"This… these are all the Pokémon the organization can provide?"
Seeing the Pokémon list under the redeem‑merit tab in the Team Rocket app, Berlitz's eyes go wide, looking downright adorable.
If you had to describe her expression right now, it'd be this:
(O一O)
You can't really blame her. This list is insane.
Forget Dratini, Larvitar, Bagon.
Zapdos, Regice, Thundurus, Tornadus—those are all legendary Pokémon.
Berlitz finally understands now how Caitlin can just throw out something like Tapu Lele.
Team Rocket is way too generous.
Paul's eyes keep flickering as he stares hard at the three Legendary giants—Regirock and its siblings.
He still clearly remembers that Brother Reggie was taken down by Brandon's "giant" subordinates.
And now, he might get a shot at a Legendary giant himself?
"Of course it's real. All these Pokémon are currently raised on the organization's farms. As long as you rack up enough merit, you can redeem them."
Damian pauses.
"But you still have to catch them yourselves. Pokémon are living beings with their own will. If you don't earn their recognition, you can't lead them."
Damian makes this part clear; that has to be spelled out.
And it's not just legendaries—regular Pokémon are the same. Even if you redeem a mon, you still have to go through the catching step yourself.
Newbies who pick up their starters at a Research Laboratory still need the Pokémon to acknowledge them, right?
There's no shortage of rookies who get snubbed by their own starter.
It's just that catching normal Pokémon is easier, while Legendary Pokémon, being naturally strong, are far harder to catch.
That said, any Team Rocket Admin who has enough merit to redeem a legendary is usually not weak to begin with.
"Amazing…!"
Berlitz can't help the heartfelt sigh. Even with the caveats Damian mentioned, it's still crazy. These are Legendary Pokémon.
"Boss Damian, I wanna run missions!"
Paul clenches his fists. His eyes are locked on Regirock—that's the goal.
And if you want merit, that means missions.
Hearing that, Berlitz's pretty face shifts a bit; honestly, she's thinking the same thing.
She just skimmed the app's mission boards for other regions. They're mostly about wiping out hunter organizations, capturing Totem Pokémon out in the wild, and cracking down on no‑name minor evil outfits.
Strictly speaking, there's nothing really wrong with those. If anything, they're a net win for the regions.
Could Team Rocket actually be… a legit organization?
Berlitz's impression of Team Rocket—and of Damian—ticks up several notches all at once.
"Don't rush it. The organization's only been in the Sinnoh Region for, what, two days? We're still in the exploration phase."
Damian smiles as he absently rubs the round belly of the Jirachi in his arms.
"Once we've got the lay of the land, the Sinnoh branch boards will get mission updates. Relax—this is a brand‑new front for the organization. There won't be a shortage of work."
After all, Team Galactic's at least a halfway decent bone to chew on. As long as Paul and Berlitz grind a bit on sweep ops, they're not going to be short on merit.
"Wait for the notice. I'll ping you two first. You both need the live‑fire experience—strength and talent grow way faster under pressure."
Damian really does take "rookie" training seriously.
"I get it."
Paul sounds a little disappointed.
"Especially you, Paul. I don't think your potential's bad at all, but you still need to train smarter. Don't just keep cranking up the special‑training intensity."
Now that Paul's joined the organization, Damian feels he should at least nudge the kid a bit.
Paul frowns very slightly.
"The relationship between Trainer and Pokémon has always been symbiotic. We have to figure out the path that suits us, yeah—but we also need to find what our real strength is."
"Pushing your Pokémon hard and making them suffer isn't wrong by itself. No one gets strong without struggle. But there's a line, and you need to watch their actual condition—not just physically, but where their heads are at."
"When a Trainer and their Pokémon really affirm each other, they can pull out power way beyond what you'd expect. Because at that point, the Pokémon isn't just fighting for a win. It's fighting for you."
Damian says it straight to Paul.
"…"
Paul falls silent.
Deep down, he doesn't really buy what Damian's selling. In his worldview, building emotional bonds with Pokémon…
Does that really matter?
And if you deepen the bond, how are you supposed to keep hammering them with brutal training?
Still, Damian is his boss. Paul turns it over in his mind.
"If you don't get it, battle Dawn. She's an excellent Trainer."
"Feel her strength for yourself—and the way she connects with her Pokémon. I've always believed one thing: if two Trainers go all out in a battle, they can see each other's conviction."
Seeing Paul fall into thought, Damian glances at Berlitz and chooses to respect her mindset too.
And it's a good chance to farm some confidence back for her, after Caitlin absolutely steamrolled her earlier.
"Dawn, that okay with you?"
"Mmm… sure. Paul, wanna battle?"
Berlitz hesitates a beat, but doesn't turn it down.
"Fine."
Paul agrees. He's curious, anyway. If Damian's calling Berlitz an "excellent Trainer," then he wants to see what she's got.
They don't even need to go anywhere; the backyard training ground is enough.
And the result…
It's a clean sweep for Berlitz. Paul loses, flat.
