Rota Town, a remote town north of Mt. Moon and Pewter City.
The town exterior carries a medieval aesthetic, a town not exactly famous.
And Damian has once again "kidnapped" Erika, bringing them to Rota Town.
"Miss Caitlin, long time no see."
Erika, in a casual dress, bows gracefully to Caitlin in Rota Town, with a gentle and friendly air.
Although when she was Damian's maid, there were mornings when she came out of Damian's room and Caitlin startled.
But overall, Caitlin's attitude toward her isn't nasty.
And compared to Elesa, Erika's personality is softer, though occasionally mischievous.
"Long time no see."
Caitlin, not smiling at Erika's courtesy, still replies.
Well, though she isn't happy about Erika's appearance, she keeps a reply.
"Today isn't early; let's stroll around Rota Town and rest here for the night."
Damian speaks to the two women, and he's finally reminded why Erika mentioned Rota Town in the first place.
Because Rota Town also appeared in the original movie; this is the stage for Aura Guardian.
The three of them enter Rota Town, taking a quick stroll, but there isn't anything particularly remarkable here.
The only noteworthy thing is a castle, Cameran Palace, and within the castle resides a queen.
But still, this era is the Pokémon League‑ruled era of freedom and equality.
So-called kings or queens are mostly nominal titles, with royal descendants in nearly every region.
For example, Damian previously met the "Ancient Princess" Acerola, who is a descendant of the Alola royal family.
Although the Pokémon League has not denied these royal titles, they're largely meaningless beyond symbolism.
Cameran Palace's appearance seems luxurious, yet in truth Cameran Palace was once just a small kingdom; not as glorious as Acerola's era.
At least the Alola royal family truly ruled all of Alola.
"Huh? There's a Gym here as well."
The three head toward the hotel as planned, passing a building; Damian raises a brow.
The décor is lavish and grand; this is a Gym, though it appears to be closed.
"This is Rota Gym, but it's not famous, and the Gym Leader is said to be a successful businessman who went on a honeymoon with his wife after some time as Gym Leader."
Erika tilts her head and recalls before speaking.
Indigo League officially has only eight Gyms, but "official Gyms" means those managed by Indigo League.
In truth, Kanto Region has far more than eight Gym facilities; many are private Gyms not endorsed by Indigo League.
This isn't limited to Kanto; almost every region has the same situation.
Except for Alola League, as Alola effectively has no Gym system at all.
"Interesting." Damian nods but doesn't dwell on it.
The three arrive at the hotel; the room is arranged with three separate rooms, but…
Hours move to eight o'clock in the evening.
"Hmph!"
From Damian's room, the door on the opposite side cracks open a sliver, a single eye peeking out.
Until a black-haired girl stealthily enters Damian's room, the psychic girl expressionless rises.
Sure enough, she knew it!
Meanwhile, inside Damian's room, two silhouettes embrace.
"Mr. Damian, I can hardly breathe."
The nature-loving young lady breathes hard, her cheeks flushed, giving Damian a rosy, sly look.
She feels as if her soul is being drawn away by Damian, her tongue numb.
Mr. Damian is quite skilled!
"Erika, your adorable pair looks even cuter now."
Damian admires Erika's refined beauty; Erika's figure is indeed quite standard, neither too big nor too small.
"Um~"
Erika shyly lets out a small animal-like sigh.
Although she's prepared, she's still shy.
The night isn't long; dawn arrives, stars and crescent fade, and morning light breaks.
The next day the three press on to their destination.
Hmm?
Caitlin ponders and glances sideways at Erika; Erika's steps are steady, her walk normal.
This is odd…
From Caitlin's observation, Erika indeed didn't leave Damian's room last night.
But Erika's first time wasn't supposed to be this way.
However Erika often coughs and drinks water; that frequency is a bit high.
About an hour later, the three make it to the destination.
They stand before a cliff, facing a vast valley surrounded by high mountains.
In the center of the valley, a gigantic tree—really a tree?
"Truly magnificent—" Caitlin's eyes shimmer as she gazes.
She can't even judge how enormous this "tree" is, but it appears hundreds or thousands of meters wide, even taller.
"The wonders of nature are amazing, Mr. Damian, is this really a tree?"
Erika is similarly awed, but what shocks more is that this is not a real tree at all.
"Call it a tree if you must, but its essence is a crystal life form that sustains energy through light; its exterior is composed of rock-like spheres."
Damian admires the miracle.
This tree-like entity is Tree of Beginning.
However, in the movie it's stated this isn't a tree but a crystal life form.
It has severe resistance to humans; to any human entering, it triggers its self-defense mechanism to "swallow" the human.
So Tree of Beginning only allows Pokémon inside; it's home to many Fossil Pokémon such as Aerodactyl, Armaldo, etc.
Most notably, Tree of Beginning is in symbiotic connection with Mew.
If Mew is weakened, Tree of Beginning weakens; if Tree of Beginning faints, Mew also faints.
In the movie, to rescue Ash and his Pokémon, Mew forcibly rescues those swallowed by Tree of Beginning, causing itself to faint; Tree of Beginning also faints.
"Mr. Damian knows a lot." Erika blinks, curious how Damian knows.
"Just happened to read a document here."
Damian smiles, then studies the place thoughtfully.
"This environment is indeed excellent for a new farm; it would be perfect. But there's one problem."
Damian narrows his eyes, examining the massive valley.
Undoubtedly, the place is large and secluded with abundant resources—almost ideal for a farm.
But the key issue is Tree of Beginning refuses humans.
Humans can enter, but Tree of Beginning won't allow it.
So if Pokémon go in, how would you pull out a Dratini or other desired Pokémon?
Damian's eyes glow slightly; he needs a manager.
"Let's move closer and take a look."
Damian releases the aloof, regal Reshiram; Erika is impressed by its beauty.
"So beautiful— is this the legendary Reshiram?"
Reshiram remains calm, but its tail wags with excitement.
Yes, good eye, girl!
In terms of combat power, it might not be the top, but for beauty alone, no Pokémon beats this dragon.
Damian's face is a testament to beauty, his dragon indeed.
With Reshiram's draconic, melodic bellow, the trio lands in the valley.
"To lure it out, we'll need a plan."
As they walk toward Tree of Beginning, the ground starts to tremble.
"Regirock—" a deep mechanical tone hums near them.
A rock-bodied Pokémon crawls up from the ground blocking their path.
Its gray body, orange shoulders, and a H-shaped "7 dot" pattern on its face.
"What Pokémon is this?" Erika freezes.
"Legendary giants, Regirock!" Caitlin gasps, recognizing the Pokémon from past battles.
"Regice—" another deep mechanical groan follows.
Another crystal-ice Pokémon steps beside Regirock, a member of the same legendary giants, Regice.
"Tsk, are you coming out to expel us? This works; I don't need to fetch you."
Damian grins, watching the two giants.
Regirock and Regice appear; surely Registeel is on the way.
The trio are guardians of Tree of Beginning and Mew, so this is fitting.
"I just caught a new main roster member; let's test them," Damian says.
"Darkrai." Damian's shadow ripples as a dark, Nightmare-like form rises.
Currently, Damian's shadow houses Darkrai and a Shiny Gengar; Marshadow may join later.
"Whatever you caught, that little one probably won't sit still for long; I wonder how it will react to Mewtwo."
Damian's smile deepens.
Yes, he intends to force out Mew with Regirock and Regice.
Mew is famously mischievous; no idea if it's inside Tree of Beginning, but catching its guards should be enough for Mew to react.
"Hmm, I wonder how the Mew will respond when it sees Shadow Mewtwo?"
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