"You can arrange this. If it really does not work, then let Silver take over," Giovanni said.
Giovanni did not say yes or no. He did not have many requirements.
As long as the person was strong enough and one of their own, it was fine. His thinking was the same as Damian's.
This Viridian Gym was their "family business" after all. He did not feel comfortable handing it to an outsider.
"Silver is not suitable. His personality..."
Damian raised an eyebrow. Was Silver fit to be a Gym Leader?
Thinking about Silver's antisocial and lonely personality, Damian shook his head. He was afraid that people who came to challenge the Viridian Gym would be beaten so badly by Silver that they would be mentally scarred.
Also, Silver always disliked weak people. He even had a hidden sarcastic side.
"That is true. There is no rush for this matter. How do you plan to proceed?"
Giovanni thought about it and realized it was true. He smiled and moved past the topic.
He asked Damian about his plans. He was asking about the final battle against the League.
"Since it is the final battle against the League, there must be a perfect battlefield," Damian said.
Damian leaned back comfortably on the sofa. He showed a bright, sunny smile.
A final battle with the League?
Hearing this, Serena and Alexa were stunned. They did not understand.
Was there still a battle to be fought between Team Rocket and the League?
"Oh?"
Giovanni stopped what he was doing. He looked at Damian.
"Dad, did you know? Before this, a collector approached Archer. He wanted Team Rocket to accept a job from him."
Damian tapped his finger gently on his thigh. His smile deepened.
"He wants to catch Lugia to keep in his collection. He is willing to give a very large reward."
Hearing this, Serena could not help but open her eyes wide.
What? Lugia was a Legendary Pokémon from the myths of the Kanto region.
Was that collector crazy?
"The ambition and desire of humans always go beyond imagination," Giovanni said with a light laugh.
He was not surprised at all.
"Yes, I was quite surprised by that too. I had Archer investigate his background. Guess who he works for?"
"There are not many people in Kanto who can afford the price of catching Lugia. Is he from Silph Co.?"
Giovanni thought for a moment.
A collector, especially one who dared to target a Legendary Pokémon like Lugia, meant that normal "collectibles" could no longer satisfy him.
Also, he claimed he could give Team Rocket a massive reward. A group with that much wealth was likely Silph Co.
"Correct. After Archer did a thorough investigation, he found out that guy is the son of the Silph Co. President. Tsk~"
Damian clicked his tongue. This was a spoiled rich kid.
No wonder he was so bored that he dared to try to catch Lugia. But this was also good.
It gave them a great reason, right?
"You want to make a move on Silph Co.?" Giovanni understood. His eyes flickered slightly.
Damian wanted to make Saffron City the battlefield!
"Ah~ After all, since we are going to fight, we have to give the League a reason, right?" Damian grinned.
"Team Rocket ignores the law, kidnaps the Silph Co. President's son, and breaks into the Silph Co. Building to threaten the President for a huge ransom."
"For the League, isn't that a perfect reason to start a war?"
Damian spoke while smiling.
Yes, and while he was at it, he could actually take a large amount of money from the Silph Co. President.
He would treat it as the fee for educating the man's son.
Otherwise, if that kid really went to the Orange Islands to mess with the Legendary Birds and Lugia, it would cause a huge disaster.
By catching this collector now, they were secretly saving the world again, weren't they?
"Otherwise, we can't just pick a location and start fighting. That would be too boring."
This was a battle that would decide the future of the world. Damian felt it needed some style.
Also, he wanted to use this event to prove the difference between Team Rocket and the League.
If the League handled this, they would probably just give a warning or an education.
But would that stop the collector? The League's way of handling things was too "gentle."
Team Rocket was different!
Do you have too much money and feel bored, so you want to collect Lugia?
Well, if you have no money, you will not be able to do such dangerous things anymore, right?
Solving the problem at its root while providing funds for Team Rocket, it was perfect. It killed two birds with one stone.
"You, child..." Giovanni could not help but laugh.
"Also, Saffron City is the largest and most developed city in the Kanto region. Using this city to witness Team Rocket's victory is also perfect."
Damian did not hide his confidence at all.
"Is that so? Damian, the League's attitude this time is very serious. Are you sure you can win?"
Giovanni warned Damian.
"Dad, you know nothing about Team Rocket's power."
Damian scoffed.
It did not matter how many Champions the League gathered. It was all meaningless.
Because Team Rocket would only win! They would not lose!
Damian chatted with Giovanni for a while longer.
Then, Damian took the chance to suggest that Giovanni accept Alexa's interview.
It is worth mentioning that after Damian bought Lumiose Press, it had been renamed Arceus Publishing.
Giovanni did not refuse. He treated it as adding some traffic and attention to his son's business.
After all, Giovanni had just become the Champion, so he was the most talked-about person right now.
This interview could bring a huge amount of attention to Arceus Publishing.
Also, the fact that Giovanni was Damian's father was another big topic for the public.
No matter how you looked at it, once this interview was released, it would definitely be a huge hit!
