Was she hallucinating?
Cynthia's eyes slowly widened as she stared at the information on her screen, unable to believe what she was looking at.
Her close friend—the Castle Mistress of the Battle Castle in the Battle Frontier—had actually become a high-level executive of the evil organization Team Rocket?
And she had even injured Hala, the kahuna of Melemele Island.
How was that possible? It couldn't be real.
A storm of emotions surged in Cynthia's chest. She had noticed something off in Caitlin during their phone calls lately—subtle, but there—but even so, she couldn't accept this.
How could Caitlin join Team Rocket?
No. There had to be a misunderstanding.
Team Rocket was infamous—an organization so entrenched that even the Kanto League had never managed to wipe it out completely.
Cynthia grabbed her phone immediately and called Caitlin. She had been calling every few days recently.
But for some reason, Caitlin never picked up.
This time was no different.
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."
"Caitlin…"
Cynthia's expression turned complicated as she looked at the photo of Caitlin dressed in black on the monitor. She remembered what Caitlin had said on the phone that day:
"The weak me of the past has died as of today."
Cynthia understood. She had always understood the pride buried in Caitlin's heart. But even if she wanted to change—
She shouldn't have joined Team Rocket.
Cynthia couldn't imagine a future where she and Caitlin stood on opposite sides, fighting each other.
That wouldn't be a friendly match in a stadium. That would be something else entirely—cruel, real, and unforgiving.
It shouldn't be like this.
"Chairman, it's me." Cynthia was already on her feet, moving with her usual decisiveness as she walked out of the office. "Yes. I need to go to Alola for a while. It's urgent."
As Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia's status was extraordinary. If she traveled to another region, it was best practice for the Sinnoh League to notify the local League.
Though Alola still hadn't established a League, strictly speaking, the formalities weren't mandatory.
"Caitlin," Cynthia said under her breath, eyes hardening, "I'll bring you back. I won't just stand by and watch you fall into darkness."
…
Inside Damian's ocean-view villa.
"So you ran into Hala," Damian said, looking at Caitlin with interest. "How was it? What do you think of his strength?"
Caitlin had already changed back into a pink-and-white long dress, as if the black field outfit had never existed.
By the floor-to-ceiling window, an Island Guardian Deity was staring out at the bright blue sea. A straw stuck out from between its lips as it drank watermelon juice.
In its other hand, it held a slice of strawberry cake. It took a bite, closed its eyes in satisfaction, and the cake vanished into its stomach in just a few mouthfuls.
Then "Miss Shell" floated toward the table.
But the moment it saw the empty bag sitting there, its brain seemed to freeze for a beat.
"Fini? Fini!!"
Tapu Fini let out a heart-wrenching, shrill cry. It rushed to Damian, tugging at his clothes, pointing at the table, and chirping nonstop.
"Oh—you mean the cake?" Damian paused, then answered casually. "I didn't put it away. Gengar probably finished it off."
"Fini!!!"
Fury exploded in Miss Shell's chest. It knew it. Of course it was that damn, evil gray fatty.
Miss Shell's head whipped around, scanning the room like it was trying to figure out which shadow the gray fatty was hiding in.
"Alright, alright." Damian chuckled, rubbing Miss Shell's smooth hair. "Don't pick a fight with that glutton. Keep your peace of mind, okay?"
"Fini…"
Miss Shell let out a wounded little whimper, like a small animal that had just been abandoned.
That was my cake. Mine.
"It's fine, it's fine." Damian sighed, then reached into his pocket. "Here—go buy some yourself. Just don't eat too much, alright?"
He pulled out a thick stack of cash and handed it to Tapu Fini, adding the reminder as if this was a routine expense.
For whatever reason, Miss Shell had developed a particular obsession with fruit juice and small fruit cakes.
"Fini~ fini~"
Tapu Fini's face lit up instantly. It took the cash with practiced and floated happily toward the door. Opening and closing it took one smooth motion.
Caitlin watched Tapu Fini leave with a strange expression, right up until it disappeared from sight.
If she remembered correctly, when Tapu Fini was first captured, it had looked like its world was ending.
And now it was… this.
It hadn't even been a week.
"Damian," Caitlin asked, genuinely confused, "aren't you worried it'll run away?"
Tapu Fini could escape right now, couldn't it?
"It won't." Damian shook his head.
Run away?
Maybe it had thought about it at the beginning. But ever since Damian's line—
"Tapu Fini, you wouldn't want Poni Island to…"
Tapu Fini had clearly resigned itself. And once you accepted that you couldn't fight the current, the next step was simple: stop struggling and start enjoying the ride.
Once the habit of "slacking off" took root, it was hard to pull out.
And those soft little cakes really were too good.
Tapu Fini was being molded, little by little, into Damian's shape.
Caitlin tilted her head, unable to help admiring Damian's "taming" methods.
Impressive.
"Hala's strength really is impressive," Caitlin said, returning to the point. "I'd say he's a bit stronger than Proton and Guzma."
"But you still beat him," Damian said, smiling. "You're improving fast, Caitlin."
Her progress was real—and it wasn't just because of Damian. Once a noble young lady like Caitlin made up her mind, her drive could be frightening.
"Thank you." A faint smile touched Caitlin's lips. "But I still need to work harder."
Her voice softened, and her eyes—clear and bright—rested on Damian.
She was satisfied with her progress. And she knew she wouldn't have gotten here without him.
"Then when we have time," Damian said after a moment's thought, "I'll do some special training with you. Once you reach Champion level, you can go catch Tapu Lele too."
"Mm~." Caitlin answered with a soft hum—almost like she was pouting or acting spoiled. It was… unexpectedly cute.
"Since I beat Hala this time," Caitlin continued, "Kukui's side will probably treat us even more cautiously now. Damian—should we keep pushing our operations?"
"Of course." Damian tapped his thigh lightly, calm and unhurried. "If we intend to develop here long-term, friction with the local powers is unavoidable."
"To keep them from getting too bold, we need to let them taste a little bitterness—so they understand our strength."
"Once they learn what pain feels like," Damian added, smiling faintly, "they'll naturally become more… restrained."
Proton had told him there were already suspicious people showing up near the entertainment center lately—watching, keeping tabs.
That kind of blatant surveillance could only have come from Hala and the others.
So reckless. Like they didn't respect Team Rocket at all.
He needed to hit back—once—cleanly.
"Understood." Caitlin backed him without hesitation.
"But we'll give them a few days to get ready," Damian said. "Otherwise Hala might not even be out of bed yet."
He thought of Hala's sprained back—and nearly laughed.