I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 50 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
Hulbury Town.
Although Hulbury Town is completely overcrowded now, it's still possible to find a restaurant to eat at.
Mammon had originally wanted to choose the seafood restaurant Rose took them to last time, but after hearing that the wait might be two hours, Mammon gave up.
The massive 'invasion' of Motostoke City residents has truly benefited Hulbury Town; at least, all industries have seen a boom.
After dinner, Hop clamored to have a battle with Platinum and Serena, which Mammon was also quite interested in.
Because there were too many people in Hulbury Town, they couldn't find any empty training grounds.
So, the group went outside Hulbury Town, where there was a beautiful lake in the distance.
"Oh yeah! This is great, my first battle as a Team Rockets executive!"
Hop was in high spirits, his fighting will soaring. He loved battling and Pokémon, and he could spar with a fellow Team Rockets executive.
This made Hop very excited.
"Serena, don't hold back, I'm very strong!"
Hop shouted to his opponent, Serena, his expression very excited.
Hop was very much looking forward to the strength of this peer from Kalos, especially since Mammon had said that Serena's skill level was very high.
However, Hop still had confidence in himself; he was a man determined to surpass Leon!
"Please rest assured, I will give it my all."
Serena took off her pink hat and tied up her long hair, showing her serious attitude towards this battle.
Hop didn't know this was Serena's habit; he just blinked.
Well, he had to admit, he found Serena's movement surprisingly charming, and he felt Serena was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.
Very pretty.
However, Pokémon battles aren't about comparing looks. Being pretty doesn't mean you're strong.
Hop had no interest in women; his primary idol was Leon, and he firmly inherited Leon's will.
Women? They would only be stepping stones on his path to becoming a strong individual!
Sonia served as the referee for this sparring battle and announced the battle rules.
"Ha~ this is perfect."
Hop's expression was excited; he coolly bumped his fists in front of him, then powerfully threw his first Poké Ball.
This was Hop's way of making Pokémon battles more exciting: the posture for throwing the Poké Ball had to be cool!
"My first Pokémon, it's this one!"
"Dubwool!"
A flash of white light, and a white sheep with two long horns landed in front of Hop.
It was the evolved form of Wooloo, the Normal-type Dubwool.
"Dubwool, huh."
Serena observed this Dubwool, a Normal-type Dubwool. She wondered what its ability was?
Serena had carefully read all the Pokédex entries and memorized most Pokémon and their abilities.
Dubwool has an ability called Fluffy, which halves the damage from contact moves but makes it take super effective damage from Fire-type moves.
That is to say, this ability makes Dubwool weak to Fire, but all contact moves are not very effective against it.
Overall, this is a beneficial ability, as contact moves cover a wide range; any close-range move can be included in contact moves, and the cost is being weak to Fire.
This is, of course, a huge gain, as Dubwool is a Normal-type Pokémon, and its only weakness was originally Fighting-type, so even an additional weakness type isn't a big deal.
"Dubwool is my starter Pokémon, my most trusted Pokémon!"
Hop's smile was very warm, and his tone was full of pride.
That's right, although he and Gloria set off on the same day and received their starter Pokémon on the same day, his starter Pokémon was Wooloo.
"I see, then I'll also use my starter Pokémon to respond to the challenge."
Serena's usually serious and delicate face during battles showed a hint of a smile, also influenced by Hop's enthusiastic and cheerful mood.
"Greninja!"
Greninja landed coolly from the air, straightened up, crossed its arms, and calmly watched Dubwool.
"Wow~ a Greninja from the Kalos region? It's so cool!"
Hop's eyes lit up; this was his first time seeing a Greninja.
How to put it? It just felt a bit cooler than his Inteleon.
"Thank you."
Being praised by an opponent naturally improves one's mood, even for Serena.
"Such a cool Pokémon must also be very powerful, we need to get serious, Dubwool!"
Hop was full of passion; one could fully feel his current state of excitement.
"Meeh~"
Dubwool let out a low Growl, responding to Hop.
The two on the field began to battle, and Mammon and the others watching couldn't help but smile.
"This Hop guy is really 'eloquent'."
Mammon looked at Hop, and in this young man, he truly saw Ash's shadow.
If it were Ash and Hop, they would definitely have a lot in common.
"Hmm~ battling Hop must be very interesting." Platinum blinked her bright, clear eyes, expressing her thoughts.
Hop is cheerful and enthusiastic, and he unconsciously and genuinely 'praises' others, saying things that make them feel good.
Battling such an opponent is, of course, a great thing.
"That's just how Hop is." Sonia put her hands on her hips, but her gaze was more on Serena.
Although the battle had only just begun, Greninja on the field had already 'teased' Dubwool several times with its flexible movements and swift actions.
"This girl is so amazing." Sonia had already sensed this.
"Of course, Serena is one of the most outstanding Trainers of this generation in the Kalos region, without a doubt."
Mammon replied casually. Although Hop was also a talented Trainer, at his current stage, he couldn't even beat Gloria, let alone Serena, who was currently dominating Gloria.