Time passed quickly, and it was the next day.
Alexa went to prepare for the interview.
Time was quite tight because Giovanni had many things to do as the new Kanto Champion.
Meanwhile, Damian prepared to take Caitlin, Platinum, and Serena for a walk around Kanto.
"Damian!!"
"Pika~chu!"
Just as they reached the wilderness, Damian heard an excited shout and the cry of an electric mouse.
Damian raised an eyebrow. He turned his head and looked.
As expected, it was Ash's trio.
"Yo~ Ash, Misty, and Brock. What a coincidence."
Damian greeted Ash and his friends.
"Ha~ It really is you, Damian. I told them the back of your head looked like yours!"
Ash was very happy.
"I saw that interview of yours! And you even helped the Kalos League defeat Team Flare. That was so amazing!"
Ash spoke excitedly.
He had watched the exclusive interview video later.
Misty had found it while looking at discussions about Damian because she was bored.
They really did not expect Damian to have such a past.
"It was thanks to platinum and the others. I didn't actually do much. Speaking of which, Ash, why didn't you guys join the Lumiose City mission back then?"
Damian asked curiously.
For that kind of large-scale mission between regions, the organization would pay for plane tickets, food, and hotels.
They would not miss it just because they lacked money.
"It's all because of Ash. At that time, we happened to take a mission in the deep mountains. That place was so remote it had no signal. It took us two days to find that wild Alpha Pokémon. By the time we got out, the sign-up time for the mission had already passed," Misty said while rolling her eyes.
"So we had to give up," Brock said, looking very helpless.
It was the Kalos region! A trip at the public's expense!
"I couldn't help it. It was just bad timing," Ash said, feeling very misunderstood.
"It's okay. There should be other big missions in the future," Damian said with a smile to comfort the three.
"By the way, Ash, have you made any new progress lately?"
"I have! Look, Damian, I traded for a new Pokémon!"
Ash's mood instantly lifted.
He took out a Poké Ball and opened it.
With a flash of white light, a small green creature landed in front of Ash.
It had a piece of grass in its mouth and was looking around. This was the Grass-type starter from the Hoenn region, Treecko.
"Treecko? Not bad. If you can train its final form, Sceptile, it will be very strong," Damian praised with a light laugh.
Was it really fate?
Damian looked at Treecko and then at the happy Ash.
It seemed Ash really listened to what Damian said last time.
Otherwise, he would not have specifically chosen a Grass-type Treecko to strengthen his team.
Since Bulbasaur refused to evolve, Ash truly needed a new Grass-type main Pokémon.
Among Ash's Grass-type starters from all generations, Sceptile was indeed the most outstanding.
In the Sinnoh League, it even helped Ash defeat Tobias's Darkrai.
"Hehe~ I don't know why, but I liked Treecko the moment I saw it. I like it a lot," Ash said, clearly very happy.
"Keep working hard~" Damian encouraged Ash. He thought very highly of Ash.
"Mhm~ Platinum, since we finally met, do you want to have another battle? I've become stronger again!"
After that, Ash clenched his fist.
He looked at Platinum with eyes burning with fighting spirit.
Actually, he wanted to challenge Paul even more, but unfortunately, Paul was not here.
Platinum blinked.
"I can, but..."
Platinum looked at Damian.
She did not really mind, but she was afraid it would affect their travel schedule.
"It's fine. We aren't in a rush," Damian laughed.
"Ash, this is Serena from Kalos. She is a trainer the same age as you, and her strength is also very good. You two can practice together more."
Damian then introduced Serena to Ash.
"Serena, this is Ash. And these two are his travel partners, Misty and Brock. Ash is a very excellent trainer."
Hearing this, Ash's eyes brightened.
"Hello! I am Ash from Pallet Town."
"Hello, I am Serena."
Serena looked at Ash with curiosity.
She did not need to be told, she understood. This was another "monster" of the same age.
Next, Ash and Platinum had a practice battle.
However, the result did not change.
But compared to last time, Ash's strength had indeed improved a lot.
"Gosh~ Platinum is still super strong. I lost again."
Even though he lost, Ash was not very sad.
Instead, he was surprisingly satisfied. Having such a strong opponent made him feel so excited!
Actually, since joining Team Rocket, Ash could often find colleagues who were also High Executives to practice with.
But High Executives like Archer... how should he put it?
Even though they were strong, Ash felt the pressure was not enough.
The only one who gave Ash a real sense of pressure was Sird of the Three Beasts.
Yes, he could not beat Sird.
But after they had one battle, Sird went to the Johto region.
According to her, she went to fight Carr.
Ash did not quite understand. He could only say that the relationships between these local Team Rocket High Executives were a bit mysterious.
But Ash felt it was a pity.
Because after Sird went to Johto, the local High Executives in Kanto were no longer a match for him.
"Actually, Ash, if you really want a challenging opponent, you can go find N to battle," Damian said to Ash.
He guessed that N and Ash would probably have a lot in common.