"Kieran, you can't do this like that."
Carmine sighs, looking at her little brother with helpless resignation.
"As you've already joined the League Club Room, of course you'll also be battling with other members."
Carmine urges Kieran gently.
"Sorry… sister."
Kieran lowers his head a bit, not daring to meet his sister's eyes.
"I'm not telling you to apologize; you didn't wrong me."
Seeing Kieran in this state, Carmine's tone hardens unknowingly.
But upon noticing this, Kieran buries his head even lower.
Carmine, seeing this, is furious. She's always known her little brother is too refined, even a bit cowardly.
So Carmine has always felt a duty as a sister, thinking she can protect Kieran and let him rely on her as much as possible.
But she can't protect him everywhere; often, Kieran has to work hard himself.
Yet because they've grown used to a certain way of getting along, Carmine doesn't know how to make Kieran "pull himself together."
"Looks like you two are dealing with some trouble and could use a hand?"
A bright, gentle male voice cuts through the silence, freezing the siblings.
"Who are you?"
Carmine frowns, stepping in front of Kieran, watching Damian and the three approach.
"You're not academy students, are you?"
Carmine quickly confirms this; she's never seen these three at the school.
After all, Damian and the three carry themselves with such presence; if she had seen them before, she would have remembered.
"Yes, we're here as visitors to tour; we just happened to see you two arguing, so we didn't mean to intrude."
Damian smiles warmly, easy to like.
"No need; he's my little brother; we were just having a normal chat."
Carmine replies coolly, turning to lead Kieran away.
Kieran hides behind Carmine, watching Damian and the three with curiosity and a hint of fear.
"Even if I shouldn't say it, Beautiful, if you keep up that natural 'protection,' your little brother may never grow up."
Damian speaks to Carmine; he doesn't actually hate Kieran, though in the Crimson and Violet plot, Kieran's actions can be a bit off-putting.
But honestly, Kieran's "dark turn" is inseparable from Carmine's almost magical manipulation; to say it plainly, Kieran ends up the way he does largely because of Carmine.
Though he knows Kieran loves ghosts, after meeting a ghost with the protagonist, she arranges for the protagonist to hide their encounter with the ghost in a series of strange maneuvers.
Kieran's personality tends to be introverted, sensitive, and insecure; being rejected by his own sister and by the protagonist's ambitions drives him into inner conflict.
Kieran removing his mask to interrogate them about what they've hidden from him, the history and truth, shows a lot of anger; as sister, Carmine doesn't notice this, instead viewing Kieran as rebelious adolescent.
It's outrageous.
This directly drives their relationship to a freezing point; Kieran falls completely into a radical "dark turn."
In the end, Carmine, as a sister, is proper in one sense, but also sort of failed.
And Kieran, though he wants to grow strong, has been raised by a strong sister; he's habitually dependent on his sister, his inner life too sensitive and fragile, and when something happens, he easily slides to extremes.
"What do you mean by that?"
Hearing this, Carmine stops in her tracks, turns, and frowns at Damian.
"I can tell your little brother relies on you a lot; for a boy, that isn't exactly a good thing."
Damian replies with a soft smile.
Carmine looks at Kieran; he's a bit at a loss.
"Our business isn't yours." But Carmine clearly remains wary of these strangers, giving Damian a wary glance before turning to leave.
Kieran purses his lips, glances at Damian, and doesn't know what to say.
"Kieran, right? I can tell you've got real talent; don't take your sister's words to heart."
Damian speaks softly to Kieran.
The kindness and recognition from a stranger lights up Kieran's golden eyes; he looks at Damian with gratitude.
"You want to get stronger, don't you? You probably want your sister to look at you with new eyes, right?"
"I…" Kieran stammers, moved. He does want to grow stronger, not just be shielded by his sister; he admires the idea of growing as strong as Drayton (BB League Champion).
But he can't yet; he keeps stumbling in battles.
"Kieran, we're going now!" Carmine's voice comes from behind.
Just as he's about to respond, Kieran falls quiet, a bit disappointed, and follows Carmine.
"I understand you, Kieran, I believe you have real potential. Take this, if you're ready, come find me."
Damian tosses a business card to Kieran.
Kieran catches it, pockets it, and walks toward Carmine.
Watching the two sisters disappear from sight, Damian's smile deepens.
"Tsk— Damian, you're treating this kid like a pyramid scheme recruit or something?"
Zinnia interjects with a wry comment.
"For someone with talent, I always show respect and acknowledgment; aren't you the same, Zinnia?"
Damian chuckles, shrugging.
"That's true, but I'm Lorekeeper Zinnia; who was that frightened boy just now?"
Zinnia nods, though she doesn't think the timid boy is worthy of direct comparison.
