Time had come to the next day.
Sunlight sneaked in through the gaps in the curtains.
The thin, silk-like comforter slid down off her back.
The woman, with tear marks still lingering at the corners of her eyes, slowly woke up.
She seemed a little dazed right after waking.
Using her arm to push herself up, her beautiful back curves were instantly exposed to the air.
When she turned her head and saw the black-haired boy beside her still sound asleep, last night's memories instantly flooded back into her mind.
Alexa remembered.
Her face went a little hot.
Luckily, the room was still pretty dim right now, and there was no one else.
Sure enough.
Mr. Damian was really handsome.
Alexa leaned down slightly and carefully studied Damian's sleeping face.
A smile couldn't help but appear on her.
She knew this kind of intimacy was still just… behind the scenes.
So what?
As long as she had Damian's support, her career was next—there was nothing to worry about, nothing to stop it from taking off!
Besides…
Alexa didn't feel like she'd lost out.
Think about it from another angle.
I was the No.1 guy-crush on the internet who got to sleep with me!!!
I made out big time!
And sure, it hurt a little at first, but later it was actually really comfortable.
Alexa gently sat up.
And this "normal" movement right now still made her feel sore.
But it was bearable.
Moving carefully, she got out of bed.
After that, she thought it over.
Still, she lowered her head and kissed Damian's face once.
Damian's eyelids twitched.
That made Alexa—who noticed—panicky for a moment.
But then she saw that Damian still didn't open his eyes.
So Alexa slipped out of Damian's room like a thief.
Whew—
Alexa patted her bulging chest.
But the second she turned around, she was instantly startled.
Caitlin was sitting on a stool.
Elegant posture, legs neatly together as she slanted her body.
Expressionless, she shot Alexa a glance.
The atmosphere suddenly got a little stiff.
Alexa noticed sharply that Caitlin's eyes were cold.
And her attitude was clearly different from before.
But if she thought about it a bit, Alexa understood.
"Miss Caitlin, good morning."
Alexa lowered her posture and greeted Caitlin.
"How are you in Damian's room?"
Caitlin had picked up on Alexa softening.
Her gaze returned to the paper in her hands.
She asked淡淡, as if it wasn't a big deal.
"It's about interviews with Mr. Damian…"
"And we kept talking until now."
"Un… that's what it was."
Alexa said it through gritted teeth.
Talking about interviews?
Caitlin's eyes narrowed slightly.
She looked at the red mark on Alexa's neck.
You're kidding, right?
You think I can't see?
But Caitlin wasn't that mad either.
"Fine."
Just a reporter.
It wasn't strange that Damian sometimes got interested and played around.
Besides, Alexa's figure really was great.
Big chest, slim waist, long legs.
A prime example of "fine branches and sturdy fruit."
How she was built like that—no idea.
Seeing Caitlin didn't keep asking, Alexa immediately left the villa.
Only when she walked out of the villa did Alexa finally sigh of relief.
How should she put it?
Caitlin's oppressive aura was really strong!
She pulled out her phone, turned it on, and checked.
That's when Alexa noticed—
little sister Viola had sent a bunch of messages.
There were also tons of calls.
But last night, she'd turned her phone off.
"Hello? Viola. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm heading back now."
When Alexa returned home, Viola immediately rushed up to greet her.
"Sis, you totally scared me to death!"
"I thought… I thought you were…"
Viola had come on purpose from Santalune City yesterday.
Because with Lumiose City's situation, everything in the whole Kalos Region was spreading like wildfire right now.
Viola was worried about Alexa, so she rushed to Lumiose City.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
"Yesterday I went to Mr. Damian to discuss the next round of interviews."
"And since it was already too late, I fell asleep there."
"I'm gonna change first."
Alexa entered the room, and decisively changed into pajamas.
She still needed to rest a bit.
"Huh?"
"Sis, why are your knees so red?"
Viola looked puzzled at Alexa's two knees—bright red.
"It's probably from filming yesterday."
"I hid in the corner and…"
Alexa said it nonchalantly.
Was she supposed to tell Viola that she'd knelt down so much last night?
"Sis! You're so impulsive."
"Safety matters more!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
"And I've got good news to tell you."
Alexa smiled as she gently rubbed her precious little sister's fair face.
She was super happy.
"Mr. Damian is planning to buy Lumiose Press."
"Then Press can release tons of Team Rocket news right away!"
Actually, Damian had originally planned to move into the media business.
And now, it really was a great opportunity.
After all, Team Rocket's spotlight was really strong right now.
"Huh?"
"So from now on, your owner is Mr. Damian, right?"
Viola blinked.
"That's right."
"My sister really does have a real opportunity coming her way."
Alexa laughed happily.
Not only because of Mr. Damian—
but also because she could do interviews of some Team Rocket executives and top-tier admins in the future!
She was planning to make a Team Rocket column on purpose.
That was—traffic!
Especially the boys and girls who performed outstandingly in the big battle yesterday.
