Chapter 322: The Team Rocket Boss Is Right There, What Do I Do? Online, Kind of Urgent
Team Rocket has come to the Kalos region, and the Team Rocket boss himself is sitting right in front of me. What do I do?
Online. Kind of urgent.
That was, more or less, the exact mental state Diantha found herself in right now.
As already established — on the surface, the Kalos region was still fairly stable right now. Sure, Lysandre harbored a pathologically extreme ideal and was already secretly maneuvering toward it, but he hadn't yet exposed his hand and gone public the way he did in the games. So his research institute hadn't yet been branded a dark organization. In fact, as things currently stood, aside from small-time thug outfits like the Lumiose Gang, Kalos genuinely didn't have any evil organization worth taking seriously.
That didn't mean Diantha was ignorant of Team Rocket's strength, though.
Sure, cross-region communication was somewhat limited — but not nonexistent. And a few months back, Hoenn had reached out to the Kalos League for help. Diantha herself had been mid-shoot on a film at the time, and once she'd learned other regions had already sent their own Champions to assist, she hadn't gone herself.
But she'd kept tabs on how it played out afterward.
The Hoenn League, even with a full contingent of Champions backing them, still hadn't managed to bring Team Rocket down — and word was, they'd actually ended up striking some kind of compromise with them instead.
The Hoenn League. Compromising with an evil organization!
That alone said more than enough about Team Rocket's strength.
And just a few days ago, Supreme Commander Looker of the Kalos League had mentioned to Diantha directly that both the Unova and Sinnoh regional leagues had likewise already had Team Rocket move in on them.
Genuinely terrifying.
Diantha remembered thinking, at the time, how relieved she was that Team Rocket hadn't come to Kalos — because honestly, she had no idea what she'd even do if they did.
And now — here they were.
What do I do? Do I move against the Team Rocket boss right now? But they were in the middle of a city. There were plenty of innocent bystanders around. And besides — was she even a match for Mammon in the first place?
Diantha's thoughts were racing in every direction at once, fine beads of sweat starting to bead on her striking face.
She really was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Honestly, she felt more tense right now than she had even during her own climb through the Kalos Elite Four to claim the Championship.
Serena, meanwhile, had absolutely no idea any of this was going on in Diantha's head.
"The Kanto region? That's really far from Kalos," Serena said, sounding curious.
"My name's Serena, from Vaniville Town. I just set out on my journey this year — traveling as a trainer right now."
Serena shook Mammon's hand with easy confidence, offering a lovely smile as she introduced herself.
"I'm sure Miss Serena is going to become an excellent trainer," Mammon said with a smile.
Traveling as a trainer — no question, this was the game-canon version of Serena. Made sense, too — her earnest, serious demeanor matched the in-game Serena perfectly.
In-game Serena's personality was famously serious and disciplined, with a well-known dislike of unpunctuality — Calem had once mentioned that if someone kept her waiting more than three minutes, Serena would simply leave without a second thought.
She was also famously driven to prove her own strength. With well-known parents of her own, she was determined to step out from their shadow, always insisting her skill came from her own hard-earned experience.
"Thank you — I'm working on it."
Hearing Mammon's words, Serena felt genuinely validated, a sweet little smile spreading across her refined face.
As it happened, she'd already collected all eight Gym Badges and was gearing up for the year-end Lumiose Conference. She was confident she'd make a real splash at this tournament — maybe even challenge the Kalos Elite Four and Diantha herself, climbing straight to the top of Kalos.
But none of that had happened yet, and she was still just a rookie, after all. Nothing carried more weight than actual results — so Mammon's unqualified, genuine validation meant a lot to her right now.
"Since you're a trainer, I think we'll have plenty to talk about. Let me introduce you."
Mammon introduced his two companions to Serena.
"These two are my companions, and trainers as well. This is Caitlin, and this is Platinum — you can also just call her Dawn."
"Dawn just set out on her own journey this year too, actually — but she's incredibly strong," Mammon said with a smile.
Strong trainers, obviously — and Team Rocket executives too, no doubt.
At that, Diantha studied Caitlin and Platinum carefully. She had some recollection now — she thought she might have seen Caitlin's file before.
That's a top-tier Team Rocket executive!
As for Platinum, Diantha genuinely had no memory of her — but she was surely no ordinary figure either.
"Hello there." Caitlin offered Serena a warm, elegant nod and greeting.
Platinum greeted Serena with equal courtesy, eyeing her with curiosity.
How to put it — as calculating as it might sound, Platinum sensed that Mr. Mammon wasn't the type to strike up casual acquaintances with just anyone. He probably genuinely valued this pretty girl. And on top of that, Platinum's gut told her, wordlessly, that this Serena was probably genuinely strong.
It was one of those sixth-sense instincts she couldn't quite explain — but Platinum had always trusted her sixth sense to be pretty accurate.
"Hi there — Caitlin, Dawn, you're both so pretty."
Serena wasn't exactly shy, but she wasn't especially outgoing either — and given her serious, exacting personality, she'd always privately considered herself a bit difficult to get close to.
Suddenly making three new friends who all left such a good first impression left Serena feeling almost... flattered?
Especially since all three of them, in both looks and bearing, clearly weren't ordinary people.
Serena wasn't the type to be vain about her own looks, but she was aware she counted as a fairly striking beauty in her own right. Even so, looking at these two girls in front of her now — it wasn't that she felt inferior, exactly, just that they really were remarkably gorgeous.
