"Once I accept my own weakness, I will be invincible..."
Marnie whispered this sentence to herself. The confusion in her eyes slowly disappeared, replaced by growing brightness.
"Exactly. If you keep surpassing your own limits over and over, one day you will look back. You will realize that your original goal was left far behind a long time ago."
Damian took a sip of water, feeling quite satisfied with himself. He had been talking for so long that his mouth felt a bit dry.
Well, that is how inspirational stories usually go, he thought.
However, Damian had his doubts about whether Marnie could actually surpass Gloria. After all, hard work is relative. It wasn't as if Marnie was working hard while Gloria stood still.
Damian figured that after Gloria lost to Serena a few days ago, she was probably training even harder now. Since both sides were training intensely, the gap between them was, in a way, "standing still."
Perhaps...
If Gloria got pregnant one day and had to step back for ten months, maybe Marnie could use that chance to catch up?
"I understand. Thank you, Damian."
Marnie truly took Damian's inspirational words to heart. She tried her best to pull the corners of her mouth upward, forming a tiny smile as she thanked him.
It was rare to see any expression on the stoic Marnie's face. In reality, she practiced smiling in private all the time, but she rarely saw any results.
"You're welcome," Damian said, setting down his teacup. "By the way, Marnie, do you know where Hop is?"
Damian asked her because, among the rising stars of Galar, only Hop was missing from his list.
"Hop? I'm not sure," Marnie said, shaking her head. Her voice returned to its usual flat tone.
"I am not close with Hop. I don't even have his contact information."
Marnie answered directly. She only knew Hop because of Gloria. Personally, she didn't have any particular feelings for him or interest in him. Therefore, even though they had met, they rarely spoke to each other.
"I see."
Damian looked thoughtful. That was a bit of a problem. He should have asked Gloria for Hop's location earlier. At this stage, besides Bede, who had been disqualified, Gloria and the other two had basically collected all the Gym Badges. They were likely all training for the Champion Cup.
Just like Gloria, who had specifically gone to the Crown Tundra for an adventure and special training. So, even though he knew Hop's hometown was Postwick, Hop might not actually be at home.
"Damian, could you please battle me?"
Marnie suddenly looked up. She challenged Damian in a clear, cool voice.
"Battle me?" Damian raised an eyebrow.
Hearing Marnie's words, Caitlin and the other two girls looked at Marnie in shock.
Wow! She's so brave!
"Yes," Marnie said, her voice steady.
"You are definitely very strong. I want to know how big the gap is between me and a trainer like you right now."
Marnie knew that as the boss of Team Rocket, Damian's strength must be incredible. Perhaps... even their undefeated Galar Champion, Leon, was not Damian's match?
But Marnie wanted to know exactly how far she still was from that level.
"I see." Damian lightly scratched Terapagos under the chin and chuckled.
"Since it is a request from cute Marnie, I will practice with you for a bit."
It had been a long time since Damian had a serious battle. Nowadays, he mostly spent his time guiding Caitlin and the others. For Damian, ordinary battles were usually meaningless.
"But, you can handle the result, right?"
"Yes. I am prepared," Marnie said. Her large, beautiful eyes were full of determination.
"Good."
There was a training field in Marnie's backyard. She led Damian and the others there. Marnie and Damian stood on opposite sides of the field.
"A battle by Damian... this is the first time I've seen him actually stand on a training field!"
Serena's eyes sparkled as she watched Damian. She couldn't help but feel emotional. She had been with Team Rocket for a while now. She had seen the legendary recordings of that great ancient war and the way Damian commanded many Legendary Pokémon back then.
But truthfully, this was her first time seeing Damian standing in a standard battle arena.
"If you asked him, Serena, I'm sure he would agree to battle you too," Platinum said with a giggle, covering her mouth.
"I don't want to go asking for a beating. I'd rather battle Mr. Peony than battle Damian," Serena replied, giving Platinum a playful, charming look.
Although Serena was competitive, she knew the truth. Right now, the gap between her and Damian was too large. Even if Damian used his second or third-string teams, they weren't on the same level at all. Losing can provide a lot of experience, but it depends on the kind of loss.
"Maybe Lady Caitlin could battle Damian if he doesn't use his main team?" Serena thought aloud, looking at the elegant Caitlin.
To be honest, Serena felt that Caitlin's strength was among the highest even within the High Executives. Especially now that her Lugia had finished its basic training. Although it hadn't reached the level of the "God of the Sea" from the myths yet, under Caitlin's care, it was hard to find an opponent for Lugia even among Champion-level Pokémon.
Furthermore...
A powerful psychic can actually boost the power of Psychic-type Pokémon! Also, as far as Serena knew, Caitlin's team was terrifyingly strong. Lugia, Tapu Lele, Metagross, Gallade, Hatterene, the newly caught Galarian Articuno, and other backup members. That team was insane.
"I also think Caitlin could do it, right?" Platinum blinked, looking at Caitlin with curiosity.
"Right now, I am still not enough," Caitlin said after a moment of silence. She shook her head gently.
"Eh?"
Both Platinum and Serena were stunned. Even Caitlin wasn't enough?
"Aside from his newly caught Pokémon, Damian's main team members are at Champion level at the very least. Damian's talent has always been the best of this generation."
Caitlin looked at the two younger girls. Damian often called Platinum and the others "monsters" or "rare geniuses." But Caitlin knew that Damian himself was the real "monster." In her eyes, his talent was even greater than theirs.
