"Honestly, Dad, you should control yourself a little more in public! I've already told you that so many times."
A vein throbbed on Peonia's forehead. She spoke to Peony in a low, angry voice.
"Stop calling me by that name when we're outside!"
"Wahahaha~ Don't sweat the small stuff, Nia-Nia. Don't you think that name is cute?"
"Only you think it's cute, you idiot! I've already grown up!"
Peonia's anger rose even more.
She had especially noticed the other passengers looking at her strangely when they heard the name Nia-Nia.
She felt like dying from embarrassment.
"Eh~ I know, I know. Let's go. We'll head to Freezington first."
But clearly, Peony did not care at all about his daughter, who was about to explode.
He had plenty of experience dealing with this.
It was such a cute nickname. He really didn't understand why his two daughters disliked it so much.
Peony felt very troubled.
The father and daughter prepared to head to Freezington.
It was the only small village in the Crown Tundra.
If they wanted to rest and stay for a while, Freezington was the most suitable place.
"Hello. You two seem to get along very well."
Suddenly, a clear male voice reached their ears.
Peony and Peonia turned their heads to look. Peony immediately clicked his tongue.
It was a group of one man and three women.
No matter how you looked at it, the looks and bearing of these four were top-tier.
Peonia looked at the four of them with curiosity.
She remembered them. She had noticed these four on the train earlier.
After all, they were really eye-catching.
"Hello. Do you need something?"
Peony spoke in a relaxed and direct manner.
The boy leading the group was clearly here for them.
"I do. There's something important I want to discuss with you, Peony."
Damian smiled as he spoke to Peony.
Peony's brows furrowed slightly. The other person knew who he was.
If that was the case, this probably wasn't some ordinary matter.
"Shall we go to Freezington first? This isn't a good place to talk."
Damian glanced around. The Slippery Slope was not a good place to stop and chat.
"Fine."
Peony thought for a moment and did not refuse.
Although he did not know why the other party had come, Peony had confidence in himself.
His strength was no joke.
Freezington, a village in the Crown Tundra, was located between the Slippery Slope and Frostpoint Field.
There were not many people living in Freezington anymore.
After all, it was a place of ice and snow all year round, so it was not very suitable for people to live in.
Because of this, most of the villagers had already moved away.
They arrived at the Freezington Inn.
As the fireplace burned, warmth spread through the room, making it much more comfortable.
"Young man, what do you want with me?"
Peony took the lead and asked Damian.
"Peony, you were once the Gym Leader of a Steel-type Gym. Later, you even became the Champion of the Galar League, right?"
Damian took a sip of hot tea and spoke to Peony.
Hearing this, Caitlin and the other two girls looked at the middle-aged man with some surprise.
He looked similar to Rose but much more rugged. He had actually once been the Champion of Galar.
Peonia looked at Damian in confusion.
This person actually knew about her father's past?
"That's all old news. What exactly are you trying to say?"
Peony said impatiently.
"Don't be in such a hurry. From this alone, you really are quite different from Chairman Rose, Mr. Peony."
Damian gave a light laugh.
Even though they were biological brothers, Peony and Rose had very different personalities.
Rose was mature, steady, careful, and patient.
Peony, on the other hand, was rough around the edges and never very good at listening to others.
"Kid, don't think you can say whatever you want just because you're young."
At the mention of Rose's name, Peony's expression darkened.
His tone also turned much colder.
"My fist isn't light."
Hearing Peony's blunt threat, Damian did not care at all.
"Don't get worked up. I'm actually very curious. Why did you suddenly resign from the position everyone dreams of, Mr. Peony?"
Damian held the dozing Jirachi and looked at Peony with apparent curiosity.
"What does it have to do with you?" Peony replied rudely.
Clearly, his mood was already turning bad.
"Nia-Nia, let's go."
Peony had already lost the patience to keep talking.
He called out to Peonia, turned around, and prepared to leave.
Peonia answered, but she still looked at Damian with curiosity.
This guy...
"It was because of Chairman Rose, wasn't it?"
However, Damian's next sentence made Peony's face turn ugly again, and his steps stopped.
"Not long after you became the Champion of Galar, Rose also became the Chairman of the Galar League. That was what pushed you to leave the League in a fit of anger."
Damian looked calmly at Peony's back.
His tone carried a faint trace of mockery.
"How weak, Peony. Are you really that afraid of your brother?"
"Shut up!"