There could be no other outcome for this battle.
"The most outstanding rookie Trainer in the Kalos region?" Sonia was stunned by the remark.
No, why would the most outstanding rookie from the Kalos region be with you, Mammon?
But soon, Sonia thought of Gloria, her pretty face looking strange.
If Serena was the most outstanding rookie in Kalos, then Gloria was undoubtedly their most outstanding rookie in Galar.
But hadn't Gloria also joined Team Rockets?
That's right, Sonia naturally had Gloria as a friend, so she had also seen that 'official announcement'.
This Mammon…
Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded. Mammon looked back and saw a young woman dressed in light clothing.
She had healthy, tanned skin, a tall and graceful figure, wearing shorts and a short tank top, exposing a large area of her healthy skin.
Her face was delicate and calm, and her hip-length hair was very smooth.
"Nessa."
Sonia seemed to know this woman and waved at her in greeting.
Mammon observed Nessa. He had to admit that although her skin wasn't as fair and delicate as other girls, Nessa's healthy tan didn't diminish her beauty at all.
Especially Nessa's standard model figure.
"Sonia, what are you doing here?"
Nessa walked over with a practiced cat-walk. Besides being the Gym Leader of Hulbury Town, she was also a very popular model.
"Hop is sparring with a girl. Oh, this is Mammon, the leader of Team Rockets, and these two are Caitlin and Platinum."
"Mammon, this is Nessa, the Gym Leader of Hulbury Town. Isn't she beautiful? The number one beauty in Hulbury Town."
Sonia briefly introduced the two parties.
The leader of Team Rockets?
Nessa looked at Mammon upon hearing this, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. In fact, with Team Rockets' arrival in the Galar region, all the Gym Leaders had already received notifications from the Galar League.
However, the Galar League's message was to not worry about it and let Team Rockets develop as they wished, preferably without conflict.
"Hello, Ms. Nessa, I've heard of your reputation before."
"Thank you, Mammon is truly remarkable, to lead an organization like Team Rockets at such a young age."
Nessa shook Mammon's outstretched hand, her tone still relatively calm.
This was her usual style, but Nessa's nickname was 'Surging Waves,' precisely because of the strong and competitive heart beneath her calm exterior.
Mammon smiled slightly at this and continued to watch Hop and Serena's battle.
Nessa also didn't continue the conversation. As a Gym Trainer, Nessa was also a Trainer who yearned to become stronger.
So, when there were no challengers, they almost always trained. Nessa had just returned from special training and happened to see Mammon and the others on the way.
The battle continued, but clearly, the outcome was undeniable.
Although he did eventually defeat Greninja, Hop still fell to Serena's second main Pokémon, Jolteon.
"Phew~! So strong! This is just too strong?!"
As if utterly exhausted, Hop was drenched in sweat, but his eyes shone like brilliant stars, very bright and excited.
He had given his all, but Serena had defeated all of his Pokémon with only two main Pokémon.
This… she was even stronger than Gloria!
"Serena, you are truly amazing!"
"Thank you, Hop, you're not bad either. I was just lucky this time."
Serena untied her long hair, put on her pink dome hat, and returned to her elegant and beautiful maiden appearance.
"No, that's not true, it's just that you, Serena, are much stronger than me."
But Hop shook his head seriously, acknowledging the gap between himself and Serena.
"But I won't give up! When I become stronger, will you battle me again, Serena?"
"We're all colleagues, so of course, we can spar if you want."
Serena smiled sweetly and didn't refuse.
Moreover, no one would dislike someone as sincere and enthusiastic as Hop.
"Yay!"
Hop clenched his fists, full of motivation.
"Huh? Gym Leader Nessa."
After his excitement subsided, Hop immediately noticed Nessa, as Nessa's appearance was truly eye-catching.
Not only because of her beauty and graceful figure, but also because she was wearing very little…
"Long time no see, Hop." Nessa naturally remembered this challenger who had challenged her Gym.
After exchanging greetings, Nessa looked at Serena, her beautiful eyes sparkling.
What a strong girl!!
"Speaking of which, the Champion Cup is also approaching, right? Ms. Nessa and Hop, you will both participate. Do you feel confident?"
Mammon asked Hop and Nessa with a smile.
The Galar Champion Cup is a competition for Galar Gym Leaders and Gym Challengers, and the final winner can challenge Leon.
"Hmm~ that's a bit difficult, but I'll try my best!" Hop scratched his head.
Even he knew that at his current level, he didn't have much confidence.
Nessa shook her head, her meaning clear.
"Mammon, the Mi'aolei Contest will also start next month. After things here in Galar are over, I'd like to go back to Kalos to participate."
Serena suddenly said.
And Diantha had also sent her a message, saying she had found the whereabouts of that Mythical Pokémon.
Serena planned to catch that Steel-type Mythical Pokémon before the Mi'aolei Contest!
That way, she might catch up to Platinum!
And, she wanted to defeat Ms. Diantha and become the Kalos Champion!