"If you cannot handle losing, do not play."
In response to Rosa's accusation, Paul only gave this calm, simple reply.
There were only two commanders in total. With so many people here, there were not enough to go around.
Naturally, everyone had to rely on their own skills.
Paul felt he had not done anything wrong. He used his own intelligence to capture Mars and Saturn. He wondered what the problem was with that.
"What?! You jerk, I am going to challenge you to a one-on-one fight!"
Rosa felt this gloomy Sinnoh local was truly too brazen. She wondered if all the locals here were this rude.
"I do not have time," Paul refused directly.
He did not even have to think about it. If he fought Rosa now and lost, she would definitely mock him. Paul decided to avoid her while she was so intense.
After all, even though this woman was loud and careless, she was actually very powerful. Paul was well aware of that.
"Lord Damian, I caught the two commanders together with Platinum this time. We will split the credit for the capture fifty-fifty."
Paul bowed to Damian and spoke.
Platinum was stunned when she heard this. She wanted to say something, but she observed Paul shake his head at her. Platinum stayed silent and accepted it.
"Very well. As a reward for capturing the commanders, you may each choose any one item currently in the exchange shop," Damian replied with a smile.
"Lord Damian, is a Mega Stone okay too?"
Platinum's eyes gleamed slightly.
A Mega Stone was considered the most precious and rare item currently available.
Given Platinum's status, the Berlitz family would usually support her without limit. However, right now, it was not easy to find the specific Mega Stone she wanted in a short amount of time. Furthermore, since Platinum was now forced to join Team Rocket, it was not easy for her to contact her family anymore.
"Of course," Damian nodded certainly.
"I want a Garchompite!"
Platinum made her choice without any hesitation.
Garchomp was already one of the top fighters in her current team. Once it could Mega Evolve, its combat power would undoubtedly receive a massive boost!
According to the Mega Evolution analysis from Professor Sycamore in the Kalos region, it seemed that Garchomp's speed decreased slightly after Mega Evolution. However, the flaws were minor compared to the benefits, because Mega Garchomp's offensive power was simply too formidable.
"Ooh... I am so jealous."
Lacey was extremely envious when she observed this. She was thinking about getting a Mega Stone for free and choosing it freely. She really wanted a Gardevoirite too.
"Our thinking was too limited. We should have gone straight for those two commanders ourselves," Drayton sighed and spoke helplessly. Otherwise, he thought his Salamencite would be settled as well.
"...Attacking the opposing trainer directly is usually against the rules, isn't it?" Kieran said with some hesitation.
That was why he had been completely shocked when he observed Paul's Weavile hold Mars and Saturn hostage.
"This is not an official battle. We are wiping out Team Galactic," Drayton shrugged.
"Look at him. His brain works fast, so he gets the big reward." Drayton pointed at Paul.
Kieran looked thoughtful. As for Rosa and Hilda, Rosa was currently biting her handkerchief in extreme envy.
"A Garchompite. Fine. Paul, what about you?"
Paul frowned slightly and thought for a while.
He had looked at the list of Mega Stones, but in reality, not many members of his main team could actually Mega Evolve.
"I want an Aggronite."
Paul chose the Aggron Mega Stone in the end. It was mainly because among his current main team, only Aggron was adequately usable for this.
Furthermore, Mega Aggron's ability is Filter, which can weaken the damage received from super-effective moves.
Additionally, after Mega Evolving, Mega Aggron becomes Steel-type only. This could be considered an indirect boost to its combat strength.
"Alright. They will be sent to you very soon."
Damian nodded.
"Everyone worked hard today. Next, everyone has three days of free time. All expenses will be covered by the company."
Then, Damian looked at the members of the mission and spoke with a smile.
"Hooray!"
"The Boss is so generous!"
"It is my first time in Sinnoh. I do not even know where the fun places are."
"I am going to work for this company until I retire!"
Without a doubt, Damian's action made the students very excited. Their sense of belonging to the group exploded. And this was exactly the effect Damian wanted.
Most of the academy students began to scatter. For these students, a strange region and a strange city were very attractive.
However, some people stayed behind.
"Come on! Let us have a match!"
Rosa looked provocatively at Drayton and Kieran, the two strongest members of Blueberry Academy.
Although they were all geniuses from the Unova region, Rosa wanted these two students to understand today that there is a gap even between geniuses!
"Fine."
Drayton did not refuse. He also wanted to know exactly what level these two girls were at.
The group found a nearby training field.
The battle was Rosa and Hilda versus Drayton and Kieran.
They did not do a Double Battle. Instead, they did Single Battles, which could better show individual strength.
Damian naturally followed them. He was quite interested in the battle between the four of them.
"Damian, who do you think will win?"
Elesa naturally stood close to Damian and asked him with curiosity.
"Even though Drayton and Kieran's strength is quite good, they should not be a match for Rosa and Hilda."
Damian said with a smile. This was his personal opinion.
After all, the two sisters, Rosa and Hilda, were natural geniuses who could completely rule an entire era. It was just like how Leon had suddenly appeared in the Galar region and then ruled Galar with absolute strength ever since.
