"Has Damian appeared in Celadon City? I understand."
At the Indigo Plateau, Charles Goodshow received the report. He fell into contemplation.
Celadon City was the place where the last major battle between Team Rocket and the League happened. It was also important to mention that Damian had captured the Celadon Gym Leader, Erika, during that time.
After Damian left Kanto, Erika finally returned to the Celadon Gym.
Now, Damian was in Celadon City again. According to the reports, he had captured Erika a second time.
"Mio, please come with me to Celadon City," Charles Goodshow said to the Chief Officer of the Jenny force, Mio. He took a breath after making his decision.
"Yes, sir," she replied.
The next morning arrived.
The morning sunlight entered through the gaps in the curtains. Damian slowly opened his eyes.
Erika was lying beside him, hugging his arm. She was still asleep.
Damian stayed in bed and looked at her for a moment.
After a few minutes, Erika opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Damian looking at her.
"Good morning, Erika."
"Damian, good morning."
Hearing Damian's voice made Erika feel happy. She leaned closer.
"What time is it, Damian?"
"It is ten-thirty."
"Huh?!"
Erika was shocked when she heard the time. She sat up quickly.
"How can that be? I haven't even watered the flowers yet."
Erika grabbed her phone to check. It really was ten-thirty.
She was very surprised. Since she was a child, her life had been very disciplined. This was the first time she had ever slept so late.
However, pain hit her as she tried to get up, and she frowned.
"Move a bit slower. Why don't you rest today?" Damian said softly. He put his hand on Erika's shoulder.
"It's okay. I can bear it," Erika said. She shook her head.
The two of them got ready and washed. When they went outside, they found Caitlin sitting at the tea table. She was sipping tea.
The moment Erika saw Caitlin, her face turned slightly red.
Caitlin observed Erika. She noticed Erika was moving with a slightly strange posture. Her expression remained very calm. She had expected this since the day before yesterday. She was not surprised at all.
Toward a Gym Leader with a weak personality, Caitlin thought Erika was simply helping Damian practice his techniques.
It did not matter to her.
"Good morning, Caitlin."
"Good morning. I have already watered your plants and flowers."
"Oh? I am very grateful to you."
Erika was quite surprised. To be honest, she always felt that Caitlin was elegant but also quite arrogant. It was easy to be a casual acquaintance with her. However, it was very difficult to truly become close friends.
"No need to be polite. Someone came looking for you this morning." As she spoke, Caitlin's eyes moved slightly.
"May I ask who it was?" Erika was not very surprised. She assumed it was probably one of her Gym apprentices.
She had not been to the Gym for two days. However, she was sure she had sent messages to notify her students.
"Charles Goodshow."
"...?"
Erika was stunned for a moment. Then, her eyes widened in surprise.
Inside Erika's tea room, she felt somewhat nervous. Across from her was a short old man. His hair and beard were completely white. Beside him stood a middle-aged Officer Jenny with a serious face.
"I am very sorry, President. I have been truly rude. Why didn't you notify me in advance that you were coming?"
Erika spoke with some hesitation. Charles Goodshow was the President of the Kanto League. He was even the Overall President of the entire Pokémon League.
She had not expected to ignore him at her own home.
"Caitlin said that you hadn't woken up yet. This old man was planning to come back in the afternoon. Gym Leader Erika, you don't need to take it to heart."
Charles Goodshow laughed. His attitude was very warm and gentle.
"Yesterday, someone reported to me that Gym Leader Erika had been kidnapped by the leader of Team Rocket. But looking at it now..."
Goodshow gave a meaningful look at Erika. Then, he turned his gaze toward Damian.
He had considered that the relationship between Erika and Damian was unusual. Now, it seemed to be exceptional.
"President, I..."
Erika bit her lip. Her relationship with Damian had clearly been discovered by Charles Goodshow. It seemed she would have to make a choice.
She was very reluctant to give up her position as a Gym Leader. She truly loved the job. However, she felt she had no choice.
"Gym Leader Erika, there's no need to get worked up. This old man isn't that old-fashioned." Charles Goodshow continued to smile warmly. He stopped Erika from speaking further.
However, Goodshow still felt it was a great pity. Erika was very young. Aside from her habit of dozing off, she was a very responsible Gym Leader with great potential.
He had not expected her to be taken away by Damian.
"Damian, this is our second time meeting, isn't it?" Goodshow said to Damian.
It was indeed their second meeting. The first was at last year's Indigo Plateau Conference. At that time, Charles Goodshow had presented Damian with the championship trophy.
"Yes. It seems your spirit is still very good. That makes me feel relieved," Damian replied with a smile.
"But you are causing us a lot of trouble right now, Damian. I actually always hoped you would come to challenge the Kanto League," Goodshow said with a sigh.
At the end of last year, he had been very optimistic about this young man. Damian had defeated the competition to win the Indigo Conference. He believed Damian had a limitless future.