And their bearing carried such an elegant, noble air too — giving off the unmistakable impression of highly educated young ladies from prestigious families.
"Thanks for the compliment~ You're very pretty too, Serena."
Caitlin replied with a smile, every word and gesture radiating effortless elegance.
"Come to think of it, since we're all trainers here, Serena — want to have a friendly match with Dawn?"
Mammon figured his luck was running unusually good today — barely arrived in Kalos and already running into Serena. No way he was going to "let her go" easily.
And conveniently, Serena's serious, competitive streak was exactly the angle worth working with here.
"A battle? Sure, I'd love to, but..."
Serena couldn't have asked for better, honestly — determined as she was to become Kalos's new Champion, she wasn't afraid of any matchup. Especially against a fellow rookie trainer like herself, and getting to show off a bit in front of new friends only fired her up more.
But there was one snag—
Serena glanced over at Diantha, a little conflicted.
She knew Diantha — they'd crossed paths twice during her travels, and Diantha had been genuinely kind to her, offering guidance along the way. Running into her now and then immediately dashing off for a battle felt a little rude.
"Don't worry about me. Getting to meet you all, travelers from other regions, feels like a bit of fate at work, honestly."
"And I'm genuinely curious to watch the two of you battle — you wouldn't mind me watching, would you?"
Diantha said, her signature warm, gracious smile firmly in place.
Well — as a skilled actress, her acting chops needed no introduction.
Inwardly, alarm bells were already ringing for Diantha. This Team Rocket boss seemed to be treating Serena with just a little too much warmth for her liking.
He couldn't possibly have taken a liking to Serena, could he?
Absolutely not! Not happening!
Diantha thought the world of this particular protégée — Serena's raw talent was extraordinary, genuinely enough to make even Diantha feel a twinge of envy. Diantha had already privately decided Serena was going to be her successor.
There was no way she was going to let Serena fall into Team Rocket's clutches. Absolutely not!
So Diantha decided to tag along. She'd protect Serena.
Serena was still young, after all, naive to the darker corners of human nature — people who seemed friendly and warm on the surface might well be hiding something far darker underneath!
Serena, hearing this, looked back over at Mammon's group.
"Of course you're welcome to watch. Actually, I've admired Miss Diantha's reputation for quite some time now — seeing her in person, she's every bit as radiant as she is on screen."
Mammon said with a smile.
"Having Kalos Champion Diantha come watch would be an honor," Platinum added. She held genuine respect for Diantha — well, she was a good kid, after all, and Diantha was Kalos's own Champion.
Diantha's smile deepened. Team Rocket or not, this was clearly a courteous bunch. Such a shame they'd wandered down the wrong path — she wondered if there was any way she could talk them back onto the right one.
The group settled the bill — worth noting, Serena was the one who paid. Mammon had actually intended to cover it himself, but Serena insisted it had already been agreed upon; the girl clearly had a stubborn streak of her own.
As the heart of the Kalos region, Lumiose City naturally had no shortage of training fields. The group found a nearby spot to settle into.
"For the battle, how do you want to do this, Dawn?" Serena asked, thinking it over, turning to Platinum.
"You decide, Serena," Platinum replied with a composed smile.
"If we're not in a rush, how about a full team battle? That'd give a more complete picture."
Mammon had described Platinum as a genuinely strong trainer, and Serena was honestly curious just how "strong" that actually meant.
"Mm — sounds good."
Platinum agreed. She'd already picked up on it — Serena's personality leaned toward the more assertive, competitive end, in a certain sense.
Platinum didn't mind that at all, though — as long as it wasn't the self-centered kind of assertiveness.
"Then I'll referee."
Mammon stepped forward, while Platinum and Serena took their positions on opposite sides of the battlefield.
"The match will now begin. Battling today are Serena and Dawn."
"Rules: full 6-on-6 team battle. When one side's entire team of six is unable to continue battling, the other side wins."
"Let the battle begin."
Mammon laid out the rules simply, then stepped back, withdrawing from the battlefield.
"Serena."
Platinum looked over at Serena.
"Please, give it your all — because I happen to be — very strong."
Platinum tilted her head slightly, holding up a Poké Ball toward Serena, a composed, reserved smile on her face.
Same girl as ever, same smile — not wild or brash at all, still carrying that reserved, noble-young-lady poise. And yet, the sheer, unshakable confidence radiating off her was impossible to miss.
"Ha~ same goes for you, Dawn. Better watch yourself!"
Watching the elegant, poised Platinum across from her, Serena's refined face gradually settled into focus.
She reached up, removed her pink hat, tucked it into her bag, and gathered her loose flaxen hair into a neat, brisk ponytail.
It was a habitual gesture of hers — before any battle she took seriously, she always tied her hair back first.
"Serena's getting serious."
Diantha, familiar with this particular habit of Serena's, understood exactly what it meant.
"Ready? Then here I come."
Platinum gripped the Poké Ball tightly in her hand and hurled it in a smooth, practiced backhand toss.
It was a throwing motion she'd picked up from watching Mammon — Platinum thought it looked genuinely cool.
"My first Pokémon — it's this one!"
"Pheromosa!"
Accompanied by a proud, low cry, the sleek, elegant Ultra Beast Pheromosa touched down gracefully, chin lifted, gazing at Serena with haughty composure.
Platinum Berlitz — here to answer the challenge!
(End of chapter)
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