Peony turned around suddenly and shouted at Damian.
His emotions were so intense that his chest was rising and falling sharply.
It was obvious how furious he was right now.
"There's no need to shout. Besides, what's the point of acting tough in front of me?" Damian tilted his head slightly and met Peony's angry eyes.
In truth, Peony really was a genius.
The fact that he had become the Champion of Galar already proved that.
But why had things between him and his own brother, Rose, deteriorated to the point that they no longer spoke to each other?
In Damian's view, much of it came from Peony's own fragile and rebellious mindset.
Peony and Rose were brothers. The two had grown up together.
However, throughout that process, Peony was always compared to his outstanding older brother, Rose.
The judgment and looks from outsiders became unbearable for him.
As a result, his personality gradually became more rebellious and wild.
Later, Peony finally ran away from home.
But he met someone who appreciated him and eventually became a Gym Leader.
After that, he even became Champion.
But even then, his brother's shadow still hung over him.
After learning that Rose had become the Chairman of the Galar League, Peony ended up leaving the League altogether.
He became an ordinary man wandering around on adventures.
How should one describe that?
You could only say that he truly was Rose's brother.
"Don't you dare mention that name in front of me!"
Peony panted heavily.
He stared at Damian and spoke word by word. His low, raspy voice sounded like that of a wild beast.
Peonia stood carefully behind Peony.
It was her first time seeing her father this angry.
"Oh? So this is how you run away?"
Damian, however, acted as if he didn't see Peony's expression at all.
He simply tilted his head and continued speaking.
"Because you couldn't beat Rose, you ran far away. You buried that name and pretended that person never existed in your life."
Damian continued as if talking to himself.
"Peony, a Champion-level Steel-type trainer. So many people look up to you. If they found out their idol was just someone who only knows how to run away, I wonder what kind of expression they'd have."
Damian kept provoking him with a smile.
Platinum and Serena looked at Peony nervously.
Their hands were already gripping their Poké Balls tightly. They were afraid Peony might attack at any moment.
Anyone could feel that Peony's anger had reached its limit.
He was like a volcano that could erupt at any moment.
Peony really was on the verge of exploding!
For so many years, he had tried his best to draw a line between himself and that person.
He had tried to forget him.
But now, this guy who clearly had no regard for his own life kept bringing up that name again and again in front of him.
Did he really think Peony was a pushover?
Peonia quietly took two steps back.
She was afraid blood might splash on her in a moment.
However, after reaching the peak of his anger, Peony actually calmed down a little.
"My business with him is not for an outsider like you to judge." Peony took a deep breath and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Hmm? Tsk~ I thought you were going to attack. You can actually hold it in?"
Damian held his chin and looked at Peony with some surprise.
Hearing this, Peony laughed from sheer anger.
This guy!
"I really do want to teach you a lesson, but this is an inn, and..."
Peony's face darkened.
Moreover, although what this guy said was unpleasant...
Peony also knew it was true. No matter how much he tried to cover it up, he really was running away.
Because Peony knew very well that his talent was not as good as his brother Rose's.
You could tell from how Galar kept getting better and better. Rose becoming the League Chairman had been the right decision.
"Anyway, I don't want to waste any more words with you. If you came to me just to mock me, then you've already achieved your goal."
Peony said plainly. He prepared to take Peonia and leave.
Clap, clap, clap~
The sound of applause suddenly rang out.
Damian slowly stood up and looked at Peony with a smile.
"Do I look like someone with that much free time?"
"I came to find you this time, Mr. Peony, not just to provoke you. I have serious business to discuss with you."
Damian took a gold badge out of his pocket and tossed it toward Peony.
Peony caught it immediately.
He opened his palm and looked at it. It was an exquisite "R" badge.
Peony's brows furrowed tightly.
He more or less understood now.
"In my capacity as the leader of Team Rocket, I sincerely invite you, Mr. Peony, to join Team Rocket and serve as a top executive."
Damian spoke slowly with a smile.
"Mr. Peony, please believe me. Your talent and value are no less than your brother's. And I can give you a stage where you can show what you're really capable of."
"Team Rocket..."
Peony was certain now. It really was Team Rocket.
Although he had been staying in the Crown Tundra lately in search of Legendary Pokémon, he had still seen some news about Team Rocket online before this.
And now, Team Rocket had actually come to Galar.
But it was still just an underground organization. What did they mean by giving him a stage to surpass Rose?
Was an underground organization really this arrogant now?