"Back in Rustboro City in the Hoenn region, Damian's Mega Tyranitar fought a one-versus-four battle. It went up against Steven's Metagross, Cynthia's Garchomp and Lucario, and Sr. Giovanni's Nidoqueen all at once."
Caitlin added softly. Although Mega Tyranitar eventually lost, Steven's side only won by a narrow margin after an intense struggle. This showed just how powerful Damian's Pokémon were.
And that Tyranitar had never even been Damian's true ace.
Aside from Akari, Damian was the most incredible talent Caitlin had ever seen.
On the field.
"Now... which Pokémon should I use?"
Damian looked at the pretty Marnie standing opposite him. He tapped his temple, feeling a bit undecided.
Using high-level Legendary Pokémon wouldn't be right. Marnie was so cute; it wouldn't be fun to bully her like that. Well, if he could make Marnie cry, Damian might consider it, as she would surely look beautiful even in tears. But Marnie had already prepared herself mentally, so there was no point in that.
Damian was conflicted. Having too many Pokémon was sometimes a hassle. Should he use Darkrai or Marshadow? He hadn't used them much since catching them.
Just as Damian was about to tap his shadow to call out the sleeping Marshadow, a Poké Ball in his pocket began to shake violently.
Someone is volunteering?
"Oh?" Damian pulled out the Poké Ball and raised an eyebrow.
"Fine. Since you want to show off, it's your turn."
Damian laughed and threw the Poké Ball with a stylish flick of his wrist.
"Glastrier, get ready for battle!"
"Hee-lu-lu-lu!"
A white light flashed, and the powerful Glastrier landed heavily in front of Damian. It reared up on its hind legs and let out a loud, excited neigh.
It was Glastrier, one of the "King's Steeds"!
Glastrier was naturally rude, arrogant, and loved to fight. However, since being caught by Damian, it had done nothing but eat and sleep every day. It was bored to death. Now that it finally had a chance to fight, it wasn't going to let it go.
Besides, it wanted to earn some credit with Damian! That way, it could feel even more justified eating more food later, right? I fought for Damian! Why shouldn't I eat more?
"Glastrier?"
Marnie tilted her head, looking at the white horse. It looked pure and flawless, but it gave off a terrifyingly violent aura.
"It is the pure Ice-type Glastrier. In legends, it is the 'King's Steed.' Marnie, you must be careful. Glastrier is very strong," Damian warned her.
Although it was only Calyrex's mount, in ancient times, both Glastrier and Spectrier were kings among Pokémon. Glastrier was definitely one of the strongest fighters among Ice-types!
"A Legendary Pokémon..."
Feeling the immense pressure from Glastrier, Marnie tried her best to calm her racing heart. She took out a Poké Ball. The girl with black twin-tails bit her lip tightly and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was no more hesitation.
That's right. Now that I've accepted my weakness, I am invincible!
"Trainer Marnie, challenging you!"
"Liepard!"
Marnie swung her right hand gracefully. A beautiful purple leopard-cat landed nimbly in front of her. It had charming eyes, a sleek body, long legs, and a large tail shaped like a sickle. It was the Dark-type Liepard.
"Not bad. Come on, Marnie. Show me what you've got."
Damian looked at the Liepard. He had to admit, based on its appearance and spirit, this Liepard had been raised very well.
Marnie remained very calm. A battle plan quickly formed in her mind.
"Fake Out!"
Liepard gave a low cry. Its muscles tensed, and it shot toward Glastrier like an arrow. It was the priority move Fake Out!
"Tch... Glastrier."
Damian made a clicking sound with his tongue. This Fake Out really made him wish he had Suicune out, just to see Suicune hiss again.
Glastrier's fierce eyes stared at the incoming Liepard through its hard ice mask. A faint cold mist began to spread from its body. Around its four hooves, the ground was instantly frozen by the intense cold.
Bang!
With the speed of Fake Out, Liepard moved incredibly fast. It reached Glastrier in an instant and slammed its right paw hard against Glastrier's head.
There was a loud thud. The ice that had formed on the side of Glastrier's face was shattered by the hit.
"Hee-lu-lu-lu!"
Glastrier reared up. Its huge, muscular body cast a giant shadow that completely covered Liepard. The sound of its violent, excited neigh echoed in Liepard's ears.
"Body Press!" Damian ordered calmly.
"Quick, get away! Liepard!"
Marnie's expressionless face changed slightly. Why? Why didn't the flinch effect of Fake Out trigger?!
But now was not the time to wonder. Liepard immediately tried to dodge. Its mobility was usually excellent, but Liepard suddenly realized it couldn't move easily!
The frost that had formed under its feet had frozen its legs to the ground!
By the time Liepard forced itself free, Glastrier was already crashing down. It was the Fighting-type move Body Press!
BOOM!
Glastrier's two massive ice hooves slammed down directly onto Liepard's body.
The entire training field shook. The Fighting-type Body Press dealt massive damage to Liepard because Glastrier's Defense was exceptionally high.
When the dust cleared, Glastrier neighed again. It slowly stepped back to stand in front of Damian. A white light glowed on Glastrier's body. Its Ability, Chilling Neigh, activated, raising its Attack.
As for Liepard, it lay at the bottom of a crater, completely unconscious.
Marnie stared blankly at her fainted Pokémon. Her mind was buzzing.
What... what just happened?