle.
"But this also sends a message to us: Mammon is indeed serious about transforming Team Rockets into a legitimate organization, and it aligns with what he said."
"That's for his own ambition." Lorelei said calmly.
"We cannot only consider the original intention of his actions, after all... the result is as it is now." Agatha shook her head.
"Hmph~!" Lorelei snorted, crossing her arms and not refuting.
"President, don't worry about these voices online. Team Rockets' reputation has already begun to turn around recently, and this interview video has only accelerated the process."
Agatha concluded. What if Team Rockets' reputation turned around anyway?
"Hmm, Lance, what do you think?" Seeing that the discussion was almost over, Charles Goodshow looked at Lance, who had remained silent.
"This guy is very interesting." Lance said calmly, looking at the frozen image of Mammon on the projection screen.
"?" Charles Goodshow was startled. What did Lance mean by that?
Never mind, Lance was always like this, sometimes strange.
"Agatha, how are the preparations for Suofang Island going?"
"They're ready. We just need to pick a good day to start."
"Alright, send out notices to all regions in advance. Once Mammon returns from the Kalos region, we'll begin!"
Charles Goodshow said in a deep voice.
At World Tree Paradise, several top executives happened to be gathering for a sparring session.
"Ara ara~ Boss is so handsome."
Karen's hand caressed her red lips, the curve of her mouth looking very wicked.
"Logical, clear plot, profound ideals. The little story Mammon made up is very interesting."
Colress gave his evaluation.
N: "..."
"Is there a possibility that Mammon is telling the truth?" Erika tentatively sought confirmation.
"Tsk~ How could that be? Mammon isn't that kind-hearted. Mammon's goals have always been very strong."
Zinnia bit into an apple, mercilessly shattering a certain Grass-type Gym Leader's filter for her crush.
"Mammon really loves to play, but unfortunately, there are no sequels. Karen, let's practice again." Zinnia purely treated this video as a TV series.
"I'm a bit tired, Zinnia. You should find Mr. Colress." Karen lazily lay back in her chair, pulling her sun hat over her face.
"I still have to record Registeel's body data later. Let N practice with you." Colress shook his head.
"Okay." N nodded.
However, N was still very concerned about what Mammon said in the video. How wonderful if it were true~
N felt regretful, but in reality, it was almost the same now, it was just that Mammon's original intention was not so.
"Zekrom, do you think Mammon might truly think that way?"
But N, like Erika, still held a bit of fantasy.
Zekrom was silent.
If Mammon truly had such an ideal, Zekrom felt that when he was in his Dark Stone form, he would have flown into Mammon's arms to find him. Would it even be the turn of that white dragon who stepped in dog poop?
Hoenn.
Inside the Champion's office in the Ever Grande City League building.
Steven and Wallace looked at each other, and they too had just finished watching Mammon's exclusive interview video.
"Wallace, what do you think?" Steven's expression at this moment was extremely strange.
"Hehehe..." Wallace just sneered.
"If what he said in this video wasn't prepared by Mammon beforehand, I'll eat this computer on the spot!"
"How dare he say something about making the world clean again, bah!"
"Shameless man!"
Teacher Wallace was cursing, completely devoid of his usual elegance.
Especially when he saw the comments and posts online constantly praising Mammon, he couldn't hold back even more.
Especially when he just used a small account to say 'This guy is really good at faking it,' and as a result, he was refuted by hundreds of comments, with some even saying he was jealous of Mammon's ability and looks?
Huh? Ability aside, when it came to looks, Teacher Wallace truly wasn't convinced!
"Steven, get out of the way! I'm going to fight these Mammon fanboys!"