Alexa had noticed.
As Damian said—
as long as Dawn and the others were willing themselves, Alexa could interview whoever she wanted.
This was also a way to boost Dawn and the others' name recognition.
That wasn't a bad thing.
So everyone could know that these prodigy trainers were—Team Rocket's, right?
"Ding-ding-ding~ Viola, look at this."
Alexa pulled out a small notebook from her bag.
She smiled at Viola.
"It's the current list of Team Rocket executives."
"Huh? Mr. Damian gave you even that too?!"
Viola was shocked out of her mind.
"This list isn't as secret as you think."
"And then…"
Alexa thought about last night.
This was something she'd worked her ass off to get through all her talking.
It wasn't easy at all!
Besides, the list wasn't that secret either.
League basically already had it.
And giving it to Alexa was mainly so she could pick interview targets.
Of course, she still had to go talk to them herself.
"Gladion. Alola person."
"Alola Aether Foundation's young master."
"His mother is the current Alola League chairman, Lusamine."
"Platinum Berlitz."
"Nickname: Dawn."
"A person from the Sinnoh Region."
"The Sinnoh Region House of Dawn's young lady."
"Revered as the House of Dawn's most talented trainer in over two hundred years…"
"Drayton. A person from Unova."
"A student at Blueberry Academy."
"Champion of the BB League."
"His grandfather is Drayden, the current Unova Elite Four."
"Rosa…"
Alexa quickly skimmed through the list, thinking about who she should interview next.
And she realized—
each of these executives was pretty young.
But the basic requirement for Team Rocket executives was—
an Elite Four-level trainer!
So terrifying!
"This is way too much…"
Viola clicked her tongue, amazed.
"This could basically form a few idol groups already."
"I can't even imagine how strong Team Rocket would get after they grow up."
Viola said, feeling emotional.
With so many people to look through…
she felt like Serena wasn't all that outstanding among these Team Rocket executives.
"Team Rocket idol groups?"
Alexa blinked.
She suddenly had a pretty good marketing plan.
She could boost the popularity of these Team Rocket girls and boys.
...
And for the next few days, Lumiose City was working hard to clear everything out.
With Team Rocket, Kalos League, and the help of caring civilians working together—
Lumiose City's distorted plants were finally all cleared away.
Those gaps in the ground that had been affected by distorted plants were all filled in again.
Next, all that was left was rebuilding the buildings.
That part would be handled by Kalos League themselves.
"This catastrophe came totally out of nowhere."
"But these man-made disasters can't knock us down."
"We have to thank the civilians who didn't fear it, and supported us during this incident."
"And we also have to thank Team Rocket for their full-force assistance."
"Next, League will repair Lumiose City again."
"We believe that soon, Lumiose City will be reborn."
"May the world stay in harmony and order, and may nothing like this calamity happen again."
This message posted online by Kalos League received great reviews from all Kalos people.
After all, Team Flare's incident was huge.
Especially Lumiose City, the regional center of Kalos, which was almost destroyed.
It left people with a huge shock.
But thankfully, the end result was good.
And during this incident, Team Rocket also hit the trending lists again.
Team Rocket's assistance during the incident was a huge credit.
And afterwards, they also helped Kalos League maintain order—
by assisting with clearing the plants.
In reality, if it wasn't necessary, Kalos League really didn't want to bring up Team Rocket.
After all, the higher-ups at Kalos League understood something clearly.
Kanto's relationship with Team Rocket was "kinda… ambiguous" right now.
And even the Indigo League was secretly preparing to "fight it out" with Team Rocket.
Right now, Kalos specifically praising Team Rocket?
Is that asking for trouble?
But there was nothing they could do.
Everyone had seen Team Rocket's performance with their own eyes.
And if it weren't for Damian—
who would handle that rampaging Zygarde?
Who could handle it?
Kalos League was also stuck.
If they didn't praise Team Rocket, civilians would be unhappy.
If they praised Team Rocket, they wouldn't be able to explain it to Kanto.
In the end, Kalos chairman still decided to praise them—
but only a little mention.
That way, if Kanto asked, the Kalos chairman would still have something to say.
Team Rocket really did put in effort.
You can't call me a villain just because I don't deal with Team Rocket, right?
What if Damian got upset?
Then who would be the one in trouble?
Me—Kalos?
The Kalos chairman felt like—
they were only trying to make sure harmony and stability in the Kalos Region held.
Was there anything wrong with that?
No.
But undeniably—
after this incident, Team Rocket's reputation in Kalos was really hot.
And nearly all of it was positive.
Most worth noting of all—
Lumiose Press interviewed Team Rocket once again.
But this time, it wasn't Damian.
It was one of Team Rocket's upper echelons: Dawn.
Dawn.
The show was titled:
"Team Rocket Admin Special interview. Dawn. Dawn: I Don't Regret!"
"First place! First place!"
"Alright, alright—I love this stuff!"
"Even Alexa's doing better now."
"She even got herself a sequel for a Team Rocket Special interview!"
