"Do me a favor—let your boss, Guzma, know Kanto's Team Rocket is here to pay a visit."
Damian looked at the two Team Skull members with a smile, looking like a harmless teenager.
"You..."
The skinny Team Skull grunt stared at them, filled with shock and rage. Team Skull often caused trouble and stole Pokémon from travelers—but snapping someone's arm on the spot was…
"You heard him," Proton said in a dark, ominous tone. "Or do I have to say it again?"
At Proton's tone, the skinny grunt flinched. He quickly hauled the fat one up, and the two of them hurried toward the mansion.
"Damian, are you planning to absorb Team Skull?" Caitlin seemed to have caught on to Damian's idea. Otherwise, they could have just fought their way inside, couldn't they?
"Exactly. Although most of Team Skull are just thugs and hoodlums, they can still be useful after a little re-education," Damian replied with a faint smile. "Team Rocket has just arrived in Alola and we are currently short-handed. Absorbing Team Skull directly can fill a lot of gaps."
"What if they refuse to surrender?" Caitlin tilted her head slightly.
In her view, trying to recruit a bunch of thugs probably wouldn't be an easy task, and their overall quality was concerning. If they were all brought in, she feared it would lower the standard of Team Rocket.
"That's not up to them."
Damian grinned and stepped toward the mansion.
"Let's go. Now."
...
Inside the Shady House.
"Big Sister!!"
The mansion's front door flew open, followed by a loud, tearful wail. Two figures—one fat, one skinny—ran inside in a pathetic state, nearly tripping over themselves because they were in such a hurry.
A woman with heavy eyeshadow and a cold, indifferent expression frowned the moment she saw them.
"What is going on?"
The one called Big Sister was Plumeria, the only Admin of Team Skull. Guzma usually didn't bother with day-to-day affairs, so Team Skull was mostly led by Plumeria, who was deeply loved and respected by the members.
"Big Sister, my arm... my arm was broken!"
The fat grunt wept and trembled; he was still twitching from the intense pain.
"Who did this?!"
Plumeria's expression instantly turned cold. She was extremely protective of her subordinates and would not allow them to be bullied.
"They said they were Kanto's Team Rocket. Big Sister, you have to get revenge for me!"
The fat grunt's face was deathly pale as he pleaded with Plumeria, whom he believed was capable of anything.
Plumeria's brow furrowed, her expression shifting. Team Rocket from Kanto? If they survived under the League's nose, they weren't small-time.
But wasn't Team Rocket only active in Kanto? When did they come to Alola?
"Go get treated first. You two, take him to the hospital," Plumeria said to the grunts beside her.
"Yes, Big Sister!"
Several people scrambled to help the fat man to the back.
Boom!
Right then, the mansion's front door was blasted open. A few Pokémon—Alolan Raticate and Salandit—were caught in the blast and sent flying back into the room.
Plumeria's expression hardened.
"Big Sister!"
"Curse them! Big Sister, someone is here to raid the place!"
"Big Sister, we couldn't stop them!"
Three battered Team Skull grunts ran in, crying out to Plumeria in distress. Plumeria's chest rose and fell rapidly as she looked at the shattered door, a fire of rage burning in her heart.
"Honestly, I told you we were here to visit, yet you still insisted on picking a fight with us."
A casual, flippant voice drifted in. Plumeria looked toward the entrance as several figures walked inside. The one who had just spoken was Damian, leading them.
"I'm truly sorry. It seems Proton went a bit too far and ended up taking your door apart."
Damian scanned the room before locking his eyes on Plumeria. He spoke words of apology, but anyone could hear the nonchalance in his voice—there wasn't a shred of actual regret.
How... arrogant!!
"You people from Team Rocket are being far too disrespectful to Team Skull," Plumeria said in a low, heavy voice, suppressing her anger.
"Don't misunderstand. We have a great deal of respect for everyone in Team Skull. Don't worry, we will reimburse the repair costs for the door and the medical expenses."
Damian remained smiling, his tone very relaxed. Plumeria remained silent, watching him with cold eyes. A Team Rocket subordinate, being very observant, quickly grabbed a chair from a corner, wiped it clean, and placed it behind Damian.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Damian, from Kanto's Team Rocket. I've come today specifically to visit your organization."
Damian sat down and crossed his legs, looking completely composed and unfazed. He didn't pay any mind to the surrounding Team Skull members who were glaring at him furiously.
Proton scanned the room coldly, while Caitlin stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Her elegant posture and magnificent pink-and-white dress were completely out of place in these surroundings. However, Caitlin didn't mind; she was quite interested in these negotiations between dark organizations.
"Is this how you visit someone?"
Plumeria looked miserable. From the moment Damian stepped through the door, he had maintained a superior attitude. And he called this a visit? He injured her subordinate and smashed their front door!
"It was just a greeting. I already said we'd pay you back, so don't take it to heart."
Damian waved his hand, signaling Plumeria not to dwell on it.
You're damn right you don't take it to heart—it wasn't your door that got smashed!
Plumeria was so angry she almost laughed, and the surrounding Team Skull grunts were fuming.
"We came here today with sincerity. So, could you please notify Guzma? I would like to have a proper chat with him."
Damian's words were still very polite; he even used the word "please." He was truly being very well-mannered.
"The Boss isn't at the base right now. If you have something to say, you can say it to me. I can make the decisions," Plumeria said coldly. If she didn't know that Team Rocket was trouble, she would have attacked long ago given her temper.
The sudden appearance of Kanto's Team Rocket in Alola definitely meant they were up to no good. Unless absolutely necessary, Plumeria did not want to offend them. In reality, Guzma was actually upstairs, but Plumeria knew Guzma's explosive temper wasn't suited for this kind of talk.
"I see. In that case, I'll be blunt."
Damian raised an eyebrow.
"Recently, Team Rocket has begun to expand outward, and we quite like this land of Alola."
Damian's lips slowly curled into a grin as he scanned the Team Skull members. A thick sense of malice began to radiate from him.
"But you, Team Skull, are a bit of an eyesore. So be a good sport—and fold Team Skull into Team Rocket."
Damian's words rang out clearly in the ears of everyone in the mansion.
Silence!
The first floor of the mansion fell quiet. Plumeria's face turned incredibly ugly as she stared intensely at Damian. Even Caitlin looked at Damian in shock.
This was beyond arrogant.