While his future was limitless, Damian had chosen the path of Team Rocket.
"Like Lance and your father, you were given the gifts of nature by the Viridian Forest. Damian, Team Rocket really doesn't suit you."
Goodshow still held onto hope. He hoped Damian could change his path now before it was too late.
"President, don't you think it's a bit too late to say that? I am the leader of Team Rocket now."
Damian couldn't help but laugh.
"I must say, President, you are quite audacious. You actually came here with only one Officer Jenny."
Damian glanced at Mio. He did not have the skill to tell the difference between every Officer Jenny.
However, he could sense the high-ranking aura coming from this specific one.
"This old man may be old, but I can still see that you are not a truly evil person, Damian."
Goodshow shook his head. This was the reason he dared to stand before Damian.
Alola, Hoenn, and Unova all had conflict with Damian's Team Rocket. However, every case proved that Damian was not a cruel person.
Furthermore, it was worth mentioning that Damian's Team Rocket did not steal Pokémon from ordinary people. They also did not conduct cruel genetic experiments.
These two points showed that Damian might not be a traditional good person. However, he certainly was not a villain without a moral bottom line.
That meant there was room to negotiate.
"You can be direct. What exactly did you come here for today?" Damian said. He neither agreed nor disagreed.
Was Goodshow here for Erika? No, he was actually here for Damian.
"Then this old man will speak plainly. Damian, now that you have become the leader of Team Rocket, what exactly do you plan to do next?"
Goodshow's eyes became much steadier. He stared into Damian's eyes.
This was the answer he wanted from Damian.
It would determine the future attitude of the Pokémon League toward Team Rocket.
"What do I want to do?" Damian raised an eyebrow.
Erika was very sensible. She prepared tea for everyone and placed it in front of them.
"President, you should know the truth as well."
After a long silence, Damian took a sip of tea and finally spoke.
"Even though the Pokémon League rules over all regions and maintains world peace, the various regions are still not peaceful."
"There are villain teams and hunter groups. There are also ordinary people who ignore the safety of Pokémon for their own greed."
Damian spoke slowly.
"I don't deny that. However, the League has always tried its best to maintain order," Goodshow said quietly.
"The League cannot do it," Damian stated directly. He rejected the idea.
"Are you suggesting that Team Rocket can?" Mio's voice was very cold.
"The League has to worry about laws and regulations. It has to worry about human ethics and morality. But Team Rocket doesn't."
Damian smirked.
Hearing this, Charles Goodshow and Mio both frowned.
"Team Rocket can wipe out the evil forces in all regions. We can give those criminals severe punishments. We can make them feel pain so they never dare to commit a crime again."
"Officer Jenny, according to the news I've heard, Champion Lance and Elite Four Lorelei have been excluded by many League Councilors. This is because of their aggressive attitude toward villain teams, right?"
Damian spoke leisurely. His tone sounded both mocking and sarcastic.
Mio met this with silence.
With Damian's status, it was not surprising that he knew about this situation.
"Why are they excluded? Is it because Lance is too extreme? Or is it because the Councilors are afraid? Are they afraid that their own corrupt secrets will be revealed by Lance?"
"Damian, it isn't like that," Goodshow sighed.
"President, I still have a lot of respect for someone like you who has given your whole life to the League. But if I may be blunt..."
Damian's tone was not polite at all. There was not much to criticize about Goodshow. In the past, people called him the greatest person in the history of the Pokémon League.
"You are already old. You are also too soft. There are many things you cannot make up your mind to do. This has led to the current situation."
"You try to balance the conflict between the Kanto Elite Four and the Councilors. Do you really think you can actually balance it?"
Damian took another sip of tea and spoke calmly.
Goodshow's white eyebrows moved together as he fell into thought.
But soon, Goodshow realized something was wrong. He had come to Damian to learn about his goals. How did they end up talking about the internal problems of the Kanto League?
Goodshow looked at Damian.
"The topic seems to have drifted a bit, but it doesn't matter. Actually, the point I wanted to make is already very clear, isn't it?"
Damian smiled brightly.
"President Goodshow, let me be blunt. The things the Kanto League cannot do, Team Rocket can."
"The world will still stay under the authority and laws of the League. This way, the world remains harmonious and peaceful. We all want to see that."
"However, Team Rocket will rule the underground world of all regions. The villain teams, the hunter groups, and the ambitious people without kindness—Team Rocket can handle them ourselves."
"Your League can be a bit more relaxed. You won't have to worry about these things."
"I'm finished. What do you think?"
Damian looked at Charles Goodshow and Mio with a smiling face.
What did they think?
Goodshow's expression was not good. Mio's expression was even worse. Her face was extremely serious and tense.
If it were not for her professional training, she would have wanted to slam the table right now.
Damian's speech was long, but it was simple to summarize.
Team Rocket wanted to be the kings of the underground. They wanted the League to stay out of their business.
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