"Dawn?"
"Is that the Dawn I'm thinking of?"
"Wow! This girl on the cover is so pretty!"
"Is she really a Team Rocket Admin?"
"That's insanely impressive!"
The moment the interview video was uploaded, it instantly drew huge numbers of viewers.
After all, Kalos people were way too curious about Team Rocket.
Or rather—
it wasn't only the Kalos Region.
Other regions were curious too.
At the very start of the video—
that familiar living room again.
Alexa sat there in full formal wear.
And Dawn wore a fitted black dress.
On the chest of the dress was a big capital "R".
"Welcome to our Special interview column."
"Today, we've invited Team Rocket's executives—Lady Dawn."
"Say hi to the audience first."
"Hello everyone."
"I'm Platinum Berlitz."
"You can also call me Dawn."
Dawn stood up very formally and performed a noble's curtsey.
Maybe because it was her first time on a show, you could tell—
the girl was still a little nervous.
"Looks like Dawn is very polite."
"You can relax."
"We'll just treat it like an everyday conversation."
Alexa guided the girl.
Her tone was soft.
"Mm-hm~"
Dawn nodded.
"So, Dawn…"
"I collected some info."
"And as far as I know…"
"your background isn't exactly ordinary, right?"
"Well, you could say that."
"My family is pretty well-known in the Sinnoh Region."
Dawn smiled shyly.
"No need for modesty."
"And here's another interesting piece of news."
"Supposedly your entire family unanimously thinks that Dawn…"
"has been the most talented trainer in the House of Dawn for the past two hundred years."
"And you're treated as the Family's future—held up as their expectations."
Alexa smiled at Dawn.
"May I ask… as the House of Dawn's young lady…"
"and carrying the Family's expectations…"
"and with talent so outstanding…"
"why did you join Team Rocket?"
"Well… about that…"
Dawn hesitated.
She grabbed the skirt of her dress.
"If it's not convenient, you don't have to say."
Alexa saw Dawn's struggle.
"Actually, it's not that inconvenient."
"Let me think…"
Dawn mulled it over for a moment, then chose her words carefully.
"The thing is…"
"Team Rocket's reputation back then wasn't great."
"In the public's impression…"
"Team Rocket is still an evil organization."
Dawn said.
Alexa nodded.
"Then…"
"Mr. Damian found my Dad for some special reasons."
"I can't go into the details…"
"but in short…"
"Mr. Damian used some pretty aggressive methods…"
"and made me join Team Rocket."
Dawn mimicked with her fingers—
meaning it was "just a little bit."
"It was only a little bit aggressive."
"But maybe even until now…"
"because of that incident…"
"my Dad is still misunderstanding Mr. Damian."
"No matter how I explain…"
"he doesn't listen."
Dawn said helplessly.
"But for me personally…"
"what I'm saying now is still me remembering that scene back then."
"It was a very… unique experience."
"I see."
"So it seems Mr. Damian really admires Dawn a lot…"
"to the point that he'd rather endure your uncle misunderstanding him."
"And he still wanted Dawn to join Team Rocket…"
"as his teammates."
Alexa started to automatically hype someone up.
"So Dawn…"
"do you have any regrets now…"
"about joining Team Rocket?"
"Never regretted it!"
Dawn shook her head.
Her tone was extremely firm.
"For me…"
"maybe the most correct decision I'll ever make in my whole life…"
"is joining Team Rocket."
"Mr. Damian is a man in charge worthy of admiration."
"And in daily life…"
"he's also an outstanding senior."
"A sensei."
"My growth wouldn't be possible without Mr. Damian's support and training."
Dawn spoke very seriously.
"If Mr. Damian isn't around…"
"you don't have to hype up your boss this much, you know."
Alexa teased her.
"I… I'm not."
"This is my real words."
Dawn's clean little face turned slightly red.
"Hehe~"
"Just kidding."
"Dawn is really adorable, though."
"I think your Dad would understand too…"
"so about this Team Flare incident…"
"Dawn, you and your teammates…"
The interview continued.
And with Alexa's lead, the interview atmosphere stayed light and fun.
The interview also kept going for more than half an hour before it ended.
"Love it!"
"More!!"
"Oh my god!"
"Dawn is actually a House of Dawn young lady?"
"She's a super little rich girl!"
"Dawn is just way too adorable!"
"Love, love, love!"
"A rookie got personally invited by Damian, the boss, to join Team Rocket…"
"I'm really curious what her strength is now."
At this moment, in the Sinnoh Region—Professor Rowan's Research Laboratory—
Professor Rowan and Berlitz looked at each other in silence.
Especially Berlitz.
His face was so tight it looked like liver.
Thinking about Dawn's line in the interview video—
"I never regretted it"—
Berlitz felt like he had swallowed five different flavors.
And what did it even mean—
"it was only a little bit aggressive"?
Daughter, how could you help that man brainwash her like that?!
You were threatened into joining Team Rocket!
~~
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