It was just that in this era, natural geniuses appeared in almost every region.
Also, Rosa and Hilda were rivals to each other.
Drayton and Kieran were both trainers with excellent talent; there was no doubt about that.
Especially Kieran; strictly speaking, he was also a natural genius. But compared to Rosa and Hilda, he was still a step behind.
However, this was just a subjective thought.
In a real battle, there are many factors that affect victory or defeat. Furthermore, both Drayton and Kieran had very powerful teams.
Drayton was Drayden's grandson and had fully inherited Drayden's love for the Dragon-type. Therefore, Drayton used a Dragon-type team.
Kieran, on the other hand, had an excellently constructed team: Politoed, Dragonite, Grimmsnarl, Porygon-Z, Incineroar, and his ace, Hydrapple.
He had weather, support, damage, and debuffs. Kieran's team could truly be called a perfect combination, especially with the strength of the team he had carefully raised.
The battle soon began.
First was the fight between Rosa and Drayton. Both sides agreed on a full-team battle.
Drayton started with Flygon, while Rosa started with Hydreigon. The battle between the two sides was very intense.
However, in the end, Hydreigon was superior and took the first win.
Drayton was not discouraged and threw out Dragonite.
With both Hydreigon and Dragonite being powerful Dragon-types, the battle between them was even more tense.
But at the end of the fierce fight, Rosa grabbed the opportunity. After Dragonite forced its way close for an attack, Hydreigon hit Dragonite with a Draco Meteor, defeating it.
"That girl is so strong!"
Watching the battle, Crispin could not help but gasp.
Hydreigon had already defeated two of Drayton's Pokémon in a row. Although Hydreigon was covered in wounds right now, its momentum after winning twice was even more fierce.
"Her battle experience is too rich."
Lacey's eyebrows narrowed slightly. Moreover, her ability to catch opportunities was really strong. She could always catch a small mistake in Drayton's commands when he least expected it.
The battle continued.
Finally, by the time the fight ended, Drayton's ace, Archaludon, also fell to Rosa's Volcarona.
As for Rosa, only her Hydreigon and Gothitelle had lost their ability to battle.
Rosa smirked.
"Now you have seen how amazing I am!"
After getting the victory, Rosa put her hands on her hips. She looked very proud and puffed out her chest.
She had said it before. How could a group of students be a match for the great Rosa?
"Strong, strong. I am completely convinced."
Drayton spread his hands, showing that he admitted defeat. He could not help it. He had truly given it his all, but he still could not beat the girl across from him.
"Kieran, I will leave the rest to you. You have to give it your best."
Drayton left the field and patted Kieran's shoulder.
"Hilda will not lose either," Rosa pouted, having confidence in her best friend.
Hilda rolled her eyes and gave Kieran a friendly greeting. Kieran bowed very politely in return.
Their battle did not have as much visual impact as the previous one, but it was also extremely exciting.
Furthermore, Kieran applied his tactics very well and skillfully, which actually caused Hilda quite a bit of trouble.
However, after four of her Pokémon had fallen, Hilda still achieved the final victory. She successfully defeated Kieran's final ace, Hydrapple.
"Are students these days all this powerful?"
Platinum, who had watched the whole thing, was shocked. After all, whether it was Drayton or Kieran, they were not very old. They had not even graduated yet.
"People like Drayton are a very small minority," Damian shook his head.
Then, Damian turned his head.
Not far away, a woman with an elegant and noble aura was slowly walking toward them. It was Cynthia!
"It is Cynthia..."
Platinum's face looked a bit complicated. She felt embarrassed and her face turned red. She was a bit lost on what to do, mainly because she did not know how to face Cynthia.
After all, her current identity was a member of Team Rocket.
Cynthia had already walked over by now.
Her beautiful eyes glanced at Platinum, who was hiding behind Damian, and then at Caitlin, who had a slight smile on her face. Finally, she let her gaze fall on Damian.
Cynthia could not help but sigh softly in her heart.
"Damian, welcome to Sinnoh."
Cynthia looked directly at Damian and said the first sentence.
"Thank you. Actually, you do not need to be so formal. After all, I did not even say hello to you, Cynthia," Damian's lips curled up slightly as he slowly replied to Cynthia.
"I really wish that I never had to receive this 'hello'," Cynthia said helplessly.
"So, can I please ask you to let Platinum go? Damian, Platinum is just a child who just started her journey this year."
Cynthia pleaded with Damian.
She did not want to see the pure and flawless Platinum stained with the colors of Team Rocket. She really did not want something like what happened to Caitlin to happen again.
As for the current Caitlin, it was almost impossible to get her to come back. And now, there was Platinum too. Cynthia wondered why such things always happened around her.
Hearing Cynthia's words, Platinum could not help but feel a bit touched. But she also felt a bit strange. Actually, she was not a child anymore.
"Cynthia, you really are..."
Damian clicked his tongue. He looked at Cynthia with a mocking smile, full of sarcasm. The look made Cynthia feel uncomfortable.
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Want to read ahead?
The story is already available up to Chapter 405.
And in just a few days, it'll be updated to Chapter 450.
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