Even his ace Torterra gets completely crushed by Berlitz's Garchomp.
The power gap is obvious.
"So I'm really this weak?"
Paul's brows knit tight. It's not like he's never lost before, but getting 0‑6'd by someone his own age? That's new.
He's always figured he was at least near the top among his peers.
"Paul, are you okay?"
Seeing this cold new coworker standing there, lost in thought, Berlitz can't help worrying she went a little too hard.
"I'm fine. Thanks for the match. I learned a lot."
Paul snaps back to himself, shakes his head, and bows to Berlitz. In this regard he's always been pretty old‑school; he shows real respect to people who are genuinely strong.
Like Cynthia and Brandon in the original—no matter how badly he lost, he still gave them proper courtesy.
"You're welcome. We're all coworkers now anyway."
Berlitz answers with a slightly reserved smile.
"With Miss Dawn's strength, why would you join Team Rocket?"
Paul can't help asking. He can easily imagine how much of a prodigy Berlitz must look like in Sinnoh; with power like that at her age, she could pretty much stomp her whole generation.
"Because of… some special reasons."
Berlitz presses her lips together, not bringing up what happened.
"And honestly… I'm still nowhere near strong enough."
"?"
Paul thinks she's being absurd. She just wiped him 0–6 and calls that "nowhere near enough"?
"I'm really not being modest, Paul. You saw Miss Caitlin, right?"
Berlitz knows exactly how Paul thinks. Her expression turns a little bitter.
Paul nods. Caitlin—the elegant girl with the gorgeous golden hair who sticks close to Damian.
"This morning, I battled her once. My whole team got wiped by one Pokémon."
Berlitz's tone turns flat. When the match ended, she was so rattled her head felt hollow; her mentality was hanging by a thread.
If she didn't have a stubborn streak, she probably would've sworn off battling for life.
"…"
Paul's expression shifts. That composed, refined young lady is that strong?
A six‑on‑one like that basically only happens when the strength gap is enormous.
Which means Caitlin's probably Champion‑tier, right? And she's still that young.
And if Caitlin is already that powerful, then what about Damian, the Team Rocket boss?
Paul's hand slowly tightens into a fist, and there's a spark in his eyes.
Suddenly, joining Team Rocket feels like it really might've been the right call. In this kind of environment, he can power up faster.
"As long as I get strong enough to beat Miss Caitlin… maybe Damian will let me leave Team Rocket."
Berlitz turns that thought over in her heart. She still feels her future doesn't belong with Team Rocket.
She knows it's not realistic—that Damian's not going to just let her walk away—but what if? Even if there's only a one‑percent chance, Berlitz thinks she has to try.
Why not just run?
Good question. First, Berlitz isn't the kind of person who breaks her word lightly. A promise is a promise; unless it's truly unavoidable, she can't bring herself to just betray it.
Second, sure, she could slip away and hide—but what about her family? What about the whole Berlitz clan? What happens if Damian decides to take it out on them?
So she understands very clearly: unless Team Rocket collapses entirely, or Damian and the others end up thrown in jail, sneaking off isn't really an option.
That'd just be "saving" herself while dumping the fallout on her own family.
The next two days, Damian mostly stays in Jubilife City.
First time here, he's got the mood to enjoy it a bit. Caitlin and the others, though, are pretty busy.
Zinnia's working on raising her new Dratini. Caitlin's focused on raising Little Lugia. Berlitz is sparring with Gladion, and Paul's back on the grind with special training.
Worth noting: Paul really does dial back his brutal methods a bit. He's still strict, but it no longer looks like outright abuse.
He's started to actually think about how his Pokémon feel.
That's a good sign. Damian's convinced that a Paul who understands his Pokémon's hearts will grow a lot faster.
And there's more good news: Damian finally gets a report—Team Rocket members have located a Team Galactic base.
Outside a fruit tea shop, Damian's lounging in sunglasses, straw between his lips.
Jirachi's on his left, Victini on his right, and a Tapu Fini floats across from him. All three are happily sipping juice and nibbling on little cakes.
"Good news, everyone. We've found an evil organization in Sinnoh Region—Team Galactic."
"To wipe out this delightful little group, anyone with time can sign up for the upcoming cleanup op."
Damian pins a new announcement on the forum, and the thread's replies explode instantly.
"Ahhhhh! We get to beat up another evil team? I'm in!"
"Boss, pick me, boss, pick me! I'm pretty, I work hard, and I can fly nationwide!"
"Pssh! Shameless. With that flat chest you dare talk? Brother Damian~, I'm huge—pick me!"
"Can you two be serious for five seconds? Boss is recruiting muscle, what are you even talking about?!"
"I, Hilda, object by name! Students should act like students, okay? No chest, no ass, no looks—how are you supposed to compete with my nationwide‑flyable sis Rosa? Go back and do your homework!"
An account named "Rosa No.1 Under Heaven" posts with absolute swagger.
Hilda:"???"
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