From the sister's story, she'd heard that the boy isn't even close to being battle-ready.
"He hasn't decided yet; there are people in this world who aren't lacking in talent."
Damian's hands go into his pockets, surveying the area, as if searching for a goal.
"They just need a trigger; one opportunity, and they can unleash stunning talent."
Indeed, Kieran is a prime example.
He's not talentless; he just lacks the resolve. With enough grit, he could become incredibly strong.
"Oh really? Is that true?" Zinnia looks surprised, wondering if the boy truly has Champion-tier potential.
"Let's wait and see."
Damian doesn't elaborate; the world is huge, Trainers are countless, but Champion-tier Trainers who reach the top are few.
"And whether that guy will contact you again isn't certain."
Zinnia roll s her eyes.
"No, he will contact me."
Damian's mysterious smile shows his confidence.
The strength of a formidable sister, a high-pressure environment, and a resentment of weakness—Kieran will definitely contact him.
Because Kieran wants to become strong, and wants to surpass his sister Carmine, which is why in the game's plot, Kieran's longing after the protagonist first beats Carmine is so pronounced.
"So you're that confident he'll join us? Damian, we're an evil team after all."
Zinnia remains curious.
"Zinnia, have you heard a saying?"
Damian nods toward the beautiful "student" sisters nearby, earning a chorus of surprised exclamations.
"The world isn't black or white; it's a refined gray."
"Evil Team? it's us who the Pokémon League labeled as evil, but in Unova this is a new land; Team Rocket isn't exactly the evil team here."
Damian speaks calmly; a boy like Kieran, just stepping out from the Kitakami, wouldn't know what Team Rocket is.
Even if he did, so what? Damian is confident he can persuade a young man with little worldly experience.
And once someone has a weakness, they're vulnerable; given Kieran's temperament, he's very easy to manipulate.
"As expected, it's you," Zinnia murmurs with a mix of awe.
The world isn't black or white, but a refined gray.
Even she feels this line carries deep meaning.
...
N's Castle. This is N's fortress, and it's also Team Plasma's base.
"Any news, N?"
Ghetsis asks, leaning in.
"Sorry, Father, as of now there are no signs of that Damian person."
N replies, shaking his head. His eyes remain vacant, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.
"Damn, hiding so deeply."
mutters Ghetsis.
Ever since they rescued him from the police, Ghetsis has had N send people to search for Damian's location.
Alder rejected his suggestion and refused to cooperate with Team Plasma.
Ghetsis sneers inwardly: Alder is truly brainless; no wonder the Unova Region is weakening relative to the others.
But since the Unova League won't cooperate, Ghetsis won't press the issue. He doesn't need the approval, after all.
Fine, even without reinforcements from the Unova League, Team Plasma can wipe out Team Rocket on their own!
With his adoptive son, N, who has the Ideals Dragon's favor, they're invincible across the world!
"Please don't rush, Father; I think we'll have a location soon enough."
N says in that same calm, even tone.
"Hmm, how's Colress doing?"
Ghetsis asks.
"According to Colress's report, the Genesect revival went smoothly, and they also revived a glowing, special individual; this individual is much stronger than the others."
N replies in a low voice.
"Excellent! If we can revive the Genesect Army, Team Rocket will be no threat."
Ghetsis says.
"However Colress also reports that Genesect is wild; to date, none of the individuals has a temper that's tame."
N adds.
"No problem—Colress can control them."
Ghetsis says, trusting Colress's machine-control of wild Pokémon.
Colress's abilities are undeniably powerful.
control… what?
N's gaze dims further. He's always treated Pokémon as friends and wishes for true happiness for all of them. That's why Zekrom recognizes him.
Yet it's ironic: the leader of Team Plasma uses "control" to dominate Pokémon.
"This is the sacrifice necessary for our Ideals world to succeed, N, you understand, right?"
Ghetsis notices this and softens his tone, trying to persuade N.
"I understand, Dad," N says softly; he believes in his father.
"Heh heh heh…."
Ghetsis chuckles softly, but in his eyes there's genuine disgust for N. If not for needing N, he wouldn't pretend with this monster.
Indeed, in Ghetsis's view, N is nothing but a monster—he's not fully human, being the offspring of humans and Pokémon. Because of that, N naturally possesses the ability to sense Pokémon emotions.
Isn't that monstrous?
So Ghetsis has always despised N, yet for his plans he must keep N as his ward.
Only then can he use N more effectively.
Damian…
Ghetsis's expression grows cold; he still hasn't forgotten the day Damian mocked him.
Just you wait! When we find you, you'll pay the price!
Ghetsis sneers again, possessing Zekrom's wielder and the Genesect Army.
Team Rocket is Nothing; Team Plasma Is the Strongest!
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